In your perspective, what would be the best ethical theory to analyze the case study "my family's honor? Please elaborate on why you think this way
My familyâs Honor
My name is Charles, but my friends and family call me Chuck. I am the fifth child in a family of 7, three older sisters and an older brother before me, and a sister one a year younger and a brother 5 years younger than her. Due to the age difference between my sister and my little brother, jokes were told in family gatherings referring to my little brother as an âaccidentâ or as âRamsesâ making reference to a popular name brand of condoms implying that my mother had gotten pregnant because the Ramses Condoms were somehow damaged. At that time in my life, roughly 15 years old, I did not find these jokes or comments funny at all. Nevertheless, we had grown to know my little brother as Ramses for lack of a better nickname and he hated it even though I do not think he understood what it meant.
One warm summer afternoon, my little brother came home very angry. For days to follow, he did not want to talk about what was making him upset and seemed absent and sad. As the week came to an end, he was still obviously upset to the point that he refused to go to a football game that we had been planning to go for weeks. I did not understand what the problem was, but what I was about to find out, would make me reevaluate the meaning of the word âhonor.â
A few weeks before this incident, a young Down Syndrome boy had been accepted into my brother school, fact that I was not aware of. Moved by a government âfull integrationâ policy, schools were admitting what in those days were known as ânon-traditional studentsâ, a group that was composed by Down Syndrome, Autistic and other learning disabled children that up until that time had been going to special education centers out of the public eye. Thinking in retrospect, I personally had never been close or even seen a Down Syndrome child. The closest thing I remember was a boy who lived across the street who used to spy on us as we played in the street but never came out. Later on in life I found out that his name was Bobby and he had been the victim of a nasty disease known as Polio and thus confined to a wheel chair. Bobby was âhome schooledâ not because he had a learning disability, but probably because his parents tried to protect him from bullies and deep down inside they were possibly a bit ashamed of him.
After a while, my little brother (whose real name was David), decided to open up to me and told me the reasons why he had been upset in the past days. With tears in his eyes, David proceeded to narrate what he had been subjected to by kids in the school. He looked and me and said: Last Monday I went to school and some of the older kids were pointing at me and laughing. Before I knew it from the crowd I heard a voice yelling âRamses, Ramses you mother canât keep on her pantses.â In a macabre and cruel way of making fun of David by making up words to make a silly rhyme, they were implying that my mother was a whore who could not keep her pants on and thus, got pregnant with David. Never mind that my mother was married to my father and consequently she could not be labeled as a whore, I was enraged that this kids would have my mother in their stupid mouths. I was so upset about this that I told David that next time he saw the kid or kids who did this to him to point them out to me that I would make them pay. Keep in mind that David was around 8 years old at that time, so to him it was a huge deal to be reassured by his big brother that he was going to be protected.
Weeks went by without any incidents and then one afternoon as David and I were walking through the playground by our house, he saw the culprit of his ridicule. He seemed excited and nervous when he pointed out his âoffenderâ in the distance. From that perspective the kid seemed big, even bigger than me at 15. Without thinking about it I ran towards him convinced that if I surprised him and hit first, I would have the advantage. Since the kid was walking away from him, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and swung him around. A right hook to his belly made him lose his air, a punch in the mouth and then anotherâŚ.. by this time all of the kids in the playground were surrounding me chanting âfight, fight, fightâŚâ All I could think of was my motherâs honorâŚ.. never again would anyone dare calling my mother a whoreâŚ. I was blinded by rage as I continued to punch and kick. It was not long before someone grabbed me and pinned me downâŚ. In my rage I heard a woman crying in desperationâŚâŚ as I reclaimed by composure, I began to see what I had done.
On the ground, bleeding with what seemed a broken nose, and crying covering his face was this big kidâŚ. The woman who had been crying, his mother, was trying to console him and as she helped him out my rage turned to horror as I realized the kid I had badly hurt was the Down Syndrome boy that had come to my brotherâs school a few weeks ago. I learned his name was Christian and in an act of cruelty bigger than anything I had ever seen, had been bullied by the bigger kids into making fun of my brother. I had inflicted a lot of damage on this boy who had no understanding of what he was saying and I did not know what to say. In an attack of remorse, I too started to cry asking him to forgive him⌠I could not look at him or his mother, I had never in my short life felt so much remorse.
In an effort to regain my motherâs honor, I had attacked the wrong person, I had acted without thinking, I had committed an act of violence against someone who could not properly defend himself. What a shameful and coward act.
Time passed and we all got older. Christian was taken out of the school and we never heard anything from him. I got married and had children⌠3 girls and a boy. Life sometimes likes to play cruel jokes on us and my boy was born with Down Syndrome. In a reconciliatory move, I named him ChristianâŚ. Not because I felt guilty anymore, but because I wanted to protect this little Christian and make sure that no bully ever took advantage of him. Today Christian is 10 years old. He is a mild case of Down Syndrome and the doctors seem to think that he will live a long and productive life. I cannot help however, to see the stares or the little boys pointing at him when we go to the playground. Today my honor is in making sure that my son will never be abused by anyone. Funny I should say this, but sometimes when I hold my Christian in my arms I still shed a tear of remorse for what I did to that poor boy many years ago.
In: Psychology
My name is Charles, but my friends and family call me Chuck. I am the fifth child in a family of 7, three older sisters and an older brother before me, and a sister one a year younger and a brother 5 years younger than her. Due to the age difference between my sister and my little brother, jokes were told in family gatherings referring to my little brother as an âaccidentâ or as âRamsesâ making reference to a popular name brand of condoms implying that my mother had gotten pregnant because the Ramses Condoms were somehow damaged. At that time in my life, roughly 15 years old, I did not find these jokes or comments funny at all. Nevertheless, we had grown to know my little brother as Ramses for lack of a better nickname and he hated it even though I do not think he understood what it meant.
One warm summer afternoon, my little brother came home very angry. For days to follow, he did not want to talk about what was making him upset and seemed absent and sad. As the week came to an end, he was still obviously upset to the point that he refused to go to a football game that we had been planning to go for weeks. I did not understand what the problem was, but what I was about to find out, would make me reevaluate the meaning of the word âhonor.â
A few weeks before this incident, a young Down Syndrome boy had been accepted into my brother school, fact that I was not aware of. Moved by a government âfull integrationâ policy, schools were admitting what in those days were known as ânon-traditional studentsâ, a group that was composed by Down Syndrome, Autistic and other learning disabled children that up until that time had been going to special education centers out of the public eye. Thinking in retrospect, I personally had never been close or even seen a Down Syndrome child. The closest thing I remember was a boy who lived across the street who used to spy on us as we played in the street but never came out. Later on in life I found out that his name was Bobby and he had been the victim of a nasty disease known as Polio and thus confined to a wheel chair. Bobby was âhome schooledâ not because he had a learning disability, but probably because his parents tried to protect him from bullies and deep down inside they were possibly a bit ashamed of him.
After a while, my little brother (whose real name was David), decided to open up to me and told me the reasons why he had been upset in the past days. With tears in his eyes, David proceeded to narrate what he had been subjected to by kids in the school. He looked and me and said: Last Monday I went to school and some of the older kids were pointing at me and laughing. Before I knew it from the crowd I heard a voice yelling âRamses, Ramses you mother canât keep on her pantses.â In a macabre and cruel way of making fun of David by making up words to make a silly rhyme, they were implying that my mother was a whore who could not keep her pants on and thus, got pregnant with David. Never mind that my mother was married to my father and consequently she could not be labeled as a whore, I was enraged that this kids would have my mother in their stupid mouths. I was so upset about this that I told David that next time he saw the kid or kids who did this to him to point them out to me that I would make them pay. Keep in mind that David was around 8 years old at that time, so to him it was a huge deal to be reassured by his big brother that he was going to be protected.
