What has the increased use of automation and less use of the work force in companies has caused a trend towards an increase in

a. both variable and fixed costs.
b. fixed costs and a decrease in variable costs.
c. variable costs and a decrease in fixed costs.
d. variable costs and no change in fixed costs.

Sarah salesrep is brand new to her job selling "lifetime" printers that never need replacement ink cartridges. the problem is that these printers cost ten times more than a regular printer, so it is difficult to get prospective buyers to understand the cost savings of buying it. to break through the barrier and begin making sales, sarah should use a analysis that highlights her printer's lower cost.

Suppose that xtel currently is selling at $40 per share. you buy 500 shares using $15,000 of your own money, borrowing the remainder of the purchase price from your broker. the rate on the margin loan is 8%. a. what is the percentage increase in the net worth of your brokerage account if the price of xtel immediately changes to (a) $44; (b) $40; (c) $36? (leave no cells blank - be certain to enter "0" wherever required. negative values should be indicated by a minus sign. round your answers to 2 decimal places.) b. if the maintenance margin is 25%, how low can xtel’s price fall before you get a margin call? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.) c. how would your answer to requirement 2 would change if you had financed the initial purchase with only $10,000 of your own money? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.) d. what is the rate of return on your margined position (assuming again that you invest $15,000 of your own money) if xtel is selling after one year at (a) $44; (b) $40; (c) $36? (negative values should be indicated by a minus sign. round your answers to 2 decimal places.) e. continue to assume that a year has passed. how low can xtel’s price fall before you get a margin call? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.)

The textbook defines ethics as “the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group,” and specifically as the standards one uses to decide what their conduct should be. to what extent do you believe that what happened at bp (british petrolium) is as much a breakdown in the company’s ethical systems as it is in its safety systems, and how would you defend your conclusion?