Hbr case study and
commentary
your star salesperson
lied. should he get a
second chance?
weighing the pros and cons of a zero-tolerance policy
by sandeep puri

Daniel owns 100 shares of abc corporation's common stock. abc uses the fair value option, and recent declines in the firm's credit rating have caused the value of the firm's outstanding bonds payable to drop by 10%. daniel feels this is good news, but he wants to know what you think about the situation. which of the following represents your best response? a : "this situation may be positive for you in that the change in abc's credit standing indicates that the value of the firm's assets is likely increasing. however, the drop in bond value may negate any positive effects on your bottom line, because it means your claim on the firm's assets is simultaneously decreasing." b : "actually, this is bad news all around. the drop in the value of abc's bonds payable means shareholders' claims on the firm's assets have decreased. moreover, abc's declining credit rating means that the firm's assets are probably also dropping in value, thus magnifying your losses even more." c : "on the surface, this seems like good news because it means your claim on the firm's assets has increased. however, the drop in creditworthiness may also indicate that abc's assets are declining in value, thus offsetting any gains associated with the drop in bonds payable." d : "you're right! this is good news because it means that abc's debtholders have a decreased claim on the firm's assets. as a result, the firm's existing shareholders"like you"have seen their claim on the firm's assets increase."

Vulcan flyovers offers scenic overflights of mount st. helens, the volcano in washington state that explosively erupted in 1982. data concerning the company’s operations in july appear below: vulcan flyovers operating data for the month ended july 31 actual results flexible budget planning budget flights (q) 56 56 54 revenue ($350.00q) $ 16,500 $ 19,600 $ 18,900 expenses: wages and salaries ($3,300 + $91.00q) 8,354 8,396 8,214 fuel ($31.00q) 1,904 1,736 1,674 airport fees ($870 + $35.00q) 2,730 2,830 2,760 aircraft depreciation ($11.00q) 616 616 594 office expenses ($240 + $1.00q) 464 296 294 total expense 14,068 13,874 13,536 net operating income $ 2,432 $ 5,726 $ 5,364 the company measures its activity in terms of flights. customers can buy individual tickets for overflights or hire an entire plane for an overflight at a discount. required: 1. prepare a flexible budget performance report for july that includes revenue and spending variances and activity variances.

Your uncle is considering investing in a new company that will produce high quality stereo speakers. the sales price would be set at 1.5 times the variable cost per unit; the variable cost per unit is estimated to be $75.00; and fixed costs are estimated at $1,200,000. what sales volume would be required to break even, i.e., to have ebit = zero?