Questions
Using the information presented in the Financial Statements of United Health Care, a major HMO, compute...

Using the information presented in the Financial Statements of United Health Care, a major HMO, compute financial ratios for 1994 and 1995 and discuss some of the primary observations that you would conclude regarding the financial performance of the firm. Provide an overall evaluation of the financial position of this company.

United Healthcare Financial Ratios

                                                                        Health Plan Median                   2017     2016     2015    

Liquidity

            Current                                                  1.32                              1.18      2.87      .93

            Days in Receivables                                 22.5                             ?          ?          19.8     

            Days Cash on Hand                                 89.9                              ?          ?          53.6

Capital Structure

            Equity Financing %                                 48.9                              ?          ?          60.7%

            Long Term Debt to Equity %                    13.0                              ?          ?          3.67%

            Cash Flow to Total Debt %                      15.0                              ?          ?          37.7%

            Times Interest Earned                               13.1                              ?          ?          109.5

Activity

            Total Asset Turnover                               1.55                              ?          ?          1.74

            Fixed Asset Turnover                               16.8                              ?          ?          24.6

            Current Asset Turnover                            2.88                              ?          ?          5.07

Profitability

            Total Margin %                                      3.6                                ?          ?          6.81

            Return on Equity %                                 11.6                              ?          ?          19.6

Income Statement (000$)

Fiscal Year Ending                                              12/31/17                        12/31/16                        12/31/15

Net sales                                                            5,670,878          3,768,882          3,115,202

Cost of goods                                                     3,930,933          2,643,107          2,236,588

Gross profit                                                        1,739,945          1,125,775          878,614

Selling, general and administration                         1,030,906          555,649           491,635

Income before depreciation and                               709,039           570,126           386,979

amortization

Depreciation and amortization                                94,458             64,079               50,628

Nonoperating income                                           -153,796                       -35,940                  122

Interest expense                                                           771                           2,163                           3,046

Income before taxes                                              460,014             467,944             333,427

Provision for income tax                                       170,205             177,822             119,379

Minority interest                                                     3,845                            1,983                            1,970

Net income before extraordinaries                            285,964             288,139             212,078

Extraordinary items and discounted

Operations                                                          NA                   1,377,075          NA      

Net income                                                         285,964             1,665,214          212,078

United Healthcare Corporation Balance Sheet (Data in Thousands)

Fiscal Year Ending                                  12/31/17            12/31/16                        12/31/15

Assets

Cash                                                     940,110             1,519,049          228,260

Marketable securities                                863,815             135,287                        172,610

Receivables                                            550,313            167,369             169,075

Other current assets                                  512,883           86,510              44,023

Total current assets                                  2,867,121          1,908,215          613,968

Prop. Plant, Equipment                            417,166             273,431             215,628

Less Accumulated Depreciation                  149,514             110,834             88,886

Net Prop and Equipment                           267,652             162,597             126,742

Investment in Subsidiaries                                    1,274,470          1,115,054          768,563

Intangibles                                             1,751,743          303,613 278,081

Total assets                                            6,160,986          3,489,479          1,787,354

Liabilities

Accounts payable                                     1,236,217          470,591             535,863

Accrued expenses                         566,770           122,993            52,027

Other current liabilities                           631,009            70,718           70,844

Total current liabilities                             2,433,996          664,302             658,734

Noncurrent capital leases                           38,970             29,721           39,099

Total Liabilities                                      2,472,966          694,023                       697,833

Preferred stock                                         500,000             NA                      NA

Common stock net                                      1,752                        1,728                1,691

Capital surplus                                        822,429             752,472             659,359

Retained earnings                                                2,358,640         2,085,056          424,468

Other equities                                              5,199                       -43,800             -108

Shareholders equity                                  3,688,020          2,795,456          1,085,410

Total liability and net worth                      6,160,986          3,489,479          1,783,243

In: Finance

Using the information presented in the Financial Statements of United Health Care, a major HMO, compute...

