Question: Do you think it was unethical that

> Everything else held constant, will an increase in the amount of inventory on hand increase or decrease the firm’s profitability?

> If a firm’s inventory turnover ratio increases, what will happen to the firm’s cash cycle?

> If a firm’s inventory turnover ratio increases, what will happen to the firm’s operating cycle?

> Would it be possible for a firm to have a negative cash cycle? How?

> Which of the following will result in an increase in net working capital?

> Would it be possible for a decision to deny credit to your customers be value maximizing? How?

> Is it possible for a firm to have negative net working capital? How?

> Go to the SEC’s Edgar site at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml and download the latest annual (“10-K”) report for the firm of your choice. Use the financial statements in the report to calculate the firm’s cash cycle.

> Your bank offers you a $140,000 line of credit with an interest rate of 2.30 percent per quarter. The loan agreement also requires that 7 percent of the unused portion of the credit line be deposited in a non-interest bearing account as a compensating ba

> Veggie Burgers, Inc., would like to maintain their cash account at a minimum level of $245,000, but expect the standard deviation in net daily cash flows to be $12,000, the effective annual rate on marketable securities to be 4.7 percent per year, and th

> Using the information in the table, compute the required return for each company using both CAPM and the constant growth model. Compare and discuss the results. Assume that the market portfolio will earn 11 percent and the risk-free rate is 4 percent.

> HotFoot Shoes would like to maintain their cash account at a minimum level of $25,000, but expect the standard deviation in net daily cash flows to be $4,000, the effective annual rate on marketable securities to be 6.5 percent per year, and the trading

> Watkins Resources faces a smooth annual demand for cash of $1,500,000, incurs transaction costs of $75 every time they sell marketable securities, and can earn 3.7 percent on their marketable securities. What will be their optimal cash replenishment leve

> Rose Axels faces a smooth annual demand for cash of $5,000,000, incurs transaction costs of $275 every time they sell marketable securities, and can earn 4.3 percent on their marketable securities. What will be their optimal cash replenishment level?

> Suppose that LilyMac Photography has annual sales of $230,000, cost of goods sold of $165,000, average inventories of $4,500, and average accounts receivable of $25,000. Assuming that all of LilyMac’s sales are on credit, what will be the firm’s operatin

> Suppose that Dunn Industries has annual sales of $2,300,000, cost of goods sold of $1,650,000, average inventories of $1,116,000, and average accounts receivable of $750,000. Assuming that all of Dunn’s sales are on credit, what will be the firm’s operat

> Veggie Burgers, Inc., would like to maintain their cash account at a minimum level of $245,000, but expect the standard deviation in net daily cash flows to be $12,000, the effective annual rate on marketable securities to be 3.7 percent per year, and th

> Suppose your firm is seeking a four-year, amortizing $200,000 loan with annual payments and your bank is offering you the choice between a $205,000 loan with a $5,000 compensating balance and a $200,000 loan without a compensating balance. If the interes

> Suppose your firm is seeking an eight-year, amortizing $800,000 loan with annual payments and your bank is offering you the choice between an $850,000 loan with a $50,000 compensating balance and an $800,000 loan without a compensating balance. If the in

> Suppose that the Ken-Z Art Gallery has annual sales of $870,000, cost of goods sold of $560,000, average inventories of $244,500, average accounts receivable of $265,000, and an average accounts payable balance of $79,000. Assuming that all of Ken-Z’s sa

> Suppose that LilyMac Photography has annual sales of $230,000, cost of goods sold of $165,000, average inventories of $4,500, average accounts receivable of $25,000, and an average accounts payable balance of $7,000. Assuming that all of LilyMac’s sales

> Using the information in the table, compute the required return for each company using both CAPM and the constant growth model. Compare and discuss the results. Assume that the market portfolio will earn 12 percent and the risk-free rate is 3.5 percent.

> Why might a firm announce a reverse stock split?

> Why is it that an organization’s values and norms can become too strong and lead to unethical behavior?

> What steps can a company take to prevent this problem—to stop its values and norms from becoming so inwardly focused that managers and employees lose sight of their responsibility to their stakeholders?

> What are the main determinants of business ethics?

> As an employee of a company, what are some of the most unethical business practices that you have encountered in its dealing with stakeholders?

> Why should managers use ethical criteria to guide their decision making?

> Why do the claims and interests of stakeholders sometimes conflict?

> If you could give your manager one piece of advice or change one management practice in the organization, what would it be?

> Why are workers who test positive for HIV sometimes discriminated against?

> Choose a Fortune 500 company not mentioned in the chapter. Conduct research to determine what steps this organization has taken to effectively manage diversity and eliminate sexual harassment.

> Why do you think there is a lack of diversity in the biotech industry?

> What are some steps that decision makers and managers in the health sciences can take to increase diversity?

> In what ways might stereotypes and biases contribute to a lack of diversity in the biotech industry?

> What is the relationship between ethics and the law?

> What could you or the person who was treated unfairly have done to improve matters and rectify the injustice on the spot?

> Was the decision maker aware that he or she was acting unfairly?

> In what ways, if any, were biases, stereotypes, or overt discrimination involved in this situation?

> Why do you think that the decision maker acted unfairly in this situation?

> Was any sexual harassment involved in this situation? If so, what kind was it?

> How attuned are the mangers in the organization to the need to increase efficiency, quality, innovation, or responsiveness to customers? How well do you think the organization performs its prime goals of providing the goods or services that customers wan

> If you had authority over the decision maker (that is, if you were his or her manager or supervisor), what steps would you take to ensure that the decision maker stops treating people unfairly?

> Why can you chew gum on the street but not in a church?

> What makes chewing gum acceptable in the United States and unacceptable in Singapore?

