Between 2000 and 2012, Gap, Inc. (Gap) ceded its world leadership position in specialty fashion retailing to Inditex of Spain and H&M of Sweden. These two companies, each less than a quarter of Gap’s size in 2000, were now setting the pace in the global mass fashion market, and Gap appeared to be falling ever further behind. In the intervening twelve years, three CEOs had struggled to turn around the fading brand. While several temporary profit boosts appeared to herald a recovery, a sustained rally remained elusive. Mickey Drexler, Gap’s CEO since 1983, who had been responsible for Gap’s rise to global prominence, was fired in 2002 after two years of double digit, same-store sales declines and a 75% drop in the stock price. 1 His successor, Paul Pressler, appeared to have engineered a remarkable recovery, but was fired in 2007 after disappointing sales and another slump in profits. His replacement, Glenn Murphy, fresh from a successful turnaround at a Canadian drug-store chain, promised tighter price controls, lower administrative costs, and a leaner, more aggressive Gap. He cut costs and drove up earnings per share, but sales continued to decline. After four years of troubles, Murphy brought in former J. Crew President, Tracy Gardner, to consult with the Gap brand and he began a bold program to close one fifth of Gap’s North American store base. In 2012, sales had lifted 8%, same-store sales were strongly positive for all of Gap’s domestic sub-brands, and the company’s share price had lifted nearly 50% from the prior year. After 12 years of poor performance, had Glenn Murphy finally discovered the answers to Gap’s problems?  Mickey Drexler: 2000-2002 After Gap, Inc. “misjudged fashion trends in 2000,” its sales growth rate slowed to 18%, below the historical average, and operating profits fell 20% to $1.4 billion.3 CEO Mickey Drexler, was confident that this stumble was a short term problem, but 2001 results suggested otherwise. Sales lifted only 1%, operating profits plunged anther 70% to $426 million and the company made a net loss. 2002 saw sales rise 4% and operating profits recover to $1.0 billion, but comparable stores sales continued to fall. Gap’s stock price decreased from a high of $53.75 in February 2000 to $14 in May 2002.4 Several top designers and senior executives left the company “disillusioned with how bureaucratic the organization had become.” Analysts noted that, while Gap had made “button-down shirts, chinos and basic cotton T-shirts the boomer uniform,” it was struggling to resonate as well with some members of Generation Y (those born in the late 1970s to early 1990s) who were “looking for individuality, not conformity.”6Chairman Don Fisher had had enough. The night before the Gap board meeting on May 22, 2002, Steve Jobs, a board member, called Mickey Drexler to warn him that the board was planning to fire him the next morning. Drexler entered the board meeting aggressively and a board member later described it as “a very emotional scene.”Despite his shock and disappointment, Drexler quickly recovered. In 2003, he became the CEO of J. Crew, a quality basic clothing chain which was incurring heavy losses. Within two years, he had returned it to profitability and, within five, he had more than doubled sales. Paul Pressler: 2002-2007 Paul S. Pressler replaced Drexler as the CEO of Gap, Inc. Pressler had spent 15 years with The Walt Disney Company and ended his tenure there as the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The press noted the difference in the two men’s leadership styles: whereas Drexler “flew by the seat of his khakis,” relying on his honed intuition to direct apparel development, Pressler was researchoriented and left decisions about apparel to Gap, Inc.’s designers. 8 Pressler stated, “I had to demonstrate to everyone that the general manager is here to lead the people—not pick the buttons.”9 Pressler moved quickly to close 200 underperforming stores, slow the rate of new openings, and reduce excess inventory, 10 resulting in a “spectacular turnaround” in 2003. 11 Between 2002 and 2003, operating profits rose 87% to $1.8 billion, marginally beating the all-time record set in 1999. Gap Brand Pressler hired Canadian Pina Ferlisi as executive vice president of product design in March 2003 to define the division’s style aesthetic. Before joining Gap, Inc., Ferlisi worked at Perry Ellis, Tommy Hilfiger, and Theory; she also helped launch the successful Marc by Marc Jacobs line. Her Gap design team was located in New York City and included Vice President of Women’s Design Louise Trotter, who formerly worked at Calvin Klein, and Vice President of Accessories Design Emma Hill, who previously held a similar post at Marc Jacobs. Both Trotter and Hill hailed from the U.K. Scores of consumer and employee insights indicated that female Gap customers felt that the brand’s offerings were too androgynous and boxy. Hence, Ferlisi made the women’s lines more feminine and focused on fabric and fit. Banana Republic For years, Banana Republic had a reputation of being “a purveyor of chic basics—casual office wear in black or beige”27—i.e., an upscale Gap. However, under the direction of President Marka Hansen, the division focused on making its product assortment more fashionable and trendy, minimizing the overlap between Gap and Banana, and catering to 25- to 30-year-old professionals . Hansen explained, “What’s the hook or differentiation? . . . It’s an affordable, covetable luxury . . . . We’re bringing fashion to a wider audience. Old Navy Under President Jenny Ming, Old Navy continued its focus on families, rolling out underwear, maternity, and infant lines to raise margins.32 The division expanded to Canada in Pressler’s first year as CEO and it targeted Hispanics with its first Spanish television spot at the end of 2003. The company’s localization strategy was