The United States is experiencing a decline of the middle class. What does this trend imply for the future of organizations such as (a) the U. S. Public Health Service, which operates many inner-city health clinics for the economically disadvantaged, and (b) the Scripps Clinic, a large multispecialty group practice in Southern California? For years, the Scripps Clinic was an exclusive medical provider known not only for treatment but also for its research.

Which of the following statements is correct? a. two firms with identical sales and operating costs but with different amounts of debt and tax rates will have different operating incomes by definition. b. free cash flow (fcf) is, essentially, the cash flow that is available for interest and dividends after the company has made the investments in current and fixed assets that are necessary to sustain ongoing operations. c. retained earnings as reported on the balance sheet represent cash and, therefore, are available to distribute to stockholders as dividends or any other required cash payments to creditors and suppliers. d. if a firm is reporting its income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, then its net income as reported on the income statement should be equal to its free cash flow. e. after-tax operating income is calculated as ebit(1 - t) + depreciation.

Neon light company of kansas city ships lamps and lighting appliances throughout the country. ms. neon has determined that through the establishment of local collection centers around the country, she can speed up the collection of payments by one and one-half days. furthermore, the cash management department of her bank has indicated to her that she can defer her payments on her accounts by one-half day without affecting suppliers. the bank has a remote disbursement center in florida. a. if neon light company has $2.90 million per day in collections and $1.18 million per day in disbursements, how many dollars will the cash management system free up?

Rossdale co. stock currently sells for $68.91 per share and has a beta of 0.88. the market risk premium is 7.10 percent and the risk-free rate is 2.91 percent annually. the company just paid a dividend of $3.57 per share, which it has pledged to increase at an annual rate of 3.25 percent indefinitely. what is your best estimate of the company's cost of equity?