Weeks went by without any incidents and then one afternoon as David and I were walking through the playground by our house, he saw the culprit of his ridicule. He seemed excited and nervous when he pointed out his âoffenderâ in the distance. From that perspective the kid seemed big, even bigger than me at 15. Without thinking about it I ran towards him convinced that if I surprised him and hit first, I would have the advantage. Since the kid was walking away from him, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and swung him around. A right hook to his belly made him lose his air, a punch in the mouth and then anotherâŚ.. by this time all of the kids in the playground were surrounding me chanting âfight, fight, fightâŚâ All I could think of was my motherâs honorâŚ.. never again would anyone dare calling my mother a whoreâŚ. I was blinded by rage as I continued to punch and kick. It was not long before someone grabbed me and pinned me downâŚ. In my rage I heard a woman crying in desperationâŚâŚ as I reclaimed by composure, I began to see what I had done.
On the ground, bleeding with what seemed a broken nose, and crying covering his face was this big kidâŚ. The woman who had been crying, his mother, was trying to console him and as she helped him out my rage turned to horror as I realized the kid I had badly hurt was the Down Syndrome boy that had come to my brotherâs school a few weeks ago. I learned his name was Christian and in an act of cruelty bigger than anything I had ever seen, had been bullied by the bigger kids into making fun of my brother. I had inflicted a lot of damage on this boy who had no understanding of what he was saying and I did not know what to say. In an attack of remorse, I too started to cry asking him to forgive him⌠I could not look at him or his mother, I had never in my short life felt so much remorse.
In an effort to regain my motherâs honor, I had attacked the wrong person, I had acted without thinking, I had committed an act of violence against someone who could not properly defend himself. What a shameful and coward act.
Time passed and we all got older. Christian was taken out of the school and we never heard anything from him. I got married and had children⌠3 girls and a boy. Life sometimes likes to play cruel jokes on us and my boy was born with Down Syndrome. In a reconciliatory move, I named him ChristianâŚ. Not because I felt guilty anymore, but because I wanted to protect this little Christian and make sure that no bully ever took advantage of him. Today Christian is 10 years old. He is a mild case of Down Syndrome and the doctors seem to think that he will live a long and productive life. I cannot help however, to see the stares or the little boys pointing at him when we go to the playground. Today my honor is in making sure that my son will never be abused by anyone. Funny I should say this, but sometimes when I hold my Christian in my arms I still shed a tear of remorse for what I did to that poor boy many years ago.
Based on this story,
int terms of honor,,, in your perspective, what is the most important lesson to be learned from this short story?
In: Psychology
Master Budget Case: Wooden Pull Toys Inc. Wooden Pull Toys Ltd. is a company that manufactures and sells a single product, which they call a Baby Turtle. For planning and control purposes they utilize a quarterly master budget, which is usually developed at least six months in advance of the budget period. Their fiscal year end is December 31. During the summer of 2019, Jimmy C., the Wooden Pull Toys controller, spent considerable time with Fanny L., the Manager of Marketing, putting together a sales forecast for the first quarter of next year (January to March, 2020). Unfortunately, their collaboration worked so well they eloped to Niagara, ON, were married and settled down. Prior to their departure they e-mailed letters of resignation and a cryptic sales forecast to the President of Wooden Pull Toys. Their sales forecast consisted of these few lines: ⢠For the year ended December 31, 2019: 475,000 units at $11.00 each* ⢠For the year ended December 31, 2020: 500,000 units at $11.00 each ⢠For the year ended December 31, 2021: 500,000 units at $11.00 each *Expected sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 are based on actual sales to date and budgeted sales for the duration of the year. Wooden Pull Toysâ President felt certain that the marriage wouldnât last, and expected Chris would be back any day. But the end of the year is quickly approaching, and there is still no word from the desert. The President, desperately needing the budget completed, has approached you, a management accounting student, for help in preparing the budget for the first quarter. Your conversations with the President and your investigations of the companyâs records have revealed the following information: 1. Sales of Baby Turtles are seasonal. History shows that January, March, May and June are the slowest months with only 5% of sales for each month. Sales pick up over the summer with July, August and September each contributing 6% to the total. Valentines Day in February boosts sales to 10%, and spring break in April accounts for 7%. As Christmas shopping picks up momentum, winter sales start at 10% in October, move to 15% in November and then peak at 20% in December. This pattern of sales is not expected to change in the next two years. 2. From previous experience, management has determined that an ending inventory equal to 25% of the next monthâs sales is required to fit the buyerâs demands. 3. There is only one type of raw material used in the production of Baby Turtles. R700 is a very compact material that is purchased in powder form. Each Baby Turtle requires 5 kilograms of R700, at a cost of $0.45 per kilogram. The supplier of R700 tends to be somewhat erratic so Wooden Pull Toys finds it necessary to maintain an inventory balance equal to 40% of the following monthâs production needs as a precaution against stock-outs. Wooden Pull Toys pays for 20% of a monthâs purchases in the month of purchase, 45% in the following month and the remaining 35% two months after the month of purchase. There is no early payment discount. 4. Beginning accounts payable will consist of $167,084 arising from the following estimated direct material purchases for November and December of 2019: R700 purchases in November 2019: $173,953 R700 purchases in December 2019 $132,750 5. Wooden Pull Toysâ manufacturing process is highly automated, so their direct labour cost is low. Employees are paid on a per unit basis. Their total pay each month is, therefore, dependent on production volumes and averages $9.00 per hour. This rate already includes the employerâs portion of employee benefits. All payroll costs are paid in the period in which they are incurred. Each unit spends a total of 18 minutes in production. 6. Due to the similarity of the equipment in each of the production stages and the companyâs concentration on a single product, manufacturing overhead is allocated based on volume (i.e. the units produced). The unit variable overhead manufacturing rate is $1.30, consisting of: Utilities--$0.60; Indirect Materials--$0.20; Plant maintenance--$0.30; environmental fee--$0.14; and Other--$0.06. 7. The fixed manufacturing overhead costs for the entire year are as follows: Training and development $ 43,200 Repairs and maintenance 39,000 Supervisorsâ salaries 149,400 Depreciation on equipment 178,800 Plant Insurance 96,000 Other 117,600 $ 624,000 ⢠The annual insurance premium of $96,000 will be paid at the beginning of January. There is no change in the premium from last year. ⢠All other âcash-relatedâ fixed manufacturing overhead costs are incurred evenly over the year and paid as incurred. ⢠Wooden Pull Toys uses the straight line method of depreciation. 8. Selling and administrative expenses are known to be a mixed cost; however, there is a lot of uncertainty about the portion that is fixed. Previous yearsâ experience has provided the following information: Lowest level of sales: 375,000 units Total Operating Expenses: $778,710 Highest level of sales: 750,000 units Total Operating Expenses: $1,022,460 These costs are paid in the month in which they occur. Not included in the above expenses is bad debt expense. 9. Sales are on a cash and credit basis, with 55% collected during the month of the sale, 35% the following month, and 9.5% the month thereafter. ½ of 1% of sales are considered uncollectible (bad debt expense). 10. Sales in November and December 2019 are expected to be $783,750 and $1,045,000 respectively. Based on the above collection pattern this will result in Accounts Receivable of $539,481 at December 31, 2019 which will be collected in January and February, 2020. 11. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, Wooden Pull Toys will be required to make monthly income tax installment payments of $1,500. Outstanding income taxes from the year ended December 31, 2019 must be paid in March 2020. Income tax expense is estimated to be 25% of net income. Income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2020, in excess of installment payments, will be paid in March, 2021. 12. Wooden Pull Toys is planning to acquire additional manufacturing equipment for $304,200 cash. 40% of this amount is to be paid in January 2020, the rest, in February 2020. The manufacturing overhead costs shown above already include the depreciation on this equipment. 13. An arrangement has been made with the local bank that if Wooden Pull Toys maintains a minimum balance of $20,000 in their bank account, they will be given a line of credit at a preferred rate of 6% per annum. All borrowing is considered to happen on the first day of the month, repayments are on the last day of the month. All borrowings and repayments from the bank should be in multiples of $1,000 and interest must be paid at the end of each month. Interest is calculated on the balance at the beginning of the month, which includes any amounts borrowed that month. 14. Wooden Pull Toys Ltd. has a policy of paying dividends at the end of each quarter. The President tells you that the board of directors is planning on continuing their policy of declaring dividends of $50,000 per quarter. â 15. A listing of the estimated balances in the companyâs ledger accounts as of December 31, 2019 is given below: Cash $ 64,165 Accounts receivable 539,481 Inventory-raw materials 28,125 Inventory-finished goods 45,625 Capital assets (net) 724,000 $ 1,401,396 Accounts payable $ 167,084 Income tax payable 21,500 Capital stock 1,000,000 Retained earnings 212,813 $ 1,401396 ________________________________________ Required: Prepare a master budget for Wooden Pull Toys for the first quarter (January, February and March) of the year ending December 31, 2020, including the following schedules: Sales Budget Schedule of Cash Receipts Production Budget Direct Materials Budget Schedule of Cash Disbursements Direct Labour Budget Manufacturing Overhead Budget Ending Finished Goods Inventory Budget Selling and Administrative Expense Budget Cash Budget Prepare a budgeted income statement for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Prepare a budgeted balance sheet at March 31, 2020.
