...3. Gibson • Calculate the unit support cost per policy for new and in-force annuity and life insurance policies using the new allocation bases. In addition, calculate the total support costs to be reported by product for each legal entity. • Why would Hampton want to track that information by product even if that level of detail was not required by regulators? • Will the new support cost allocation information help Gibson Insurance establish better pricing guidelines for the various annuities and life insurance products sold by each legal business unite entity? Why or why not? • Is the room for improvement in the means by which the corporate support costs are allocated under Hampton’s new approach? If yes, in what way(s)? If no, why not? 4. Citibank • Why has Citibank introduced a Performance Scorecard? • What is the “business model” underlying the performance scorecard? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of customer satisfaction as a performance measure in this case? In general? • Assume that you are Lisa Johnson. Complete Exhibit 1 to evaluate James’ performance. • Should James get the full bonus? Explain.3. Gibson • Calculate the unit support cost per policy for new and in-force annuity and life insurance policies using the new allocation bases. In addition, calculate the total support costs to be reported by product for each legal entity. • Why would Hampton want to track that information by product even if that level of detail was not required by regulators...
Words: 2521 - Pages: 11
...Introduction Gibson Insurance Company is faced with a challenge that is critical to the long-run sustainability of the company: how to use costing systems to operate more efficiently. With the growing size of the company in the recent years, the current cost allocation system is no longer suitable to provide vital information for the management in making pricing decisions, compensating employees, and managing costs. Therefore, it is essential that a new cost allocation system must be implemented to better measure the costs and gain insights to guide managerial decisions which can affect the organization’s efficiency. By evaluating Gibson’s current business practices and product lines, the report will identify issues and provide a rationale to utilize a new cost allocation system in order to increase efficiency and profitability. Company Background Gibson Insurance sells two different types of financial products: annuities and life insurance. Annuities are typically financial contracts that offer a re-occurring payment plan. Annuities consist of tax-deferred investments; this means that investors can place their pre-tax dollar income into various financial tools in order to decrease their income. The main goal of tax-deferred investments is to lower an individual’s income for an overall tax savings. Another product is a life insurance in which the policy holders contribute a certain amount of money per year in order to pay a lump sum to any benefactors if the policy holder...
Words: 3326 - Pages: 14
...The goal is to better allocate GIC’s corporate support-service costs to the business lines and business units in a result of more precise pricing strategies, sales compensation and improved cost control. We have analyzed GIC’s situation based on the given information, and concluded with a solution to improve the old cost allocation system. The new cost allocation uses adjusted cost bases which better reflects to the actual usage for new and existing policies. More support-service costs are assigned to new policies than existing ones as it requires more resources for implementation. We have also provided recommendations to improve the new allocation approach. We suggested that GIC use step method and revised allocation bases to effectively control costs, measure performance and reflect actual costs. INTRODUCTION GIC is an insurance company that offers two different kinds of financial products: annuities and life insurance. It has full ownership of two subsidiary companies: Compton Insurance Services and Midwest Mutual Insurance Company. Compton and Midwest both sell annuities and life insurance; however, the pricing strategies and the features of these products differ between the companies. Although its subsidiary companies are presented as three separate legal entities, GIC, as the parent company, provides support services for all three companies. The objectives of this report are: 1. To analyze the current support-service costs allocation method with the given...
Words: 2148 - Pages: 9
...better-prepared force in response to domestic incidents. Moreover, further sequestration would limit/detract from the current progress of the Army National Guard in...
