Nadine has been dating Jim for eight years. They began dating in college and Nadine reports that she remained supportive of Jim throughout his years in medical school and residency as a doctor. Nadine reports that it has not always been easy for her as she often will feel neglected by Jim due to his busy schedule, though she has never communicated these feelings to Jim, since she does not want to appear “selfish” or “nagging” and she does not want to be a cause of further stress in his life. Nadine was recently diagnosed with kidney disease, which has created a considerable amount of stress in her personal and professional life. She reports that her graduate school program was not understanding of her need to miss classes due to multiple doctor appointments. Furthermore, she was not able to request a medical leave from her program, which ultimately led to her having to leave her graduate program due to her medical issues. Nadine reports that while she has discussed these current stressors with Jim, he does not always appear to understand the loss she is feeling. She reports that Jim will tell her that she should seek legal action against her school and that she should not be so passive. Nadine reports that Jim is often dismissive regarding the severity of her condition, noting that she will be fine. Nadine expresses a desire for Jim to accompany her on doctor appointments, however she will not ask him as he has repeatedly mentioned how busy he is and how little time he has for himself outside of work. Nadine reports that she will often cry to herself every day due to the fear she has regarding her health condition as well as her feelings of failure that she was not able to complete her studies due to becoming sick. Nadine has expressed that she would like to have Jim join a session in order to help her communicate what she has been feeling, as well as address the continued detachment she reports within their relationship. Jim has thus far not agreed to join Nadine in therapy, reporting that his schedule does not make it possible and he does not believe that therapy is necessary to address the issues within their relationship, but rather that it is Nadine’s passivity which is causing her unhappiness.

Within the Experiential Approach, there are four different styles of communicators in relationships (placter, blamer, super-reasonable, irrelevant) Which style of communication is Nadine often using in her relationships. Which style of communicator is Jim? (Provide examples and rationale to back up your answer).

The College Board provided comparisons of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores based on the highest level of education attained by the test taker's parents. A research hypothesis was that students whose parents had attained a higher level of education would on average score higher on the SAT. The overall mean SAT math score was 514. SAT math scores for independent samples of students follow. The first sample shows the SAT math test scores for students whose parents are college graduates with a bachelor's degree. The second sample shows the SAT math test scores for students whose parents are high school graduates but do not have a college degree.
College Grads
501   487
534   533
666   510
554   394
566   531
556   594
481   464
608   485

High School Grads
442   492
580   478
479   425
486   485
528   390
524   535
(a)
Formulate the hypotheses that can be used to determine whether the sample data support the hypothesis that students show a higher population mean math score on the SAT if their parents attained a higher level of education. (Let μ1 = population mean verbal score of students whose parents are college graduates with a bachelor's degree and μ2 = population mean verbal score of students whose parents are high school graduates but do not have a college degree.)

H0: μ1 − μ2 = 0
Ha: μ1 − μ2 ≠ 0

H0: μ1 − μ2 < 0
Ha: μ1 − μ2 = 0
  

H0: μ1 − μ2 ≠ 0
Ha: μ1 − μ2 = 0

H0: μ1 − μ2 ≥ 0
Ha: μ1 − μ2 < 0

H0: μ1 − μ2 ≤ 0
Ha: μ1 − μ2 > 0
(b)
What is the point estimate of the difference between the means for the two populations?

(c)
Find the value of the test statistic. (Round your answer to three decimal places.)

Compute the p-value for the hypothesis test. (Round your answer to four decimal places.)
p-value =
(d)
At
α = 0.05,
what is your conclusion?
Do not Reject H0. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that higher population mean verbal scores are associated with students whose parents are college graduates.
Reject H0. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that higher population mean verbal scores are associated with students whose parents are college graduates.
Reject H0. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that higher population mean verbal scores are associated with students whose parents are college graduates.
Do not reject H0. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that higher population mean verbal scores are associated with students whose parents are college graduates.

