An article in The Globe and Mail, February 16, 2002, reported that IBM used the $300 million proceeds of a sale of one of its business units to reduce operating expenses in its fourth quarter 2001 income statement. This added about 8 cents per share to its fourth quarter earnings. As a result, IBM beat analysts' forecasts by 1 cent per share. IBM defended its treatment by claiming that buying and selling businesses is a normal business practice, and that most of the sale proceeds related to intellectual property that it had developed. The article quotes a Merrill Lynch analyst as saying, "Our only concern is that the company could have done more to call out the magnitude of the transaction." According to the article, IBM's share price fell by 4% as a result of this news.

While not mentioned in this article, the SEC opened a preliminary inquiry into IBM's accounting practice, expressing concerns that IBM had let it be known that the reason for its higher operating earnings was tight cost controls, rather than the sale proceeds. This inquiry was subsequently dropped, but the SEC issued a bulletin reminding firms to report gains or losses on asset sales separately from operating costs.

Required

Explain why IBM's share price dropped following the Merrill Lynch analyst's comment and the news of the SEC's preliminary inquiry.

Match the situations that will develop one's personality and those that won't peter is surrounded by friends who are always encouraging him jonathan always watches television when he wants to take a break from his books libby sets small targets for herself and strives to achieve them. the smiths indulge in an animated discussion on varied topics every evening after dinner. brook loves junk food and exercises once in a while. develops your personality develops doesn't develop your personality

According to ceo heidi ganahl, camp bow wow requires a strong and consistent corporate culture to keep all local franchise owners "on the same page" and to follow a common template for the business and brand. this culture could become detrimental over time because: (a) strong consistent cultures are inflexible and incapable of adapting to environmental change (b) strong consistent cultures are too flexible and capable of adapting to environmental change (c) strong consistent cultures don’t perform well in any environment (d) the passing of time provides stability and predictability for businesses

Cooper sues company a in state court in south carolina, where he lives, for negligence alleging personal injury and property damage of $100,000 after a truck driven by an employee of company a rear-ended his pickup truck. company a is incorporated in delaware, has its headquarters in new york, but does a substantial amount of business in south carolina. claiming diversity of citizenship, company a seeks removal to federal district court, but cooper opposes the motion. which of the following is true regarding whether the case may be properly removed to federal district court? the amount in controversy satisfies diversity requirements; and if company a's nerve center is in a state other than south carolina, then the case may be properly removed to federal court.the amount in controversy satisfies diversity requirements; and because company a is incorporated and has its headquarters in a state other than south carolina, the case may be properly removed to federal court.because the amount in controversy satisfies diversity requirements and company a is incorporated in a state other than south carolina, the case may be properly removed to federal court regardless of where company a's headquarters, nerve center, or principal place of business is located.because the amount in controversy satisfies diversity requirements and company a is headquartered in a state other than south carolina, the case may be properly removed to federal court regardless of where company a is incorporated and regardless of the location of its nerve center.because the amount in controversy fails to satisfy jurisdictional requirements, regardless of the location of company a, the case may not be removed to federal court.