tested in select Old Navy stores in 2004, and the company planned to extend the program to all Old Navy outlets in 2005. Forth & Towne Gap, Inc. established five test stores for Forth & Towne in Chicago and New York by fall 2005. Under Gary Muto’s leadership, the firm positioned Forth & Towne to appeal to women aged 35– 50. Gap Online Toby Lenk, a 1987 Harvard MBA, headed the company’s online division, Gap, Inc. Direct. In 2004, Gap, Inc. was the largest U.S. online apparel retailer with sales of over $500 million. It was “redesign[ing] and rebuild[ing] all of [its] websites from the ground up” to enhance visitors’ online shopping and to improve online and in-store integration.47 Lenk noted that 35% of the company’s Web site visitors were pre-shoppers preparing for store visits, and 13% of those who entered a Gap, Inc. store had visited the store’s online site beforehand. The firm’s new e-commerce platform would allow the sites to take back orders and preorders. Lenk explained, “This means we will never have to walk a sale on a basic item, and at the same time it will allow us to run our basic inventory much tighter.”48 The company planned to have most of the Web site enhancements completed by the 2005 holiday season. Marketing Along with reworking Gap’s main brands, Pressler also overhauled Gap’s public image and publically positioned its divisions as lifestyle brands. The CEO remarked, “We need to bring more theatrics, storytelling and consistency [to retail]. If you can’t tell me what a Gap dinner party, Banana Republic car or Old Navy vacation looks like, then we haven’t built our stories.”49 Pressler had also been focused on differentiating the brands and “upgrading the marketing functions at all of Gap’s brands, including the hires of new head marketers at all three units.”50 Recent Gap-brand TV advertising featured actors and singers. The company paid 40-year-old actress Sarah Jessica Parker, former Sex and the City star, $38 million to appear in television and print ads for three seasons during 2004–2005. It replaced Parker with 17-year-old British soul singer Joss Stone as its Gap spokes-model in the summer of 2005.51 In an effort to tout its “vastly expanded variety of fits” in jeans, the company planned to use more nontraditional types of advertising—i.e., “guerrilla marketing and grassroots tactics,” according to Jeff Jones, executive vice president of marketing at Gap. After lackluster results in 2005 and six consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales, Pressler pointed to 2006 as a key year to prove Gap’s recovery and justify his rebranding efforts.60 Pressler noted, “We are acting with a tremendous sense of urgency to win back customers.”61 Pressler also increased the annual cash dividend 78% for 2006 and the board authorized a further $500 million for a share repurchase program, $250 of which would be repurchased in Q1 and Q2 of 2006. Fisher: Interim CEO, 2007 Although Fisher was interim CEO for less than a year, he made a number of moves that undid much of Pressler’s previous work. Less than a week after firing Pressler, he cut many of Pressler’s hires from Disney. Cynthia Harriss, the president of Gap U.S., was replaced by Marka Hansen, the previous president of Banana Republic and an employee since 1987. Fisher also closed all Forth & Towne stores by the end of June, taking a pretax charge of $40 million.67 Although Forth & Towne has been open since 2005, financials were never disclosed for the brand. Fisher also began to reduce Gap’s workforce to bring down expenses, cutting a “relatively small percentage” of the 150,000 workers. Glenn Murphy: 2007-2012 On July 26, 2007, Gap appointed Glen Murphy, as the new CEO. Since 2001, he had been the CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart, a Canadian drugstore chain. Murphy’s first major move as CEO was to cut expenses and control inventory discounting. Quarter three profit for 2007 lifted 26% due to lower marketing spending and better product margins. In 2008, Spain’s Inditex overtook Gap, Inc. as the world’s largest specialty apparel retailer, reaching $3.3 billion in sales for the first quarter of 2008 compared to Gap’s $3.25 billion.86 With over 200 designers and rapid supply chains that could produce and stock hot items within weeks. Problems returned in 2011. Sales remained steady at $14.5 billion, but operating profits fell 27% to $1.4 billion. Murphy hired former J. Crew President, Tracy Gardner, to consult with the Gap brand. Gap announced plans to shut more than one fifth of its North American stores over the next two years and aimed to shrink the U.S. store base to 700 by the end of 2013.91 Murphy noted that China was Gap’s biggest market for further growth. However, by the end of 2012, Murphy’s strategy appeared to be working. Sales lifted 8% to $15.6 billion, a six-year high, and operating profit recovered to $1.9 billion. Store closings lifted sales per store in the North American Gap to $3.7 million (from a low of $3.3 million in 2009) and comparable store sales were strongly positive for all of Gap’s North American divisions. Gap had also made significant steps toward streamlining its production and engaging more closely with trending fashions. By 2012, Gap had cut its lead time from more than nine months in the early 2000s to less than four months for key items.96 Across all lines, production time had been cut by nearly one third. 97 In January Gap acquired Intermix Inc. for $130 million, which promised expansion into the luxury market as well as greater access to of-the-moment fashion pieces. Although Intermix didn’t manufacture its own clothing, it has established relationships with a variety of high street designers. What else could Murphy do to restore Gap’s leading position in fashion retailing? Would Murphy’s international and online focus be enough to sustain this turnaround?

