...One Million Dead for Naught The involvement of U.S. military forces in the Vietnam Conflict was neither justifiable nor demonstrative of sound judgment by the American government. Many books, magazines, and other forms of commentary on the Vietnam War have surfaced in the half century since the war’s end. Historian and author Stanley Karnow suggests that such publications generally attempt to make sense of the horrific “war that nobody won” (Karnow 9). It is a subject that will continue endlessly to divide historians and others as they attempt to draw lessons from the conflict that might then be used to justify, condemn, or promote America’s involvement in modern day Vietnams. Because of the magnitude of complexities surrounding the war, some may find it difficult to formulate an unwavering opinion about the war’s causes and effects. According to Robert McNamara, who served as Secretary of Defense for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, mankind has often struggled to find solutions to even simple problems related to the unification of values and ideologies spanning diverse cultures (McNamara 323). In order to fairly judge why the American government put our troops in the jungles, swamps, and fields of Vietnam, one might first closely examine why our government claims to have committed our troops to Vietnam. One of the reasons most adamantly advanced by our government to justify a full scale assault on the Vietcong of North Vietnam was an incident that is said to have occurred...
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...Question 1 Annual fixed cost: $950 million Variable cost per plane: $45 million Q1 Break-even point in unit= $950 million $25 million Break-even point in unit= 38 units Break-even point in sale dollars= $950 million $25 million $70 million Break-even point in sale dollars= $950 million 0.357 Break-even point in sale dollars= $ 2660 Million Q2 ------------------------------------------------- Revenue for 42 airline= $70 million * 42 airlines ------------------------------------------------- Total = $2940 million Sale revenue – Variable expense – Fixed expense = Profit $2940 million- $45 million - $950 million= $100 million PROFIT = $100 million Q3 ------------------------------------------------- Fixed cost ------------------------------------------------- New fixed cost = $950 million + $84 million ------------------------------------------------- Total New fixed cost= 1034 million ------------------------------------------------- Variable cost ------------------------------------------------- New Variable cost = 45 million – $2 million ------------------------------------------------- Total new variable cost= $43 million a) ------------------------------------------------- Sale= $2940 million ------------------------------------------------- Variable expense= $1806 million ------------------------------------------------- ...
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...cost of goods sold in two thousand ten was two point 3 billion dollars. The cost of goods sold in two thousand eleven was three point three billion dollars. The cost of goods sold in thousand and twelve was four point two billion dollars. The depreciation and amortization expense for two thousand and ten was two point five million dollars. The depreciation and amortization expense for two thousand and twelve was three point one million dollars. The depreciation and amortization expense for two thousand twelve was three point six million dollars. The depreciation for two thousand ten was two point one million dollars. The depreciation cost for two thousand eleven was two point eight million dollars. The depreciation cost for two thousand and twelve was two point nine million dollars. The amortization of intangibles for two thousand and ten was one million and five thousand dollars. The amortization of intangibles for two thousand and eleven was two point one million dollars. The amortization for two thousand and eleven was two point five million dollars. The amortization for intangibles for two thousand and twelve was three point four millions dollars. The cost of goods sold in two thousand and ten was fifteen point five percent. The cost of goods sold in two thousand eleven was twenty point eight percent. The cost of goods sold for the year ending in two thousand and twelve was thirty point three percent. The gross earned income in for the year ending in thousand...
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...Case 4: Alabama Atlantic Executive Summary Alabama Atlantic would like to determine the optimal shipping routes for its lumber and the amount to be shipped on each route, in order to minimize the total equivalent uniform annual cost. It is my understanding that the company has three sources of wood, with annual availabilities of 15, 20, and 15 million board feet respectively. Additionally, the company has 5 markets it sells to, which have annual demands of 11, 12, 9, 10, and 8 million board feet respectively. Because the estimated supply and demand of wood is in equilibrium, it is important to meet the full demand in each market. It is also important that total amount shipped does not exceed the available supply. Alabama Atlantic has two possible methods to ship the wood. They can either ship it by train or by ship. Depending on the specific source and market, it can be less costly to use one method over the other. However, it is important to note that using ships may require a large capital investment. I have had a chance to determine the potential shipping plans for Alabama Atlantic and have analyzed the company’s situation. I was able to solve this as a linear programming problem using Microsoft Excel, however some assumptions had to be made. First, the production costs are assumed to be the same at each source, so that the only relevant costs are for shipping. Second, the cost of shipping is assumed to be constant no matter what quantity is shipped. Analysis and...
