Author: chris

Assignment 1: LASA # 2—Capital Budgeting Techniques

As a financial consultant, you have contracted with Wheel Industries to evaluate their procedures involving the evaluation of long term investment opportunities.  You have agreed to provide a detailed report illustrating the use of several techniques for evaluating capital projects including the weighted average cost of capital to the firm, the anticipated cash flows for the projects, and the methods used for project selection.  In addition, you have been asked to evaluate two projects, incorporating risk into the calculations.

You have also agreed to provide an 8-10 page report, in good form, with detailed explanation of your methodology, findings, and recommendations.

Company Information

Wheel Industries is considering a three-year expansion project, Project A.  The project requires an initial investment of $1.5 million. The project will use the straight-line depreciation method. The project has no salvage value. It is estimated that the project will generate additional revenues of $1.2 million per year before tax and has additional annual costs of $600,000.  The Marginal Tax rate is 35%.

Required:

1. Wheel has just paid a dividend of $2.50 per share. The dividends are expected to grow at a constant rate of six percent per year forever. If the stock is currently selling for $50 per share with a 10% flotation cost, what is the cost of new equity for the firm? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of financing for the firm?
2. The firm is considering using debt in its capital structure. If the market rate of 5% is appropriate for debt of this kind, what is the after tax cost of debt for the company? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of financing for the firm?
3. The firm has decided on a capital structure consisting of 30% debt and 70% new common stock. Calculate the WACC and explain how it is used in the capital budgeting process.
4. Calculate the after tax cash flows for the project for each year. Explain the methods used in your calculations.
5. If the discount rate were 6 percent calculate the NPV of the project. Is this an economically acceptable project to undertake? Why or why not?
6. Now calculate the IRR for the project. Is this an acceptable project? Why or why not? Is there a conflict between your answer to part C? Explain why or why not?

 

Wheel has two other possible investment opportunities, which are mutually exclusive, and independent of Investment A above.  Both investments will cost $120,000 and have a life of 6 years. The after tax cash flows are expected to be the same over the six year life for both projects, and the probabilities for each year’s after tax cash flow is given in the table below.

Investment B			Investment C
Probability	After Tax Cash Flow		Probability	After Tax Cash Flow
0.25	$20,000		0.30	$22,000
0.50	32,000		0.50	40,000
0.25	40,000		0.20	50,000

 

7. What is the expected value of each project’s annual after tax cash flow? Justify your answers and identify any conflicts between the IRR and the NPV and explain why these conflicts may occur.
8. Assuming that the appropriate discount rate for projects of this risk level is 8%, what is the risk-adjusted NPV for each project? Which project, if either, should be selected? Justify your conclusions

ccess the Victims’ compensation websites in your state and the National Center for Victims of Crime website (http://www.ncvc.org).

View the following in Criminology in the 21st Century:

• Criminology Interviews: Director and Chief of Victimization Stats
• Terrorism: A Study in Public Safety

View the following Films on Demand videos:

• Targeting Terrorism
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveillance
• What is Biometrics?

Research the following:

• U.S. Patriot Act
• The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003
• Homeland Security Act of 2002

Write a 2,100–word paper addressing the following:

• Future directions of crime fighting and it’s role in social policy implication
• The potential for specific crime-fighting methodologies, such as using biometrics, implementing cybercrime spyware, or mandating DNA collection programs
• Evolving law enforcement and forensic technologies used to detect criminal activities
• Possible civil liberty or ethical violations as they relate to the evolving technologies you included in the paper

Discuss how the evolution of crime fighting may affect social policy from national and international perspectives.

Consider how the evolving technologies relate to national and international policymaking.

Include at least two academic references.

Will provide detials after hand shake

You are the lead software engineer at a large educational institution consisting of twenty three (23) campuses located across the Midwestern United States. Your team has been asked to spearhead an effort to implement a new software program that will serve as a centralized student information center for all of your online students. This system is being designed to reduce the cost of managing students’ information and to automate the processes associated with this information. The total online enrollment currently stands at 10,000 students. As the project manager you will need to decide whether to utilize the Scrum approach to project management or a more conventional, plan-based approach.

 

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Describe your approach in managing this project through both a Scrum-based approach and a plan-based software engineering approach.
2. Identify how to address the most challenging aspects of this software development project under both approaches and describe how to address such challenges to ensure a successful outcome.
3. Develop a visual rendering of each approach using Microsoft Visio or its open source alternative, Dia. Note:The graphically depicted solution is not included in the required page length.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of a Scrum approach compared to a plan-based approach based on the following factors:
5. Planning the allocation of people to projects
6. Estimating the cost of projects
7. Maintaining team cohesion
8. Managing changes in project team membership

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. Must properly cite references to include in text citations.
• Include charts or diagrams created in Visio or an equivalent such as Dia. The completed diagrams / charts must be imported into the Word document before the paper is submitted.