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What is the case about?

What are the important events that occurred in the case?

What can we learn from reading the case?

What advice do you have for the leaders in the case and/or company in the case?

Q7) Pearl Home Improvement Company installs replacement siding, windows, and louvered glass doors for single-family homes and condominium complexes. The company is in the process of preparing its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020. Jim Alcide, controller for Pearl, has gathered the following data concerning inventory.

At May 31, 2020, the balance in Pearl’s Raw Materials Inventory account was $444,720, and Allowance to Reduce Inventory to NRV had a credit balance of $27,340. Alcide summarized the relevant inventory cost and market data at May 31, 2020, in the schedule below.

Alcide assigned Patricia Devereaux, an intern from a local college, the task of calculating the amount that should appear on Pearl’s May 31, 2020, financial statements for inventory under the LCNRV rule as applied to each item in inventory. Devereaux expressed concern over departing from the historical cost principle.

Incorrect answer iconYour answer is incorrect.

Determine the proper balance in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to NRV at May 31, 2020.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, determine the amount of the gain or loss that would be recorded (using the loss method) due to the change in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to NRV. (Enter loss using either a negative sign preceding the number e.g. -45 or parentheses e.g. (45).)

Pharoah Home Improvement Company installs replacement siding, windows, and louvered glass doors for single-family homes and condominium complexes. The company is in the process of preparing its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020. Jim Alcide, controller for Pharoah, has gathered the following data concerning inventory.

At May 31, 2020, the balance in Pharoah’s Raw Materials Inventory account was $456,960, and Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market had a credit balance of $28,300. Alcide summarized the relevant inventory cost and market data at May 31, 2020, in the schedule below.

Alcide assigned Patricia Devereaux, an intern from a local college, the task of calculating the amount that should appear on Pharoah’s May 31, 2020, financial statements for inventory at lower-of-cost-or-market as applied to each item in inventory. Devereaux expressed concern over departing from the historical cost principle. Assume Garcia uses LIFO inventory costing.

(a1) Determine the proper balance in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market at May 31, 2020.

(a2) For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, determine the amount of the gain or loss that would be recorded due to the change in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market.

Taco Company installs replacement siding, windows, and louvered glass doors for single-family homes and condominium complexes. The company is in the process of preparing its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020. Jim Alcide, controller for Taco, has gathered the following data concerning inventory.

