...Ameritrade – case study Executive Summary Ameritrade provides online brokerage services and operates an Internet-based financial management services business. 90% of the company’s revenues are from the provision of discount brokerage services. The company’s objective is to improve its competitive position in deep-discount brokerage. In order to achieve this objective, the company must grow its customer base, requiring an investment of $100 million to upgrade its technological capabilities as well as an increase of $155 million for its advertisement budget. In order to evaluate the company’s cost of capital, we used the Cost Asset Pricing Model. Since the company went public recently, it would not be an accurate assessment of the risk of the investment to find the beta of this short time period. Therefore, we chose a similar company called Charles Schwab, which has very similar sources of revenue, discount brokerage services. However, this company has a very different capital structure, so we unleveraged the beta in order to get the best, most accurate beta for Ameritrade. We assumed that the capital structure of Ameritrade did not have debt, and that the project would be financed with equity only. We found a levered beta for Charles Schwab of 2.15. After unlevering it, we got a beta of 1.8768. When using the CAPM model, we concluded that the cost of capital of Ameritrade is equal to 20.40%. Factors to be considered in evaluating the project Various factors must...
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...DUKE UNIVERSITY Fuqua School of Business FINANCE 251F/351 Individual Assignment #1 Cost of Capital at Ameritrade Prof. Simon Gervais Spring 2010 – Term 1 In this case, you have to use data from comparables to estimate the cost of capital at Ameritrade. The process involves a few stages that this handout will guide you through. First, we need to determine which set of firms to use as comparable firms. You should try two different sets. The first set will include three discount brokerage firms: Charles Schwab Corp, Quick & Reilly Group, and Waterhouse Investor Services.1 The second set will include six investment services firms: A G Edwards, Bear Sterns, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Paine Webber, and Raymond James Financial. Stock price and return data for these nine firms are provided in a separate spreadsheet that you can download from the course schedule at www.duke.edu/∼sgervais. In fact, this spreadsheet contains all six exhibits contained in the case. To estimate the equity beta for each of these firms, you will need to perform a regression of their past returns on past market returns (only the slope of this regression is useful for your analysis, i.e., there is no need to calculate/report on anything else). For this purpose, let us use monthly data from January 1992 through December 1996, that is, five years of monthly data as is the norm in practice.2 As you will see in Exhibit 5, the data for the discount brokerage firms includes stock price, dividend and stock split...
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...61/80 Q-2 SPA WORKS MEMO To: Glen Mori, President From: Meghal Desai, Information System Manger Date: 1 January 2014 Subject: Proposed Advisory Committee Hello Glen. In the preceding years, rapid growth of spa works has created new customer base by acquiring new locations and capturing competitors market. Actually, increase of daily operations and business transactions, the current legacy system has been creating lots of issues with financial statement and decision making process because of data from numerous sources have to be combined. Such a rapid growth needs a change in legacy system in terms of selecting new committee members. As a result and as per request from a President to form a new advisory committee has been proposed to provide assistance and guidance in creation of new integrated system. This will improve Spa works business process. Below stated five committee members presented with their roles and tasks: 1) Human Resources manager: Spa Work has been going through the stage of expansion. Human Resources Manager is the key member of this organization. Main goal of Spa Works is to improve their legacy system and these will only possible through people and HR. Human Resources manager is responsible for all people related activities like recruitment, training and retention of employees as well as their daily concerns that consists of payroll, tax provisions, and benefits. Human Resources team also needs to comply all government related policies and follow...