In: Accounting
Write a member function that deletes all repetitions from the bag. In your implementation, assume that items can be compared for equality using ==. Use the following header for the function:
void remove_repetitions() Here is a brief outline of an algorithm:
- A node pointer p steps through the bag
- For each Item, define a new pointer q equal to p
- While the q is not the last Item in the bag âź If the next Item has data equal to the data in p, remove the next Item âź Otherwise move q to the next Item in the bag
This is what I have so far, the issue being it doesn't delete properly and does not print out the list. Thanks in advance!
template <class Item>
void bag<Item>::remove_repetitions(){
std::cout<<"Working
progress"<<std::endl;
node<Item> *p;
//node<Item> *temp;
p=head_ptr;
while(p!=NULL &&
p->link()!=NULL){
node<Item>
*q;
node<Item>
*target;
for(q=p->link();
q!=NULL; q=q->link()){
if(p->data()==q->data()){
target = q;
q->set_link(q->link());
delete(target);
}
}
p=p->link();
}
}
//The main file
#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
#include <set>
#include <algorithm>
#include "node2.h"
#include "bag5.h"
using namespace std;
// PROTOTYPE for a function used by this demonstration
program
template <class Item, class SizeType, class
MessageType>
void get_items(bag<Item>& collection, SizeType n,
MessageType description)
// Postcondition: The string description has been written as a
prompt to the
// screen. Then n items have been read from cin and added to the
collection.
// Library facilities used: iostream, bag4.h
{
Item user_input; // An item typed by the
program's user
SizeType i;
cout << "Please type " << n
<< " " << description;
cout << ", separated by spaces.\n";
cout << "Press the <return> key
after the final entry:\n";
for (i = 1; i <= n; ++i)
{
cin >>
user_input;
collection.insert(user_input);
}
cout << endl;
}
int main()
{
//demonstrate bag template class
bag<int> bag_of_int;
bag<string> bag_of_string;
bag_of_int.insert(3);
bag_of_string.insert("hello");
bag_of_string.insert("goodbye");
bag_of_string.insert("auf wiedersehen");
bag_of_string.insert("goodbye");
bag_of_string.insert("hello");
bag_of_string.insert("goodbye");
cout << "count of goodbye: " <<
bag_of_string.count("goodbye") << endl;
cout << "count of guten morgen: " <<
bag_of_string.count("guten morgen") << endl;
cout << "count of 3: " <<
bag_of_int.count(3) << endl;
for(bag<string>::iterator cursor =
bag_of_string.begin(); cursor != bag_of_string.end();
++cursor)
cout<<*cursor<< " ";
cout<<endl;
bag<int> bag_int;
bag_int.insert (7);
bag_int.insert (6);
bag_int.insert (5);
bag_int.insert (4);
bag_int.insert (5);
bag_int.insert (3);
bag_int.insert (2);
bag_int.insert (1);
bag_int.insert (1);
bag_int.insert (5);
bag_int.print_value_range (5,20);
bag_int.remove_repetitions();
bag_int.print_value_range (5,20);
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}
#ifndef NODE2_H
#define NODE2_H
//the node header file with template implementations
#include <cstdlib> // Provides NULL and
size_t
#include <iterator> // Provides iterator and
forward_iterator_tag
template <class Item>
class node
{
public:
// TYPEDEF
typedef Item
value_type;
// CONSTRUCTOR
node(const Item&
init_data=Item( ), node* init_link=NULL)
{ data_field = init_data; link_field = init_link; }
// MODIFICATION MEMBER
FUNCTIONS
Item& data( ) {
return data_field; }
node* link( ) { return
link_field; }
void set_data(const
Item& new_data) { data_field = new_data; }
void set_link(node*
new_link) { link_field = new_link; }
// CONST MEMBER
FUNCTIONS
const Item& data( )
const { return data_field; }
const node* link( )
const { return link_field; }
private:
Item data_field;
node *link_field;
};
// FUNCTIONS to manipulate a linked list:
template <class Item>
void list_clear(node<Item>*& head_ptr);
template <class Item>
void list_copy
(const node<Item>* source_ptr,
node<Item>*& head_ptr, node<Item>*&
tail_ptr);
template <class Item>
void list_head_insert(node<Item>*& head_ptr, const
Item& entry);
template <class Item>
void list_head_remove(node<Item>*& head_ptr);
template <class Item>
void list_insert(node<Item>* previous_ptr, const Item&
entry);
template <class Item>
std::size_t list_length(const node<Item>* head_ptr);
template <class NodePtr, class SizeType>
NodePtr list_locate(NodePtr head_ptr, SizeType position);
template <class Item>
void list_remove(node<Item>* previous_ptr);
template <class NodePtr, class Item>
NodePtr list_search(NodePtr head_ptr, const Item& target);
// FORWARD ITERATORS to step through the nodes of a linked
list
// A node_iterator of can change the underlying linked list through
the
// * operator, so it may not be used with a const node. The
// node_const_iterator cannot change the underlying linked
list
// through the * operator, so it may be used with a const
node.
// WARNING:
// This classes use std::iterator as its base class;
// Older compilers that do not support the std::iterator class
can
// delete everything after the word iterator in the second
line:
template <class Item>
class node_iterator : public
std::iterator<std::forward_iterator_tag, Item>
{
public:
node_iterator(node<Item>*
initial = NULL){ current = initial; }
Item& operator *( )
const { return current->data( ); }
node_iterator&
operator ++( ) // Prefix ++
{
current = current->link(
);
return *this;
}
node_iterator operator
++(int) // Postfix ++
{
node_iterator
original(current);
current = current->link(
);
return
original;
}
bool operator ==(const
node_iterator other) const { return current == other.current;
}
bool operator !=(const
node_iterator other) const { return current != other.current;
}
private:
node<Item>*
current;
};
template <class Item>
class const_node_iterator : public
std::iterator<std::forward_iterator_tag, const Item>
{
public:
const_node_iterator(const
node<Item>* initial = NULL) { current = initial; }
const Item& operator
*( ) const { return current->data( ); }
const_node_iterator&
operator ++( ) // Prefix ++
{
current = current->link(
);
return *this;
}
const_node_iterator
operator ++(int) // Postfix ++
{
const_node_iterator
original(current);
current = current->link(
);
return original;
}
bool operator ==(const
const_node_iterator other) const { return current == other.current;
}
bool operator !=(const
const_node_iterator other) const { return current != other.current;
}
private:
const node<Item>* current;
};
#include "node2.template"
#endif // NODE2_H
#ifndef BAG5_H
#define BAG5_H
//bag header file with template
#include <cstdlib> // Provides NULL and size_t
and NULL
#include "node2.h" // Provides node class
template <class Item>
class bag
{
public:
// TYPEDEFS
typedef std::size_t size_type;
typedef Item
value_type;
typedef node_iterator<Item> iterator;
typedef const_node_iterator<Item>
const_iterator;
// CONSTRUCTORS and
DESTRUCTOR
bag( );
bag(const bag&
source);
~bag( );
// MODIFICATION MEMBER
FUNCTIONS
size_type erase(const
Item& target);
bool erase_one(const
Item& target);
void insert(const
Item& entry);
void operator +=(const
bag& addend);
void operator =(const
bag& source);
void
print_value_range(const Item& x, const Item& y);
void
remove_repetitions(); //<-- Implement this!!!!!