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...|Hundred millions |Ten millions |Millions |Hundred thousands |Ten thousands |Thousands |Hundreds |Tens |ones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We should compare numbers by starting . Billions |Hundred millions |Ten millions |Millions |Hundred thousands |Ten thousands |Thousands |Hundreds |Tens |ones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Comparing and Explaining Examples 2) ___________ ____ _____________ because of the place Billions |Hundred millions |Ten millions |Millions |Hundred thousands |Ten thousands |Thousands |Hundreds |Tens |ones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3) ___________ __ _____________ because of the place Billions |Hundred millions |Ten millions |Millions |Hundred thousands |Ten thousands |Thousands |Hundreds |Tens |ones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4) 200,324 98,133 because of the place Billions |Hundred millions |Ten millions |Millions |Hundred thousands |Ten thousands |Thousands |Hundreds |Tens |ones | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5) 44,454 43,999 because of the place Billions |Hundred millions |Ten millions...
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...States, one is located in Mexico City, Mexico and one is located in Montreal, Canada. Its diversified portfolio of North American theme parks serves an aggregate population of approximately 100 million people and 160 million people within a radius of 50 miles and 100 miles, respectively, with some of the highest per capita gross domestic product in the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company’s parks offered approximately 800 rides, including over 120 roller coasters, making the Company the provider of thrill rides in the industry. Assets Six Flags current assets include cash and cash equivalents of $629,208 million, trade accounts receivable of $29,523 million, inventories of $22.280 million, and prepaid expenses of $37.49 million and other current assets of $44.973 million. Total current assets are $763,474 million. Other assets include, debt insurance costs, $26,043, restricted-use investment securities, $1,218 million, deposits and other assets, $4,214 million. Total other assets are $31,475. Six Flags has property, plant, and equipment gross after accumulated depreciation of $1254.629 million, goodwill of $630.248 million, intangible assets of $376.565 million. Six Flags total assets are $3,056,391. To increase the value of a firm, such as Six Flags assets are bought. An asset is something that can make money. There are two types of assets, current or fixed (non-current). A current asset is one that will be used within one year. A...
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...DRA Assignment 2 – Recreational Properties 1) FRAMING THE DECISION 1.a) Decisions a) He can exercise the option and buy the land. In this case, the possible decisions are: a.1) Sell the land without any development a.2) Develop the land with a development cost of £ 5 million and the sell it for a higher profit b) He can avoid to exercise the option and invest in another investment that will give to him a certain profit. c) Try to negotiate an option extension in order to be able to delay his decisions until the suit is settled and the risk of not getting the lease does not affect his decision anymore. d) For the purpose of this analysis we are assuming that the price of the option will remain constant. Otherwise another possible decision that Anders may make is whether to sell the option to third parties and eventually recover part of his investments. 1.b) Factors of uncertainty a) Legal suit outcome: the payoff of his decision is subject to the outcome of the lawsuit that may not allow the development of land parcels on East side of White Mountain. b) Reputation: the success of his initiative and the consequent return on his investment are conditioned by the popularity that the location will have, as for instance the quality of the snow and of the ski runs. Due to their nature, these are unpredictable factors that Anders cannot control. 1.c) Objective The objective of Recreational Properties is to maximise the payoff coming from this investment as well as minimising...
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...been in operation. Thousands can say that their company has been in operation for over 50 years; however many cannot say their company has been in operation for a century or two. Anheuser-Busch InBev is one company that has been in operation for over 150 years. The following information is an attempt to give insight on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s success through the company’s history and examination of the company’s financial reports. Please note these reports are in European Currency (Euro’s). Company History The Anheuser-Busch company started in 1852 under the name of Bavarian Brewery out of St. Louis, Missouri (Anheuser-Busch, 2009). In 1860 a successful soap manufacturer by the name of Eberhard Anheuser purchased the struggling company without any knowledge or experience in the industry. With the help of his son-in-law Adolphus Busch, the company became an industry leader in the production of beer (Anheuser-Busch, 2009). Through the years, the company continued to grow by using different marketing techniques and strategies to help bring attention to the company’s products. One famous marketing technique introduced in the 1880s was the Budweiser Girls. In 1876, Budweiser became the first beer to be introduced on a national level and to help promote the company’s number one product; the company used lithographic prints depicting women holding a bottle of Bud in her hand (Anheuser-Busch, 2009). Company Facts Over the years the company grew experiencing many successes by...
