Question: How many books will a publisher have

> The company you co-founded last year is growing rapidly and has strong prospects for an IPO in the next year or two. The additional capital that an IPO could raise would let you hire the brightest people in the industry and continue to innovate with new

> Budget projections always involve a degree of judgment because managers can never predict the future with total accuracy. For instance, one manager with an optimistic view and another manager with a pessimistic view could look at the same set of facts an

> Why do lenders often refuse to finance 100 percent of the cost of a purchase, requiring borrowers to make a down payment that covers a portion (typically from 10 to 25 percent) of the purchase price? After all, a lender could potentially earn more by fin

> Why would a company chose to factor its receivables, given that it will get less money than the receivables are worth?

> Why is careful management of accounts receivable and accounts payable so essential to ensuring positive cash flow?

> Why were efforts made to converge the GAAP and IFRS standards?

> What is the value of an income statement?

> What are the three main profitability ratios, and how is each calculated?

> How could you apply the concept of a balance sheet to your personal financial planning?

> What is the matching principle?

> What is an audit, and why are audits performed?

> What is GAAP?

> Concept Integration. Your appliance manufacturing company recently implemented a just-in-time inventory system (see Chapter 9) for all parts used in the manufacturing process. How might you expect this move to affect the company’s inventory turnover rate

> If you were asked to lend money to your cousin’s clothing store to help her through a slow sales period, would you be more interested in looking at the current ratio or the quick ratio as a measure of liquidity? Why?

> Visit the websites of Google and Microsoft and retrieve their annual reports. Using these financial reports, compute the working capital, current ratio, and quick ratio for each company. Does one company appear to be more liquid than the other? Why?

> The senior partner of an accounting firm is looking for ways to increase the firm’s business. What other services besides traditional accounting can the firm offer to its clients? What new challenges might this additional work create?

> Ethical Considerations. In the process of closing the company books, you encounter a problematic transaction. One of the company’s customers was charged twice for the same project materials, resulting in a $1,000 overcharge. You immediately notify the c

> Why would a bank lending officer be interested in the cash flow statement of a company that is applying for a loan?

> Why are the costs of fixed assets depreciated?

> Should public companies be allowed to publish any non-GAAP performance metrics? Why or why not?

> Why is it important for sales professionals to qualify prospects?

> What are some common types of consumer promotion?

> What is an advertising appeal?

> What are the advantages of personal selling over other forms of customer communication?

> What is the difference between using a push strategy and using a pull strategy to promote products?

> What are two key ways in which the social communication model differs from conventional promotional communication?

> Should companies involve their marketing channels in the design of their customer communications programs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?

> Would it be a good idea to “repurpose” conventional press releases as posts on your company blog? Why or why not?

> If you were a real estate agent, how would you determine whether it’s worth investing a significant amount of time in a particular prospect?

> Do marketers have any control over social media? Why or why not?

> What is likely to happen to a company’s promotional efforts if it fails to define the core message for a new product before launching it?

> Why do some companies avoid email marketing, particularly to noncustomers?

> What are the potential disadvantages of using celebrity appeals in advertising?

> How do marketing systems help avert channel conflict?

> How does a specialty store differ from a category killer and a discount store?

> What are some of the main causes of channel conflict?

> What forms of utility do intermediaries create?

> What are the two main types of intermediaries, and how do they differ from one another?

> What is a distribution channel?

> Which of the four basic functions of management discussed in Chapter 7 would be involved in decisions that establish or change a company’s channels of distribution? Explain your answer.

> Chapter discussed the fact that supply chain management integrates all the activities involved in the production of goods and services from suppliers to customers. What are the benefits of involving wholesalers and retailers in the design, manufacturing,

> How is the AIDA model incompatible with a social, conversational approach to customer communication?

> Imagine that you own a small specialty store selling handcrafted clothing and jewelry. What are some of the non-store retail options you might explore to increase sales? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?

> Manufacturers that have been selling to wholesalers and other intermediaries occasionally decide to start selling directly to end customers, which of course puts them in competition with the channel partners that have been selling for them. Even if this

> How could strategic planning help a discount retailer avoid the pitfalls of the wheel of retailing?

> How might a once-valued intermediary find itself threatened with disintermediation?

> Would it be wise for a brick-and-mortar retailer that wants to stop showrooming to use wireless-jamming technologies to prevent people from using smartphones inside their stores. Why or why not?

