College
Last year Ann Arbor Corp had $250,000 of assets (which equals total invested capital), $305,000 of sales, $20,000 of net income, and a debt-to-total-capital ratio of 37.5%. The new CFO believes that a new computer program will enable the company to reduce costs and thus raise net income to $33,000. The firm finances using only debt and common equity. Assets, total invested capital, sales, and the debt to capital ratio would not be affected. By how much would the cost reduction improve the ROE
Zoom Vacuum, a family-owned manufacturer of high-end vacuums, has grown exponentially over the last few years. However, the company is having difficulty preparing for future growth. The only information system used at Zoom is an antiquated accounting system. The company has one manufacturing plant located in Iowa; and three warehouses, in Iowa, New Jersey, and Nevada. The Zoom sales force is national, and Zoom purchases about 25 percent of its vacuum parts and materials from a single overseas supplier. You have been hired to recommend the information systems Zoom should implement in order to maintain their competitive edge. However, there is not enough money for a full-blown, cross-functional enterprise application, and you will need to limit the first step to a single functional area or constituency. What will you choose, and why?
