Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses selling food, appliances, consumer electronics, apparel and other household goods at 582 locations across the U.S. as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico and Puerto Rico. As of its fiscal year-end 2010, Costco had approximately 60 million members. Selected fiscal-year information from the company's balance sheets follows. ($ millions).

(a) During fiscal 2010, Costco collected $1,736 cash for membership fees. Use the financial statement effects template to record the cash collected for membership fees.
(b) In 2010, Costco recorded $67,995 million in merchandise costs (that is, cost of goods sold). Record this transaction in the financial statement effects template.
(c) Determine the value of merchandise that Costco purchased during fiscal-year 2010. Use the financial statement effects template to record these merchandise purchases. Assume all of Costco's purchases are on credit.

Use negative signs with your answers, when appropriate. Enter answers in millions.

please answer all parts that say answer

Company chosen: Microsoft Corporation   

• What the company is doing in that area
• How and why the technology is disruptive
• What technologies did it replace or improve upon
• What were the drivers that made it possible for this technology
• What is the competition it faces (company/technology)
• What are the challenges the company has in remaining a leader in this space
• What are the future and the reach of this technology
• Are there ethical, social or other concerns related to this technology that you would like to discuss

Best Buy ranks number 72 on the Fortune 500; it is the largest consumer electronics retailer in the world. Best known for its discounted high-quality products, customer centered approach, sustainable outreach, and extensive recycling program. Best Buy is listed as a “socially responsible” company. It was founded by Richard Schulze in 1966. Since then the company has undergone many changes.

College students, who wanted higher-end electronics, were the first customers they targeted. In 2000, when sales growth slowed, Best Buy acquired Geek Squad, a repair service. This acquisition led to their Concept 5 stores, where products are sold, and customers taught how to use them. This improved service turnaround time and increased customer satisfaction. By 2009, the company became the primary online and brick-and-mortar provider of consumer electronics.

             Best Buy views itself as a customer-centered organization. The company uses www.BestBuy.com to learn more about its customer needs and preferences. Customers can use that website to rate every product purchased. In 2007, the Company published its first Corporate Social Responsibility Report (SR) as result of the customers concern for sustainability. Electronic waste was filling landfills, and their customers wanted to see this problem addressed. In response to their concerns, Best Buy implemented a wide-scale electronics recycling program.   In 2009 Best Buy set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 45%; by the end of 2016 they had reached nearly 47%.

             Today Best Buy employs a Chief Ethics Office and maintains a blog for company employees; it covers ethical lapses and related issues. Employees can visit the website and read about the company policy regarding ethically questionable behaviors and learn tips on how to best defend themselves from crossing ethical boundaries. Hubert Joly was appointed CEO in 2012 after a scandal forced out CEO, Brian Dunn and Chairman, Richard Schulz.

Under Joly, Best Buy, once again, became a growth company. He implemented its “Renew Blue” strategy, adding new product lines and services and emphasizing both in-store and online customer opportunities. Its Geek Squad division began an in-store, online, and home advisory program. He expanded into both Canadian and Mexican markets. Operations in China and Europe were closed to reduce costs, and he closed some domestic stores, under his lean management mandate.

             To improve customer service, the “Geek Squad hours were expanded to provide 24-hour service on site, at home, or through the Internet. The tech experts make about 4 million home calls a year. Walmart and Amazon their biggest competitors do not offer comparable at-home services. In March 2017, “Renew Blue” was officially closed by Joly and pronounced a success.

             In 2017, Joly announced the company will implement “Best Buy 2020 - Building the New Blue.” Best Buy began a try-before-you-buy program which allows the customer to rent gadgets such as audio equipment, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and cameras. If the customer decides to keep the product, 20% of the rental fee is deducted and applied to the final cost of the product.

             Best Buy will continue demonstrating new technology solutions, contracts and services and sustainability . The company plans to enhance their smart home areas in all stores, roll out its Best Buy Smart Home Powered by Vivint home automation and security offering to 450 stores, which will add 1,500 dedicated smart home employees. The “Geek Squad” expanded services will include “Smart Home ‘Total Tech Services, which will service every electronic product in your home no matter where the product was purchased and create a totally integrated technology system for your home.

Another service Best Buy will provide is the Smart Home Senior Care Services,” which is considered an “untapped white space opportunity.” The electronic “Assured Living” system will allow millennials /caregivers to look in on their aging parents while permitting the seniors to live independently. Mr. Joly envisions rolling out a broader business of sensor-based senior services, sold through health-and-wellness departments in Best Buy’s more than 1,000 stores.   With an aging population in the U.S., there will be 70 million people who will be seniors in 2027. Best Buy sees this growth opportunity and will use the Smart Home Business and its ability to get into people’s home as a trusted adviser.

Question:

How does Best Buy deal with ethically questionable behaviors, in short essay form

lululemon athletica, Inc. in 2020: How to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

It is April 17, 2020, and the Board of Directors of lululemon athletica, Inc. has employed you as a crisis consultant to assess the company’s overall situation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and recommend a set of specific, measurable and rapid actions for the company to take to quickly restore the company to health and outstanding performance. Please prepare a report to lululemon’s board of directors that makes a list of action recommendations that the company needs to follow into order to put the company back on track in Fiscal 2021.