Words: 1151 - Pages: 5
...The goal is to better allocate GIC’s corporate support-service costs to the business lines and business units in a result of more precise pricing strategies, sales compensation and improved cost control. We have analyzed GIC’s situation based on the given information, and concluded with a solution to improve the old cost allocation system. The new cost allocation uses adjusted cost bases which better reflects to the actual usage for new and existing policies. More support-service costs are assigned to new policies than existing ones as it requires more resources for implementation. We have also provided recommendations to improve the new allocation approach. We suggested that GIC use step method and revised allocation bases to effectively control costs, measure performance and reflect actual costs. INTRODUCTION GIC is an insurance company that offers two different kinds of financial products: annuities and life insurance. It has full ownership of two subsidiary companies: Compton Insurance Services and Midwest Mutual Insurance Company. Compton and Midwest both sell annuities and life insurance; however, the pricing strategies and the features of these products differ between the companies. Although its subsidiary companies are presented as three separate legal entities, GIC, as the parent company, provides support services for all three companies. The objectives of this report are: 1. To analyze the current support-service costs allocation method with the given...
Words: 2156 - Pages: 9
...What conditions must be satisfied for a rigid object to be in total equilibrium? 2) Why is the advantage of having a doorknob located farthest away from the hinges? Explain 3) Show that the SI unit for torque and energy are the same. Can we then say that torque is energy? Explain. 4) If you see a rigid object rotating, does this mean that there must be a net torque acting on it? Explain. 5) Can an object be in equilibrium if it is in motion? Explain OBJECTIVE The purpose of this experiment is to study the conditions that must be satisfied for a rigid object to be in total equilibrium. This is done by computing the total torque acting on a meter stick by means of weights suspended at specific locations on the ruler. MATERIALS Meter stick Support stand Knife edge clamp Weight hangers Slotted weights Unknown weight Triple beam balance [pic] INTRODUCTION The torque τ exerted by a force F on a rigid object able to rotate about an axis is given as τ = F d where d is the lever or moment arm of F about axis. It is equal to the perpendicular distance from axis to F. Torque is a vector quantity that is perpendicular to the plane made by F and d. For rigid bodies in equilibrium, they should not have neither linear nor angular acceleration. This means that two conditions must be satisfied simultaneously; the total force acting on the object is zero and the total torque should also be zero. Hence ...
Words: 800 - Pages: 4
...the total war where all of a country’s resources should be utilized in waging war since the enemy would surely do the same. Following WWII Americans were used to the idea of large armies, clear objectives, and decisive victories; however these ideas would be reconsidered in the years following WWII leading up to the Korean War. During the Korean War the idea of total war became less popular and ideas which were more in line with Sun Tzu’s idea of a limited war became the policy of the Truman administration. There are many possible reasons why Truman chose to conduct a limited war in Korea. One possible reason for Truman’s policy might have been “China’s entry into the Korean War in November put an abrupt end to any immediate hopes of trying to separate Moscow and Peking.” (Strategies of Containment, P-116) In 1950 American forces were not prepared to engage in a total war with China and the Soviet Union and Truman and MacArthur both realized these deficiencies within the U.S. military. The scope of my argument in this essay will not be about what type of war, limited or total, is best because there are certain instances where a limited war is desired and there are times when total war is required. I will however address the period between December 1950 and March 1951 where I feel that Truman’s choice to wage a limited war was better than MacArthur’s belief that the U.S. either engage in a total war with the communists or withdraw from Korea and prepare for total war...
Words: 2112 - Pages: 9
...Overhang Mike Paterson † ∗ ‡ Uri Zwick arXiv:0710.2357v1 [math.HO] 12 Oct 2007 Figure 1: A harmonic stack with 10 blocks. 1 Introduction How far off the edge of the table can we reach by stacking n identical, homogeneous, frictionless 1 blocks of length 1? A classical solution achieves an overhang asymptotic to 2 ln n. This solution is widely believed to be optimal. We show, however, that it is exponentially far from optimality by constructing simple n-block stacks that achieve an overhang of cn1/3 , for some constant c > 0. The problem of stacking a set of objects, such as bricks, books, or cards, on a tabletop to maximize the overhang is an attractive problem with a long history. J. G. Coffin [2] posed the problem in the “Problems and Solutions” section of this Monthly, but no solution was given there. The problem recurred from time to time over subsequent years, e.g., [18, 19], [12], [4]. Either deliberately or inadvertently, these authors all seem to have introduced the further restriction that there can be at most one object resting on top of another. Under this restriction, the harmonic stacks, described below, are easily seen to be optimal. ∗ A preliminary version of this paper [14] appeared in the Proceedings of the 17th Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA’06), pages 231–240. This full version is to appear in the American Mathematical Monthly. † DIMAP and Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK...