// CONST MEMBER
FUNCTIONS
size_type count(const
Item& target) const;
Item grab( )
const;
size_type size( ) const
{ return many_nodes; }
// FUNCTIONS TO PROVIDE ITERATORS
iterator begin( )
{ return iterator(head_ptr);
}
const_iterator begin( ) const
{ return
const_iterator(head_ptr); }
iterator end( )
{ return iterator( ); } //
Uses default constructor
const_iterator end( ) const
{ return const_iterator( ); }
// Uses default constructor
private:
node<Item>
*head_ptr; // Head
pointer for the list of items
size_type
many_nodes; // Number of
nodes on the list
};
// NONMEMBER functions for the bag
template <class Item>
bag<Item> operator +(const bag<Item>& b1, const
bag<Item>& b2);
// The implementation of a template class must be included in its
header file:
#include "bag5.template"
#endif // BAG5_H
In: Computer Science
In C++ please modify the following program and add characters (char) and names (strings) to be added to the linked list along with integers. The current demo program accepts only integer data, so you would ask the user to select the data type to be added to the linked list. The user should be given the following three choices:
(a) whole numbers
(b) single characters
(c) strings
Once the user makes a selection from the list above then your program should be able to process the data appropriately. This includes:
(a) insert
(b) print
(c) delete
(d) search
(e) copy
You will use the following existing code and modify it to process char and string data type.
Please upload .cpp file(s) along with screenshots of all solutions/screens. You can take a screenshot of your solutions by hitting PrintScreen button on your keyboard and then by pasting that image into a Word document.
Code:
//This program tests various operation of a linked list
//45 67 23 89 -999
#include
#include
using namespace std;
template
struct nodeType
{
Type info;
nodeType *link;
};
template
class circularLinkedList
{
public:
//Overloads the assignment operator.
const circularLinkedList& operator=(const circularLinkedList& otherList)
{
if (this != &otherList) //avoid self-copy
{
copyList(otherList);
}//end else
return *this;
}
//Initializes the list to an empty state.
//Postcondition: first = NULL, last = NULL,
// count = 0
void initializeList()
{
destroyList();
}
//Function to determine whether the list is empty.
//Postcondition: Returns true if the list is empty; otherwise, returns false.
bool isEmptyList()
{
return (first == NULL);
}
void print() const
{
nodeType *current; //pointer to traverse the list
current = first->link;
while (current != first) //while more data to print
{
cout << current->info << " ";
current = current->link;
}
cout << first->info << " ";
}
//Function to return the number of nodes in the list.
//Postcondition: The value of count is returned.
int length()
{
return count;
}
//Function to delete all the nodes from the list.
//Postcondition: first = NULL, last = NULL,
// count = 0
void destroyList()
{
nodeType *temp;
nodeType *current = NULL;
if (first != NULL)
{
current = first->link;
first->link = NULL;
}
while (current != NULL)
{
temp = current;
current = current->link;
delete temp;
}
first = NULL; //initialize last to NULL; first has already
//been set to NULL by the while loop
count = 0;
}
//Function to return the first element of the list.
//Precondition: The list must exist and must not be empty.
//Postcondition: If the list is empty, then the program terminates; otherwise, the first element of the list is returned.
Type front()
{
assert(first != NULL);
return first->link->info; //return the info of the first node
}
//Function to return the last element of the list.
//Precondition: The list must exist and must not be empty.
//Postcondition: If the list is empty, then the program terminates; otherwise, the last element of the list is returned.
Type back()
{
assert(first != NULL);
return first->info; //return the info of the first node
}
//Function to determine whether searchItem is in the list.
//Postcondition: Returns true if searchItem is found in the list; otherwise, it returns false.
bool search(const Type& searchItem)
{
nodeType *current; //pointer to traverse the list
bool found = false;
if (first != NULL)
{
current = first->link;
while (current != first && !found)
{
if (current->info >= searchItem)
found = true;
else
current = current->link;
found = (current->info == searchItem);
}
}
return found;
}
void insertNode(const Type& newitem)
{
nodeType *current; //pointer to traverse the list
nodeType *trailCurrent; //pointer just before current
nodeType *newNode; //pointer to create a node
bool found;
newNode = new nodeType; //create the node
newNode->info = newitem; //store newitem in the node
newNode->link = NULL; //set the link field of the node
//to NULL
if (first == NULL) //Case 1 e.g., 3
{
first = newNode;
first->link = newNode;
count++;
}
else
{
if (newitem >= first->info)//e.g., 25 > 3
{
newNode->link = first->link;
first->link = newNode;
first = newNode;
}
else
{
trailCurrent = first; //e.g., 1 < 3
current = first->link;
found = false;
while (current != first && !found)
if (current->info >= newitem)
found = true;
else
{
trailCurrent = current;
current = current->link;
}
trailCurrent->link = newNode;
newNode->link = current;
}
count++;
}//end else
}
//Function to delete deleteItem from the list.
//Postcondition: If found, the node containing deleteItem is deleted from the list, first points to the first
// node, and last points to the last node of the updated list.
void deleteNode(const Type& deleteItem)
{
nodeType *current; //pointer to traverse the list
nodeType *trailCurrent; //pointer just before current
bool found;
if (first == NULL) //Case 1; list is empty.
cout << "Can not delete from an empty list." << endl;
else
{
found = false;
trailCurrent = first;
current = first->link;
while (current != first && !found)
if (current->info >= deleteItem)
found = true;
else
{
trailCurrent = current;
current = current->link;
}
if (current == first)
{
if (first->info == deleteItem)
{
if (first == first->link)
first = NULL;
else
{
trailCurrent->link = current->link;
first = trailCurrent;
}
delete current;
count--;
}
else
cout << "The item to be deleted is not in the list." << endl;
}
else
if (current->info == deleteItem)
{
trailCurrent->link = current->link;
count--;
delete current;
}
else
cout << "Item to be deleted is not in the list." << endl;
} //end else
}
//Default constructor
//Initializes the list to an empty state.
//Postcondition: first = NULL, last = NULL,
// count = 0
circularLinkedList()
{
first = NULL;
count = 0;
}
//Copy constructor
circularLinkedList(const circularLinkedList& otherList)
{
first = NULL;
copyList(otherList);
}
//Destructor
//Deletes all the nodes from the list.
//Postcondition: The list object is destroyed.
~circularLinkedList()
{
destroyList();
}
protected:
int count; //variable to store the number of elements in the list
nodeType *first; //pointer to the first node of the list
nodeType *last; //pointer to the last node of the list
private:
//Function to make a copy of otherList.
//Postcondition: A copy of otherList is created and assigned to this list.
