Founded nearly 50 years ago by Alfred Lester-Smith, Beautiful Clocks specializes in developing and marketing a diverse line of large ornamental clocks for the finest homes. Tastes have changed over the years, but the company has prospered by continually updating its product line to satisfy its affluent clientele. The Lester-Smith family continues to own a majority share of the company and the grandchildren of Alfred Lester-Smith now hold several of the top managerial positions. One of these grandchildren is Meredith Lester-Smith, the new CEO of the company .Meredith feels a great responsibility to maintain the family heritage with the company. She realizes that the company needs to continue to develop and market exciting new products. Since the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company is rapidly approaching, she has decided to select a particularly special new product to launch with great fanfare on this anniversary. But what should it be? As she ponders this crucial decision, Meredith’s thoughts go back to the magnificent grandfather clock that her grandparents had in their home many years ago. She had admired the majesty of that clock as a child. How about launching a modern version of this clock? This is a difficult decision. Meredith realizes that grandfather clocks now are largely out of style. However, if she is so nostalgic about the memory of the grandfather clock in her grandparents’ home, wouldn’t there be a considerable number of other relatively wealthy couples with similar memories who would welcome the prestige of adding the grandeur of a beautifully designed limited-edition grandfather clock in their home? Maybe. This also would highlight the heritage and continuity of the company. It all depends on whether there would be enough sales potential to make this a profitable product. Meredith had an excellent Business Analytics course at JMU, so she realizes that breakeven analysis is needed to help make this decision. With this in mind, she instructs several staff members to investigate this prospective product further, including developing estimates of the related costs and revenues as well as forecasting the potential sales. One month later, the preliminary estimates of the relevant financial figures come back. The cost of designing the grand-father clock and then setting up the production facilities to produce this product would be approximately$250,000. There would be only one production run for this limited-edition grandfather clock. The additional cost for each clock produced would be roughly$2,000. The marketing department estimates that their price for selling the clocks can be successfully set at about$4,500 apiece, but a firm forecast of how many clocks can be sold at this price has not yet been obtained. However, it is believed that the sales likely would reach into three digits. The production floor chief has estimated a maximum operating capacity of 500 clocks.

1. Develop a spreadsheet model for the situation described above, assuming production is set at full capacity: Be sure to put all numerical values in separate cells from formulas. Format all dollar amounts with $ signs and 0 decimals for all values. Format all other numerical amounts as Number with thousands separator. Name this sheet Beautiful Clocks Model.

2. Write a formula to calculate the breakeven number of clocks on your spreadsheet. Show the procedure to get to the formula in your written report. Format this cell as a number with a comma and 0 decimals. In a separate cell compute the breakeven number clocks as a percentage of the maximum capacity. Format this cell as a percentage with 0 decimals. A fairly reliable forecast now has been obtained indicating that the company would be able to sell 300 of the limited-edition grandfather clocks, which appears to be enough to justify introducing this new product. However Meredith is concerned that this conclusion might change if more accurate estimates were available for the various costs and revenues. Therefore she wants what-if analysis done on these estimates:

3. Construct a data table based on your spreadsheet model using Excel’s Data Table command to show the breakeven number of clocks and percentage of maximum capacity with a price ranging from$2,500 to$5,000 per clock (in increments of$500).Put a border around the contents of the table. Format the amount inside the table as a Number with 0 decimals. Format percent values inside the table as Percentage with 0 decimals.

4. Construct a data table based on your spreadsheet model using Excel’s Data Table command to show the net profit associated with the selling price ranging from$2,500 to$5,000 (in increments of$500) as the variable cost per clock varies from$1,000 to$4,500 (in increments of$500 across the top of the table and assuming the production volume remains at 300 clocks).Put a border around the contents of the table. Format all dollar amounts as Currency with 0 decimals. Apply conditional formatting to the cells in the table that exceed$400,000

Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Clearview Security Technologies Inc. (Clearview) was founded to provide security systems, facilities controls, and related services. Clearview established a solid reputation for quality and the business grew, thanks to strong relationships with large long-term customers in Canada and the United States. Clearview has experienced little competitive pressure in its core market and the company's offerings are standardized, enabled by significant technological and financial barriers to entry.

The Research and Innovation Group (RIG) is the development side of the company. Where Clearview's primary lines are standardized, the RIG is all over the map. Clearview uses this smaller division to provide contract software and consulting to a wide range of business types.