Using the information presented in the Financial Statements of United Health Care, a major HMO, compute financial ratios for 1994 and 1995 and discuss some of the primary observations that you would conclude regarding the financial performance of the firm. Provide an overall evaluation of the financial position of this company.

United Healthcare Financial Ratios

                                                                         Health Plan Median                          2017       2016       2015      

Liquidity

                Current                                                                  1.32                                        ?              ?              .93

                Days in Receivables                                            22.5                                       ?              ?              19.8       

                Days Cash on Hand                                            89.9                                       ?              ?              53.6

Capital Structure

                Equity Financing %                                            48.9                                        ?              ?              60.7%

                Long Term Debt to Equity %                            13.0                                        ?              ?              3.67%

                Cash Flow to Total Debt %                               15.0                                        ?              ?              37.7%

                Times Interest Earned                                        13.1                                       ?              ?              109.5

Activity

                Total Asset Turnover                                          1.55                                        ?              ?              1.74

                Fixed Asset Turnover                                         16.8                                        ?              ?              24.6

                Current Asset Turnover                                      2.88                                        ?              ?              5.07

Profitability

                Total Margin %                                                    3.6                                          ?              ?              6.81

                Return on Equity %                                             11.6                                        ?              ?              19.6

Income Statement (000$)

Fiscal Year Ending                                                              12/31/17                 12/31/16                 12/31/15

Net sales                                                                                5,670,878              3,768,882              3,115,202

Cost of goods                                                                       3,930,933              2,643,107              2,236,588

Gross profit                                                                           1,739,945              1,125,775              878,614

Selling, general and administration                                 1,030,906              555,649               491,635

Income before depreciation and                                       709,039               570,126               386,979

amortization

Depreciation and amortization                                         94,458                 64,079                   50,628

Nonoperating income                                                         -153,796                -35,940                     122

Interest expense                                                                          771                     2,163                    3,046

Income before taxes                                                           460,014                 467,944                 333,427

Provision for income tax                                                   170,205                 177,822                 119,379

Minority interest                                                                      3,845                    1,983                     1,970

Net income before extraordinaries                                   285,964                 288,139                 212,078

Extraordinary items and discounted

Operations                                                                            NA                          1,377,075              NA         

Net income                                                                           285,964                 1,665,214              212,078

United Healthcare Corporation Balance Sheet (Data in Thousands)

Fiscal Year Ending                                              12/31/17                12/31/16                 12/31/15

Assets

Cash                                                                       940,110                 1,519,049              228,260

Marketable securities                                          863,815                 135,287                 172,610

Receivables                                                          550,313                167,369                 169,075

Other current assets                                            512,883               86,510                  44,023

Total current assets                                             2,867,121              1,908,215              613,968

Prop. Plant, Equipment                                      417,166                 273,431                 215,628

Less Accumulated Depreciation                       149,514                 110,834                 88,886

Net Prop and Equipment                                   267,652                 162,597                 126,742

Investment in Subsidiaries                                 1,274,470              1,115,054              768,563

Intangibles                                                            1,751,743              303,613 278,081

Total assets                                                           6,160,986              3,489,479              1,787,354

Liabilities

Accounts payable                                                1,236,217              470,591                 535,863

Accrued expenses                                               566,770               122,993                52,027

Other current liabilities                                     631,009                70,718               70,844

Total current liabilities                                        2,433,996              664,302                 658,734

Noncurrent capital leases                                   38,970                 29,721               39,099

Total Liabilities                                                    2,472,966              694,023                697,833

Preferred stock                                                     500,000                 NA                             NA

Common stock net                                                  1,752                 1,728                      1,691

Capital surplus                                                     822,429                 752,472                 659,359

Retained earnings                                                               2,358,640             2,085,056              424,468

Other equities                                                            5,199                 -43,800                 -108

Shareholders equity                                            3,688,020              2,795,456              1,085,410

Total liability and net worth                              6,160,986              3,489,479              1,783,243

In: Finance

Gillette Targets Emerging Markets' As it entered the twenty-first century, Gillette faced a difficult choice. Should...

