Venture capital (VC) firms are pools of private capital that typically invest in small, fast-growing companies that can't raise funds through other means. In exchange for this financing, VCs receive a share of a company's equity, and the founders of the firm typically stay on and continue to manage the company. A VC firm wants management to focus on improving , while the managers may also act to increase . VC investments have two typical components:. (1) managers maintain some ownership in the company and often earn additional equity if the company performs well;

(2) VCs demand seats on the company's board. Management ownership serves to the alignment of the incentives of managers with the incentives of owners.

Panera bread is a chain of cafes serving sandwiches, soups, and freshly baked breads. the company began in 1981 with stores primarily located along the east coast of the united states. since then, the firm has expanded to over 1,300 locations throughout the united states and canada. the firm has strong earnings and has been designated by business week as a "significant growth company." panera bread executives are considering the idea of expanding globally by opening cafes in asia through a franchising strategy. which of the following, if true, supports the argument that panera bread should expand into asia through franchising? a: the panera bread menu changes rapidly, and each cafe's artisan bread bakers receive regular training on new recipes. b: panera bread executives want fast access to the asian market without a significant investment of capital. c: panera bread executives want to test the asian market with a short-term commitment that allows them to make quick profits. d: the panera bread mission is to make excellent bread available to customers around the world.

Your parents have accumulated a $170,000 nest egg. they have been planning to use this money to pay college costs to be incurred by you and your sister, courtney. however, courtney has decided to forgo college and start a nail salon. your parents are giving courtney $20,000 to her get started, and they have decided to take year-end vacations costing $8,000 per year for the next four years. use 8 percent as the appropriate interest rate throughout this problem. use appendix a and appendix d for an approximate answer, but calculate your final answer using the formula and financial calculator methods. a. how much money will your parents have at the end of four years to you with graduate school, which you will start then?

(a) what was the opportunity cost of non-gm food for many buyers before 2008? (b) why did they prefer the alternative? (c) what was the opportunity cost in 2008? (d) why did it change?