Questions
Please do some outside research, and provide guidance as to which states are favorable sites for...

Please do some outside research, and provide guidance as to which states are favorable sites for incorporation and why. Your answer should contain an assessment of at least four states you deem favorable; you should look at the issue from various perspectives such as management, legal issues, takeovers, etc.

In: Accounting

Delicious Dave’s Maple Syrup, a Vermont corporation, has property in the following states: Property State Beginning...

Delicious Dave’s Maple Syrup, a Vermont corporation, has property in the following states:

Property
State Beginning Ending
Maine $ 971,644 $ 1,044,489
Massachusetts $ 138,027 $ 251,061
New Hampshire $ 420,455 $ 320,689
Vermont $ 922,332 $ 954,376
Total $ 2,452,458 $ 2,570,615


What are the property apportionment factors for Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in each of the following alternative scenarios? (Round your answers to 2 decimal places.)

A. Delicious Dave’s has nexus in each of the states.

Property Apportionment Factors
Maine %
Massachusetts %
New Hampshire %
Vermont %

b. Delicious Dave’s has nexus in each of the states, but the Maine total includes $460,000 of investment property that Delicious rents out (unrelated to its business).

Property Apportionment Factors
Maine %
Massachusetts %
New Hampshire %
Vermont %

c. Delicious Dave’s has nexus in each of the states, but also pays $56,000 to rent property in Massachusetts.

Property Apportionment Factors
Maine %
Massachusetts %
New Hampshire %
Vermont %

In: Accounting

A 27 year old female training to be a police officer comes into the clinic complaining...

A 27 year old female training to be a police officer comes into the clinic complaining of left, anterior, knee pain. She states that while running an obstacle course yesterday she was running on uneven ground and she twisted her knee, causing her to fall. She landed on her left knee and immediately experienced pain. The patient states that she is unable to bear weight and she is unable to move her knee into full extension or flexion. The patient has considerable swelling and she states that when it first happened there was a bump (or deformity) on the outside of her knee. Lastly, the patient states that when she does try to weigh the bear it feels like her knee is going to give out. The patient does not recall hearing a pop. Based on this information, come up with a differential diagnosis, identify possible structures involved, and come up with a treatment plan for this individual.

In: Anatomy and Physiology

Fifteen years ago, most Americans had never heard of AFLAC, a $26-billion insurance company based in...