You are the lead software engineer at a large educational institution consisting of twenty three (23) campuses located across the Midwestern United States. Your team has been asked to spearhead an effort to implement a new software program that will serve as a centralized student information center for all of your online students. This system is being designed to reduce the cost of managing students’ information and to automate the processes associated with this information. The total online enrollment currently stands at 10,000 students. As the project manager you will need to decide whether to utilize the Scrum approach to project management or a more conventional, plan-based approach.

 

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Describe your approach in managing this project through both a Scrum-based approach and a plan-based software engineering approach.
2. Identify how to address the most challenging aspects of this software development project under both approaches and describe how to address such challenges to ensure a successful outcome.
3. Develop a visual rendering of each approach using Microsoft Visio or its open source alternative, Dia. Note:The graphically depicted solution is not included in the required page length.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of a Scrum approach compared to a plan-based approach based on the following factors:
5. Planning the allocation of people to projects
6. Estimating the cost of projects
7. Maintaining team cohesion
8. Managing changes in project team membership

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. Must properly cite references to include in text citations.
• Include charts or diagrams created in Visio or an equivalent such as Dia. The completed diagrams / charts must be imported into the Word document before the paper is submitted.

 

Read Case 10.1 in Managing Human Resources. After reading the case, please complete the following items:

 

• Write a summary of the case,
• Answer the critical thinking questions, and
• Elaborate on two key learnings from the case related to trends in employee benefits, legal implications, and cost-containment strategies. Be sure to clearly state the two key learnings and defend them in well-organized, scholarly responses.

 

A key learning is defined as significant knowledge gained from reading the case. You may choose to explain your key learnings by offering a real-world application, personal insight, your thoughts and opinions about what was stated, how it is handled at your company, etc.

 

Please arrange your summary, questions, and key learnings in a well-organized, scholarly response of 2-3 pages. Support your observations and opinions with citations from 2-3 credible sources documented according to the APA REQUIREMENTS.

You were recently asked to attend a meeting to discuss the hiring process in your workplace. The human resources director attended and made the following statement: “We obviously want intelligent people, but we also want them to have emotional intelligence.”

What did the HR director mean by that? To learn more about emotional intelligence, explore the sites listed below. Please take one of the emotional intelligence (EI) tests. Reflect on your results, and explore ways that you might develop an enhanced emotional IQ.

The following sites has an informal self-administered survey that introduces the concept of EI in an interesting and personal way. There are also links at these sites to follow-up on emotional quotient (EQ) assessment and enhancement approaches.

• Click http://www.ihhp.com/free-eq-quiz/ for the self-administered survey site

After taking the test, write a paper of 2–3 pages that covers the following:

• Define and discuss emotional intelligence and its dimensions.
• Provide examples of emotional intelligence.
• Describe your experience in taking the test.
• Present your test results and reflect on them.
• Discuss why emotional intelligence is important.
• Discuss some ways that you can enhance your emotional intelligence.

Please use the following guidelines for formatting your assignment:

• Margins: Set to one inch
• Font: 12pt.-Times New Roman, no bold, no underline
• Title: Centered above the paper, 12 pt.-font (Level A Heading), no bold, no underline, no italics
• Pagination: Every page; consists of a header containing a short title for the paper and a page number placed in the upper right corner of the page
• Line Spacing: Double space all work, including the References page
• Point-of-View: Third person, objective; limit perspective to research; no personal opinion or narrative; first person is allowed in describing the test and results, as well as discussing personal ways to enhance EI
• In-text citations: Must conform to APA requirements
• References list: Must conform to APA requirements

The text identifies three principal components that jointly comprise the cash conversion cycle.  The cash conversion cycle is defined as the average length of time a dollar is tied up in current assets, and it is determined by the interaction between the production cycle(also called Days of Sales in Inventory), receivables collection period (also called Number of Days of Credit, Collection cycle, or Days of Sales Outstanding), and the accounts payable cycle (also called Days of Payable Outstanding).  Ideally, a company wants to minimize the cash conversion cycle as much as possible.  In some circumstances, a firm has a comparative advantage in working capital management because of the nature of its business.  We will look at the cash conversion cycles of companies and their implications.