Question One ZAMPORK LTD Zampork Ltd is one of the fastest growing companies in Zambia, and its stock price is increasing at a rate of 100 percent a year, to the delight of its shareholders. Achieving this high return has been a constant challenge for the company. The company was founded by David Changata in 2001 after he retired from the Bank of Zambia. Changata used the generous retirement package to start a pork meat business at his small holding in Lusaka West. He soon realized that there was a high demand for pork and pork products in Lusaka and the rest of Zambia. He teamed up with some investors and, with the new capital infusion, turned his family business into a public company. Initially and before going public, Changata personally undertook most of the functions with the help of a nephew who had failed to proceed to Grade 8. While his nephew was charged with the cleaning of the pig sty and feeding of the animals, Changata superintended the slaughter of the animals, the cutting and packing of the meat, the keeping of the books, and the sales and marketing. Increasing demand for his pork products meant that within a few weeks he needed to hire people to help him, and soon he found himself supervising three additional employees who worked together with his nephew in the pig sty and took orders over the phone. By 2005, Zampork Ltd. employed 500 workers and was hiring over 10 new workers each week just to keep pace with the demand for pork. When he found himself working eighteen-hour days managing the company, he realized he could not lead the company single-handedly. The company’s growth had to be managed, and he knew that he had to recruit and hire strategic managers who had experience in managing different functional areas, such as marketing, finance, and production. He recruited executives from Zambeef and with their help created a functional structure, one in which employees are grouped by the common skills they have or tasks they perform, to organize the value-chain activities necessary to deliver pork products to customers. As a part of this organizing process, Zampork’s structure also became taller, with more levels in the management hierarchy, to ensure that he and his managers had sufficient control over the different activities of his growing business. Changata delegated authority to control the company’s functional value-chain activities to his managers, which gave him the time he needed to perform his managerial task of finding new opportunities for the company. The company’s functional structure worked well, and under its new management team, the company’s growth continued to soar. By 2009, the company had sales of over K2 million, twice as much as in 2002. Moreover, Zampork’s new structure had given functional managers the control they needed to squeeze out costs, 3 and Zampork had become the lowest-cost pork producer. Analysts also reported that Zampork had developed a lean organizational culture, meaning that employees had developed norms and values that emphasized the importance of working hard to help each other find innovative new ways of making products to keep costs low and increase their reliability. Indeed, with the fewest customer complaints, Zampork rose to the top of the customer satisfaction rankings for meat producers; its employees became known for the excellent customer service they gave to pork buyers. However, Changata realized that new and different kinds of problems were arising. Zampork was now selling huge quantities of pork to different kinds of customers, for example, households, organizations, and different kinds of businesses. Because customers now demanded pork with very different features, the company’s product line broadened rapidly. It started to become more difficult for employees to meet the needs of these different kinds of customers efficiently because each employee needed information about all product features. In 2008, Zampork changed its market structure and created separate divisions, each geared to the needs of a different group of customers; a consumer division, a business division, and so on. In each division, teams of employees specialized in servicing the needs of one of these customer groups. This move to a more complex structure also allowed each division to develop a unique subculture that suited its tasks, and employees were able to obtain in-depth knowledge about the needs of their market that helped them to respond better to their customers’ needs. So successful was this change in structure and culture that by 2009 Zampork’s revenues were over K30 million and its profits were in excess of K2.5 million, a staggering increase from 2001. Changata has continued to alter his company’s structure to respond to changing customer needs and to the company’s increase in distinctive competencies. For example, Changata realized he could leverage his company’s strengths in materials management, production, and credit sales over a wider range of pork products. So he decided to begin producing and packaging pork of different types and to compete with other pork producers and Zambeef. The increasing importance of the credit led him to split the market divisions into thirty-five smaller subunits that focused on more specialized groups of customers, and they all now conduct the majority of their business by credit. Today, for example, Zampork can offer its customers a complete range of pork products, and storage devices that can be customized to their needs. Source: Charles W.L. Hill and Gareth R. Jones (2007), Strategic Management, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company REQUIRED: (a) Identify and describe the strategies that have characterized the company’s progress 4 (b) Analyse how the company implemented its strategies.

INTRODUCTION

It was another sleepless night for Brian French. As a new father, French had grown accustomed to sleep deprivation, but on this night, it was his business—not his newborn daughter—that had him tossing and turning. French was the president and co-owner of Peregrine, a Vancouver- based manufacturer of custom retail displays that were used in stores, banks, and art galleries (Exhibit 1). Peregrine

had been working on a display for Best Buy when one of the company’s two computer-numerical-control (CNC) machines broke down (Exhibit 2). When the machine went down, French watched progress on the Best Buy job slow
to a halt. Although French had been assured that the CNC machine would be back up and running within 24 hours, the breakdown revealed a deeper problem: the CNC machines represented a major bottleneck for Peregrine, and if this machine was down for more than the promised 24-hour period, the Best Buy job could not be completed on time, and workers would need to be sent home. French was frustrated by this predicament and was determined to make the changes necessary to ensure it would not happen again.

PEREGRINE

In 2012, French left PricewaterhouseCoopers to purchase Peregrine along with two co-investors. The investment team had been looking for an opportunity to purchase a company with a successful track record and a founder who

was ready for retirement; Peregrine had fit the bill. Founded in 1977, Peregrine had been operated profitably for 35 years in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Peregrine, the investors would be acquiring a company with a history of success and an experienced team that had expertise in manufacturing a wide array of custom plastic products.

