Financial statement ratio analysis can reveal important insights about the position and performance of a firm. Provided below are key financial ratios for BlueScope Steel Ltd and United States Steel Corporation. Both firms are manufacturers of steel products with operations spanning a number of countries.

Required:

1. Discuss what the data in the table above reveals about the firms’ short-term liquidity, long-term solvency, and efficiency.

2. Discuss how horizontal and vertical analysis could supplement the above analysis of the firms’ financial statement ratios.

Houston-based Advanced Electronics manufactures audio speakers for desktop computers. The following data relate to the period just ended when the company produced and sold 44,000 speaker sets:

Sales $ 3,608,000

Variable costs 902,000

Fixed costs 2,250,000

Management is considering relocating its manufacturing facilities to northern Mexico to reduce costs. Variable costs are expected to average $16.00 per set; annual fixed costs are anticipated to be $1,988,000. (In the following requirements, ignore income taxes.) Required:

1. Calculate the company’s current income and determine the level of dollar sales needed to double that figure, assuming that manufacturing operations remain in the United States.

2. Determine the break-even point in speaker sets if operations are shifted to Mexico.

3. Assume that management desires to achieve the Mexican break-even point; however, operations will remain in the United States. a. If variable costs remain constant, by how much must fixed costs change? b. If fixed costs remain constant, by how much must unit variable cost change?

4. Determine the impact (increase, decrease, or no effect) of the following operating changes.

68. The benefits of dollarization include the following except for

            (a) decreases in transaction costs and exchange rate risk as a result of a common currency.

            (b) increases in trade and investment within the unified currency zone.

            (c) lower inflation and lower interest rates.

            (d) the ability of the central bank of a dollarized country to conduct independent monetary policy.

69. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

            (a) A dollarized country essentially accepts the monetary policy of the Fed.

            (b) A dollarized country cannot count on the Fed to come to its rescue when it faces an economic crisis.

            (c) The Fed cannot perform the lender of last resort function for a dollarized country without the approval

            of the U.S. Congress.

            (d) A dollarized country cannot establish its own tariffs, subsidies, and other trade policies.

            (e) A dollarized country can maintain its own spending on education, police protection, social insurance.

70. If a nation officially dollarizes its economy, the nation in effect makes        loans to the United States, and

   the United States        in terms of seigniorage.

            (a) interest-bearing; benefits                                  (b) interest-bearing; loses

            (c) interest-free; benefits                          (d) interest-free; loses

Suppose that the United States and Canada can each produce two products: lumber and beef. Create a table like the one below, showing labor requirements per unit of output for each country. (Hint: Choose numbers for each country that are easily divisible by one another.)

What does absolute advantage mean? How do you calculate absolute advantage? In what output(s) does the U.S. have an absolute advantage? Explain using the data from your table. In what output(s) does Canada have an absolute advantage? Explain using the data from your table.

What does comparative advantage mean? How do you calculate comparative advantage? In what output(s) does the U.S. have a comparative advantage? Explain using the data from your table. In what output(s) does Canada have a comparative advantage? Explain using the data from your table.

What product should each country export? Why?

After years of rapid growth, illegal immigration into the United States has declined, perhaps owing to the recession and increased border enforcement by the United States (Los Angeles Times, September 1, 2010). While its share has declined, California still accounts for 23% of the nation’s estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants. [You may find it useful to reference the z table.]

a. In a sample of 50 illegal immigrants, what is the probability that more than 20% live in California? (Round “z” value to 2 decimal places, and final answer to 4 decimal places.)

b. In a sample of 200 illegal immigrants, what is the probability that more than 20% live in California? (Round “z” value to 2 decimal places, and final answer to 4 decimal places.)

c. Comment on the reason for the difference between the computed probabilities in parts a and b.

• As the sample number increases, the probability of more than 20% also increases, due to the lower z value and decreased standard error.

• As the sample number increases, the probability of more than 20% also increases, due to the lower z value and increased standard error.

1. in a recent study, the centers for disease and control centers reported that diastolic blood pressures of adult women in the united states are approximately normally distributed with a mean of 80.1 and a standard deviation of 9.5.

a) what proportion of women have blood pressures lower then 62?

b) what proportion of women have blood pressures between 69 and 87?

c) a dialostic blood pressure greater than 90 is classified as hypertension (high blood pressure), what porportion of women have hypertension?

d) is it unusual for a women to have blood pressure lower then 63?

round your answer to four decimal places.

2. the mean serum cholesterol levels for united states adults was 203, with the standard deviation of 42. a simple random sample of 109 adults were chosen. use the ti 84 calculator. round the answers to four decimal places.

a) what is the probability that the sample mean cholesterol levels is greater than 213.

b) what is the probability that the sample mean cholesterol levels is between 191 and 201 is:

c) would it be unusual for the sample mean to be less then 191?

it would be unusual or usual since the probability is:

3. ghgj

4. jj

To what degree does the age profile of Hillsboro County resemble the overall age profile demographic of the United States? Which towns in the county are the oldest and the youngest? (The overall age profile demographic in the United States is 37.9 years.

1Our model assumes that (choose one or more)

A part of income is consumed

B the part of income that is not consumed is saved

C investment equals saving

D the rate of saving is also the fraction of output devoted to investment

2The capital stock can change over time because of

A investment B depreciation C both A and B

3The steady-state level of capital per worker is (choose two)

A above the level of capital stock at which depreciation exceeds investment

B above the level of capital stock at which investment exceeds depreciation

C below the level of capital stock at which depreciation exceeds investment

D below the level of capital stock at which investment exceeds depreciation

4The Solow model explains the “miracle” of Japanese and German growth because (choose two)

A at the lower capital stock, more capital is added by investment than is removed by depreciation

B at the lower capital stock, less capital is added by investment than is removed by depreciation

C their saving rates were higher than in the United States

D their saving rates were lower than in the United States

According to the economic life cycle theory, since people can borrow when they are young, on what would a person's standard of living depend?

Select one:

a. aggregate income rather than annual personal income

b. income averaged across seasons rather than across years

c. lifetime income rather than annual income

d. annual extended family income rather than annual personal income

What problem in measuring inequality does the fact that the young often borrow and then repay these loans when they are older relate to?

Select one:

a. economic mobility

b. the economic life cycle

c. transitory versus permanent income

d. in-kind transfers

Which statement best summarizes the idea of cutting income tax rates increase tax revenue?

Select one:

a. This argument is valid for all countries that have income taxes.

b. This argument is valid for most other countries but not the United States.

c. The argument is valid for any country that has very high marginal tax rates.

d. This argument is only valid for the United States but not for most other countries.