International Financial Management Case 2:

Bitcoin as an international digital currency Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies based on blockchain technology have been around for over a decade now. The former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, was asked about Bitcoins. He told Debating Europe he would not call Bitcoin a currency for a couple of reasons. One of them was that “a Euro today is a Euro tomorrow. Its value is stable. The value of Bitcoin oscillates wildly”. Isn’t this a big problem for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin? How can we use them as currency if their value is not stable?

Mr. Josh, who is an owner of a digit currency on the other hand argues for a Bitcoin as follows: Our current system is not so rosy. Just look at what happened in 2008: we placed our money in banks and they failed us. What’s to prevent that from happening again? Do you have a say in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) or the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy? We are already living with a highly volatile system, which could be pushed to the brink should another financial crisis occur. Cryptocurrency offers a possible alternative to our failing financial system. Is it not wiser to start placing trust in algorithms rather than fallible individuals?

Questions:

1. What are Bitcoins? How do they operate as an international currency?

2. There are two opposing views about Bitcoins. Explain the arguments for and against Bitcoins as a currency?

3. Would do you invest in Bitcoins? Why or Why not? Give detail reasons.

Put your opinion in 3 paragraphs????
  
How has the situation changed since the beginning of 2017? (new President)

“We will have two simple rules when it comes to this massive rebuilding effort, buy American and hire American,” said President Donald J. Trump. In April 2017, President Trump signed an executive order promoting American industry and protecting it from unfair competition. With that being said, President Trump is taking action to enforce laws promoting American industry and targeting companies (such as India’s IT outsourcing Infosys) who routinely abuse the H-1B visa program by replacing American workers with lower paid foreign workers.

Another example of change since President Trump took office is that he started a trade war to destroy China’s economy. Fast-forward to 2018, he tweeted that—“Apple prices may increase because of the massive Tariffs we may be imposing on China. Start building new plants now.” In November 2018, President Trump he signed a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada (US-Mexico-Canada Agreement aka USMCA) to replace NAFTA. With that being said, some of the specifications of the agreement requires that 40% of cars eventually be made in countries that pay autoworkers at least $16 an hour – that is, the US and Canada and not Mexico – to qualify for duty-free treatment under the trade pact. It also requires Mexico to pursue reforms of labor law to encourage independent unions.

A. On May 29, 1790, by a mere 2 votes, Rhode Island ratified the US Constitution and completed the Union of the original 13 English colonies into the United States of America. Today more than 220 years later, the US is 50 States, additional commonwealths, and more than 320 million human lives. Generations of Americans have been born, lived, and died as the country has grown and matured. To what can we owe the longevity and strength of the United States as a country on the global stage?

1. It was created by an legal act.

2. A country is a collection of individuals and states. Collections represent stocks that last.

3. A system goes on being itself as long as the interconnections and purposes remain intact.

4. It's not a system. It's a government.

B. The software components of an information system will act as a(n) ________.

functional anchor on the human side

2. actor on the computer side

3. actor on the human side

4.bridge between the computer side and the human side

5. instruction on the computer side

C. Which phase of the customer life cycle focuses on presenting prospects with information about the value the organization provides?

1. loss/churn

2. customer endorsement

3. marketing

4. customer acquisition

5. relationship management

D. Anyone who gathers data from a variety of sources, arranges that data into meaningful structure, and then aggregates the results to discover information hidden in the details engages in what activity?

1. automation

2.data mining

3.data hiding

4.encapsulation

5. cataloging

1. In Canada, one worker can produce either one bushel of wheat or one beer mug. In China, one worker can produce either two bushels of wheat or three beer mugs. Who has the comparative advantage in each good?

A. China in both goods.

B. China in wheat and Canada in mugs.

C. Canada in wheat and China in mugs.

D. Canada in both goods.

2. In the real world, specialization is rarely complete because

A. production possibilities curves are straight lines rather than curves bowed outward as viewed from the origin.

B. international law prohibits monopolies.

C. one nation's imports are necessarily another nation's exports.

D. nations normally experience increasing opportunity costs in producing more of the product in which they are specializing.

3. The major reason(s) for the current US trade deficit with China is

A. the high world demand for the dollar.

B. the low value of the yuan.

C. the current economic growth of the U.S.

D. the per capital US GDP.

E. all of the above.

4. According the analysis in the book on tariffs, tariffs would

A. raise the price of foreign goods.

B. create revenue for the domestic government.

C. limit the imports of foreign goods.

D. all of the above.

5. According to the analysis in the book on subsidies, subsides would

A. raise the price of the product because now it includes the taxes that paid for the subsidy.

B. raise the cost of production for the domestic firms.

C. make production more efficient.

D. support trading on the basis of comparative advantage.

1. You are a candy manufacturer, specializing in chocolate toffee (yum!). You have just received an order which requires the purchase of 130 tons of cocoa over six months. Relevant contract specs for cocoa are:

What was the total cost of delivery, assuming no hedge?