Fifteen years ago, most Americans had never heard of AFLAC, a $26-billion insurance company based in Columbus, Georgia. Thanks to AFLAC’s mascot, this is no longer the case. The company’s attention-grabbing advertising campaign, which began in 2000, features a helpful but frustrated duck that fails to get people to acknowledge his presence or the company’s name. Nonetheless, the duck’s efforts appear to be paying off. According to advertising surveys, 94 percent of Americans are now aware of the AFLAC brand; more importantly, policies in force have risen more than 50 percent and annual premiums have more than doubled since the duck commercials began in the United States. And the AFLAC duck has done more than simply increase the company’s American sales. AFLAC now sells the duck on its website and donates the proceeds to a children’s cancer center in Atlanta. During the Christmas season, AFLAC teams up with a major department store chain to sell special-edition AFLAC holiday ducks. To date, $3 million has been donated to 40 children’s hospitals around the country from their sale.
Despite the duck’s efforts, AFLAC is still a small player in the U.S. market. Its $5.6 billion of revenue in the United States is dwarfed by such insurers as AIG, Prudential, or MetLife. Such is not the case in Japan, where an estimated 25 percent of the populace has purchased AFLAC insurance. AFLAC does more than 75 percent of its business in Japan. Its assets in Japan are huge—$114 billion—compared to only $17 billion in the United States. Thus, AFLAC is a rar- ity among U.S. multinational corporations—its dominant market is Japan, not the United States.
AFLAC specializes in supplemental insurance— insurance that covers specific types of problems, such as cancer, disability, or accidents. The company was founded on a shoestring in 1955 as the American Family Life Assurance Company. The three founding brothers—Paul, Bill, and John Amos—scraped together $40,000 to launch the enterprise. In its early years the company struggled through many crises; once the Amos brothers were so short of cash they had to sell off the office furniture.
AFLAC’s big break came when John visited the Osaka World’s Fair in 1970. He noticed that many Japanese walked around in surgical masks to reduce the spread of respiratory infections. Amos believed that such health-conscious consumers would be prime candidates for supplemental insurance. Entering the Japanese market was no picnic, however. It took AFLAC four years to receive regulatory clearance to begin marketing its products there.
AFLAC initially focused on selling cancer life insur- ance in Japan. As its knowledge of the market grew, it added accident, nursing care, medical, and other spe- cialty policies to its product line. It has enjoyed continual growth in the years it has operated in Japan. AFLAC’s competitive strength lies in its distribution network. Its products are sold by an army of licensed sales associates, some 125,000 strong, working through 18,400 indepen- dent insurance agencies. Ninety-one percent of the com- panies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange offer AFLAC products to their employees through payroll deduction programs.
AFLAC strives to deliver high-quality service to its cus- tomers. In 2010, the average claim was settled by AFLAC in four business days. The company has also adapted its oper- ating procedures to the needs of the local market. Consider its human resource practices. When the company first ventured into Japan, it copied the lifetime employment and seniority-based pay and promotion policies then current in Japan. In the past several years, some Japanese companies have switched to job-based reward systems, in which sala- ries are based on the skill requirements and difficulties of the job. So too has AFLAC.
AFLAC has added some “made in U.S.A.” features to its Japanese operations. Nearly half of its Japanese employees have been granted stock options, reinforcintg their commitment to the company’s future. It has funded AFLAC Parents’ House in Tokyo, providing a place to stay for families whose children have been sent to Tokyo to receive medical treatment for pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases. AFLAC also funds college scholarships for Japanese high school students who have lost a parent to cancer.
AFLAC is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in Japan. Its Japanese revenues reached $20 billion in 2012. Given the graying of the Japanese market— older folks tend to buy more insurance—the high profit margins of its product line, and an overburdened Japanese healthcare system that is shifting costs to consumers, AFLAC believes that the profitability of its Japanese opera- tions will continue to grow.
AFLAC does face numerous challenges, of course. For many years it benefited from the Japanese government’s restrictive regulation of the country’s financial services sector, which discouraged competition and price-cutting. To combat Japan’s decade-long economic slump, the government relaxed its regulation of financial services, a process known as the Regulatory Big Bang. In 2001, the Ministry of Finance allowed additional firms to begin selling supplemental insurance, including domestic giants like Tokio Marine & Fire and Nippon Life. To date, the increased competition has not dethroned AFLAC from its market-leading perch. Its operating costs are less than those of its rivals. To maintain this edge, AFLAC has streamlined its operations, allowing sales agents to submit policy applications online and introducing new online billing techniques. To bolster its sales position, AFLAC stepped up its recruitment and training of sales agents and developed new products for them to sell. It entered into a strategic alliance with Dai-ichi Mutual Life, the second- largest life insurance company in Japan. Dai-ichi Mutual’s 50,000-person sales force helps market AFLAC’s supple- mental policies to retail customers. In addition, AFLAC products are available at 372 Japanese banks and at 1,000 branches of Japan Post.
In 2001, AFLAC took another bold step—it brought the duck to Japan! The Japanese translation for “quack” is ga-ga, and Japanese consumers proved to be as “gaga” for the duck as Americans were. Surveys of Japanese consumers report that TV commercials featuring the AFLAC duck consistently rank first or second in popular- ity in the insurance category. In 2009, AFLAC tinkered with the duck’s design, blending it with the traditional maneki neko cat (the ceramic figurine of a cat with a raised paw) to create the maneki neko duck, which AFLAC now features in many of its advertisements for family-oriented insurance products. In other commercials, the familiar duck cavorts with a live-action version of the maneki neko cat. (You can see a sample of its Japanese ads by entering “AFLAC Japanese commercials” in You Tube’s search box. You will observe that they are more gentle and less “in your face” than the company’s U.S. commercials.)