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...focused on the following goals: 1) Minimize the chance of aircraft crash losses and insurance costs combined exceeding $37 million in the next year, and 2) Obtain the insurance coverage at lowest cost over the five-year period. We performed our analysis in 5 stages, eliminating one prospective insurance plan or confirming our observations in each stage. Crystal Ball software served as an analytical tool for our analysis. The simulations conducted for our analysis consisted of 10,000 trials each. See Appendix for illustrations related to this analysis. Analysis Detail Stage 1: A comparative analysis of the maximum values of the total losses and insurance costs in the first year showed that there is only one insurance plan that guarantees that the next year losses are not going to exceed $37 million: HIC ($33.8 million maximum). RNCN1 has a maximum of $43.8 million, which is reasonably close to the $41 million limit that we are aiming to avoid in the first year. We also noted that the Self-insurance plan has minimal expected costs of $4.6 million in first year, but bears the highest volatility, which may lead to losses of up to $170.5 million (See Exhibit 1). At this stage, we exclude the RNCN2 plan from further considerations because even though is offers low expected costs, the probability of going over the limit of $37 million and incurring costs of $60 million is significant for the purposes of this analysis. We plan to confirm this preliminary conclusion during the sensitivity...
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...1 + 1 > 2) * Economies of scale * Cross-product selling * Growth * External growth (may be less risky than organic growth) * Increasing market power * Horizontal or vertical integration to increase strength in the industry * Note: Regulatory authorities in some countries may limit this as a benefit (e.g., FTC in the United States). * Acquiring unique capabilities or resources * Resources include patents, technology, trademarks, or raw materials * Unlocking hidden value * Improve management, reorganize structure, breakups, or liquidations * Cross-border mergers: * Exploiting market imperfections * Cheaper labor in one market * Lower-cost raw materials * Overcoming adverse government policy * Circumvent tariffs * Circumvent barriers to trade * Technology transfer * Facilitate entry into a country’s market * Gain access to new technology or resources * Product differentiation * Enhance product line * Expand into a country’s market * “Buy” reputation for entry into a market * Following clients * Make sure that the business of clients do not go to another company once the client expands to another country. * Dubious motives: * Diversification * Investors can diversify in their own portfolios, so there is generally no value...
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...3-day total of $136.1 million, Finding Dory, starring the voice work of Ellen Degeneres, became the biggest opening of all-time for an animated feature (on the domestic front, that is) – surpassing the $121.6 million total established by Shrek the Third in 2007. By comparison, Finding Dory also blew away the numbers put up by its 2003 predecessor, Finding Nemo, which opened with $70.2 million – on its way to grossing $936.7 million, worldwide. With a $50 million contribution for foreign markets, Finding Dory is officially off and swimming with $136.1 million. It was produced on an estimated $200 million...
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...Case Study: Ginny's Restaurant 1a. What is Vrginia's current weath? Cash today Cash in one year Interest Net Present Value 1b. How much can Virginia spend today? Team 6 $2,000,000 $3,000,000 6% (NPV) = $2M + $3M/ (1+0.06) = $4,830,188.68 Virginia's current wealth is made up of her $2 million in had and the present value of her future $3 million. Without a loan If Virginia does not want to borrow from the bank, she can spend a maximum of $2 million. With a loan If Virginia makes use of a bank loan, taking into account the $2million in hand and the present value of her future 3 million, she will be able to spend a maximum of $4.83 million. PV of $3 million is $2.83Million PV. Assuming interest rates are constant for all entities, including the bank, within one year's time, 6% will have accrued and Virginia can repay the loan to the bank at $3 million. 1c. How much can Virginia spend one year from now? Future Buying Power Future Value Future Value of 2 million is 2.12 million - $2M (1+0.06) = $2.12 million $2.12 million + $3 million = $5.12 million - Virginia has this amount to spend in one year's time if she spends nothing today. 2a. Assume Virginia had a lump sum of 4 million to invest. How much of the $4 million should Virginia invest in the restaurant? option 1 $1,000,000.00 $3,000,000.00 $1,800,000.00 $3,180,000.00 $4,980,000.00 $1,698,113.00 $698,113.00 option 2 $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $3,300,000.00 $2,120,001.00 $5,420,001.00 $3,113,208.00 $1,113,208.00 option 3...