At May 31, 2020, the balance in Headland’s Raw Materials Inventory account was $461,040, and Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market had a credit balance of $29,040. Alcide summarized the relevant inventory cost and market data at May 31, 2020, in the schedule below.

Alcide assigned Burger, an intern from a local college, the task of calculating the amount that should appear on Taco’s May 31, 2020, financial statements for inventory at lower-of-cost-or-market as applied to each item in inventory. Burger expressed concern over departing from the historical cost principle. Assume Burger uses LIFO inventory costing.

(a1) Determine the proper balance in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market at May 31, 2020.

(a2) For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, determine the amount of the gain or loss that would be recorded due to the change in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market.

Pharoah Home Improvement Company installs replacement siding, windows, and louvered glass doors for single-family homes and condominium complexes. The company is in the process of preparing its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020. Jim Alcide, controller for Pharoah, has gathered the following data concerning inventory.

At May 31, 2020, the balance in Pharoah’s Raw Materials Inventory account was $428,400, and Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market had a credit balance of $26,750. Alcide summarized the relevant inventory cost and market data at May 31, 2020, in the schedule below.

Alcide assigned Patricia Devereaux, an intern from a local college, the task of calculating the amount that should appear on Pharoah’s May 31, 2020, financial statements for inventory at lower-of-cost-or-market as applied to each item in inventory. Devereaux expressed concern over departing from the historical cost principle. Assume Garcia uses LIFO inventory costing.

(a1) Determine the proper balance in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market at May 31, 2020.

(a2) For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2020, determine the amount of the gain or loss that would be recorded due to the change in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market.

A business students claims that on average an MBA students is required to prepare more than five cases per week. To examine the claim, a statistics professor ask a random sample of ten MBA students to report the number of cases they prepare weekly. The results are given below. Can the professor conclude that the claim is true, at the .05 level of significance, assuming the number of cases is normally distributed with a standard deviation of 1.5?

1) Is the test statistic for this test Z or t?

2) What is the value of the test statistic of the test? ( Enter 0 if this value cannot be determined with the given information.)

3) What is the pvalue of the test? (Enter 0 if this value cannot be determined with the given information.)

4) What is the relevant bound of the rejection region? (Enter 0 if this value cannot be determined with the given information.)

5) What decision should be made?

Select one:

a. Do not reject the null hypothesis

b. Accept the null hypothesis

c. Can not be determined from given information

d. Reject the null hypothesis

MBA Corp is considering whether to expand widget production. This would require the purchase of a new widget-producing machine at a cost of $5,400,000. The machine would produce 450,000 widgets per year during its useful life of three years, and would be depreciated for tax purposes at a rate of $1,800,000 per year. The machine would not have any salvage value. Expanding widget production would also require the use of a building that could otherwise be leased for $500,000 per year. Working capital required for the new machine would be 12% of the next year’s sales. Widget prices are $20 and are expected to remain stable. The materials and labor required to produce a widget cost $12, and these costs are also expected to remain stable. The corporate income tax rate is 30%. The discount rate is 6% per year. (a) Forecast the incremental cash flows resulting from the purchase of a widget machine on a year-by-year basis and draw them on a timeline. (b) Decide whether MBA Corp should go ahead with the purchase of the new machine.

show calculations work and calculator strokes

Envision yourself as the CEO/President of an organization with full responsibility to the company, management, shareholders, creditors, regulators, and the general public. Develop a philosophy regarding internal controls for the organization. The polar extremes are 1) “Keep employees/management away from temptation”, whereby the internal controls are very well-defined, or 2) employees/management will follow the good judgment of their leader, whereby you set a good example and trust is the theme until employees do something to betray that trust. As you develop this philosophy, provide 10 examples (from issues in our chapters, fraud events in the news, to justify your philosophy.

A company needs to budget for fuel, they have to consider the weight of the shipment.

Average weight= 20,160 pounds

The CEO wonders if preferences have changed and you have to adjust the budget for fuel. Based on 14 shipments, the average weight has been 20,901 pounds with a sample standard deviation of 800 pounds. What should you conclude at the 99% confidence level?

Show your work on the calculated score (Commands from Excel)

Indicate what your calculated score is

Indicate and justify what your critical score is and determine if this sample average is statistically significant from the mean