Question:

> Why is the direct order generally used in the shorter reports? When is the indirect order desirable for such reports?

> Why is the personal style typically used in the transmittal message?

> Explain the difference between the present-time viewpoint and the past-time viewpoint. Is it incorrect to have different tenses in the same report? Give examples to make your point.

> You are writing a report on the progress of your local cable company’s efforts to increase the sales of five of its products through different advertising media: print and online newspapers and magazines, television, radio, email, and social media. Plan

> Jim’s boss asked him to investigate why sales for the last quarter were low. Jim interviewed one of the sales managers about the problem, and she complained that the new people didn’t know how to sell. Jim then wrote a report in which he identified the n

> What are three ways that Microsoft Word’s Styles feature makes report writing more efficient?

> What are the basic ethical guidelines for conducting business research? Why are such guidelines important?

> What is scaling? What is the difference between rating and ranking?

> Explain the difference between closed-ended and open-ended survey questions.

> “Any fundraising or sales message that is longer than a page won’t be read.” Discuss this statement.

> What does it mean to use the you-viewpoint in persuasive requests and sales messages?

> Give examples of negative announcements that would be appropriately written in the direct order.

> Negative announcements usually need to include much more than the announcement. Explain.

> Discuss situations where the following email forms of an order acknowledgment would be preferred: form message and a special message.

> “If common business phrases apply to a situation, why not use them? Rubber stamps save time, and in business time is money. Plus, people are used to these expressions.”

> In what way, if any, could using the you-viewpoint when writing to someone you don’t like (for example, someone who has complained unreasonably about something) be justified?

> Why are brochures important business documents?

> Discuss this comment: “Using the you-viewpoint is ethically shady since the real purpose of business communication is to advance the writer or speaker’s goals. Your communication should be honest about that.”

> Describe and illustrate the three main transitional devices.

> Style experts advise against monotonous-sounding writing—that is, writing that has a droning, “blah-blah” effect when read aloud. What advice in this chapter might help you avoid this kind of style?

> What are the principal causes of lack of unity in sentences?

> “I have placed every visual near the place I write about it. The reader can see the visual without any additional help from me. It just doesn’t make sense to direct the reader’s attention to the visuals with words.” Evaluate this comment.

> What information goes in the header for page 2 and subsequent pages in memo and letter reports?

> What are three ways that the format for a business letter differs from the format for a business memo?

> Imagine that a customer has written to complain about the lack of attention that she received when visiting a paint store. The manager’s responding letter explains why the sales staff was so busy, offers to make a special appointment with the customer to

> You work for a mail-order business, and you’re writing to tell the customer that the item he wants is not only out of stock but also discontinued. How might you use the three ways of de-emphasizing negative news in your message?

> Because it was easier to do, a report writer prepared each of the visuals on a full page. Some of these visuals were extremely complex; some were very simple. Comment on this practice.

> How will technology continue to affect business writing?

> Give examples of data that are suited for presentation in three dimensions.

> Discuss the techniques that may be used to show quantitative differences between areas on a statistical map.

> For the past 20 years, Professor Clark Kupenheimer has required that his students include five visuals in the long, formal report he assigns. Evaluate this requirement.

> A report has five maps, four tables, one chart, one diagram, and one photograph. How would you number these visuals?

> “If there’s no definitive solution, then all ways of handling a business communication problem are equally good.” Using the discussion of business communication problem solving in this chapter, explain why this statement is false.

> What are the four basic principles of document design? Why is it important that you observe these principles when writing business documents?

> Describe ways in which the writing process might be recursive.

> Why do you think employers value transferable skills more highly now than in the past? What changes in business over the last 20 years or so might account for this change?

> Distinguish between the print résumé and the electronic résumé. When would each be most appropriate?

> The most popular arrangement of résumé information is the reverse chronological order with a three-part grouping: education, experience, and personal details. Describe two other arrangements. When would each be used?

> Explain why writing can be more difficult than other forms of communication.

> Discuss the value of each of the sources for finding jobs (a) before an internship, (b) right after graduation, and (c) after 20 years of work in a specialty.

> Maryann Brennan followed a broad program of study in college and received a degree in general management. She did her best work in English, especially in the writing courses. She also did well in history, managerial leadership, organizational behavior, a

> Do employers who offer unpaid internships take unfair advantage of students’ knowledge and skills? Under what circumstances might it be a good idea to take an unpaid internship? When might it not be a good idea?

> Identify some of the benefits one gains from continuing to read professional journals for job information after one is employed.

> Discuss some of the advantages that writing a thank-you note to the interviewer gives the writer.

> How should you end a cover message?

> What differences would you suggest in writing cover messages for jobs in (a) accounting, (b) banking, (c) advertising copy writing, (d) management, (e) sales, (f) consulting, and (g) information systems?

> “Building a network of contacts to find jobs seems selfish. It involves acquiring friendships just to use them for one’s personal benefit.” Discuss this view.

> What should you do upon approaching someone to start a conversation?

> Why is timing an important consideration in starting a conversation?

> 1. We are collecting money for a gift for our postman postal worker, who’ll be retiring this month. 2. A successful writer adapts his communication style to different audiences. 3. The committee consisted of a business person man, a banker, and a female

> What is the difference between an equilibrium model and a no-arbitrage model?

> Calculate the alternative duration measure explained in Section 31.2 for a 2-year bond with a principal of $100 paying coupons semiannually at the rate of $3 per year when Vasicek’s model is used with a =0:13, b = 0:012, = 0.01, and r =1%. Show that it

> Suppose that the market price of risk of the short rate is 1+2r (with 1 and 1 negative). Show that if the real-world process for the short rate is the one assumed by Vasicek, the risk-neutral process has the same functional form as the real-world pro

> Suppose that in a risk-neutral world the CIR parameters are a =0:1, b =0:03, and=0.07. The market price of interest rate risk is –1 times the square root of the short rate. What are the risk-neutral and real-world processes for (a) the short rate and

> Suppose that in a risk-neutral world the Vasicek parameters are a = 0:1, b = 0:03, and =0:01. What is the price of a 5-year zero-coupon bond with a principal of $1 when the short rate is2%?

> Explain the difference between a one-factor and a two-factor model.

> If a stock price were mean reverting or followed a path-dependent process, there would be market inefficiency. Why is there not a market inefficiency when the short-term interest rate does so?

> Suppose the short rate r is 4% and its real-world process is
,while the risk-neutral process is
(a) What is the market price of interest rate risk? (b) What is the expected return and volatility for a 5-year zero-coupon bond in the risk-neutral world?

> Suppose that the short rate is currently 4% and its standard deviation in a short period of time t is 0.01
.. What happens to this standard deviation when the short rate increases to 8% in (a) Vasicek’s model, (b) Rendleman and Bartter’s model, and (c

> A Canadian equity index is 400. The Canadian dollar is currently worth 0.70 U.S. dollars. The risk-free interest rates in Canada and the U.S. are constant at 6% and 4%, respectively. The dividend yield on the index is 3%. Define Q as the number of Canadi

> Estimate the interest rate paid by P&G on the 5/30 swap in Section 34.7 if (a) the CP rate is 6.5% and the Treasury yield curve is flat at 6% and (b) the CP rate is 7.5% and the Treasury yield curve is flat at 7% with semiannual compounding.

> A call option provides a payoff at time T of
yen, where
is the dollar price of gold at time T and K is the strike price. Assuming that the storage costs of gold are zero and defining other variables as necessary, calculate the value of the contract.

> The variable S is an investment asset providing income at rate q measured in currency A. It follows the process
in the real world. Defining new variables as necessary, give the process followed by S, and the corresponding market price of risk, in: (a) A

> The price of a bond at time T, measured in terms of its yield, is . Assume geometric Brownian motion for the forward bond yield y in a world that is defined by a numeraire equal to a bond maturing at time T. Suppose that the growth rate of the forward bo

> What difference does it make in Problem 30.4 if the swap rate is observed in 5 years, but the exchange of payments takes place in (a) 6 years, and (b) 7 years? Assume that the volatilities of all forward rates are 20%. Assume also that the forward swa

> The OIS zero curve is flat at 10% per annum with annual compounding. Calculate the value of an instrument where, in 5 years’ time, the 2-year swap rate (with annual compounding) is received and a fixed rate of 10% is paid. Both are applied to a notional

> Suppose that in Example 29.3 of Section 29.2 the payoff occurs after 1 year (i.e., when the interest rate is observed) rather than in 15 months. What difference does this make to the inputs to Black’s model? //

> Explain how you would value a derivative that pays off 100R in 5 years, where R is the 1-year interest rate (annually compounded) observed in 4 years. What difference would it make if the payoff were in (a) 4 years and (b) 6 years?

> What other instrument is the same as a 5-year zero-cost collar where the strike price of the cap equals the strike price of the floor? What does the common strike price equal?

> Calculate the value of a 4-year European call option on bond that will mature 5 years from today using Black’s model. The 5-year cash bond price is $105, the cash price of a 4-year bond with the same coupon is $102 and both bonds have a principal of $100

> A bank uses Black’s model to price European bond options. Suppose that an implied price volatility for a 5-year option on a bond maturing in 10 years is used to price a 9-year option on the bond. Would you expect the resultant price to be too high or too

> LIBOR zero rates are flat at 5% in the United States and flat at 10% in Australia (both annually compounded). In a 4-year diff swap Australian LIBOR is received and 9% is paid with both being applied to a USD principal of $10 million. Payments are exchan

> Explain carefully how you would use (a) spot volatilities and (b) flat volatilities to value a 5-year cap.

> Describe how you would (a) calculate cap flat volatilities from cap spot volatilities and (b) calculate cap spot volatilities from cap flat volatilities.

> Explain why a swap option can be regarded as a type of bond option.