Gillette Targets Emerging Markets'

As it entered the twenty-first century, Gillette faced a difficult choice. Should it continue targeting emerging markets or not? Its strategy to move aggressively into markets in the developing world and the former Soviet bloc had been hailed as a success only a few years before. Recent poor earnings, however, had management considering whether this choice had been a wise one.

The Boston-based firm was founded in 1895 and is still best known for its original products, razors and razor blades. By the end of the twentieth century, Gillette had grown into a global corporation that marketed. Its products in 200 countries and employed 44,000 people worldwide.

In the mid-1990s, Gillette targeted several key emerging markets for growth through product diversification. Among them were Russia. China, India and Poland. Russia was already a success story. Gillette had formed a Russian joint venture in St.Petersburg and within 3 years Russia had become Gillette's third-largest blade market.

Gillette's move into the Czech Republic had prospered as well and in 1995 Gillette bought Astra as a private Razor Blade Company. Astra gave Gillette expanded brand presence in the Czech market. Astra's relatively strong position in export markets in East Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia proved a boon to Gillette in those markets as well. Just as in other markets in the developing world, 70 percent of East European blade consumers used the older, lowertech double-edge blade. In more developed markets, consumers appreciated product innovation and the shaving market had moved to more high-tech systems such as Gillettes Sensor.

Then disaster struck. A financial crisis that began in Thailand quickly spread across Asia. Many wary investors responded by pulling money out of other emerging markets as well depressing economies across the globe. Bad economies meant slower sales for Gillette, especially in Asia, Russia and Latin America. In Russia, consequently, these products disappeared from retail stores and Gillette's Russian sales plummeted 80 percent in a single month. Gillette found it could not meet its projected annual profit growth of 15-20 percent. The price of Gillette shares tumbled 36 percent in 6 months. To save money, Gillette planned to close 14 factories and layoff 10 percent of its workforce.

.

Despite its recent bad experience in developing countries and in the former Soviet bloc, Gillette was still moving ahead with plant expansion plans in Russia and Argentina that would total $64 million. Some even suggested that this was a good time to expand in the emerging markets by buying up smaller competitors that had been hurt even worse by the crises. Meanwhile, back in the developed world, another large global consumer products firm, Unilever, announced that it would be entering the razor market.

Questions

  1. Why Companies such as Gillette engage in international business? Give some reasons.
  2. What are the global strategic issues to be considered by the managers of Gillette when expand their operation in emerging market? Briefly explain.
  3. How the external environment affects the Gillette’s international operations in emerging market?

In: Operations Management

E was playing bridge with their friends, when they experienced SOB and tightness in their back....

E was playing bridge with their friends, when they experienced SOB and tightness in their back. The friends called EMT and E was admitted to the hospital. A CABG was conducted soon after arrival. At discharge, E would like to return to their prior activities and apartment in the independent senior living community.

Prior level of function ( PLOF):

El is a 82 year old person that lives in a senior community which provides multiple levels of care. The patient lives by themself in a one-bedroom apartment. The apartment has a bathroom with tub seat and grab bars. These are the only modifications in the apartment. The community provides breakfast and dinner daily in a community dining room, as well as assists with cleaning tasks. The patient must be able to get themself to and from the dining room upon return to apartments. The dining room is 1000 feet away from the patient’s apartment. E was independent with all B ADL and I ADL tasks. E did not use AD for functional mobility prior. They worked part-time as a piano teacher and volunteered as a ‘Reading Grandparent at a local Head Start Preschool.

