Question 1
For your job as the business reporter for a local newspaper, you are given the task of putting together a series of articles that explains the power of the time value of money to your readers. Your editor would like you to address several specific questions in addition to demonstrating for the readership the use of the time value of money techniques by applying them to several problems. What should be your response to the following memorandum from your editor? TO: Business Reporter FROM: Perry While, Editor, Daily Planet RE: Upcoming series on the Importance and Power of the Time Value of Money In your upcoming series on the time value of money, I would like to make sure you cover specific points. In addition, before you begin this assignment, I want to make sure we are all reading from the same script, because accuracy has always been the cornerstone of the Daily Planet. In this regard, I would like responses to the following questions before we proceed: 1. What is the relationship between discounting and compounding? 2. What is the relationship between PVIF i,n and PVIFA i,n? 3. a. What will $5,000 invested for ten years at 8% compounded annually grow to? b. How many years will it take $400 to grow to $1,671, if it is invested at 10% compounded annually? c. At what rate would $1,000 have to be invested to grow to $4,046 in ten years? 4. Calculate the future sum of $1,000, given that it will be held in the bank for 5 years and earn ten percent compounded annually. 5. What is an annuity due and how does it differ from an ordinary annuity? 6. What is the present value of an ordinary annuity of $1,000 per year for 7 years discounted back to the present at 10%. What would be the present value if it were an annuity due? 7. What is the future value of an ordinary annuity of $1,000 per year for seven years, compounded at 10%? What would be the future value if it were an annuity due? 8. What is the present value of a $1,000 perpetuity discounted back to the present at 8% 9. What is the present value of a $1,000 annuity for ten years with the first payment occurring at the end of year 10 (that is, ten $1,000 payments occurring at the end of year 10 through year 19) given a discount rate of 10% 10. Given a 10% discount rate, what is the present value of a perpetuity of $1,000 per year if the first payment does not begin until the end of Year 10. 11. What is the effective annual rate, EAR, for a bank loan compounded quarterly. The loan has an annual APR of 8%.,Hi, did you answer my questions? Thanks,
Question 2
In order to make this case, you first need to review the strategy and then classify it as one of Porter's competitive strategies. Then identify the Key Input factors in the first three categories. Explain why these are the critical input factors. Then determine how congruent the three input factors are with the strategy. First discuss the organization's strategy and classify it according to Porter's three generic competitive strategies. Then identify the most critical inputs in each of the first three categories and justify WHY they are critical. Also explain what effect the inputs from one category have on inputs from the other categories. How well does the strategy fit with the environmental, resource and historical inputs you identified? Make a Case for your propostion as to how the Key Inputs support (are congruent with) the Strategy. Specifically make a claim: "The inputs at Palm, Inc., consisting of Organizational Environment factors, Internal Resource factors, and Historical Tradition factors are, [highly, partially, or minimally] congruent with the company?s strategy." Support your analysis with objective evidence. Sources of information for the entire project may include interviews, organizational documents and reports, articles in newspapers and trade publications. Be sure to cite your sources and provide a list of references.
Question 3
Industry/Corporate Analysis Research for Samsung Objective Select an industry and a company within the selected industry to complete a comprehensive analysis. Develop a well-written paper focusing on fundamental and technical research. The goal is to obtain a better understanding of the financial analysis process by studying public information and market data to make informed investment decisions. Fundamental Analysis: You will prepare a top-down fundamental analysis that covers economic, industry, company, and financial analysis (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8). The analysis should parallel the type of analysis conducted by a professional security analyst (although not with the same degree of rigor). Economic analysis (Chapter 5): Your paper must cover current monetary-fiscal policy, government policy, economic indicators, inflation, gross domestic product growth (GDP), unemployment, and any foreign trade and world events that are currently affecting the securities markets. Industry analysis (Chapter 6): Your paper must cover the life-cycle phase your chosen industry is in, the implications of such, and the industry structure (including but not limited to economic factors, competitive factors, and government regulation). Company/financial analysis (Chapters 7 and 8): Choose a specific company within your chosen industry in which you would like to invest. Value the firm using a dividend valuation model, an earnings valuation model, and the P/E ratio. Forecast earnings per share for the next two years. Using the most recent two years of financial statements (annual report or 10-k), perform a ratio analysis using the 20 ratios presented in Chapter 8. (You do not need to calculate these ratios, but must properly cite your sources.) The analysis should comment on the most recent year's ratios and on any trends between the two years, in addition to research industry norms for the profitability, asset-utilization, liquidity, debt-utilization, and price ratios, and analyze your selected firm's performance against the industry. Technical analysis: (Chapter 10) Using one of the readily available charting resources on the Internet, prepare a line chart on the company's price and volume movement. Discuss the overall movement of the stock price and the relationship of the stock price to volume. Using a straight line of best fit through the data, comment on the stock price that you project for the future. Investment recommendation: Based upon the fundamental and technical analysis, present your investment recommendation, tying together the results and data from your fundamental and technical analysis and supporting your investment recommendation with your results and data. Insure resources are verifiable and from a credible source. Follow required APA guidelines.