> How can you use ethical principles to decide when gum chewing is ethical or unethical and if and when it should be made illegal?

> Find an example of (a) a company that has an obstructionist approach to social responsibility and (b) one that has an accommodative approach.

> Select a company on the list and go to that company’s web page. How would you describe the company’s organizational ethics?

> What do you believe are the occupational ethics of the people who work at the company?

> Suppose you were the marketing director at a pharmaceutical company that had just received promising results about a new drug still in the development stage. What ethical responsibilities do you have to keep the information confidential?

> How have social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook changed the discussion about confidentiality and social responsibility? Explain.

> You sign a contract to manage a young rock band, and that group agrees to let you produce their next seven records, for which they will receive royalties of 5%. Their first record is a smash hit and sells millions. Do you increase their royalty rate on f

> You’re the manager of sales in an expensive sports car dealership. A young executive who has just received a promotion comes in and wants to buy a car that you know is out of her price range. Do you encourage the executive to buy it so you can receive a

> Describe the way the organization treats its human resources. How does this treatment affect the attitudes and behaviors of the workforce?

> You are planning to leave your job to go work for a competitor. Your boss invites you to an important meeting where you will learn about new products your company will be bringing out next year. Do you go to the meeting?

> If your preferred option involves a layoff, justify why. If it doesn’t involve a layoff, explain why.

> Describe how you will communicate your decision to employees.

> Develop a list of options and potential courses of action to address the heightened competition and decline in profitability that your company has been experiencing.

> Because of measurement error and validity problems, some relatively trustworthy people may “fail” an honesty test given by an employer. What are the ethical implications of trustworthy people “failing” honesty tests, and what obligations do you think emp

> Either individually or in a group, think about the ethical implications of using personality and interest inventories to screen potential employees. How might this practice be unfair to potential applicants? How might organizational members who are in ch

> Why might managers be disadvantaged by low levels of emotional intelligence?

> Can managers be too satisfied with their jobs? Can they be too committed to their organizations? Why or why not?

> Discuss why managers who have different types of personalities can be equally effective and successful.

> Go to an upscale clothing store in your neighborhood, and go to a clothing store that is definitely not upscale. Observe the behavior of employees in each store as well as the store’s environment. In what ways are the organizational cultures in each stor

> Think of the organization and its resources. Do its managers utilize organizational resources effectively? Which resources contribute most to the organization’s performance?

> Interview a manager in a local organization. Ask the manger to describe situations in which he or she is especially likely to act in accordance with his or her values. Ask the manager to describe situations in which he or she is less likely to act in acc

> Do you think he is high or low on emotional intelligence? Why do you think this?

> Do you think Buffett is high or low on emotional intelligence? Why do you think this?

> Warren Buffett is known for his “hands off” management style when it comes to managing his own management team. Do you think this strategy has helped him become so successful? Explain your reasoning.

> What values are emphasized in this culture?

> In what ways is the organizational culture communicated to organizational members?

> Who seems to have played an important role in creating the culture?

> What norms do members of this organization follow?

> Search the web for changes occurring in the meatpacking business.

> Also use the theories to discuss the ethical issues involved in the way the meat-packing business is being conducted today.

> How did your supervisor’s approach to management affect your attitudes and behavior? For example, how well did you perform as a subordinate and how motivated were you?

> Use the theories discussed in the chapter to debate the ethical issues involved in the way the Westland/ Hallmark Meat Co. business operated.

> Why are mechanistic and organic structures suited to different organizational environments?

> What is contingency theory? What kinds of organizations familiar to you have been successful or unsuccessful in dealing with contingencies from the external environment?

> How are companies using management science theory to improve their processes? Is this theory equally applicable for manufacturing and service companies? If so, how?

> Which of Weber’s and Fayol’s principles seem most relevant to the creation of an ethical organization?

> In what ways are Weber’s and Fayol’s ideas about bureaucracy and administration similar? How do they differ?

> Apply Taylor’s principles of scientific management to improve the performance of the organization you chose in topic 1.

> Choose a fast-food restaurant, a department store, or some other organization with which you are familiar, and describe the division of labor and job specialization it uses to produce goods and services. How might this division of labor be improved?

> What steps might you take to motivate consultants to learn to use the new technology?

> What problems do you think you may encounter in convincing consultants to use the new IT?

> When is it ethical for employees to give information about a company’s unethical or illegal practices to a third party, such as a newspaper or government agency?

> Ethically speaking, how far should a company go to protect its proprietary information, given that it also needs to protect the privacy of its employees? What steps can it take?

> Why is face-to-face communication between managers still important in an organization?

> How can IT help in the new product development process?

> Many companies have reported that it is difficult to implement advanced management information systems such as ERP systems. Why do you think that this is so? How might the roadblocks to implementation be removed?

> Visit at least two organizations in your community, and identify those that seem to operate with a Theory X or a Theory Y approach to management.

> Because of the growth of high-powered, low-cost wireless communications and IT such as videoconferencing, many managers soon may not need to come into the office to do their jobs. They will be able to work at home. What are the pros and cons of such an a

> What is the relationship between IT and competitive advantage?

> To be useful, information must be of high quality, be timely, be relevant, and be as complete as possible. Why does a tall management hierarchy, when used as a management information system, have negative effects on these desirable attributes?

> Ask a manager to describe the main kinds of IT that he or she uses on a routine basis at work.

> What are the advantages and disadvantages of business-to-business networks?

> Compare the pros and cons of using a network structure to perform organizational activities versus performing all activities in house or within one organizational hierarchy.

> How do the products overlap? In other words, might some products make others reach the decline stage of development?

> Where do you believe each product is in its life cycle?