As of April 17, 2020, the Chief Financial Officer for lululemon has just resigned, and is leaving the company on May 8, 2020. Further, the company’s physical stores in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia are currently closed. Writing to the company’s stakeholders worldwide, Chief Executive Officer Calvin McDonald had the following to say:

The impact of Covid-19 is difficult to process as we navigate the uncertainty of the situation on a daily basis. People are the heart of lululemon, and through this period, we are committed to doing right by our teams, guests, and global communities.

Your assignment as the company’s crisis consultant is to make recommendations to ensure the success of lululemon through the crisis and to restore the company to physical and financial soundness in Fiscal 2021.
Question:
Your report should be prepared as a three page Executive Summary of Recommendations. Your recommendations should be specific and be clearly supported by your analysis of the company’s financial situation. You may supplement your 3-page summary with an appendix that contains (a) an analysis of the company’s financial statements and/or pro-forma financial projections and (b) other appendices that you consider appropriate. You may also include a table of References to sources that you use in your Executive Summary.

Notes:

• Three pages MAXIMUM for your Executive Summary of Recommendations. This three-page maximum does not include any Appendices or the Reference list.

• It is required that you cite your sources in your recommendations and provide a reference list in your appendices.

• Please use the Executive Summary template that is provided to make your report.

(Example of how to do):

Company Name> Executive Summary

Recommendations:

1.

2.

3.

Appendix

Appendix

References:

1.            Within a few short months between the summer of 2019 and early 2020, Tesla added more than $100 billion to its market cap. Do you believe that Tesla’s stock market valuation making it the second most valuable car company globally is rational or do you think it is a hyped-up overvaluation?

2.            What business model is Tesla pursuing? How is Tesla’s business model different from traditional car manufacturers?

3.            Historically, the automotive industry in the United States has been identified by high barriers to entry. How was Tesla able to enter the automotive mass-market industry?

4.            What type of innovation strategy is Tesla pursuing? Tie your explanation to Elon Musk’s “Master Plan, Part 1.”

5.            In which stage of the industry life cycle is the electric vehicle industry? What core competencies are the most important at this stage of the industry life cycle? What are the strategic implications for the future development of this industry?

6.            Apply the Crossing-the-Chasm framework to explain some of the challenges Tesla is facing and provide some recommendations on how to overcome them.

7.            Evaluate Elon Musk’s “Master Plan, Part 2”ii and assess if Tesla can gain and sustain a competitive advantage.

Women have been encouraged throughout the world to be entrepreneurs. Many reasons, some of them being to support themselves and their families; to attain the fulfillment of having started something on their own and to satisfy their desire for financial independence. Women not only create jobs for themselves and others, but also work toward growing their businesses, and constantly innovating new products and services. One such example was the partnership venture of Ms. Rihab, Ms. Shaima, Ms. Yumna and Ms Zahra. This partnership firm was called as “Family Events”. Based in Bawsher since inception in 2009, this SME concentrated on management and arrangement of family functions namely marriage parties, birthday parties etc. Further, they expanded their business and entered into managing events such as pre marriage shoots, new born photography and outdoor catering service. In 2020, this firm has failed to live up to the expectations of their customers in terms of quality, innovation and cost. This has caused huge loss in sales revenue, brand value and profits of the company. Out of the four partners, two opine closure and settlement, while the other two are devising ways to keep the firm afloat.
You are an Independent advisor based in Muscat and are required to explain and critically compare the different situations that crop up on following both opinions individually.

Your manufacturing organization has a semi-monthly payroll, paying on the 15th and last day of each month. Your organization pays employees in British Columbia.

On the June 15th pay date of the current year the following deductions occurred. Using the Current Year calendar in the course material, explain when each payment must be received by the issuer or administrator:

Family Maintenance Enforcement

Union Dues (collective agreement states payment due three business days after pay date)

Registered Defined Contribution Pension Plan (employer matches employee contributions)

Group RRSP

True or False:

1. An employee works under the control of an employer, so an employment contract is not necessary to define the relationship of the employee to the employer.

2. A federal statue provides members of a labor union the right to collective bargaining.

3. The FMLA entitles an eligible employee to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but an employment contract may provide that the employer will pay the employee during 12 weeks of paid leave.

4. Both the employer and employee commonly make contributions to a defined benefit pension plan.

5. An employer must do whatever is necessary to accommodate an eligible employee's disability under the ADA

Consider a firm as follows: Assume that the firm has no debt. The cashflows are received at the end of each year and are perpetual. Cost of equity capital for an unlevered firm, r0, is 20%. The first cash-flow will be received one year from today. All calculations for valuation are done today. Firm value is defined as collective value of debt and equity.

Sales = $ 500,000

Cash Costs = 360,000

Operating Income = 140,000

Tax @ 34% -47,600

Unlevered cash flow (UCF) $ 92,400

Find the firm value, using

a) APV method $__________.

b) FTE method $__________.

c) WACC method $__________.