*QUESTIONS:

1. AFLAC introduced the AFLAC duck in the U.S. market to build brand awareness there. However, AFLAC’s brand awareness is high in Japan. Should AFLAC use the same advertising campaign in Japan as it does in the United States? Is there any value to having identical advertising in both markets? Having introduced the maneki neko duck in Japan, should it now introduce it in the U.S. market as well?

2. How important is it for AFLAC to adapt its business practices to the Japanese way of doing things? Should AFLAC act more Japanese or more American in doing business in Japan?

3. AFLAC built its dominant position in the Japanese supplemental insurance market because Japanese regulators actively discouraged new entrants into this market. The Financial Big Bang policy now encourages new entrants into the supplemental insurance market. What has AFLAC done to protect
its market position? What else can AFLAC do?

4. AFLAC is a rarity among U.S. companies in as much as the Japanese market accounts for more than 75 percent of its business. Does this reliance on the Japanese market create any special challenges for AFLAC? Does it present any unique opportunities for the company?

In: Economics

3. From the article: “Some states are trying to address the issue themselves. Iowa has told...

3. From the article: “Some states are trying to address the issue themselves. Iowa has told employers to report employees who refuse offers to come back [to work].” Should employees be forced to return to work? Suggest another strategy that states could use to encourage workers to return to work voluntarily.

In: Economics

AI Question: Consider a simple reflex agent maps a state to a single action. Suppose there...

AI Question:

Consider a simple reflex agent maps a state to a single action. Suppose there exists a world with S states and A possible actions in any of these states. How many distinct simple reflex agents can exist in such a world? Or equivalently, how many functions f can there be for some f(s) = a?

In: Computer Science

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870...

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870 to 1987. Let x1 be a random variable that represents the time interval (in minutes) between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1948 to 1952. Based on 9520 observations, the sample mean interval was x1 = 61.2 minutes. Let x2 be a random variable that represents the time interval in minutes between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1983 to 1987. Based on 25,340 observations, the sample mean time interval was x2 = 71.2 minutes. Historical data suggest that σ1 = 8.35 minutes and σ2 = 12.41 minutes. Let μ1 be the population mean of x1 and let μ2 be the population mean of x2.

(a) Compute a 95% confidence interval for μ1 – μ2. (Use 2 decimal places.)

lower limit    
upper limit    

(b) Comment on the meaning of the confidence interval in the context of this problem. Does the interval consist of positive numbers only? negative numbers only? a mix of positive and negative numbers? Does it appear (at the 95% confidence level) that a change in the interval length between eruptions has occurred? Many geologic experts believe that the distribution of eruption times of Old Faithful changed after the major earthquake that occurred in 1959.

Because the interval contains only positive numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten shorter.

Because the interval contains both positive and negative numbers, we can not say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.  

We can not make any conclusions using this confidence interval.

Because the interval contains only negative numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.

In: Statistics and Probability

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870...

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870 to 1987. Let x1 be a random variable that represents the time interval (in minutes) between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1948 to 1952. Based on 9280 observations, the sample mean interval was x1 = 62.0 minutes. Let x2 be a random variable that represents the time interval in minutes between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1983 to 1987. Based on 24,170 observations, the sample mean time interval was x2 = 69.6 minutes. Historical data suggest that σ1 = 8.35 minutes and σ2 = 12.76 minutes. Let μ1 be the population mean of x1 and let μ2 be the population mean of x2.

(a) Compute a 99% confidence interval for μ1 – μ2. (Use 2 decimal places.)

lower limit    
upper limit    

(b) Comment on the meaning of the confidence interval in the context of this problem. Does the interval consist of positive numbers only? negative numbers only? a mix of positive and negative numbers? Does it appear (at the 99% confidence level) that a change in the interval length between eruptions has occurred? Many geologic experts believe that the distribution of eruption times of Old Faithful changed after the major earthquake that occurred in 1959.