void copyList(const circularLinkedList& otherList)
{
nodeType *newNode;
nodeType *current;
nodeType *tempFirst;
if (first != NULL)
destroyList();
if (otherList.first == NULL)
{
first = NULL;
count = 0;
}
else
{
current = otherList.first->link; //current points to the
//list to be copied
count = otherList.count;
//copy the first node
tempFirst = new nodeType; //create the node
tempFirst->info = current->info; //copy the info
last = tempFirst; //make last point to the
//first node
current = current->link; //make current point to the
//next node
//copy the remaining list
while (current != otherList.first)
{
newNode = new nodeType; //create a node
newNode->info = current->info;
last->link = newNode;
last = newNode;
current = current->link;
}//end while
if (tempFirst == last)
{
first = tempFirst;
first->link = first;
}
else
{
newNode = new nodeType; //create a node
newNode->info = current->info;
last->link = newNode;
first = newNode;
first->link = tempFirst;
}
}//end else
}
};
int main()
{
circularLinkedList list1, list2;
int num;
cout << "Enter number ending with -999" << endl;
cin >> num;
while (num != -999)
{
list1.insertNode(num);
cin >> num;
}
cout << endl;
cout << "List 1: ";
list1.print();
cout << endl;
cout << "Length List 1: " << list1.length() << endl;
cout << "Enter the number to be searched: ";
cin >> num;
cout << endl;
if (list1.search(num))
cout << num << " found in the list" << endl;
else
cout << num << " not in the list" << endl;
cout << "Enter the number to be deleted: ";
cin >> num;
cout << endl;
list1.deleteNode(num);
cout << "After deleting the node, "
<< "List 1: ";
list1.print();
cout << endl;
cout << "Length List 1: " << list1.length() << endl;
list2 = list1;
cout << "List 2: ";
list2.print();
cout << endl;
cout << "Length List 2: " << list2.length() << endl;
cout << "List 1: ";
list1.print();
cout << endl;
return 0;
}
In: Computer Science
In September 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) of the United States published a discussion paper seeking views on whether U.S. standard setting should move from a principle based approach toward a principle based approach as sometimes associated with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). That paper was partly in response to the SarbanesOxley Act, which was itself a response to such accounting scandals as Enron and WorldCom. Schipper (2003) points out that the U.S. rules are often based on principles. That is, the standard setters use principles in order to produce the rules for the preparers of financial statements. Nelson (2003, 91) agrees, and suggests that a particular standard should rather be seen as more or less rules-based. He suggests that rules can increase the accuracy with which standard setters communicate their requirements and can reduce the sort of imprecision that leads to aggressive reporting choices by management. However, he notes that rules can also lead to excessive complexity and to the structuring of transactions. One of the reasons why standards on several topics need to contain rules is that the standards are inconsistent with the conceptual frameworks of the standard setters. For several topics, the use of the appropriate principle could lead to clearer communication and to more precision without the need for the current rules. That is, before asking how rules-based a particular standard should be, we should ask whether the standard is based on the most appropriate principle. I identify six topics on which the accounting standards have detailed technical rules. In each case, I suggest that part of the need for rules is caused by a lack of principle or by the use of an inappropriate principle (i.e., one that does not fit with higher-level principles). The lack of clear and appropriate principles can also lead to optional accounting methods in standards because no one policy is obviously the correct one; this leads to lack of comparability. I do not suggest that the use of appropriate principles would lead inexorably to standards with no optional methods but that, on some topics, optional methods could be eliminated. The six topics are examined one by one. In each case, I attempt to locate the principles being used, to assess the appropriateness of the principles, and then to identify any arbitrary rules or optional methods that result from the absence of appropriate principles. I start with the IASBâs standards (hereafter, IFRSs), with frequent comparison with U.S. GAAP. One reason for examining
IFRSs in particular is that they are required for the financial reporting of listed companies throughout much of the world in 2005 onward,1 and the FASB has announced plans for convergence of its standards with IFRSs.2 The final section of the paper draws conclusions about how accounting might be improved by substituting principles (or better principles) for the existing requirements. PRIOR LITERATURE AND PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER Alexander (1999) investigates the nature of principles and rules in an accounting context. Below, I use the word ĂŹprinciplesĂŽ to include AlexanderĂs type A overall criteria (e.g., fair presentation, the definitions of elements of accounting and, in particular, the primacy of the asset and liability definitions) and his type B conventions (e.g., prudence). Such principles are contained in the standard settersĂ conceptual frameworks. I contrast this to ĂŹrulesĂŽ which are AlexanderĂs type C rules (e.g., the requirement to measure inventories at the lower of cost and market). My definition of ĂŹrulesĂŽ includes NelsonĂs (2003, 91) ĂŹspecific criteria, ĂŤbright lineĂ thresholds, examples, scope restrictions, exceptions, subsequent precedents, implementation guidance, etc.ĂŽ The use of the terms ĂŹprinciplesĂŽ and ĂŹrulesĂŽ seems broadly consistent among Alexander (1999), Nelson (2003), Schipper (2003), and me. My purpose is not to investigate why the U.S. system tends toward the writing of rules (whether based on principles or not). Identifying the roles played by the existence since the 1930s of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an enforcement agency and the perceived need of auditors to protect themselves from litigation by encouraging the setting of clear and detailed rules is left to Benston (1976), Zeff (1995), and future research. As discussed below, the IASB also frequently writes rules. Thus, my purpose is to evaluate how the failure to use the appropriate principles can lead any standard setter to rely too much on rules. As noted earlier, the imposition of rules has some potential advantages. Those identified by Schipper (2003) and Nelson (2003) include: ĂŻ increased comparability; ĂŻ increased verifiability for auditors and regulators (and a related reduction in litigation); ĂŻ reduced opportunities for earnings management through judgments (but increased opportunities through transaction structuring); and ĂŻ improved communication of standard settersĂ intentions. Nelson (2003) and the American Accounting AssociationĂs Financial Accounting Standards Committee (FASC) (2003) review the literature related to these issues. FASC concludes: Concepts-based standards, if applied properly, better support the FASBĂs stated mission of ĂŹimproving the usefulness of financial reporting by focusing on the primary characteristics of relevance and reliability.ĂŽ (AAA FASC 2003, 74) (emphasis added) In addition to balancing the advantages and disadvantages of more detailed rules, the standard setters sometimes face competing principles. An obvious example is the difficulty of trading off relevance and reliability: for instance, estimates of current values or future cash flows might be potentially relevant data, but some such estimates have low reliability. Departure from one principle might be justified by the need to follow another one. Standard setters are also subject to political pressure, especially from the management of large companies (e.g., Hope and Gray 1982; Solomons 1978; Watts and Zimmerman 1978; Nobes 1992; Zeff 1997). Giving way to political pressure might be an explanation for departing from principles. However, a bad standard cannot be re-classified as a good one because issuing it enabled the standard setter to survive.
As noted earlier, my purpose is to identify several accounting topics for which the accounting standard could be improved by being based more closely on a principle from the conceptual frameworks. In some cases, merely removing a rogue ĂŹprincipleĂŽ that is not contained in the conceptual frameworks is sufficient. The improvements come in the form of increased clarity, decreased complexity, and decreased motivation for the structuring of transactions. That is, in some cases, increased clarity can be associated with a reduction in rules. This is not to say that principles-based standards are always clearer than rules-based standards. For example, development costs can represent an asset that meets reasonable recognition criteria; IAS No. 38 (para. 57) is based on this argument. In this context, the U.S. requirement (in SFAS No. 2) to expense development costs could be seen as an un-principled rule. However, in this case, the U.S. ĂŹruleĂŽ leads to a clearer instruction and to several resulting advantages (see above), although not necessarily to a better balance sheet. Because some accounting topics are not susceptible to solution by use of appropriate principles without rules, standard setters are then forced to choose, for example, between an unclear principle and a clear rule. However, I and most other authors quoted above do not welcome rules for their own sake. They should be kept to the minimum necessary to achieve the various advantages claimed for them, such as clarity. This warrants an examination of each accounting topic to see if a more appropriate principle could achieve the advantages of rules and yet reduce the amount of rules at the same time. As mentioned earlier, the use of appropriate principles can reduce optional accounting treatments, with a consequent increase in comparability. I am not talking here of judgments by preparers, but of overt optional methods in accounting standards. Optional methods are not prevalent in U.S. accounting standards, although some exist.3 However, several options continue to exist in IFRS even after the removal of many in December 2003. The options were needed to achieve a three-quarters majority on the IASC Board, but arguing for the options was easier in the absence of clear principles. Using appropriate principles does not guarantee a reduction in options, but the discussion below finds several instances where a focus on principles can reduce options.
WHAT IS THE MAIN POINT OF THIS ARTICLE? HOW TO SUMMARY THIS?
In: Accounting
Based on Court Case United States v. Bestfoods 113F.3d 572 (1998)
United States v. Bestfoods
113 F.3d 572 (1998)
SOUTER, JUSTICE
The United States brought this action under §107(a)(2) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) against, among others, respondent CPC International, Inc., the parent corporation of the defunct Ott Chemical Co. (Ott II), for the costs of cleaning up industrial waste generated by Ott IIâs chemical plant. Section 107(a)(2) authorizes suits against, among others, âany person who at the time of disposal of any hazardous substance owned or operated any facility.â The trial focused on whether CPC, as a parent corporation, had âowned or operatedâ Ott IIâs plant within the meaning of §107(a)(2). The District Court said that operator liability may attach to a parent corporation both indirectly, when the corporate veil can be pierced under state law, and directly, when the parent has exerted power or influence over its subsidiary by actively participating in, and exercising control over, the subsidiaryâs business during a period of hazardous waste disposal. Applying that test, the court held CPC liable because CPC had selected Ott IIâs board of directors and populated its executive ranks with CPC officials, and another CPC official had played a significant role in shaping Ott IIâs environmental compliance policy.
