Final answer:
The labor cost reduction resulting from the plant facilities upgrade will be greatest at plants where total annual compensation is comparatively low and labor productivity is comparatively high.
Step-by-step explanation:
The accurate statement regarding the drop in labor costs per pair produced resulting from the plant facilities upgrade is option 4, which states that the labor cost reduction will be greatest at plants where total annual compensation is comparatively low and labor productivity is comparatively high.
When total annual compensation is low and labor productivity is high, the cost per pair produced will be reduced significantly. This is because the labor costs will be lower due to comparatively lower wages, and the productivity of the workers will be higher, resulting in more pairs being produced in the same amount of time.
Therefore, the plant that currently has total annual compensation per employee of $3,000 and labor productivity of 4,000 pairs per worker will experience a larger labor cost reduction of $1.20 per pair compared to the plant with total annual compensation per employee of $24,000 and labor productivity of 4,000 pairs per worker, which will experience a labor cost reduction of $0.15 per pair.