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...Diversification Strategies BUS 508 Contemporary Business Professor Lewis Janisa Carter February 1, 2012 Introduction In today’s highly competitive and challenging business environment many variables are to be considered when it comes to the success or failure of a business. Business firms must consider the worlds fast changing societal needs and appropriately employ the diverse strategies needed to flourish. This paper will compare and contrast two businesses, one successful and the other unsuccessful. By doing so, I will take a closer look at diversification strategies and evaluate the reasons that determine a business’s outcome. I will also discuss the importance of business plans, marketing plans, and strategic plans as they are key elements to the success of a business. And finally, I will offer the failed business new diverse strategies that would help with future success. Compare and Contrast Two Businesses and their outcomes Amazon.com Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, and launched in 1995. Amazon.com is an American multinational electronic commerce company. It was one of the first American Ecommerce companies to sell over the internet. Ecommerce has multiple advantages over “brick and mortar” and order catalogues. With Ecommerce customers can...
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...website (CNBC, November 24, 2015). The rate cut will increase the cost of capital, reduce profit and reduce shareholders wealth. On November 9, 2015, Reuter’s News reported the hiring of the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The focus of the consulting firm was to assist with the reorganization of the company’s core business (Reuters, November 9, 2015). The decision was a surprise development to the shareholders in that the current management under the leadership of Ms. Marissa Meyer had been at the helms of Yahoo affairs for almost four years and had spent about $7 billion on R&D, Merger and Acquisition. The turnaround initiatives expected with Ms. Meyer’s appointment as the Chief Executive Officer has not come into being, for there has been a high turnover of senior executives. The board of directors and senior management has failed in their attempts to turn around the firm. Yahoo share price has declined year to date by 34% as of November 25, 2015, whereas its’ main competitors Facebook, Goggle, and Microsoft increased by 35%, 45%, and 16% respectively. This is despite the assertion made by the board of directors and management that they are “committed to shareholders value through sustained growth”. Table 1 Source – Google Finance Table 1 above compares the share price of Yahoo with its main competitors Facebook, Google, and Microsoft from Jan 2, 2015, through November 25, 2015....
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...ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, we would like to express our greatest appreciation to Allah for His love and blessings upon us. Secondly, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Sir Ahmad Suhaimi for his guidance and advice in making sure our research project is completed within the timeframe. We would also like to thank him for all his support and patience in supervising. Our work, which greatly motivated us throughout the completion of the research project . Thank you so much. Lastly, we would also like to thank our parents, as well as our fellow friends , for their constant support and encouragement throughout our studies at KLMUC. The research project would not have been possible done without the care and concern shown. We would also like to dedicate our appreciation to Malaysian Government for PTPTN and MARA financial aid, which has helped us with the funding and support necessary to study. Introduction of Internet and E-commerce History of the Internet began with the development of computers in the 1950s. Point-to-point communication between mainframe computers and terminals was the beginning. Since then, the development of Internet had grown in alignment with the rapid development of computers1. E-commerce emerged during the 1990s when Internet was opened to commercial use and in 2000; E-commerce became a hit in United States and Western European where a great number of businesses represented their products or services in the World Wide Web2, promoting...
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...THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics Department of Accounting and Finance Fall 2008 I. Meeting Time and Place FIN 625.01, Corporate Strategy and the Finance Function 6:30 pm – 9:20 pm M, Bryan School (Room 204 Bryan Bldg.)[1] II. Instructor Daniel T. Winkler Office: 324 Bryan Bldg. Phone: 256-0122 E-mail: dt_winkler@uncg.edu Blackboard: http://blackboard.uncg.edu Office Hours: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm M, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm W, or by appointment III. Prerequisites Prerequisites: MBA 605, 617; Co-requisite is MBA 620 IV. Course Materials Douglas R. Emery, John D. Finnerty, and John D. Stowe. Corporate Financial Management, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall Publishing (Pearson), 2007. ISBN: 9780132278720. Harvard Business Review Cases (HC) purchased and downloaded online at: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/cases/cases_home.jhtml. Case ordering numbers are given in parentheses next to each case in the Tentative Schedule. HP (Hewlett Packard) 10 B II, 17BII financial calculator or the equivalent. V. Course Description and Purpose The UNCG Graduate Bulletin describes MBA 625 as follows: "Finance in the strategic management process; corporate strategies and shareholder value creation, financing...
