Discussion 1 (75-150 words)
Investors and creditors are typically not interested in the same thing. Investors are typically interested in whether a company is going to turn a profit over time, while a creditor is interested in short-term cash flow. Decide whether you are an investor or creditor. Choose two ratios for the type of external user you chose and discuss its importance in analyzing a company.
Discussion 2 (75-150 words)
Bannister Legal Services generated $2 million in sales during 2010, and its year-end total assets were $1.5 million. Also, at year-end 2010, current liabilities were $500k, consisting of $200k in notes payable, $200k in accounts payable and $100k in accruals. Looking ahead at 2011, the company estimates that its assets must increase at the same rate as sales, its spontaneous liabilities will increase at the same rate as sales, its profit margin will be 5% and its payout ratio will be 60%. How large a sales increase can the company achieve without having to raise funds externally; that is, what is its self-supporting growth rate?
Discussion 3 (75-150 words)
Ethics are an important aspect of corporate culture. The tone at the top is part of what sets expectations for employees. Describe the tone at the top of your organization. If you were in charge, what would you do differently?
Discussion 4 (75-150 words)
Discounted cash flow techniques are capital budgeting techniques that take into account both the time value of money and the estimated net cash flow from an investment. These techniques take into account the fact that cash flows that occur early in the life of an investment will be worth more than those that occur later. The primary discounted cash flow technique is called net present value. Describe this method. How is the NPV calculated and what is the decision rule
Discussion 5 (75-150 words)
Suppose you owned a portfolio consisting of $250,000 of U.S. government bonds with a maturity date of 30 years. Would your portfolio be riskless? What if your portfolio consisted of $250,000 of 30-day Treasury bills? Every 30 days your bills mature, and you reinvest the principle ($250,000) in a new batch of bills. Assume that you live on the investment income from your portfolio and that you want to maintain a constant standard of living. Is your portfolio truly riskless? Can you think of any asset that would be completely riskless? What security comes closest to being riskless? Explain