Utilize universal precautions at all times

Precautions: Sternal, O2 at 3 L at all times

PMH: HTN, elective hysterectomy 2010, smoked 1 pack/day until cessation in 1995, COPD

Current Level of Function (CLOF):  

ADL & Functional mobility

Feeding - independent (GG 6)

Grooming - independent (GG 6)

UE Dressing - Mod A (GG 3)

LE dressing - Mod A (GG 3)

Bathing - S (GG 4)

Transfers - S (GG 4)

PT has provided a rollator for mobility

Activity tolerance:

Poor with 3 L of O2

Balance:

Sitting balance - 3+ on KU

Standing balance - 3+ on KU

Cognition:

OT has assessed the patient using the Allen lacing test - score of 4.8





Assessments week 1 = ADL (LB dressing with pants) & transfer (wc to bed with rollator)

Assessments week 2 = BORG during ADL task (get clothing out of closet and put on sweatshirt) & Pain scale

Assessments week 3 = tub transfer (wc to tub with rollator)

    1. Assessment & Intervention

      1. Which areas of occupation could be impacted?

      2. List reasons why (ie what assessments led you to these reasons?)

      3. Which areas would you/should the OT practitioner address in the setting from the case study (focus of intervention varies by setting & diagnosis)

    1. Intervention & Implementation (Activity Analysis/Grading Activity)

      1. Which client factors could impact participation in occupation? How or why?

      2. Which performance factors could impact participation in occupation? How or why?

      3. Which performance patterns could impact participation in occupation? How or why?

      4. Which context or environments could impact participation in occupation? How or why?

3. Review the educational material or manual for the assessments that you will give week one. Then, answer the following questions:

    1. What areas do these assessments assess?

    2. Who is qualified to administer these assessments

    3. What is the age range that these assessments can be utilized with?

    4. How long does it take to administer?

    5. What kind of scores does it provide?

In: Nursing

The data for the per capita demand for chicken ( pounds per household) in the United...

The data for the per capita demand for chicken ( pounds per household) in the United States from 1990 to 2013 is given in the table below.

Daily information

QUANITITY DEMANDED (Qd)

PRICE OF CHICKEN FAMILY MEAL (Pc)

INCOME (I)

ADVERTISING EXPIDENTURE

(Ad)

PRICE OF 10gallon jug of (Pj)

1990

27.8

42.2

Xxxxxxxx

65.8

78.3

1991

29.9

38.1

413.3

66.9

79.2

1992

29.8

40.3

439.2

67.8

79.2

1993

30.8

39.5

459.7

69.6

79.2

1994

31.2

37.3

492.9

68.7

77.4

1995

33.3

38.1

528.6

73.6

80.2

1996

35.6

39.3

560.3

76.3

80.4

1997

36.4

37.8

624.6

77.2

83.9

1998

36.7

38.4

666.4

78.1

85.5

1999

38.4

40.1

717.8

84.7

93.7

2000

40.4

38.6

768.2

93.3

106.1

2001

40.3

39.8

843.3

89.7

104.8

2002

41.8

39.7

911.6

100.7

114

2003

40.4

52.1

931.1

113.5

124.1

2004

40.7

48.9

1021.5

115.3

127.6

2005

40.1

58.3

1165.9

136.7

142.9

2006

42.7

57.9

1349.6

139.2

143.6

2007

44.1

56.5

1449.4

132.0

139.2

2008

46.7

63.7

1575.5

132.1

165.5

2009

50.6

61.6

       1759.1

154.4

203.3

2010

50.1

58.9

1994.2

174.9

219.6

2011

51.7

66.4

2258.1

180.8

221.6

2012

52.9

70.4

2478.7

189.4

232.6

2013

52.8

            70.3

2478.6

189.3

232.5

AVG

         

475 = unique initial income number.

AVG = AVERAGE

The data suggests that the per capita demand for chicken (Qd) depends on the following factors:

Pc = Price of chicken ( $ per capita)

I = real disposable income per capita ($)

Ad = Advertising dollars per capita

Pj = price of juice – ( a related product) per capita ($)

Using regression analysis, the attached data and a linear functional form, estimate the demand for CHICKEN.