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...A PROJECT REPORT ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUBMITTED BY APOORV CHITNIS FOR THE DEGREE OF THE BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PROF. BHUMIKA MORE SIES COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI-400706 ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-2012 DECLARATION I, APOORV CHITNIS, studying in T.Y.B.M.S, of S.I.E.S COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, NERUL hereby declare that I have completed the project on SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP in the year 2011 – 2012 as per the requirements of Mumbai University as a part of Bachelor in Management Studies (B.M.S) programme. DATE: PLACE: NAVI MUMBAI __________________ APOORV CHITNIS CERTIFICATE I, BHUMIKA MORE hereby certify that APOORV CHITNIS student OF S.I.E.S COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, NERUL has completed his field work project on the topic of “SOCIAL ENTREPRENUERSHIP” in the Academic Year 2011-12. The project is based on bonafide information. _________________ _______________ ______________ Prof. Bhumika More Prof. Smita. R Dr. Rita Basu (Project Guide) (BMS Coordinator) (Principal) ________________ External Examiner ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My thanks to my project guide, Prof. Bhumika More for assisting me in every way possible and gently steering...
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...Executive Summary Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects. To learn is to acquire knowledge or skill. Learning also may involve a change in attitude. Learning is not just a change in attitude; it is a change in the way a man thinks, understands, or feels. Learning some things depends on other perceptions which have preceded these learning’s, and on the availability of time to sense and relate these new things to the earlier perceptions. Thus, sequence and time are necessary. After studying the theoretical aspect of a subject matter, understanding its practical implications is one of the prime steps of learning. Our assignment is on history of legendary and successful Entrepreneur, which is fully in the organizational context. During the process of preparing this assignment, we could enrich our knowledge about many aspects of the Entrepreneurial Management that we have explored with the light of our limited knowledge. The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady acceleration. Therefore, we have chosen Sir Fazle Hasan Abed - a living legendary leader, organizer, risk taker and an innovator who has cosmopolitan acceptance to complete our assignment. His life history as a successful entrepreneur inspired us to take extra interest and effort to know about him and we have become more resourceful on this living legend. SIR FAZLE HASAN ABED - A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR Born 1936 (age 74–75) Baniachong, British India (now...
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...www.hbr.org We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others. But we must first be willing to devote ourselves to our personal growth and development as leaders. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer Reprint R0702H We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others. But we must first be willing to devote ourselves to our personal growth and development as leaders. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer COPYRIGHT © 2007 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader. Thank goodness. If scholars had produced a cookie-cutter leadership style, individuals would be forever trying to imitate it. They would make themselves into personae, not people, and others would see through them immediately. No one can be authentic by trying to imitate someone else. You can learn from others’ experiences, but there is no way you can be successful when you are trying to be like them. People trust you when you are genuine and authentic, not a replica of someone else. Amgen CEO and president Kevin Sharer, who gained priceless experience working as Jack Welch’s assistant...
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...www.hbr.org We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others. But we must first be willing to devote ourselves to our personal growth and development as leaders. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer Reprint R0702H We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others. But we must first be willing to devote ourselves to our personal growth and development as leaders. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership COPYRIGHT © 2007 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. by Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1,000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader. Thank goodness. If scholars had produced a cookie-cutter leadership style, individuals would be forever trying to imitate it. They would make themselves into personae, not people, and others would see through them immediately. No one can be authentic by trying to imitate someone else. You can learn from others’ experiences, but there is no way you can be successful when you are trying to be like them. People trust you when you are genuine and authentic, not a replica of someone else. Amgen CEO and president Kevin Sharer, who gained priceless experience working...