Words: 11162 - Pages: 45
...SUBJECT: Regionally Aligned Brigades/Forces 1. Purpose: To provide information on Regionally Aligned Brigades/Forces 2. Facts: a. Brigades, divisions and corps are assigned to combatant commanders from different regions of the world -- U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Southern Command. Those forces, including active and reserve components, could be U.S.-based with some forces deployed to the region to which they're assigned. The level of forces in the region could be an entire brigade, as was the case during an AFRICOM exercise in South Africa this year, and during a corps-level exercise this year in Australia. Or, it could be as small as a two-Soldier advise-and-assist mission. Units assigned to a region could also be deployed outside their area, should the need arise. Units are not permanently assigned to regions. They rotate in and out of the various regions. While component commanders can get pretty much the tailorable and scalable force they need, when they need it, they should try to anticipate those needs in as far in advance to mitigate risk and delays and help the Army better apportion those assets, Huggins said. The primary goal of RAF is to prevent war by partnering with nations within the region, according to Allyn. Partnering can be military-to-military training, providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, and sharing intelligence and interoperability...
Words: 1132 - Pages: 5
...The nature of war varied greatly during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Clausewitz’s defines war as “…an act or force to compel our enemy to do our will.” He also describes total war as consisting of one decisive blow using all resources and means to reach the military and political objective. Limited war is largely defined as a war fought with limited means for limited objectives. Economic and social challenges were the most crucial factors in determining if countries waged limited versus total wars during this period. Eighteenth century Prussian armies struggled to resource armies capable of fighting prolonged military engagements. Economic limitations during the eighteenth century greatly restricted Prussia’s ability to provide...
Words: 1380 - Pages: 6
...Force Management in the British Army As leaders in the United States Army, it is important to understand the capabilities and limitations of our strongest allies. As stated in the Quadrennial Defense Review, “Central to the security of the United States is a strong transatlantic partnership, which is underpinned by the bilateral relationships between the United States and the governments of Europe” (QDR, 2010). As the United States military undergoes sequestration, we will become increasingly more reliant on the support of our strongest allies to deter our enemies and, if necessary, project the international will to our collective enemies. In order to fully understand their system, it is important to understand their current force structure and the radical changes they are making under Army 2020, their current manpower reduction plans, their equipment capability development and material development systems, and the documentation methods. British Military as our Strongest Ally Over the last decade, the British has been our strongest ally in Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently, the United Kingdom is one of only three countries with a brigade deployed to Afghanistan (US, UK, and Germany) (NATO, 2013). They currently have 7900 personnel deployed to Afghanistan which is more than 9% of the coalition total. As Force Managers, it is important for us to have an understanding of the force structure, personnel, and equipping plans of our strongest ally in order to have an appreciation...
Words: 2777 - Pages: 12
...CRASHWORTHINESS OF FORD F250® TRUCK “ROLL OVER –INVERTED VEHICLE DROP TEST (SAE J996)” by Pritesh K Shah B.E. Mechanical Engineering, January 2003, Pune University, INDIA A Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF ENGINEERING in DESIGN & MANUFACTURING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2011 [pic] ME-11-0082 CRASHWORTHINESS OF FORD F250® TRUCK “ROLL OVER –INVERTED VEHICLE DROP TEST (SAE J996)” by Pritesh K Shah B.E. Mechanical Engineering, January 2003, Pune University, India A Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of MASTER OF ENGINEERING in DESIGN & MANUFACTURING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2011 Approved By: ___________________________ (Advisor) ___________________________ ABSTRACT A finite element analysis of roof strength for Ford F250®® truck as per SAE J996 standard is performed using LS-DYNA®. A detailed finite element model was taken from NCAC (National Crash Analysis Centre) at George Washington University Virginia. NCAC is one of the prominent leaders in vehicle safety research. Efforts were taken to subject the F250 FEM (finite element model) for roll over impact study with the procedure suggested by...