In your initial response to the topic you have to answer all 6 questions.

You are expected to make your own contribution in a main topic as well as respond with value added comments to at least two of your classmates as well as to your instructor.

 

1. Go to http://finance.yahoo.com and get a quote for one company of your choice. On the left column, scroll down and select “Income Statement.”  Write down the annual sales, cost of goods sold, and depreciation expense for the most recent year. For some companies depreciation expense can be found in Cash Flow statement.
2. Select the firm’s Balance Sheet. Write down the balances shown for the firm’s inventories, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.
3. Using the information from parts a and b, calculate its inventory turnover, accounts receivable turnover, and accounts payable turnover. You should show your work!

4. Calculate production cycle (also called Days of Sales in Inventory), collection cycle (also called Number of Days of Credit or Days of Sales Outstanding), and accounts payable cycle (also called Days of Payable Outstanding). You should show your work!

5.  What is the company’s cash conversion cycle? You should show your work!Please note that there is a typo in the textbook. The correct formual isCCC = DSI + DSO – DPO

6. Discuss the results that you receive in one paragraph. Should the company decrease cash conversion cycle? Please explain your answer.
7. In your responses to other students compare the cash conversion cycles of your company with the cash conversion cycle in another student’s posting. What factors are responsible for these differences? Are these differences firm specific or are they consequences of the nature of the businesses in which these firms operate?Please explain your answers.

Analytic Study Design (n.d.). Retrieved on 10/1/13 from http://www.epidemiolog.net/evolving/AnalyticStudyDesigns.pdf

 

Optional Reading

 

Aschengrau A, Seage GR (2003). Chapter 6: Overview of Epidemiologic Study Designs. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health, Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Retrieved on 10/1/13 from http://publichealth.jbpub.com/aschengrau/Aschengrau06.pdf

 

Cosio G (2005). Epidemiological Overview of Tuberculosis [Presentation]. Retrieved on 10/1/13 from www.paho.org/cdmedia/dpccd01/Presentations/Day1/EPIDEMIOLOGICAL%20OVERVIEW%20OF%20TUBERCULOSIS%202.ppt

 

DS 2-3 pages Times new roman 12 pt

Be sure to provide in-text citation(s) and a reference list to support your viewpoints. Please use at least three (3) research sources (not Wikipedia, or fact sheets). Please do so in ALL subsequent submissions

 

Respond to the following question:

Describe the basic types of epidemiologic study designs that are used to test hypotheses, identify associations and establish causation.

Be sure you support essay with evidence from the literature

Select a program that you would like to develop in your community or city based on one of the six most prevalent serious health problems currently faced by communities today such as poverty, health security, and communicable diseases.

Based on your research, create a 2-page report in a Microsoft Word document including answers to the following questions:

• Identify your chosen problem and why it is a health community concern?
• Identify how you will assess the need for the program? What type of data will you review?
• How do you determine the target audience? List any one goal and three objectives. What do you want to achieve when you develop the program? What will be the outcome? What is the purpose of developing goal and objectives?
• How will you get people in the community involved to gain support for your proposal?
• What realistic method will be used to market the program in your community? Keep in mind the location, transportation, parking, and type of building.
• How will you implement the program? What type of “best practice” strategy will you include in your program?
• What type of feedback will you gather to analyze, if the program was successful? Why accurate feedback is critical to make certain, the program is a success? How will you collect objective data?

Provide at least two scholarly resources taken from the South University Online Library to support your efforts and topic.

Support your responses with examples.

Cite any sources in APA format.

Capacity management in businesses is a function of their operations and environment. In today’s business world, evaluating and managing capacities is becoming significantly more difficult. Therefore, managers need to do a balancing act to reduce costs and effectively utilize available capacities.

Using the online library resources and the Internet, research capacity management.

Then respond to the following:

• Which type of operation has a more difficult time managing capacities: an environment supporting standardized products or one supporting customized products? Why? State your reason(s) and provide examples.

After your initial post, discuss the following:

• Among other decisions an operations manager makes, the one pertaining to capacities is the most critical. Why is it considered a critical decision? Which area do you think is more challenging as it pertains to capacity planning? Make sure your answer addresses the productivity aspect as well as the uncertainty element.
• Briefly describe how uncertainty affects capacity decisions.
• Why is capacity planning for a service more challenging than it is for a goods producer?
• How do capacity decisions affect productivity?

Write your initial response in 200 to 300 words. Give examples in support of your responses, be sure to include numerical examples where required. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.