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...CAPITAL INVESTMENT VALUATION 1) Virginia has current assets worth $4.83 million at present. This value of her assets is calculated by adding $2 million she receives today to the present value of $3 million which she will get at the end of one year. Cash on hand (today) = $2 million Cash after one year = $3 million Rate of interest = 6% Net Present Value (NPV) = $2M + $3M/ (1+0.06) = $4,830,188.68 Virginia can spend or consume maximum $4.83 million which is the value of her total asset at present. Here, she can borrow $2.83 million (present value of $3 million) from bank which she can repay with the money she will be getting after exactly one year. The rest of the money ($2 million) she has already possessed. However, if she does not want to borrow money from bank, the maximum amount she can spend today is $2 million. If Virginia does not spend any money today, she can spend the at least $5.12 million which is the future value of $2 million plus $3 million which she will get after one year. Total value of money after 1 year = $2M (1+0.06) + $3M = $5,120,000 2) Virginia should invest $3,000,000 in Ginny’s Restaurant. In one year the $4,000,000 will be worth $4,240,000 without investing it. If Virginia invests $3,000,000 in Ginny’s Restaurant it will give her a future cash flow of $5,460,000.00. This investment will yield the largest amount of money at the end of one year. Virginia’s wealth will increase 29% if she chooses option 3. ...
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...circumstances, and in a manner the director believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. The functions of the board of directors include: (I) selecting, evaluating, and—where appropriate—dismissing the chief executive officer (CEO); (2) reviewing and approving the corporation's financial objectives and strategy; (3) providing advice and counsel to senior management; (4) selecting and recommending a slate of candidates for the board of directors to shareholders for election; (5) approving dividends and stock splits; and (6) reviewing the adequacy of systems to conform with applicable laws and regulations. Approximately one-quarter of Standard & Poor's 500 firms had a former CEO as a board member. More than 80 percent of board vacancies are filled via the recommendation of the chairman. Many directors serve on more than one board, in addition to holding a full-time job. Veeva board of directors are compensated with company stock. Directors who have a significant equity investment in a firm are more likely to take an active interest in the company's well-being. Board of Directors has approved the charters of the Audit Committee, Compensation...
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...plant. At one time, Psilotum was thought to be a surviving relative of Rhynia. It is, however, more generally thought to be a Fern Ally, related to the Ferns, with loss of features such as leaves and roots. Event 13 “IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORDATE” FINDING THE ANCESTOR OF VERTEBRATES (AND OURSELVES) 530 million years ago The Cambrian explosion created all the major phyla of animals that we have today. This includes the phyla Chordata (chordates). Primitive forms are creatures with evidence of a notochord, a structural rod of cartilage and neural tissue running down the long axis of the body. This notochord was the early precursor to the spine in vertebrates (animals with a true backbone, like fish), and modern examples of simple chordates include sea squirts and lancelets. Two Cambrian fossil localities are of key importance here: Chengjiang in Yunnan Province, southern China, and the Burgess Shales in the British Columbia Rockies of Canada. Both of these localities have produced fossils classified as chordates. The Chinese forms include the forms Myllokunmingia and Haikouichthys (it has even been suggested these could be primitive vertebrate jawless fish). The Canadian form (somewhat later in the Cambrian period) is Pikaia, which especially resembles the modern lancelet. Event 15 “GET OUT OF THE POOL” EARLY AMPHIBIANS 360 million years ago We are land-living animals with four limbs - so are most of the animals we know and love. But go back in time 400 million years...
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