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...The Fraud of the Century: The Case of Bernard Madoff The fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff which was discovered in December, 2008 is based upon a Ponzi scheme. Madoff took money from new investors to pay earnings for existing customers. The greater the payout to retiring and withdrawing customer, the more revenue or clients he would need to start and “investment relationship” with Madoff. The Ponzi scheme was named after Charles Ponzi who in the early 20th Century, saw a way to profit from international reply coupons. International reply coupons were a guarantee of return postage in response to an international letter. Charles Ponzi determined that he could make money, legally, by swapping out these coupons for more expensive postage stamps in countries where the stamps were of higher value. While making a significant profit with this system, Ponzi got the idea of enticing investors to provide him more capital to trade coupons for higher priced postage stamps. His promise to investors was a 50% profit in a few days. Touted as a financial wizard and the ‘Warren Buffet’ of his day, Ponzi lived outside Boston, he had a fairly opulent life bringing in as much as $250,000/day. Part of Ponzi’s success came from is personal charisma and ability to con even savvy investors. The promised payout was supported by the new investors anxious to take advantage of these robust returns because he appeared to create an image of power, trust, and responsibility. In July of 1920...
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...The Fraud of the Century: The Case of Bernard Madoff The fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff which was discovered in December, 2008 is based upon a Ponzi scheme. Madoff took money from new investors to pay earnings for existing customers. The greater the payout to retiring and withdrawing customer, the more revenue or clients he would need to start and “investment relationship” with Madoff. The Ponzi scheme was named after Charles Ponzi who in the early 20th Century, saw a way to profit from international reply coupons. International reply coupons were a guarantee of return postage in response to an international letter. Charles Ponzi determined that he could make money, legally, by swapping out these coupons for more expensive postage stamps in countries where the stamps were of higher value. While making a significant profit with this system, Ponzi got the idea of enticing investors to provide him more capital to trade coupons for higher priced postage stamps. His promise to investors was a 50% profit in a few days. Touted as a financial wizard and the ‘Warren Buffet’ of his day, Ponzi lived outside Boston, he had a fairly opulent life bringing in as much as $250,000/day. Part of Ponzi’s success came from is personal charisma and ability to con even savvy investors. The promised payout was supported by the new investors anxious to take advantage of these robust returns because he appeared to create an image of power, trust, and responsibility. In July of 1920...
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...author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest. Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Licensed to: CengageBrain User Organization Theory & Design, Eleventh Edition Richard L. Daft With the Assistance of Patricia G. Lane Vice President of Editorial, Business: Jack W. Calhoun Publisher: Erin Joyner Executive Editor: Scott Person Developmental Editor: Erin Guendelsberger Sr. Editorial Assistant: Ruth Belanger Marketing Manager: Jonathan Monahan Media Editor: Rob Ellington Manufacturing Planner: Ron Montgomery Sr. Marketing Communications Manager: Jim Overly Art and Cover Direction, Production Management, and Composition: PreMediaGlobal Cover Designer: Beckmeyer Design Cover Image: ©iStock Photo Rights Acquisitions Specialist: Amber Hosea © 2013, 2010 South-Western, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work...
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...questions remain to be satisfactorily answered is not the same as saying that there has been a shortage of attempts. Standard operating procedure starts by rounding up the usual suspects: unethical mortgage brokers, greedy bankers, naïve homeowners, and illinformed investors. Lists focusing less on individuals than mechanisms emphasize agency problems between brokers and banks, the originate-and-distribute model, excessive leverage and short-term funding, the perverse incentives created by executive compensation practices, conflicts of interest within the rating agencies, and permissive monetary policies. These long lists of causes lead to correspondingly long lists of reforms: regulate mortgage brokers, rating agencies, and executive compensation; force banks to keep a participation in any securities they originate; require banks to hold more capital; and revisit whether monetary policy should respond to credit booms and asset bubbles. This of course is only a very incomplete summary of a vast and rapidly-growing literature. The limitations of this standard operating procedure will be apparent. However successful it is at pinpointing the immediate causes of the crisis, it fails to identify the deeper conditions that allowed those...
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