The RIG is considering a new contract that will strain resources for not only the RIG, but the entire company. The project involves new technology, a new customer, and a new geographic area. The director of operations has warned you that it will be substantially more risky than anything Clearview does in its core business. With an upfront cost of C$8.5 million, managers want to develop an understanding of expected financing costs. The director of finance explained that understanding cost of capital will be a key part of maintaining and improving Clearview's competitive edge. RIG managers have noticed competing bids for the contract and it is expected that margins will be pushed down.

You have been asked to calculate the company's weighted average cost of capital (WACC), based on the following information. Over the last five years the annual dividends on the firm's stock have grown at 6 percent per year and this growth is expected to continue indefinitely. A dividend of $1.25 was recently paid. Common shares trade at $45 with 250,000 outstanding and no preferred shares. The yield on long-term government bonds is currently 3 percent and you believe the appropriate expected market risk premium is 5 percent (the long-term average). The stock's beta is 1.05. Clearview also has 25-year bonds with $1,000 face value, 6.5-percent semi-annual coupons, and 20 years to maturity. The bonds trade at 94.5. The initial bond offering raised $15.5 million and initially sold at par. The firm's marginal tax rate is 27 percent.

1. The cost of equity and debt
   1. Calculate Clearview's cost of equity using the constant growth model approach and the CAPM approach. Take the arithmetic average of the two results.
   2. Determine Clearview's after-tax cost of debt. Solving for the cost of debt is best done with a financial calculator, although trial and error will also yield the correct result. The bond valuation formula is required in this approach, substituting values for kb until the bond value is determined. A third method for determining the cost of debt is an approximation formula: kb approx. = ((annual coupon + (face – price)) ÷ years remaining) ÷ ((face + price) ÷ 2). The trial and error737approach can be completed much faster if the approximation method is used first to narrow the trial and error range.
2. The weight of equity and debt
   1. Calculate the weights of equity and debt in Clearview's capital structure.
   2. Determine Clearview's WACC.
3. The company will use its current capital structure to set target weights for debt and equity, with flotation costs of 2 percent for long-term debt and 7.5 percent for equity. How much capital must Clearview raise in order to cover the project cost and all flotation charges?

Case 1: Use of Technology

Federal Express (FedEx) was founded about 50 years ago. It handles on an average of 3 million package-tracking requests on a daily basis. To remain ahead of its competitors, FedEx strives on customer service by keeping a comprehensive website, FedEx.com. It increases customer service and reduces costs. For example, each request for information which can be retrieved from the website rather than by the call centre help FedEx to save an estimated $1.87. The costs for FedEx have been reduced from more than $1.36 billion per year to $21.6 million per year by customers using the website instead of the call centre calculating each package-tracking request costs Federal Express 3 cents.

Another know-how that improved its customer service is Ship Manager, an application installed on customers’ sites so users can determine shipping charges, weigh packages, and print shipping labels. Customers can also tie their invoices, billing, accounting and inventory systems to the application, Ship Manager.

Nevertheless, Federal Express still spend almost $326 million annually on its call centre to reduce customers’ annoyance when the website is down or when customers have difficulty using it. It uses CRM software called Clarify in its call centres to ensure customer service representatives’ job easier and to speed up response time.

Answer the following questions:

a)     What is the importance of technology to ensure high-quality customer service?

b)    Can you estimate Federal Express’ annual savings from using information technology?

c)     Can you give a few examples of information technologies used by Federal Express?

d)    What is the role of the application ‘Ship Manager’?

e)    Your overall observations and learning from the above case study.

Case 1: Use of Technology Federal Express (FedEx) was founded about 50 years ago. It handles on an average of 3 million package-tracking requests on a daily basis. To remain ahead of its competitors, FedEx strives on customer service by keeping a comprehensive website, FedEx.com. It increases customer service and reduces costs. For example, each request for information which can be retrieved from the website rather than by the call centre help FedEx to save an estimated $1.87. The costs for FedEx have been reduced from more than $1.36 billion per year to $21.6 million per year by customers using the website instead of the call centre calculating each package-tracking request costs Federal Express 3 cents. Another know-how that improved its customer service is Ship Manager, an application installed on customers’ sites so users can determine shipping charges, weigh packages, and print shipping labels. Customers can also tie their invoices, billing, accounting and inventory systems to the application, Ship Manager. Nevertheless, Federal Express still spend almost $326 million annually on its call centre to reduce customers’ annoyance when the website is down or when customers have difficulty using it. It uses CRM software called Clarify in its call centres to ensure customer service representatives’ job easier and to speed up response time. Answer the following questions: a) What is the importance of technology to ensure high-quality customer service? b) Can you estimate Federal Express’ annual savings from using information technology? c) Can you give a few examples of information technologies used by Federal Express? d) What is the role of the application ‘Ship Manager’? e) Your overall observations and learning from the above case study..

PTL Case: Ethical Responsibilities

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker founded the PTL (Praise the Lord) club, a religious broadcasting organization, in 2015. A little more than one decade later, the PTL Club claimed more than 500,000 members and boasted annual revenues of almost £100 million. Bakker and his close associates came under intense scrutiny in 2018 following a revelation that they used PTL funds to pay a former church secretary to remain silent concerning a brief liaison between herself and Bakker. The church secretary was given money to remain quiet on fraudulent activities by Bakker. That disclosure triggered a series of investigations of PTL’s finances. Key agencies involved in the investigation included HM Revenue and Custom, National Fraud Authority and UK Charity Commission.

Bakker lived a flamboyant lifestyle such as having a gold-plated bathroom, extravagant chandeliers, a £469,000 condominium in Highland Beach, and a fleet of luxury automobiles including Rolls-Royces. The church also paid him £1,56300 million in 2017. Mr Bakker resigned and he was convicted for fraud and conspiracy charges. Grand juries then fined Bakker £1390, 000 and sentenced him to forty-five years in prison. The investigations of PTL revealed that Bakker and his associates received huge salaries and bonuses from funds raised from the organization’s televised appeals.

Before 2018, Jim Bakker’s critics persistently called for more extensive financial disclosures by PTL, Bakker resisted these demands. He repeatedly insisted that such disclosures were not necessary since PTL maintained strong financial controls. In addition, Bakker often reminded his critics that PTL has excellent accountants and that it had external audits by reputable accounting firms. The subsequent investigations of PTL failed to support Bakker’s claims. Those investigations revealed that the organization’s internal controls were extremely weak, and non-existent in many cases.

Investigator found that Bakker’s subordinate’s issues pay checks to individuals not employed by PTL and paid large sums to consultants who never provided any services to the organization. Additionally, investigators could not locate documentation for millions of dollars of construction costs recorded in PTL’s accounting records.

Questions

1. Identify the ethical questions raised by the maintenance of PTL’s secret payroll account? Explain

2. What procedures should an audit firm perform before accepting an audit client, particularly a high-risk client such as PTL?

3. What is the major phases of the auditing process?

4. How can corporate governance play a major role in reducing abuse of office and

   conflict of interest situation by Jim and Bakker the founders of PTL club?

5. What is agency cost and how can an external auditor help solve any agency problem

   between the agent and the principal .

Emerald City Wear, Inc. (ECW, Inc.)^¨

Two alums of the UW Foster School of Business founded Emerald City Wear (ECW), a clothing manufacturer located in Seattle. Their strategy is to produce lightweight, warm, water-resistant garments suited to the Pacific Northwest’s mild and damp climate.

One of their garments is a reversible zip-front vest. While ECW can make up to 10,000 of these in a month with its current facilities, its normal production and sales activity level has regularly been 8,000 vests a month. Last November, the alums received an inquiry from the UW Bothell for 1,000 vests of various sizes with the UW Bothell School logo (shown above) embroidered on the front, to be distributed to faculty and donors. This was expected to be a one-time order and ECW would need to manufacture the vests in December to be ready by December 18 for distribution at the School’s holiday event.

According to ECW’s accounting system, the cost of producing and selling a single regular vest (without the special logo) at current activity level was as follows:

* determined at normal capacity and allocated according to direct labor hours

** allocated based on ‘ability to bear’.

The normal selling price for a regular vest is $30.

ECW does not have the necessary equipment to do the embroidering of the UW Bothell School logo, so that would need to be outsourced to another company for a flat fee of $1,000.

The owners of ECW are conscious of the fact that the UW Bothell has had other bids, and because they are loyal alums, they would like to keep their bid to $18 per vest. This order is not expected to affect ECW’s regular sales.

Questions: (treat each question below independently)

1.   If the order is accepted at a bid price of $18 per vest, by how much will ECW’s December profits change? That is, will profits go up or down as a result of the order, and by how much?

2. Now assume that ECW already has orders from regular customers for 10,000 vests for December. If it supplies the vests to UW Bothell at $18 per vest, what will be the effect on its December profits?