The Sixth Circuit reversed. Although recognizing that a parent company might be held directly liable under §107(a)(2) if it actually operated its subsidiaryâs facility in the stead of the subsidiary, or alongside of it as a joint venturer, that court refused to go further. Rejecting the District Courtâs analysis, the Sixth Circuit explained that a parent corporationâs liability for operating a facility ostensibly operated by its subsidiary depends on whether the degree to which the parent controls the subsidiary and the extent and manner of its involvement with the facility amount to the abuse of the corporate form that will warrant piercing the corporate veil and disregarding the separate corporate entities of the parent and subsidiary. Applying Michigan veil-piercing law, the court decided that CPC was not liable for controlling Ott IIâs actions, since the two corporations maintained separate personalities and CPC did not utilize the subsidiary form to perpetrate fraud or subvert justice.
Held:
1. When (but only when) the corporate veil may be pierced, a parent corporation may be charged with derivative CERCLA liability for its subsidiaryâs actions in operating a polluting facility. It is a general principle of corporate law that a parent corporation (so-called because of control through ownership of another corporationâs stock) is not liable for the acts of its subsidiaries. CERCLA does not purport to reject this bedrock principle, and the Government has indeed made no claim that a corporate parent is liable as an owner or an operator under §107(a)(2) simply because its subsidiary owns or operates a polluting facility. But there is an equally fundamental principle of corporate law, applicable to the parent-subsidiary relationship as well as generally, that the corporate veil may be pierced and the shareholder held liable for the corporationâs conduct when, inter alia, the corporate form would otherwise be misused to accomplish certain wrongful purposes, most notably fraud, on the shareholderâs behalf. CERCLA does not purport to rewrite this well-settled rule, either, and against this venerable common-law backdrop, the congressional silence is audible. Cf. Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique, 443 U.S. 256, 266-267. CERCLAâs failure to speak to a matter as fundamental as the liability implications of corporate ownership demands application of the rule that, to abrogate a common-law principle, a statute must speak directly to the question addressed by the common law. United States v. Texas, 507 U.S. 529, 534.
2. A corporate parent that actively participated in, and exercised control over, the operations of its subsidiaryâs facility may be held directly liable in its own right under §107(a)(2) as an operator of the facility.
(a) Derivative liability aside, CERCLA does not bar a parent corporation from direct liability for its own actions. Under the plain language of §107(a)(2), any person who operates a polluting facility is directly liable for the costs of cleaning up the pollution, and this is so even if that person is the parent corporation of the facilityâs owner. Because the statute does not define the term âoperate,â however, it is difficult to define actions sufficient to constitute direct parental âoperation.â In the organizational sense obviously intended by CERCLA, to âoperateâ a facility ordinarily means to direct the workings of, manage, or conduct the affairs of the facility. To sharpen the definition for purposes of CERCLAâs concern with environmental contamination, an operator must manage, direct, or conduct operations specifically related to the leakage or disposal of hazardous waste, or decisions about compliance with environmental regulations.
(b) The Sixth Circuit correctly rejected the direct liability analysis of the District Court, which mistakenly focused on the relationship between parent and subsidiary, and premised liability on little more than CPCâs ownership of Ott II and its majority control over Ott IIâs board of directors. Because direct liability for the parentâs operation of the facility must be kept distinct from derivative liability for the subsidiaryâs operation of the facility, the analysis should instead have focused on the relationship between CPC and the facility itself, i.e., on whether CPC âoperatedâ the facility, as evidenced by its direct participation in the facilityâs activities. That error was compounded by the District Courtâs erroneous assumption that actions of the joint officers and directors were necessarily attributable to CPC, rather than Ott II, contrary to time-honored common-law principles. The District Courtâs focus on the relationship between parent and subsidiary (rather than parent and facility), combined with its automatic attribution of the actions of dual officers and directors to CPC, erroneously, even if unintentionally, treated CERCLA as though it displaced or fundamentally altered common-law standards of limited liability. The District Courtâs analysis created what is in essence a relaxed, CERCLA-specific rule of derivative liability that would banish traditional standards and expectations from the law of CERCLA liability. Such a rule does not arise from congressional silence, and CERCLAâs silence is dispositive.
(c) Nonetheless, the Sixth Circuit erred in limiting direct liability under CERCLA to a parentâs sole or joint venture operation, so as to eliminate any possible finding that CPC is liable as an operator on the facts of this case. The ordinary meaning of the word âoperateâ in the organizational sense is not limited to those two parental actions, but extends also to situations in which, e.g., joint officers or directors conduct the affairs of the facility on behalf of the parent, or agents of the parent with no position in the subsidiary manage or direct activities at the subsidiaryâs facility. Norms of corporate behavior (undisturbed by any CERCLA provision) are crucial reference points, both for determining whether a dual officer or director has served the parent in conducting operations at the facility, and for distinguishing a parental officerâs oversight of a subsidiary from his control over the operation of the subsidiaryâs facility. There is, in fact, some evidence that an agent of CPC alone engaged in activities at Ott IIâs plant that were eccentric under accepted norms of parental oversight of a subsidiaryâs facility: The District Courtâs opinion speaks of such an agent who played a conspicuous part in dealing with the toxic risks emanating from the plantâs operation. The findings in this regard are enough to raise an issue of CPCâs operation of the facility, though this Court draws no ultimate conclusion, leaving the issue for the lower courts to reevaluate and resolve in the first instance.
113 F.3d 572, vacated and remanded.
What norms of corporate behavior does the court look to in determining whether an officer or a director is involved in the operation of a facility?
In: Operations Management
Case study:
The childrenâs party market is no jelly and trifling matter. âItâs a huge industry,â Tim Jenkins writes after his interview with Amanda Frolich from Amandaâs Action Kids. According to Frolich, âPeople spend an absolute fortune on their childrenâs birthday parties and fortunately the recession hasnât affected our business.â
Like Paul Lindley, founder of Ellaâs Kitchen, who used his parenting experience to launch a successful start-up, the party business with low barriers-to-entry sees numerous parent small business concepts. Michelle Hill incorporated her own party business called The Land of Make-Believe after spending hours creating props, themed food, and thinking up games suitable for her five-year-old sonâs shared birthday party. This birthday spectacular experience helped her identify a clear gap in the market.
According to Tim Jenkins, a modest ÂŁ50 party spend per UK child equates to an annual ÂŁ35 million for a single school-year group. With ÂŁ250 not untypical for an outsourced party service, it is easy to value the industry in the hundreds of millions.
The Land of Make-Believe party concepts include themes for cheerleaders, pirates, and fairies; cowboys and Indians; witches and wizards; Fairy Godmother, Teddy Bear picnic, glamor, and Grease the musical with Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Party concepts that tend to appeal more to boys, perhaps relying less on dressing up and dancing, include club energy sports, go-karting, football, army games, reptiles and pets, and fire engineâthemed parties. Leisure venues also offer some stiff competition with swimming pool visits, laser quest, bowling, cinema, and restaurant visits also popular. Business Model Essentials Successful party concepts need a certain âwowâ factor that is popular with the children, but also satisfies parentsâ social needs too. Thus, it is important to also consider appropriate services for parents. Maslowâs hierarchy of needs framework perhaps offers some useful cues: shelter, comfort, psychological self-actualizationâbe that social linger space, self-service hot beverages, a glass of wine, or a latte bar. Party providers need to balance novelty with tried and tested formulas, perhaps offering evolving theme linkages that might anticipate new film releases, particularly sequels. They look to reduce parental hassle with branded off-the-shelf invitation cards and party bags that appeal particularly to cash-rich, often time-poor, parents. Entrepreneur.com neatly summarizes the party service offering: âYouâll plan the theme, provide costumes (unless guests arrive wearing their own), dĂŠcor, food, favors and other assorted goodies, entertainment, and clean up afterward so parents can enjoy the festivities instead of running themselves ragged.â
The business model usually has relatively low start-up costsâa website and a telephone number will generally suffice. Wardrobe, props, and base supplies are not insignificant items and should be carefully considered in financial planning. There is some wide variation in the complexity of offerings in the sector from a light touch and self-contained entertainer magician or comedian whose equipment might be limited to a costume, a music system, and some props that fit into a large suitcase or two to the full-service party-planning-solution provider offering a venue, full catering, the all-important candle-covered cake, decorations, and party bags. Three core components are required for a successful party operation, namely venue, catering, and entertainment. Fixed costs can be kept low, but are dependent on avoiding the purchase of a specialized vehicle and/or long-term premises by using a client-arranged venue. Childrenâs party planning is clearly not a job for someone craving regular Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. The ability to successfully interact with children and their parents, balancing controlled fun and calm authoritativeness, is particularly important but often rather taken for granted.