Words: 3980 - Pages: 16
...Study of Adaption Battle Randle, Eric J SSG SLC 25B40 Class 005-18 Abstract During Operation Anaconda MG Hagenbeck the Coalition Joint Task Force (CJTF) was able to interact with different military branches to accomplish the mission at hand. The CJTF was giving very little intelligence and information about Shahikot Valley in Afghanistan. They were giving less equipment and personnel that was not properly trained on the mission at hand. This was the first time that different DOD branches and local Afghan Troops were combined into one Coalition Joint Task Forces (CJTF). During Operation Anaconda many objectives were not met due to their inexperience and the lack of training with other Department of Defense (DOD) branches and Afghan Troops. The Coalition forces were able to adapt to the mission to accomplish the objective and learn from the overall mission failures and success. This lead to Coalition Forces to be able to be better prepared and organized for...
Words: 1268 - Pages: 6
...when subjected to uniformly distributed vertical loads, explain the roles of the total depth in resisting the bending moments, shear force and in controlling the deflection, state the variation of design shear strength of concrete in slabs of different depths with identical percentage of steel reinforcement, assume the depth of slab required for the control of deflection for different support conditions, determine the positive and negative bending moments and shear force, determine the amount of reinforcing bars along the longer span, state the maximum diameter of a bar that can be used in a particular slab of given depth, decide the maximum spacing of reinforcing bars along two directions of one-way slab, design one-way slab applying the design principles and following the stipulated guidelines of IS 456, draw the detailing of reinforcing bars of one-way slabs after the design. Version 2 CE IIT, Kharagpur 8.18.1 Introduction Version 2 CE IIT, Kharagpur Slabs, used in floors and roofs of buildings mostly integrated with the supporting beams, carry the distributed loads primarily by bending. It has been mentioned in sec. 5.10.1 of Lesson 10 that a part of the integrated slab is considered as flange of T- or L-beams because of monolithic construction. However, the remaining part of the slab needs design considerations. These slabs are either single span or continuous having different support conditions like fixed, hinged or free along the edges (Figs.8.18.1a,b and c)....
Words: 6339 - Pages: 26
...Mr. Bob Pohl The Changing Environment of the Brewing Industry Consumer preferences are changing in the brewing industry. In 1978 total beer sales are as follows: premiums 48%, popular 30%, lights 10%, super premiums 5%, malts and ales 4% and imports 3%. The distribution channels for beer are also changing. 1978 retail sales are food stores 60%, on-premise sales 25%, other retail establishments 9% and liquor stores 8%. The demographics of beer drinkers are also changing with increased sales to women and white-collar workers. The sale of beer in kegs is declining. The top six brewers sell 10% of their beer in kegs. Large brewers that spread fixed costs over higher production dominate the brewing industry. The industry is moving toward vertical integration with brewers growing their own grains and producing their own cans. The break-even point for capacity utilization for breweries is 80%. Hudepohl’s Current Market Situation Hudepohl Brewing has been operating at 40% of its one-million barrel capacity since 1978 and net income had decreased by 35% from the previous year. Hudepohl’s current brewing costs are competitive with the national average. The majority of Hudepohl’s sales were in the city of Cincinnati (55%) and the metropolitan area (80%). Hudepohl markets five brands of beer. Tap, Hudepohl and Burger are popular priced beers and accounted for 80% of Hudepohl’s sales in Cincinnati. Hudy Delight, the Hudepohl’s recent entrant in the light...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