3. All the data for regular vests remains unchanged. Assume that the company now has 500 of them left over from last year. However, they are chartreuse (a bright yellow-green) and have not sold at regular prices. If these vests must be sold through regular channels but at reduced prices, what cost is relevant for establishing the minimum selling price for these vests? Why?

Subject: Innovation and technology management

Case 1: Use of Technology

Federal Express (FedEx) was founded about 50 years ago. It handles on an average of 3 million package-tracking requests on a daily basis. To remain ahead of its competitors, FedEx strives on customer service by keeping a comprehensive website, FedEx.com. It increases customer service and reduces costs. For example, each request for information which can be retrieved from the website rather than by the call centre help FedEx to save an estimated $1.87. The costs for FedEx have been reduced from more than $1.36 billion per year to $21.6 million per year by customers using the website instead of the call centre calculating each package-tracking request costs Federal Express 3 cents.

Another know-how that improved its customer service is Ship Manager, an application installed on customers’ sites so users can determine shipping charges, weigh packages, and print shipping labels. Customers can also tie their invoices, billing, accounting and inventory systems to the application, Ship Manager.

Nevertheless, Federal Express still spend almost $326 million annually on its call centre to reduce customers’ annoyance when the website is down or when customers have difficulty using it. It uses CRM software called Clarify in its call centres to ensure customer service representatives’ job easier and to speed up response time.

Answer the following questions:

a)     What is the importance of technology to ensure high-quality customer service?

b)    Can you estimate Federal Express’ annual savings from using information technology?

c)     Can you give a few examples of information technologies used by Federal Express?

d)    What is the role of the application ‘Ship Manager’?

e)    Your overall observations and learning from the above case study.

Case 1: Use of Technology

Federal Express (FedEx) was founded about 50 years ago. It handles on an average of 3 million package-tracking requests on a daily basis. To remain ahead of its competitors, FedEx strives on customer service by keeping a comprehensive website, FedEx.com. It increases customer service and reduces costs. For example, each request for information which can be retrieved from the website rather than by the call centre help FedEx to save an estimated $1.87. The costs for FedEx have been reduced from more than $1.36 billion per year to $21.6 million per year by customers using the website instead of the call centre calculating each package-tracking request costs Federal Express 3 cents.

Another know-how that improved its customer service is Ship Manager, an application installed on customers’ sites so users can determine shipping charges, weigh packages, and print shipping labels. Customers can also tie their invoices, billing, accounting and inventory systems to the application, Ship Manager.

Nevertheless, Federal Express still spend almost $326 million annually on its call centre to reduce customers’ annoyance when the website is down or when customers have difficulty using it. It uses CRM software called Clarify in its call centres to ensure customer service representatives’ job easier and to speed up response time.

Answer the following questions:

a)     What is the importance of technology to ensure high-quality customer service?

b)    Can you estimate Federal Express’ annual savings from using information technology?

c)     Can you give a few examples of information technologies used by Federal Express?

d)    What is the role of the application ‘Ship Manager’?

e)    Your overall observations and learning from the above case study.

Case 1: Use of Technology Federal Express (FedEx) was founded about 50 years ago. It handles on an average of 3 million package-tracking requests on a daily basis. To remain ahead of its competitors, FedEx strives on customer service by keeping a comprehensive website, FedEx.com. It increases customer service and reduces costs. For example, each request for information which can be retrieved from the website rather than by the call centre help FedEx to save an estimated $1.87. The costs for FedEx have been reduced from more than $1.36 billion per year to $21.6 million per year by customers using the website instead of the call centre calculating each package-tracking request costs Federal Express 3 cents. Another know-how that improved its customer service is Ship Manager, an application installed on customers’ sites so users can determine shipping charges, weigh packages, and print shipping labels. Customers can also tie their invoices, billing, accounting and inventory systems to the application, Ship Manager. Nevertheless, Federal Express still spend almost $326 million annually on its call centre to reduce customers’ annoyance when the website is down or when customers have difficulty using it. It uses CRM software called Clarify in its call centres to ensure customer service representatives’ job easier and to speed up response time. Answer the following questions: a) What is the importance of technology to ensure high-quality customer service? b) Can you estimate Federal Express’ annual savings from using information technology? c) Can you give a few examples of information technologies used by Federal Express? d) What is the role of the application ‘Ship Manager’? e) Your overall observations and learning from the above case study.