Question 4
Assignment 2: Vice President of Operations, Part 2 Due Week 6 and worth 280 points Refer to the scenario from Assignment 1. Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you: 1.Evaluate two to four (2-4) weaknesses that are evident in the selected organization?s product life cycle. Generate a new product design and product selection, and then determine three (3) strategies that the organization needs in order to strengthen the operation. Provide support for the rationale. 2.Determine the key components of supply chain management for the company you have selected. Determine three (3) major issues that could affect the structuring, sourcing, purchasing, and the supply chain of your organization. Provide a solution to each issue. 3.Develop a total quality management tool that identifies and analyzes any future issues. Provide a rationale for developing the selected tool. 4.Analyze three (3) advantages in employing the just-in-time philosophy in your organization. Evaluate three to five (3-5) means in which the philosophy could potentially impact quality assurance. Provide specific examples to support your response. 5.Determine a qualitative and quantitative forecasting method for your operation. Next, create a table in which you identify the characteristics of the operation that relate to each method. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each method. 6.Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: ?Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. ?Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student?s name, the professor?s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: ?Determine the key components of supply chain management including structuring, sourcing, purchasing, and managing the supply chain. ?Examine how the total quality management process is a strategy for a competitive advantage in the marketplace. ?Identify the key elements of just-in-time manufacturing and its impact on quality assurances. ?Develop a forecasting method appropriate to a production or service operation. ?Use technology and information resources to research issues in operations management. ?Write clearly and concisely about operations management using proper writing mechanics. Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills. Click here to access the rubric for this assignment.
Question 5
Case Stady-2 Springfield Express is a luxury passenger carrier in Texas. All seats are first class, and the following data are available: Number of seats per passenger train car 90 Average load factor (percentage of seats filled) 70% Average full passenger fare $160 Average variable cost per passenger $70 Fixed operating cost per month $3,150,000 What is the break-even point in passengers and revenues per month? What is the break-even point in number of passenger train cars per month? If Springfield Express raises its average passenger fare to $ 190, it is estimated that the average load factor will decrease to 60 percent. What will be the monthly break-even point in number of passenger cars? (Refer to original data.) Fuel cost is a significant variable cost to any railway. If crude oil increases by $ 20 per barrel, it is estimated that variable cost per passenger will rise to $ 90. What will be the new break-even point in passengers and in number of passenger train cars? Springfield Express has experienced an increase in variable cost per passenger to $ 85 and an increase in total fixed cost to $ 3,600,000. The company has decided to raise the average fare to $ 205. If the tax rate is 30 percent, how many passengers per month are needed to generate an after-tax profit of $ 750,000? (Use original data). Springfield Express is considering offering a discounted fare of $ 120, which the company believes would increase the load factor to 80 percent. Only the additional seats would be sold at the discounted fare. Additional monthly advertising cost would be $ 180,000. How much pre-tax income would the discounted fare provide Springfield Express if the company has 50 passenger train cars per day, 30 days per month? Springfield Express has an opportunity to obtain a new route that would be traveled 20 times per month. The company believes it can sell seats at $ 175 on the route, but the load factor would be only 60 percent. Fixed cost would increase by $ 250,000 per month for additional personnel, additional passenger train cars, maintenance, and so on. Variable cost per passenger would remain at $ 70. Should the company obtain the route? How many passenger train cars must Springfield Express operate to earn pre-tax income of $ 120,000 per month on this route? If the load factor could be increased to 75 percent, how many passenger train cars must be operated to earn pre-tax income of $ 120,000 per month on this route? What qualitative factors should be considered by Springfield Express in making its decision about acquiring this route?