Include the computation and explanation of the following in your report:

  1. Write your regression equation i.e. demand function
  2. Enter data provided into excel or statplus as per instructions attached and run your regression / derive your coefficient estimates. Interpret all the coefficients in % ( .i.e if PC = - 0.06768, interpret as: - 6.77%
  3. Use the average values for the independent variables and your estimated demand function, compute the demand for CHICKEN in a typical market.
  4. Define and interpret the standard error of the estimate AND estimate the range within which actual demand for Chicken is expected to fall with a 95% confidence level.
  5. Define the coefficient of determination (R-squared). What percentage of demand variation is explained by this model?
  6. Define and explain the usefulness of the F-Statistics
  7. Are the coefficient’s statistically significant? i.e. does each of the independent variables have a significant effect on the dependent variable? Explain using t-stats.
  8. Calculate and interpret the point price, cross price, point advertising and point income elasticity of demand for CHICKEN.

In: Economics

J&L Packaging, Inc.: Cash-to-Cash Conversion Cycle Case Study Jake and Lilly Gifford founded J&L Packaging, Inc....

J&L Packaging, Inc.: Cash-to-Cash Conversion Cycle Case Study

Jake and Lilly Gifford founded J&L Packaging, Inc. (J&LP) in 1995 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati. Jake earned a degree in robotics and mechanical engineering, while Lilly graduated with a degree in computer science. They met at the university while working on an information systems course project and married immediately after graduation. Their privately held firm manufactured cardboard packaging and boxes for computer devices such as personal computers, keyboards, replacement hard drives, servers, and so on. Many of their packages were high-end boxes with glossy finishes and the company’s logo on the box. Last year, J&L Packaging, Inc. sales were $106 million.

J&LP Packaging provided many services with their products, such as box and packaging design engineering and consulting, embossing and foil guidance, barcode advice, cartons that fold and collapse for easy storage, and a variety of colors and box strengths. In 2010, J&LP began to research the sustainability issues regarding boxes in the reverse logistics supply chain.Their research lead to a change in production technologies to accommodate up to 100 percent recycled fiber content and solar panels on the roofs of their two U.S. factories. They also hired an engineer to lead the company’s efforts to become a “Green Cycle”-certified manufacturer.

J&LP recently purchased and installed an ISOWA FALCON state-of-the-art, four-color, high-speed flexo box machine with an extensive zero defects quality control system. This box cutting and fabrication machine is manufactured in Kasugai, Japan, by the ISOWA Corporation (www.isowa.com). There are several videos of this automated machine in operation on YouTube,” for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v5XofTns666Aw.

J&LP’s financial information for last year follows. It is assumed the business operates 300 days per year. One note in J&LP financial statement states that the $4,906,000 of inventory does not include $886,000 in inventory allowances for excess, cancelled orders, and obsolete inventories. The note goes on to say, “Inventory management remains an area of focus as we balance the need to maintain strategic inventory levels to ensure competitive lead times versus the risk of inventory obsolescence because of changing technology and customer requirements. The box and packaging business is a dynamic industry that must quickly accommodate customer requirements, changes in forecasts, and new findings from research and development on product features and options.” The following data (in thousands of dollars $) is provided.

Sales

• Manufactured Goods

$87,475

• Services

$18,619

• Total

$106,094

Cost of Sales

• Manufactured Goods

$25,818

• Services

$ 5,907

• Total

$31,725

Operating Expenses

• Research and Development

$17,619

• Sales and Marketing

$23,132

• Other

$ 6,182

• Total

$46,933

Obsolete Inventories

$ 886

Inventories

$ 4,906

Accounts Receivable

$ 7,593

Accounts Payable

$ 9,338

1. Should we consider services in the cash-to-cash conversion cycle computations?
2. How will you handle the $886,000 in obsolete inventory?
3. What is the total cash-to-cash conversion cycle for J&L Packaging, Inc. for last year?
4. What are your conclusions and final recommendations?