> Suppose that risk-free zero rates and LIBOR forward rates are as in Problem 29.17. Use DerivaGem to determine the value of an option to pay a fixed rate of 6% and receive LIBOR on a 5-year swap starting in 1 year. Assume that the principal is $100 millio

> Show that
, where V1 is the value of a swaption to pay a fixed rate of
and receive LIBOR between times T1 and T2, f is the value of a forward swap to receive a fixed rate of
and pay LIBOR between times T1 and T2, and V2 is the value of a swaption to

> Suppose that all risk-free (OIS) zero rates are 6.5% (continuously compounded). The price of a 5-year semiannual cap with a principal of $100 and a cap rate of 8% (semiannually compounded) is $3. Use DerivaGem to determine: (a) The implied 5-year flat vo

> Carry out a manual calculation to verify the option prices in Example 29.2. Example 29.2 Consider a European put option on a 10-year bond with a principal of 100. The coupon is 8% per year payable semiannually. The life of the option is 2.25 years a

> What is the value of a European swap option that gives the holder the right to enter into a 3-year annual-pay swap in 4 years where a fixed rate of 5% is paid and LIBOR is received? The swap principal is $10 million. Assume that the LIBOR/swap yield curv

> Explain why there is an arbitrage opportunity if the implied Black (flat) volatility of a cap is different from that of a floor.

> Derive a put–call parity relationship for European swap options.

> Suppose that the spot price, 6-month futures price, and 12-month futures price for wheat are 250, 260, and 270 cents per bushel, respectively. Suppose that the price of wheat follows the process in equation (36.3) with a = 0:05 and
. Construct a two-tim

> Derive a put–call parity relationship for European bond options.

> ‘‘The expected future value of an interest rate in a risk-neutral world is greater than it is in the real world.’’ What does this statement imply about the market price of risk for (a) an interest rate and (b) a bond price. Do you think the statement

> Show that when f and g provide income at rates
and
, respectively, equation (28.15) becomes
Hint: Form new securities
and
that provide no income by assuming that all the income from f is reinvested in f and all the income in g is reinvested in g.)

> Prove that, when the security f provides income at rate q, equation (28.9) becomes
(Hint: Form a new security f that provides no income by assuming that all the income from f is reinvested in f.)

> Deduce the differential equation for a derivative dependent on the prices of two non-dividend-paying traded securities by forming a riskless portfolio consisting of the derivative and the two traded securities.

> An oil company is set up solely for the purpose of exploring for oil in a certain small area of Texas. Its value depends primarily on two stochastic variables: the price of oil and the quantity of proven oil reserves. Discuss whether the market price of

> In the example considered in Section 36.5: (a) What is the value of the abandonment option if it costs $3 million rather than zero? (b) What is the value of the expansion option if it costs $5 million rather than $2 million?

> How is the tree in Figure 35.2 modified if the 1- and 2-year futures prices are $21 and $22 instead of $22 and $23, respectively. How does this affect the value of the American option in Example 35.3. Figure 35.2 Tree for spot price of a commodity:

> An insurance company’s losses of a particular type are to a reasonable approximation normally distributed with a mean of $150 million and a standard deviation of $50 million. (Assume no difference between losses in a risk-neutral world and losses in the

> How would you calculate the initial value of the equity swap in Business Snapshot 34.3 if OIS discounting were used? Business Snapshot 34.3 Hypothetical Confirmation for an Equity Swap Trade date: 4-January, 2016 11-January, 2016 Following business

> A company uses the GARCH(1,1) model for updating volatility. The three parameters are
,
, and
. Describe the impact of making a small increase in each of the parameters while keeping the others fixed.

> Suppose that all 12-month LIBOR forward rates are 5% with annual compounding. The OIS zero curve is flat at 4.8% with continuous compounding. In a 5-year swap, company X pays a fixed rate of 6% and receives LIBOR. The volatility of the 2-yearswap rate in

> Suppose that you are trading a LIBOR-in-arrears swap with an unsophisticated counterparty who does not make convexity adjustments. To take advantage of the situation, should you be paying fixed or receiving fixed? How should you try to structure the swap

> In the flexi cap considered in Section 33.2 the holder is obligated to exercise the first N in-the-money caplets. After that no further caplets can be exercised. (In the example, N = 5.) Two other ways that flexi caps are sometimes defined are: (a) The h

> Verify that the DerivaGem software gives Figure 32.9 for the example considered. Use the software to calculate the price of the American bond option for the lognormal and normal models when the strike price is 95, 100, and 105. In the case of the normal

> Use the DerivaGem software to value
,
,
, and
European swap options to receive floating and pay fixed. Assume that the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year interest rates are 3%, 3.5%, 3.8%, 4.0%, and 4.1%, respectively. The payment frequency on the swap is sem

> A trader wishes to compute the price of a 1-year American call option on a 5-year bond with a face value of 100. The bond pays a coupon of 6% semiannually and the (quoted) strike price of the option is $100. The continuously compounded zero rates for mat