When Peregrine was acquired in 2012, it had employed 6 people and had $600,000 in sales. Under French’s management, the company had grown to more than 30 employees and more than $6 million in sales by 2016.

THE CNC MACHINE DECISION

When the CNC machine broke down, it was a wake-up call for French. The production line was dependent on both CNC machines working full time—if they slowed down or needed repair, the business suffered. French believed the key to relieving this bottleneck would be increasing capacity. It not only would prevent downtime but also would allow the company to take on new business. If capacity increased, French estimated that sales revenues would rise by at least $50,000 per month due to unmet demand and increased efficiency. The company’s margins on the additional revenues were expected to be 35%. French saw three viable options to increase capacity:

1. Purchase an additional CNC machine for cash,

2. Finance the purchase of an additional CNC machine, or

3. Add a third shift (a night shift) to better utilize the two

   CNC machines Peregrine already owned.

   French considered the details of each option, keeping in mind that for long-term projects he would use a discount rate of 7%.

   OPTION 1: PURCHASE A NEW CNC MACHINE WITH CASH

   Although it would be costly, the idea of adding a third CNC machine appealed to French. It would provide him peace of mind that if there were a breakdown, jobs would continue on schedule. French’s preliminary research revealed that the cost of the new equipment would be $142,000. He also estimated that there would be increased out-of-pocket operating costs of $10,000 per month if a new machine were brought online. After five years, the machine would have a salvage value of $40,000. Although Peregrine did not have the cash readily available to make the purchase, French believed that with a small amount of cash budgeting and planning, this option would be feasible.

   OPTION 2: FINANCE THE PURCHASE OF A NEW CNC MACHINE

   The company selling the CNC machine also offered a leasing option. The terms of the lease included a down payment of $50,000 and monthly payments of $2,200 for five years. After five years, the equipment could be purchased for $1. The operating costs and salvage values would be the same as option 1, the purchasing option. The company had the necessary cash on hand to make the down payment for the lease. With both the leasing and purchasing options,

   the company had sufficient space to operate the new equipment, and French believed he had almost all of the right employees in place to execute this plan.

   OPTION 3: ADD A THIRD SHIFT

   French and one of his co-investors had extensive experience in the trucking industry and had seen firsthand the effect
   of utilizing equipment around the clock. French believed adding a third shift could unlock a lot of value at Peregrine, and it could be done at a low cost. Adding a third shift would involve moving several existing employees to work the night shift and would also mean hiring some new employees. Although French believed that in time he may add a full third shift to increase overall capacity, his initial plan was for the night shift to run as a “skeleton crew” with the primary purpose of keeping the CNC machines operational for 24 hours. He believed that adding a third shift would produce the same increase in revenue as adding a new CNC machine to his existing shifts. He estimated that adding a third shift would create $12,000 in additional monthly out-of-pocket operating costs, but no new machinery would need to be

   purchased. Based on his trucking experience, French knew this option would be difficult to execute, as there were major safety and supervision challenges associated with running a night shift.

   MOVING FORWARD

   French wanted to get moving on a solution and arranged
   a conference call with his two co-owners. He knew his co- owners would be eager to learn the numbers behind each option, but he also knew that nonfinancial information would be just as crucial in making a recommendation. Before the call, French sat down at his desk to fully analyze the options.

   ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

   1. Without using any numbers, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the three options identified by French. Are there any other options French should consider?

   2. Compute and compare the net present value and payback period of each option.

   3. Make a recommendation for French.
   4. Rounding to the nearest 1%, at what discount rate does

   leasing produce a higher net present value than paying cash?

1. In the following examples, indicate whether you would perform a t-test of independent means or a dependent means (5 POINTS)
   1. Two groups of older adults were given different levels of a treatment for arthritis pain. Which treatment was more effective?
   2. A health care provider wanted to know whether his patients who received additional in-home care recovered more quickly than those who received the standard amount of in-home care
   3. One group of 85 year olds were provided an exercise program for agility and they were tested two times over a 10-month period.
   4. A group of adolescent boys were offered interpersonal skills therapy and then tested in June and December to see if there was any impact on family harmony
   5. One group of adult men was given instructions for reducing their high blood pressure whereas another group was not given any instructions. The blood pressure of men in both groups was measured before and after

2. Using the data below, compute the appropriate t-test (do it manually) and write a conclusion as to whether there as a change in a group of families’ satisfaction level (the higher the score the more satisfied) with their use of service centers following a social service intervention. (15 POINTS)

1. The health of the bear population in Yellowstone National Park is monitored by periodic measurements taken from anesthetized bears. A sample of n = 54 bears has a mean weight of ¯x = 182.9 lb and standard deviation of s = 121.8 lb. 86

(a) Calculate and interpret a 95% confidence interval estimate of the population mean µ bear weight.