In: Accounting

The Russell 1000 is a stock market index consisting of the largest U.S. companies. The Dow...

The Russell 1000 is a stock market index consisting of the largest U.S. companies. The Dow Jones industrial Average is based on 30 large companies. The data giving the annual percentage returns for each of these stock indexes for 25 years are contained in the Excel Online file below. Construct a spreadsheet to answer the following questions.

 
Year DJIA % Return Russell 1000 % Return
1988 8.82 12.33
1989 26.59 26.44
1990 -3.68 -4.57
1991 16.04 28.88
1992 5.38 1.66
1993 18.58 7.69
1994 6.29 1.76
1995 30.62 37.10
1996 21.49 17.49
1997 19.04 28.68
1998 12.83 29.46
1999 29.15 15.89
2000 -3.01 -6.42
2001 -9.85 -13.16
2002 -15.56 -25.79
2003 27.78 29.69
2004 7.71 10.82
2005 -4.84 8.73
2006 13.34 13.72
2007 8.12 7.04
2008 -31.04 -42.92
2009 20.72 22.47
2010 8.76 9.59
2011 2.80 -3.13
2012 8.40 11.02

a. Which of the following scatter diagrams accurately represents the data set?

#1

Russell 1000

DJIA

#2

Russell 1000

DJIA

#3

Russell 1000

DJIA

#4

Russell 1000

DJIA

_________Scatter diagram #1Scatter diagram #2Scatter diagram #3Scatter diagram #4

b. Compute the sample mean and standard deviation for each index (to 2 decimals).

sample mean standard deviation
DJIA:
Russell 1000:

c. Compute the sample correlation coefficient for these data (to 3 decimals).

d. Discuss similarities and differences in these two indexes.

_________There is a strong positive linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a moderate positive linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is neither a positive nor a negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a moderate negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a strong negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000

The variance of the Russell 1000 is slightly _________largersmaller than that of the DJIA.

a. Which of the following scatter diagrams accurately represents the data set?

#1

Russell 1000

DJIA

#2

Russell 1000

DJIA

#3

Russell 1000

DJIA

#4

Russell 1000

DJIA

_________Scatter diagram #1Scatter diagram #2Scatter diagram #3Scatter diagram #4

b. Compute the sample mean and standard deviation for each index (to 2 decimals).

sample mean standard deviation
DJIA:
Russell 1000:

c. Compute the sample correlation coefficient for these data (to 3 decimals).

d. Discuss similarities and differences in these two indexes.

_________There is a strong positive linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a moderate positive linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is neither a positive nor a negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a moderate negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000There is a strong negative linear association between DJIA and Russell 1000

The variance of the Russell 1000 is slightly _________largersmaller than that of the DJIA.

In: Math

Agree/Disagree and Why? Question: Describe and discuss the role of planning in the business use of...

Agree/Disagree and Why?

Question: Describe and discuss the role of planning in the business use of information technology, using the scenario approach, and planning for competitive advantage as examples. In addition, Hash out the role of planning and business models in the development of business/IT strategies, architectures, and applications. Identify several change management solutions for end-user resistance to the implementation of new IT-based business strategies and applications.