Marketing Communication Angles
A reputation for running successful parties is crucial to stimulate positive word-of-mouth referrals via parental social networks, accentuated by frequent contact at school pick-ups and drop-offs, but also on social media, and in particular parenting website communities such as mumsnet.com, which offers local listings, discussion boards, and advice-based content. In addition to successfully hosting enjoyable parties, which should drive positive referrals, a number of low-cost marketing activities can be implemented to help generate future bookings such as
Rugged Earth Adventures
One ex-army officerâs start-up inspiration led to a birthday party business centered on a military outdoor adventure theme. Having experimented with a number of temporary locations, the business finally settled on a large piece of underutilized agricultural land that comprises a mix of scrub land, combined with lines of commercially unsuccessful shrubs and trees.
The customer segment that this business proposition appeals to is mostly parents of boysâapproximately 75 percent of participants are male, aged between 6 and 10 years. The children participate in a two-hour party that sees them run around outside in a natural environment. Issued with a foam bullet Nerf gun and protective glasses, participants are initially put into two teams, jungle versus desert, utilizing authentic British army terminology. A second game, the less frenetic snipers-and-seekers, is a form of hide-and-seek using realistic camouflage costumes. Then the young people are carefully instructed on how to thoroughly cook their own sausage, which is served as a hot dog, and the party concludes with toasted marshmallows. During one of the well-timed rest periods, a picnic basket is offered to the participants around the campfire with a variety of foodsâan array that is low in chocolate and big on fruit and vegetables, which is appealing to parents, but it also includes less healthy but popular cupcakes and crisps. With overprotective parents, toy guns that fire projectiles, and an open fire, the safety briefing is taken very seriously and uses a highly authoritative army style. Children are regularly reminded about safe behavior requirements around the fire pit, particularly when wearing flammable costumes. Compliant use of safety glasses is paramount, with regular and direct reinforcement of the safety rules taking place. Hosting and supervising parents are made to feel at ease, provided with access to self-service hot and cold drinks and a place to perch. An informal satisfaction polling takes place just prior to the end around the campfire; positive responses are anticipated, thanks to a fairly simple formula that is well executed. The opportunity afforded to parents to relax while watching a group of children enjoy a totally stress-free afternoon is actually quite enjoyable. The business income comes predominantly from weekend parties, with the current site offering a capacity of three or possibly four parties per day. Each party can entertain 10 to 24 young people and costs between ÂŁ120 and ÂŁ295 (ÂŁ12 to ÂŁ20/child, excluding cake and party bags, which are ÂŁ5 per child extra). Activity days, attractive for dual working parents, are also offered during the Easter and summer school holidays, priced at ÂŁ26 to ÂŁ34 per day. The revenue generated covers operating costs after a very short operational period.
In: Operations Management
Colombo Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt Case
Questions
After reading the Colombo Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt Case Study
(SEE BELOW) answer the first six questions below.
Please type your answer to the questions below in a Word document
and send in through the designated drop box. Please be sure to
fully answer each question. Most questions (with the exception of
question 3 and 4) will require at least three to five sentences to
answer.
1. Briefly summarize Colomboâs competitive environment
2. Describe General Millsâ strategy in response to the competitive
environment?
3. Finish filling out the numbers on the Profit/Loss statement for
Colombo Yogurt (attached) using ABC techniques. Be sure and watch
the Colombo Yogurt teaching clip that explains in detail how to
break down the numbers on the Colombo Yogurt profit and loss
statement using ABC techniques.
4. Using the ABC analysis you completed on the worksheet answer the
following questions.
- Which segment has the most sales revenue?
- Which segment has the largest net income?
5. What does the ABC analysis reveal? Be sure and look at what
drives the cost and be specific.
6. What changes would you suggest to help General Mills? Your
answer should reflect something that you observed by looking at the
profit/loss statement before and after the activity
analysis.
5- 2 Colombo Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt
In 1994, General Mills Incorporated, a $6 billion consumer goods
company, acquired Colombo Frozen Yogurt.
General Mills Inc. (GMI) believed they could add Colombo frozen
yogurt to their existing product lineup to increase
net sales with little addition in marketing cost.
, Frozen yogurt is sold through two distinct segments - independent
shops and impulse locations such as cafeterias,
icolleges, and buffets. Frozen yogurt is the main business for the
shops whereas yogurt is incremental to the impulse
locations' main business. GMl's large sales force already served
the impulse market.
The [mancial results in the first couple of years were mixed.
Earnings increased slightly and then dropped each year
even though sales volume was relatively flat. In total,
merchandising costs dropped, while pricing promotion rates
escalated. The GMI sales force focused on the impulse segments and
pricing promotions were believed to be driving
volume increases. However, volume in the shop segment declined at
alarming rates and there was widespread
dissatisfaction in the sales organization. While GMI knew sales by
segment, they didn't track costs by segment.
. Instead costs were allocated based on sales dollars. The
situation was ripe for a clearer look using ABC methods.
TODAY'S FROZEN YOGURT MARKET STRUCTURE:
When Colombo Yogurt Company began marketing soft-serve frozen
yogurt in the early 1980's, their main
distribution was through independent yogurt shops. In the early
90's, they faced competition from franchise
operations such as TCBY and Freshens that replaced many of the
independent yogurt shops. And the market
changed as Foodservice operators such as cafeterias, colleges, and
buffets started to add soft-serve yogurt to their
business. By the late 90's, these Impulse locations accounted for
2/3 of the soft-serve market.
:In the late 90's, Shop sales began to increase with the addition
of distinctive new products such as smoothies,
boosters, and granitas. The Shops make their living from the
soft-serve business and must innovate or go out of
business (as thousands have done in the last decade). On the other
hand, the Impulse locations make their living
from other items and the soft-serve trade is only performance
topspin. These firms are unwilling to take any risk
(new equipment or extra labor) to serve highly differentiated
products like smoothies or granitas.
THE GMI-COLOMBO MARKETING PLAN:
The GMI Foodservice Division markets brands such as Cheerios,
Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Gold Medal Flour,
Hamburger Helper, Pop-Secret, and Chex Snack to Food Management
Firms, Hospitals, and schools. Colombo
yogurt was added to this product lineup and the Foodservice sales
force covered both Shop and Impulse locations.
Salesforce: Colombo's salesforce was merged into the Foodservice
salesforce. Customers were reassigned to
salespeople who already serviced that geographical area. The
salespeople varied in their reaction to the product.
Some found shops easy to sell to while others avoided the shops
despite the possible lost commission. Many spent a
lot of time helping their impulse customers understand how to use
the machinery.
. Merchandising Promotions: Colombo traditionally charged the Shops
for merchandising that was large scale and
; eye popping (neon signs). The Shops used these signs to draw
customers inside. GMI chose not to charge for
merchandising and to provide the same large scale merchandising to
both Shops and Impulse locations. Shops were
very interested in the kits while many Impulse locations didn't
even hang them up.
Pricing Promotions: Pricing promotions are a mainstay ofGMI's
impulse location approach. GMI's salesforce
generally used these promotion events as an opportunity to visit
their accounts and take advantage of the occasion to
meet service needs and sell other products that may not be
featured.