(b) Find the length of the confidence interval constructed in part (a).

2. Hemoglobin levels in 11-year-old boys are normally distributed with unknown mean µ and standard deviation = 1.2 g/dL.

(a) Determine the sample size n needed to estimate population mean hemoglobin level with 95% confidence so that the margin of error E = 0.5 g/dL?

(b) Determine the sample size n needed to estimate population mean hemoglobin level with margin of error E = 0.5 g/dL with 99% confidence?

3.  A hospital administrator wished to estimate the average number of days µ
required for treatment of patients between the ages of 25 and 34. A random
sample of n = 35 hospital patients between these ages produced a sample mean
x¯ = 5.4 days and sample standard deviation s = 3.1 days.
(a) Calculate and interpret a 95% confidence interval for the mean length of stay µ for the population of patients from which the sample was drawn.
(b) Determine the length of the interval from part (a).
(c) Calculate and interpret a 99% confidence interval for the mean length of stay µ for the population of patients from which the sample was drawn.
(d) Determine the length of the interval from part (c).
(e) Why is the interval obtained in part (c) wider than that obtained in part (a)?

There is no right or wrong answer. Your goal is to argue persuasively. Your writing must include analysis of both the numerical and verbal evidence given in the prompt. Then you may add additional details to support your position. Do not simply restate the information in the problem. Consider the pros and cons of your position, and directly address objections your reader might have to your arguments.

Question:

Becca Johnston is at a crossroads. She has been working out of her home in Boise, Idaho, making gold-plated holiday ornaments for the past three years, ever since she gave up work as a real estate agent. That job had been too demanding for the mother of pre-school twins. "You have to work at it all the time," she complained to a friend and real estate agent, Mei Nguyen. The pace of the holiday ornament business is more predictable, and she loves the creativity it requires. In the spring Johnston solicits custom orders and works on designs. In the summer she communicates with a supplier on the East Coast. In the fall she advertises her ornaments and processes orders. In November she and her husband, who works full time at his own automobile repair shop, pack and ship ornaments out of their basement. Profits for last year were $30,000, about double those of the year before. But Johnston misses being around people and would like to earn more money. Now that her kids are in school, she is considering the idea of becoming a residential real estate appraiser. Estimating the value of residential property at various times (such as prior to a sale, when getting insurance, in the event of a loss, or during a divorce or bankruptcy), she would be in frequent contact with other adults. Johnston estimates start-up costs at about $10,000—to cover a 75-hour licensing course, business stationery, professional association dues, and cameras. She has read an estimate of typical annual revenues (gross income before expenses) of $40,000, based on completing four appraisals a week at $200 each. The city of Boise has recently experienced a growth in population and a subsequent rise in demand for the construction of new homes. Johnston asks Nguyen for advice. Should she stick with the ornaments or make the career change into real estate appraisal? In the role of Mei Nguyen, write a letter to Becca Johnston persuading her of the direction you think she should take. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ There is no right or wrong answer. Your goal is to argue persuasively. Your writing must include analysis of both the numerical and verbal evidence given in the prompt. Then you may add additional details to support your position. Do not simply restate the information in the problem. Consider the pros and cons of your position, and directly address objections your reader might have to your arguments.

Abbotsford Tile Ltd. (ATL) is a wholesaler of high quality glass, ceramic and marble tiles. In November 2019 the owner of ATL agreed to sell the company to Barrie Tile Inc. (BTI) another tile wholesaler. Each company is owned and operated by a single individual who originally founded his company. The owner of ATL decided to sell his business because he was beginning to get too old to run the store. The owner of BTI wants to purchase ATL to expand the size of his business. The two men agreed over lunch that BTI would buy ATL for an amount equal to five times ATL’s net income before tax for the year ended December 31, 2019. The deal is to be finalized on March 1, 2020. Closure of the deal requires that BTI approve of the financial statements prepared by ATL. The two men agreed that any disputes regarding the financial statements would be settled by negotiations and, if necessary, by arbitration by an independent third party. It is now January 15, 2020. You have been called by BTI’s owner to help him understand and assess a number of transactions that are reported in ATL’s December 31, 2019 financial statements. The owner of BTI explained that he does not have much experience working with financial statements but based on his examination, along with information obtained from other sources, he is concerned about a number of transactions reported in ATL’s statements. The owner has asked you for a detailed report explaining the impact of each event on the purchase price of ATL and your assessment of each of the issues. BTI’s owner said that he would like a full explanation of the implications of each event, your evaluation of the accounting used by ATL, and your supported recommendation of the appropriate treatment for each event. Your explanations are important because they will be used in negotiations with the owner of ATL and, if necessary, presented to the arbitrator.