Answer: In order to use information technology well, and implement it in a cohesive and effective way requires more than just knowing its importance of it. There needs to be a creation and implementation on an action plan. There are six components to an organization planning process. 1- Team building, modeling, and consensus 2- Evaluating what an organization has accomplished and the resources they have acquired 3- Analyzing the business, economic, political, and societal environments 4- Anticipating and evaluating the impact of future developments 5- Building a shared vision and deciding on what goals they want to achieve 6- Deciding which actions to take to achieve their goals The result of these 6 components results in the planning process, which is then followed by the implementation process. There are different types of planning processes. One of them is the Scenario approach in which is known for making planning easier, more accurate, and more relevant to the real world. This is actually an approach my company takes as we create potential scenarios and play out different ways to resolve it and find the best action course. Planning for competitive advantage is very important within business/IT planning. It involves looking at the potential risks and benefits the company might encounter when using IT strategies and technologies. The role of the business models and planning are to answer specific questions that revolve around how a business will deliver value to its target customers and at what cost. It is very important as it focuses on all the important components of a business and how they fit within the whole system. In order to actually utilize the internet in a competitive advantageous way the company needs to be able to have a strategic framework and continue to access the strategic value it has, by looking into the following different aspects, cost and efficiency improvements, Performance improvement in business efficiency, global market penetration, and Product and service transformation. Some solutions for end-user resistance that can be implemented to assist in the transition are as follows. Involve as many people as possible in e-business planning and application development, Make constant change an expected part of the culture, tell everyone as much as possible about everything as often as possible, preferably in person, make liberal use of financial incentives and recognition, work within the company culture and not around it. O’Brien, James. (2011). Management Information Systems. 10th Edition. The McGraw=Hill Companies, Inc. New York Schoemaker, P. (1995, January 15). Scenario Planning: A Tool for Strategic Thinking. Retrieved October 4, 2020, from https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/scenario-planning-a-tool-for-strategic-thinking/ Ali, Rami. (2020.May14). Scenario Planning: Strategy, Steps and Practical Examples. Brainyard. https://www.netsuite.com/portal/business-benchmark-brainyard/industries/articles/cfo-central/scenario-planning.shtml

In: Computer Science

Please read the following study case "Hot Coffee" then answer: In a world of get-rich-quick schemes,...

Please read the following study case "Hot Coffee" then answer:

In a world of get-rich-quick schemes, few are mentioned more frequently than lawsuits. One of the reasons is the infamous McDonald’s coffee case (Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants). This is what happened in 1992 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Stella Liebeck, seventy-nine, was riding in a car driven by her grandson. They stopped at a McDonald’s drive-through, where she purchased a Styrofoam cup of coffee. Wanting to add cream and sugar, she squeezed the cup between her knees and pulled off the plastic lid. The entire thing spilled back into her lap. The searing liquid left her with extensive third-degree burns. Eight days of hospitalization—which included skin grafts—were required.

Initially, she sought $20,000 from McDonald’s, which was more or less the cost of her medical bills. McDonald’s refused. They went to court. There it came to light that about seven hundred claims had been made by consumers between 1982 and 1992 for similar incidents. This seems to indicate that McDonald’s knew—or at least should have known—that the hot coffee was a problem.

Most of the rest of the case turned around temperature questions. McDonald’s admitted that they served their coffee at 185 degrees, which will burn the mouth and throat and is about 50 degrees higher than typical homemade coffee. More importantly, coffee served at temperatures up to 155 degrees won’t cause burns, but the danger rises abruptly with each degree above that limit. So why did McDonald’s serve it so hot? Most customers, the company claimed, bought on the way to work or home and would drink it on arrival. The high temperature would keep it fresh until then. Unfortunately, internal documents showed that McDonald’s knew their customers intended to drink the coffee in the car immediately after purchase. Next, McDonald’s asserted that their customers wanted their coffee hot. The restaurant conceded, however, that customers were unaware of the serious burn danger and that no adequate warning of the threat’s severity was provided.

Finally, the jury awarded Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages (about two days worth of McDonalds’ coffee sales). The judge, however, reduced the $2.7 million to $480,000. McDonald’s threatened to appeal, and the two sides eventually came to a private settlement agreement.Consumer Attorneys of California, “The Actual Facts About the McDonalds’ Coffee Case,” The ‘Lectric Law Library, 1995, accessed June 2, 2011, http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm.