5-8
Chapter 05 - Activity-Based Costing and Customer Profitability
Analysis
r"' GMI made price promotions available to both segments of the
market. While the deals were typically around $5 per
case, they averaged $3 per case against all the volume shipped
during the year. GMI marketing knew price was not a
major decision factor for Shops and they did not target pricing
promotions to them. However, Shops were aware of
the promotions and took advantage of them.
THE BUSINESS STATUS - PRE-ABC:
PROFIT AND LOSS BY SEGMENT - PRE-ABC
Cost of Goods Sold is made up of$14,250,OOOfor ingredients,
packaging, and storage and $3,000,000 for pick/pack
and shipping. Since the product is the same across segments, the
cost to produce should be the same. However,
pick/pack and shipping costs were found to vary with whether or not
the order was for a full pallet. Full pallets cost
$75 to pick and ship whereas individual orders cost $2.25 per case.
There are 75 cases in a pallet and the segments
, differ in their utilization of full pallets as shown below.
,
ABC ANALYSIS OF MERCHANDISING:
t :
Merchandising costs consist mainly of kits costing $500 each.
A
review of where the kits were sent indicated that
3,450 kits were sent out and 90 of them were sent to shops.
ABC ANALYSIS OF SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE:
Since sales representatives service several products, their costs
are allocated to the various products based on gross
sales dollars. GMI gave diaries to 10% of the sales force in
randomly selected markets of the country and asked
! them to track their time in activity classifications for 60 days.
The diaries indicated that sales reps spent almost 3
!times as much time on the yogurt than GMI had estimated. The total
allocation to Yogurt jumped from $1,185,000
to $3,900,000. Of their time spent on Yogurt, only 1%of the time
was spent on the shops.
5-9
- - - ---
Category Impulse Segment Yogurt Shops
Total
Sales in cases 1,200,000 300,000 1,500,000
Sales revenue $23,880,000 $5,970,000 $29,850,000
Less: Price Promotions -$ 3.600.000 -$ 900.000 -$ 4.500.000
Net Sales $20,280,000 $5,070,000 $25,350,000
Less: Cost of Goods Sold -$13.800.000 -$3.450.000
-$17.250.000
Gross Margin $ 6,480,000 $I,620,000 $ 8,100,000
Less: Merchandising -$ 1,380,000 -$ 345,000 -$ 1,725,000
!Less: SG&A -$ 948.000 - $ 237.000 - $ I.I 85.000
;Net income $ 4,152,000 $1,038,000 $ 5,190,000
ABC ANALYSIS OF COST OF GOODS SOLD:
""
Impulse Segment YOgurtShops Total
Cases in full Pallets 60,000 240,000 300,000
Individual cases 1,140,000 60,000 1,200,000
Total cases 1,200,000 300,000 1,500,000
In: Accounting
1. Your organization routinely uses scripts, but as some employees have left, there are scripts that contain only command lines and no one is certain of their purpose.What steps can be taken to ensure a way for others to know the purpose of a script?
a. Create text documentation of scripts and use the scriptdoc command to organize and display the documentation.
b. Use the whatis command to create and save new documentation for scripts.
c. Requirethatscriptwritersplacecommentlinesinsidethescriptsusingthe#symbol
to begin each comment line.
d. Require that scripts be named using the descriptive sentence naming function in UNIX/Linux.
2. Which of the following shells enables the use of scripts? (Choose all that apply.)
a. Bash
b. csh
c. sea
d. zsh
3. You frequently use the command ls -a and want to save time by just entering l to do the same thing.Which of the following commands enables you to set your system to view hidden files by only entering l?
a. put l= ls -a
b. setltols-a
c. set"ls-a"to"l"
d. alias l=" ls -a"
4. You have written a script, but when you run it there is an error.Which of the fol- lowing commands can you use to debug your script? (Choose all that apply.)
a. debug -all
b. sh -v
c. ./ -d
d. sh -x
5. You have written a shell program that creates four temporary files.Which of the fol- lowing commands can you use to remove these files when the script has completed its work?
a. trap
b. grep
c. del
d. clear
6. Which of the following commands works well for menus used in a script? (Choose all that apply.)
a. do
b. case
c. choose
d. Comm
7. You are currently in the source directory, which is the new directory you have just created for storing and running your scripts.You want to make certain that the source directory is in your default path.Which of the following commands enables you to view the current default path settings?
a. cat PATH
b. show path
c. sed PATH!
d. echo $PATH
8. You have created a script for use by your entire department in a commonly accessed directory. Only you are able to run the script, which works perfectly.Which of the following is likely to be the problem?
a. You did not link the script.
b. You did not give all users in your department execute permission for that script.
c. You did not designate to share ownership of the script.
d. There are two kinds of scripts, universal and private.You have created a private script and need to convert it to universal
9. Your current working directory contains a series of files that start with the word âaccountâ combined with a, b, c, d, and e, such as accounta, accountb, and so on. Which of the following commands enables you to view the contents of all of these files? (Choose all that apply.)
a. ls account "a -e"
b. less account "a,e"
c. more account[ a,b,c,d,e ]
d. cat account{a to e}
10. For which of the following logic structures used within a script is fi the final line for that logic structure? (Choose all that apply.)
a. loop
b. case
c. for
d. If
11. Which of the following are examples of arithmetic or relational operators? (Choose all that apply.)
a. !
b. <
c. %
d. *
12. You have created a series of scripts that use the same environment variables. How- ever, when you run these scripts, some of them do not seem to recognize the envi- ronment variables you have set.What is the problem?
a. You need to use the export command so these variables have global use.
b. You are creating too many environment variables, because the maximum number is five.
c. You must use the home command to make these variables native to your home directory.
d. Only the system administrator can create environment variables and you should contact her to create the ones you need to use.
13. You have spent the last two hours creating a report in a file and afterwards you use cat to create a new file. Unfortunately the new file name you used was the same as the name you used for the report, and now your report is gone.What should you do next time to prevent this from happening?
a. Enter the cat -s command before you start.
b. Enter the command, set -o noclobber before you start.
c. Always use the cat -m command when you use cat to create a file, because this command checks to see if the file already exists.
d. After you created the report file you should have used the chmod a-o command to prevent the file from being deleted or overwritten.
14. You have remotely logged into a computer running UNIX or Linux, but you are not certain about which operating system you are using. However, when you display the contents of the variable it shows which operating system you are using.
a. OP
b. OPTIND
c. OID
d. OSTYPE
15. What command can you use to view the environment and configuration variables already configured on your system?
a. var
b. envar
c. printenv
d. let -all
16. Which of the following are valid expressions? (Choose all that apply.)
a. let x=5*9
b. let x=y+10
c. let m=12/4
d. let r=128-80
17. When you type for wood maple spruce oak pine at the command line and then press Enter, what should you type next at the > prompt?
a. do
b. go
c. fi
d. Term
18. You want to store a long listing of your files in a variable called myfiles.Which of the following commands enables you to do this?
a. let ls -l=myfiles
b. echo ls -l > myfiles
c. myfiles=âls -lâ
d. let ls -l > myfiles
19. What error is in the following script code?
case âselectionâ in â i â) ./listscript ;; â ii â) ./numberscript ;; â iii â) ./findscript ;; esac
a. All references to ;; should be replaced with a back quote.
b. There should be a dollar sign in front of selection, as in â$selectionâ
c. There should be no double quote marks in the code.
d. The code must end with the statement,âoutâ.
20. You are working with a colleague on a script called value that updates several files. You want to test the script, but not update the files.Which of the following com- mands can you use?
a. test -noupdate value
b. trap -u value
c. set -u value
d. sh -n value
21. You only have to enter the name of a script to have it run, such as entering myscript. What setting enables you to do this?
a. You have set the SCRIPT environment variable to 1 instead of the default 0.
b. Right after you logged in you entered setup scripts.
c. Thefirstlineinyourscriptsisalwaysrun,whichenablesscriptstoberuninthisway.
d. You have placed the directory from which you run the scripts in your PATH variable.
22. What would you expect to find in the HOME environment variable?
23. What is the difference between a compiler and an interpreter?
24. What command would you use to place the cursor in row 10 and column 15 on the screen or in a terminal window?
25. What is the purpose of a login script?
In: Computer Science