READREAD THE ARTICLE BELOWBELOW. FROM THE WALL STREET.

describe all relevant informationinformation. telling the main thing you take away from the articlearticle and how it applies to globalization.

FREEPORT, Pa. The rising dollar is putting US. Manufacturers through the equivalent of a new year's fitness regime, causing pain for now but also promising long-term gains in efficiency.
After more than a decade of weakness, the dollar began surging in mid-2014 against the euro and many other currencies. That is making U.S.-made products pricier in other countries and imports cheaper in the U.S.-a combination that is likely to expand, the already gaping U.S. trade deficit. "When the dollar was weakening, it was a lot easier [for manufacturers] be a little sloppy," said Hal Sirkin, a Chicago-based senior partner at Boston Consulting Group. A rising dollar, which effectively raises prices, forces manufacturers to automate more production processes and redesign products to be lower cost and higher value, Mr. Sirkin said. US. manufacturers also will look for ways to buy lower-cost parts and materials in Asia or Europe.
Past periods of currency strength in Switzerland, Germany and Japan required manufacturers there to streamline processes and find niches that allowed them to charge premium prices.
Here in Freeport, on the fringes of the Pittsburgh metro area, Oberg Industries is striving hang onto its small share of the global economy. The family owned company, with 750 employees and annual sales of about $130 million, makes metal parts for a host of products, including oil production equipment and door locks.
Oberg is moving out of some markets where competition is based mainly on price. For instance, the company recently sold a plant in Mexico where it made doorknobs, competing with Asian manufacturers. Oberg is putting more focus on highly regulated markets, such as parts for medical devices and aircraft. Because quality standards are higher, there is less import competition, said Rich Bartek, Oberg’s chief operating officer.
Oberg recently bought another robot to help sort out parts as they emerge from a stamping machine. It also has invested in new computer controlled cutting machines that are easier to program and run. One operator can handle four of these machines. "In the old days, it was one operator, one machine," Mr. Bartek said. Manufacturers have long been under pressure from intensifying global competition, but the dollar's sudden ascent adds more urgency. Since mid-2014, the dollar is up nearly 19% against the euro and 17% against the yen. “
The challenge I gave to our team is use as an opportunity to get more costs out of the company," said Ron DeFeo, executive of Terex Corp., a Westport, Conn.-based maker of heavy equipment, including aerial work platforms used to hoist construction and maintenance workers. For instance, Terex is making more steel parts for some of its machines in China, where steel and labor are cheaper. The company is leaning on delivery firms to pass on some of the savings they are getting from lower fuel costs. Terex may also be able to shift some production of equipment to Europe, where the weaker euro has reduced costs in dollar terms.
The rising dollar already has forced U.S. poultry companies to accept lower prices for dark chicken meat, popular in over- seas markets, said Mike Cockrell, chief financial officer of Sanderson Farms Inc., the third-largest U.S. poultry processor. Bulk leg quarters of chicken, a top export that sold for 48 cents pound in mid December, now are selling for 88 cents, Mr. Cockrell said. Chicken processors still can turn a profit on those prices, along as sales of white meat the US, remain brisk. But if prices sink to very low levels, chicken processors may resort selling frozen bags of dark in US grocery stores at cut-rate prices, as they have done before. Prime Equipment Group Lnc. Columbus, Ohio, maker of poultry processing equipment, is using more Brazilian parts and materials for the products sells in that country, to help offset the effects of a weak real, The company also is delaying repatriation of profits from Brazil in the hope the real will regain value. "As long as the real doesn't collapse-a possibility we consider very remote--we can afford to wait," said Mike Gasbarro, chief executive. Global giants like Caterpillar Inc. or Ford Motor Co. long have had plants around the world, reducing their exposure to any one currency. Some smaller manufacturers are trying to emulate that global approach. Firstronic LLC, a Grand Rapids, Mich., maker of printed circuit boards used in cars and other products, serves its customers in North America mainly in production from its plants Michigan and Mexico, said John Sammut, the CEO. It has set up joint ventures in the Czech Republic, India and China it can produce circuit boards there as well, depending on customers' needs and currency factors.
For now, Firstronic is exporting from Michigan to Europe circuit boards used to control car seats. If the dollar stays strong. said Mr. Sammut, that production could be moved to the Czech Republic. By creating a global network of factories, “we have buffered ourselves from this issue” he said.
Ground Force Worldwide, Post Idaho, maker of used in mining, committed to manufacturing in the US even though about 75% of its sales are in other countries, said Ron Nilson, owner and CEO But he said the company can assemble portions of its trucks, such as fuel tanks, overseas to reduce costs.
FirmGreen Inc., based in Newport Beach, a maker of equipment used to purify biogas, having to "scramble for solu tions," said CE0 Steven Wilburn. The company, which sells most of equipment overseas, is being hit both by a strong dollar and by the drop in oil prices, which deters investment im alternative energy sources. Mr. Wilburn said he has had to cut his staff to 10 people- from 17 FirmGreen relies on other US-based companies to manufacture its equipment. Mr.Willburn said he doesn't want to shift production China fears his technological secrets to rivals. "Pius," he said, "Tm patriot. Woodward Inc., a maker of parts for aircraft and various types of engines, based in Fort Collins, Colo, is trying to help some overseas customers cope with the currency swings. On some contracts, it includes clauses that adjust the price of a large order depending on currency movements, so that the two sides share the risk.
Bob Weber, chief financial officer of Woodward, said the company could import more parts from countries with weaker currencies. But that is difficult in highly regulated markets such as those for aircraft. "it's extremely hard to switch suppliers midstream.” Mr. Weber said.