Questions:

  1. What does caveat emptor mean? According to this doctrine, who is responsible for Stella Liebeck’s burns? Explain.
  2. Does the fact that she’s seventy-nine years old make it more difficult to justify a caveat emptor attitude in this case?
  3. One aspect of the caveat emptor doctrine is that it maximizes respect for the consumer as an independent and autonomous decider. Could that be a reason for affirming that a seventy-nine-year-old is a better candidate than most for a caveat emptor ethics of consumption?
  4. In general terms, what does it mean to claim that an implicit contract arises around a transaction? How does that contract protect the consumer?

In: Psychology

using lunix or C programming to answer this lab please fill in the blanks with the...

using lunix or C programming to answer this lab please fill in the blanks with the answere being highlighted, so i can understand.

First, type the following command:

            sort employee

What is the order that employee is sorted in? ___________________________________________

Give a brief description of how the file is sorted. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, sort on the field for last name.

        sort +1 employee

Look at the sorted file. Are all the names sorted in alphabetical order? ______________________

Give a brief description of the output.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sort the file again using the following command:

            sort -f +1 employee

What happens when you sorted it this time? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Type in:

            sort +3 employee > hired1

Use the cat command to list out the file hired1 to see the results. Are the hire dates sorted in order? _______________  

If not, what has happened? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Type in:

            sort -n +3 employee > hired2

What is the result of the sort? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Type in:

            sort -nb +3.4 employee > hired3

What was the result? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Briefly explain what happened. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Type in:

            sort +0 +4n employee

What was the result? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Were both columns sorted? __________________________

Type in the next command.

            sort +0 -1 +4n employee

What were the results of this output. Was the file sorted on both the department and also the salary field?

Subject

Book Title

Author's

Last Name

Author's

First Name

Pub.

Date

Price

UNIX:

Introduction to UNIX:

Wrightson:

Kate:

2003:

45.00:

UNIX:

Just Enough UNIX:

Anderson:

Paul:

2003:

39.00:

UNIX:

Bulletproof UNIX:

Gottleber:

Timothy

2002:

48.00:

UNIX:

Learning the Korn Shell:

Rosenblatt:

Bill:

1994:

35.95:

UNIX:

A Student's Guide to UNIX:

Hahn:

Harley:

1993:

24.50:

UNIX:

Unix Shells by Example:

Quigley:

Ellie:

1997:

49.95:

UNIX:

UNIX and Shell Programming:

Forouzan:

Behrouz:

2002:

80.00:

UNIX:

UNIX for Programmers and Users:

Glass:

Graham:

1993:

50.00:

SAS:

SAS Software Solutions:

Miron:

Thomas:

1993:

25.95:

SAS:

The Little SAS Book, A Primer:

Delwiche:

Lora:

1998:

35.00:

SAS:

Painless Windows for SAS Users:

Gilmore:

Jodie:

1999:

40.00:

SAS:

Getting Started with SAS Learning:

Smith:

Ashley:

2003:

99.00:

SAS:

The How to for SAS/GRAPH Software:

Miron:

Thomas:

1995:

45.00:

SAS:

The Output Delivery System:

Haworth:

Lauren:

2001:

48.00:

SAS:

Proc Tabulate by Example:

Haworth:

Lauren:

1999:

42.00:

SAS:

SAS Application Programming:

Dilorio:

Frank:

1991:

35.00:

SAS:

Applied Statistics & SAS Programming:

Cody:

Ronald:

1991:

29.50:

issue the command:

        sort -n -t: +4 books

What is the result? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Try another sort using the books file. Sort on the price field in reverse. Type in the following:

        sort -nr -t: +5 books

What was the result? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Try one more sort, this time saving the sort to a file. This sort will be on two fields. Put it into a new file called newbooks. Type in:

        sort -t: +0 +1 books > newbooks

Look at the file, newbooks. What does the sorted file look like now?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In: Computer Science