> How does branding help consumers?

> How does cost-based pricing differ from value-based pricing?

> What are the functions of packaging?

> What is test marketing?

> What are the potential consequences of inaccurately forecasting the demand for a particular product?

> What are the four stages of the product life cycle?

> Review the discussion of cultural differences in international business. Which cultural differences do you think Disney had to consider when planning its product strategies for Disneyland Paris? Originally the company offered a standardized product but w

> Concept Integration. Review the theory of supply and demand. How do skimming and penetration pricing strategies influence a product’s supply and demand?

> In what ways might Mattel modify its pricing strategies during the life cycle of a toy product?

> Ethical Considerations. If your college neighborhood is typical, many companies in the area adorn themselves in your school colors and otherwise seek to identify their names with your school name and thereby encourage business from students. Some of the

> Why is it important to review the objectives of a strategic marketing plan before setting a product’s price?

> Given the weaknesses of cost-based pricing, why would any company use this method?

> Why are some well-established brands worth millions or even billions of dollars?

> Why would customers knowingly buy counterfeit luxury brands?

> What are the four basic components of the marketing mix?

> Other than image, what factors might prompt manufacturers of high-end technical or luxury products to decide not to sell their products through Costco?

> What external environmental factors affect strategic marketing decisions?

> What is strategic marketing planning, and what is its purpose?

> How does the organizational market differ from the consumer market?

> Why are companies pushing for more accountability from the marketing function?

> Concept Integration. How might the key economic indicators discussed in Chapter 2, including consumer price index, inflation, and unemployment affect a company’s marketing decisions?

> If you were launching a new manufacturing company, would you draft your marketing plan or design your production processes first? Why?

> How might a retailer use relationship marketing to improve customer loyalty?

> Ethical Considerations. Is it ethical to observe shoppers for the purposes of marketing research without their knowledge and permission?

> Why do companies segment markets?

> Why does a company need to consider its current marketing situation, including competitive trends, when setting objectives for market share?

> What sort of customers should a company target for the introductory phase of a product’s life cycle?

> Should companies open themselves up to criticism by being active on social media?

> How does the long history of labor-management relations affect labor relations in today’s economy?

> How does mediation differ from arbitration?

> What is a collective bargaining agreement?

> What is a right-to-work law?

> How did the Wagner Act affect the balance of power between unions and employers?

> From an employee’s perspective, what are the potential benefits of unionization?

> Concept Integration. Which motivation theory or theories discussed in Chapter 10 help explain the sometimes contentious nature of labor relations?

> A co-worker is arguing that the President should not have the authority to issue an injunction to stop a strike because doing so violates the legal rights of workers. How would you respond?

> What advice would you give the founders of a new company who want to avoid unionization efforts among their workforce as the company grows?

> Is there still any need for traditional marketing techniques in a world of social commerce? Why or why not?

> You work as an organizer for a union that is trying to persuade workers in the banking industry to unionize. You’ve collected authorization cards from 52 percent of the workers at a particular company. Should you file a petition with the NLRB for a secre

> Why have alt-labor groups caught on in the past few years, when the union model is already in place as a way to advocate for workers?

> What are some of the explanations for the decline in labor union membership in the past 50 years?

> How does the relationship between labor and management reflect the potential for conflict in the stakeholder model?

> How do incentive programs encourage employees to be more productive, innovative, and committed to their work?

> What is the glass ceiling?

> How do defined benefit plans differ from defined contribution plans?

> What is the purpose of conducting a job analysis? What are some of the techniques used for gathering information?

> What are some strategic staffing alternatives that organizations use to avoid overstaffing and understaffing?

> What do human resources managers do?

> If you have a product that appeals to the majority of consumers in a given market, would there be any value in segmenting the market before launching the product? Why or why not?

> Explain the purpose of the six major functional areas in a business enterprise. (1) Do companies that deliver services rather than creating tangible goods ever need to engage in research and development? Why or why not? (2) Why is good customer support e

> Concept Integration. Of the five levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is satisfied by offering salary? By offering health-care benefits? By offering training opportunities? By developing flexible job descriptions?

> What steps could you take as the owner of a small software company to foster “temporary loyalty” from the independent programmers you frequently hire for short durations (one to six months)?

> Assume you are the manager of human resources at a manufacturing company that employs about 500 people. A recent cyclical downturn in your industry has led to financial losses, and top management is talking about laying off workers. Several supervisors h