Do female college students tend to weigh more or less than male college students, on average? Suppose that we use data from the Student Data sheet to help us make a decision about this question. We will assume that those who responded to the student data sheet are representative of all college students and are a random sample. Below are summary statistics from the student data sheet (rounded to the nearest integer):

a. Create a 95% confidence interval for the mean weight of all female college students

b. interpret the interval created in part a

c. create a 95% confidence interval for the mean weight of all male college students

d. interpret the interval created in part c

e. based on your interpretations of the confidence intervals above, do these data support any difference in average weight between female and male college students? Breifly justify your response.

Case Study 1

Lucille Cagle is a 73 year old female who has been a heavy cigarette smoker since she was a teenager. she now has chronic cough. Recently, she has also experienced shortness of breath when she carries her groceries from the car to her house or when she tries to walk up the few stairs to her front door. She is conerned that her breathing problems might prevent her from doing her usual activities.

Case Study 2

Chad Wilson is a 21 year old male in good health. In the middle of the night. Chad woke up with severe pain in the right side of the testicle and he noticed that is swollen. it is also painful when he tries to urinate. He hates to go the doctor, but he us worried that he might have testicular cancer.

QUESTION

1. The possible disease and condition on each case study.

2. Any examination or tests that will help confirm or refute the diagnose.

3. Additional steps that the patient should take. (e.g. taking medication or adopting a new health habit)

Please read case and answer the questions thank you.

As B2B e-commerce continues to grow, companies are placing more emphasis on upgrading their e-commerce infrastructure, taking many cues from B2C companies in the process. Streamlining their online stores and ensuring that potential customers can make purchases across a variety of channels has become just as important for B2B companies as it is for B2C companies. B2B e-commerce accounted for $6.7 trillion of the total $14.6 trillion in B2B trade in 2016, and that B2B e-commerce is expected to increase to around $9 trillion by 2020. For B2B e-commerce companies, there’s a lot at stake.Sana Commerce is a B2B e-commerce software company founded in 2008 and headquartered in the Netherlands. Sana provides B2B enterprise multichannel e-commerce, which is integrated with ERP systems. This means that Sana allows its clients to initiate transactions from physical stores, online stores, mobile app stores, telephone sales, or any other method. A number of companies offer these types of services, but Sana is unique in that it integrates within already installed enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Sana Commerce allows businesses to achieve better customer service, higher sales efficiency, and increased revenue. It’s compatible with many major ERP systems, including most versions of Microsoft Dynamics and SAP systems, and its Webshop is installed within that system, as opposed to functioning separately and interfacing with that system externally. This ensures that companies using Sana don’t have to make large investments in new ERP systems. Sana uses the pre-existing ERP’s business logic and information rather than forcing a complicated integration.This feature of Sana Commerce appeals to many companies, including Mechan Groep, distributor of agricultural machinery, wholesale goods, and aftersales supplies. Mechan Groep is based in Achterveld, Netherlands, employs 180 people, with clients in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The company earns 180 million euro per year, according to Mechan Groep CFO Rene Schwiete, who is featured in the video.Mechan Groep’s aftersales department uses Sana to better serve the needs of its dealers. Mechan Groep implemented Sana because of its preexisting use of SAP ERP software, and Sana’s Webshop worked within its larger SAP systems flawlessly. There are 105 dealers in Mechan Groep’s network. These dealers use Sana’s Webshop to access Mechan Groep supplies. Dealers can view inventory on a daily basis and select the urgency with which they need supplies. Mechan Groep’s custom Webshop offers over 700,000 items to Mechan Groep’s dealers.

1.How does Mechan Groep staff fulfill each order as it comes in on Sana Webshop?

2.What type of clients does Mechan Groep serve? Why is the speed of Sana Webshop important?

3.What types of B2B e-commerce companies is Sana best suited for?