The owner of BTI provided you with the following information about the events that are of concern to him:

a) In November 2019 ATL received a large order for tiles from a new customer. The customer’s normal supplier was on strike and had to find an alternative supplier and so the customer came to ATL. The contract requires that the parts be delivered in early January 2020. Production of the order was completed on December 18, 2019 and was ready to ship at that time. The contract requires that the customer must receive the tiles and must inspect and accept them before the contract is finalized. ATL shipped the tiles to the customer on December 31, 2019 and recognized the revenue in the year ended December 31, 2019.

b) Net income before taxes was $625,000 for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Prem Narayan, a graduate student in engineering, to market a radical new speaker he had designed for automobile sound systems, founded Acoustic Concepts, Inc. Prem established the company’s headquarters into rented quarters in a nearby industrial park. He hired a receptionist, an accountant, a sales manager, and a small sales staff to sell the speakers to retail stores. Prem asked his accountant, Bob Luchinni, to prepare several cost-volume-profit analyses, using the information shown below.

Sales price for one speaker set................................................... $250 Variable manufacturing cost for each speaker set (direct
materials) ................................................................................... $150 Fixed expenses per month (rent, salaries of receptionist, sales

people, accountant, and Prem)................................................... $35,000 Number of speaker sets sold per month..................................... 400

Prem and other management personnel are considering the use of higher-quality components, which would increase variable costs by $10 per speaker. However, the sales manager predicts that the higher overall quality would increase sales to 480 speaker sets per month. Should the higher quality components be used?

The sales manager believes that by reducing the selling price of speakers by $20, and also by increasing the advertising budget by $15,000 per month, that sales will increase to 600 speaker sets per month. Should the changes be made?

The sales manager would like to place the sales staff on a commission basis of $15 per speaker sold, rather than on flat salaries that now total $6,000 per month. The sales manager is confident that the change will increase monthly sales to 460 speaker sets per month. Should the change be made?

Suppose Acoustic Concepts has an opportunity to make a bulk sale of 150 speakers to a wholesaler, if an acceptable price can be worked out. The sale would not disturb the company’s regular sales, nor would if affect fixed operating costs per month. What price should be quoted to the wholesaler if Acoustic Concepts wants to increase its monthly profits by $3,000?

 C.M.=contribution margin, S.P.=sales price, V.C.=variable cost, F.C.=fixed cost

 C.M. per unit = S.P. per unit – V.C. per unit

 The break even point is the point at which the total contribution margin equals fixed costs.

 Break even units sold = F.C. / C.M. Per unit

 Break even sales dollars = F.C. / C.M. Percentage

 C.M. Percentage = C.M. per unit / S.P. per unit, or C.M. (total) / Sales (total)

Please complete this table pertaining to a case study

In December 2018, Steve Baily, the owner of California Coast General Stores announced the highest sales, $50, and profitability of $10 to its employees.

Founded in 1980, California Coast General Stores (CCGS), a regional west coast chain, owns several gas stations, mini-marts, and Auto rentals.

Explaining the original long-term success of the company, a financial analyst commented that the success of the company is due to its sustained growth rate, efficiency and cost savings. As a result, the company is cash rich and is looking to expand its operation.

One of the options that the company considered is to acquire a complementary company. John Marks, the company’s CFO and treasurer was asked to find the suitable acquisition. John identified Prestige Auto Shops, a chain which operates in several adjacent States. Prestige is a privately held company managed by three Johnson’s brothers. They own 10 million shares of the company and they have priced the stock price of the company internally at $20 per share.

Table-1 indicates John’s estimates of Prestige’s earnings potential if it came under CCGS’s management (in millions of dollars). The interest expense is based on Prestige’s existing debt, which is $20 million at a rate of 8 percent. It is expected new debt at rate of 8% to be issued over time to help finance investment in operating capital.

Security analysts based on comparable companies estimate the Prestige’s beta to be 1.28. The acquisition would not change Prestige capital structure, which is 25 percent debt-to value. John realizes that Prestige business plan requires investment in operating capital (net working capital and capital expenditures). The growth rate for operating capital is listed in table (1).

John estimates the risk-free rate to be 3 percent and the market risk premium to be 6 percent. He also estimates that free cash flows after 2023 will grow at a constant rate of 5 percent. Following are projections for sales and other items.