How are you guys doing today?

You are chairman of the board of a successful technology firm. there is a nominal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent, yet the effective tax rate of the typical corporation is about 12.6%. your firm has been clever with use of transfer pricing and keeping money abroad and has barely paid any taxes over the last 5 years; during this same time period, profits were $28 billion. one member of the board feels that it is un-american to use various accounting strategies in order to avoid paying taxes. others feel that these are legal loopholes and corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize taxes. one board member quoted what the ceo of exxon once said: “i’m not a u.s. company and i don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the u.s.” what are the alternatives? what are your recommendations? why do you recommend this course of action?

Abank provides its customers mobile applications that significantly simplify traditional banking activities. for example, a customer can use a smartphone to take a picture of a check and electronically deposit into an account. this unique service demonstrates the bank’s desire to practice which one of porter’s strategies?

Jamie is saving for a trip to europe. she has an existing savings account that earns 3 percent annual interest and has a current balance of $4,200. jamie doesn’t want to use her current savings for vacation, so she decides to borrow the $1,600 she needs for travel expenses. she will repay the loan in exactly one year. the annual interest rate is 6 percent. a. if jamie were to withdraw the $1,600 from her savings account to finance the trip, how much interest would she forgo? .b. if jamie borrows the $1,600 how much will she pay in interest? c. how much does the trip cost her if she borrows rather than dip into her savings?