Because the interval contains only positive numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten shorter.Because the interval contains both positive and negative numbers, we can not say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.    We can not make any conclusions using this confidence interval.Because the interval contains only negative numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.

In: Statistics and Probability

Exercise 4 On January 1, 2017, Park Rapids Lumber Company issued $80 million in 20-year, 10%...

Exercise 4

On January 1, 2017, Park Rapids Lumber Company issued $80 million in 20-year, 10% bonds payable. Interest is payable semiannually on June 30th and December 31st. Bond discounts and premiums are amortized straight-line at each interest payment date.

a. Record the journal entry when the bonds were issued on January 1, 2017, make the necessary the journal entry to record the payment of bond interest on June 30, 2017, under each of the following assumptions:

1. The bonds were issued at 98. Round your answers to the nearest dollar.

2. The bonds were issued at 101. Round your answers to the nearest dollar.

b. Compute the net bond liability at December 31, 2017, under assumptions 1 and 2 above. Round to the nearest dollar.

c. Under which of the above assumptions, 1 or 2 would the investor’s effective rate of interest be higher? Explain.

Exercise 5

Speed World Cycles sells high-performance motorcycles and Motocross racers. One of Speed World’s most popular models is the Kazomma 900 dirt bike. During the current year, Speed World purchased eight of these cycles at the following costs:

Purchase Date                               Units Purchased      Unit Cost   Total Cost

July 1                                                                 2                  $4,950          $9,900

July 22                                                              3                    5,000           15,000

August 3                                                  3                        5,100           15,300

                                                                  ------                         ------------

                                                                      8                                             $40,200

On July 28, Speed World sold four Kazomma 900 dirt bikes to the Vince Wilson racing team. The remaining four bikes remained in inventory at September 30, the end of Speed World’s fiscal year.

Assume that Speed World uses a perpetual inventory system.

a. Compute the cost of goods sold relating to the sale on July 28 and the ending inventory of Kazomma 900 dirt bikes at September 30, using the following cost flow assumptions:

1. Average cost

2. FIFO

3. LIFO

Show the number of units and the unit costs of each layer comprising the cost of goods sold and ending inventory.

b. Using the cost figures computed in part a. answer the following questions:

1. Which of the three cost flow assumptions will result in Speed World Cycles reporting the highest net income for the current year? Would this always be the case? Explain.

2. Which of the three cost flow assumptions will minimize the income taxes owed by Speed World Cycles for the year? Would you expect this usually to be the case? Explain.

3. May Speed World Cycles use the cost flow assumption that results in the highest net income for the current year in its financial statements, but use the cost flow assumption that minimizes taxable income for the current year in its income tax return? Explain.

In: Accounting

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870...

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled historical data about Old Faithful Geyser (Yellowstone National Park) from 1870 to 1987. Let x1 be a random variable that represents the time interval (in minutes) between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1948 to 1952. Based on 9580 observations, the sample mean interval was x1 = 61.8 minutes. Let x2 be a random variable that represents the time interval in minutes between Old Faithful eruptions for the years 1983 to 1987. Based on 23,000 observations, the sample mean time interval was x2 = 69.2 minutes. Historical data suggest that σ1 = 8.49 minutes and σ2 = 11.78 minutes. Let μ1 be the population mean of x1 and let μ2 be the population mean of x2.(a) Compute a 99% confidence interval for μ1 – μ2. (Use 2 decimal places.)

lower limit    
upper limit    

(b) Comment on the meaning of the confidence interval in the context of this problem. Does the interval consist of positive numbers only? negative numbers only? a mix of positive and negative numbers? Does it appear (at the 99% confidence level) that a change in the interval length between eruptions has occurred? Many geologic experts believe that the distribution of eruption times of Old Faithful changed after the major earthquake that occurred in 1959.

Because the interval contains only positive numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten shorter.Because the interval contains both positive and negative numbers, we can not say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.     We can not make any conclusions using this confidence interval.Because the interval contains only negative numbers, we can say that the interval length between eruptions has gotten longer.


In: Statistics and Probability