Phil, a quality assurance expert, recently left his position in the automotive industry and now works in construction equipment manufacturing. He needs to become familiar with who his company's competitors are, their competitive advantages, their locations, their product lines, and anything else he can learn about them. Phil is seeking .
A. core competency
B. trade secrets
C. competitive intelligence
D. a means-end chain
E. corporate espionage

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.

Depreciation on the company's equipment for 2017 is computed to be $18,000.the prepaid insurance account had a $6,000 debit balance at december 31, 2017, before adjusting for the costs of any expired coverage. an analysis of the company's insurance policies showed that $1,100 of unexpired insurance coverage remains.the office supplies account had a $700 debit balance on december 31, 2016; and $3,480 of office supplies were purchased during the year. the december 31, 2017, physical count showed $300 of supplies available.two-thirds of the work related to $15,000 of cash received in advance was performed this period.the prepaid insurance account had a $6,800 debit balance at december 31, 2017, before adjusting for the costs of any expired coverage. an analysis of insurance policies showed that $5,800 of coverage had expired.wage expenses of $3,200 have been incurred but are not paid as of december 31, 2017.

Bonds often pay a coupon twice a year. for the valuation of bonds that make semiannual payments, the number of periods doubles, whereas the amount of cash flow decreases by half. using the values of cash flows and number of periods, the valuation model is adjusted accordingly. assume that a $1,000,000 par value, semiannual coupon us treasury note with three years to maturity has a coupon rate of 3%. the yield to maturity (ytm) of the bond is 7.70%. using this information and ignoring the other costs involved, calculate the value of the treasury note: