When Crossett Corporation was organized in January, Year 1, it immediately issued 4,000 shares of $50 par, 6 percent, cumulative preferred stock and 50,000 shares of $20 par common stock. Its earnings history is as follows: Year 1, net loss of $35,000; Year 2, net income of $125,000; Year 3, net income of $215,000. The corporation did not pay a dividend in Year 1. Required:
a. How much is the dividend arrearage as of January 1, Year 1?
b. Assume that the board of directors declares a $25,000 cash dividend at the end of year 1 (remember that the year 1 and year 2 preferred dividends are due). How will the dividend be divided between the preferred and common stockholders?

In december of 2004, the company you own entered into a 20-year contract with a grain supplier for daily deliveries of grain to its hot dog bun manufacturing facility. the contract called for "10,000 pounds of grain" to be delivered to the facility at the price of $100,000 per day. until february 2017, the supplier provided processed grain which could easily be used in your manufacturing process. however, no longer wanting to absorb the cost of having the grain processed, the supplier began delivering whole grain. the supplier is arguing that the contract does not specify the type of grain that would be supplied and that it has not breached the contract. your company is arguing that the supplier has an onsite processing plant and processed grain was implicit to the terms of the contract. over the remaining term of the contract, reshipping and having the grain processed would cost your company approximately $10,000,000, opposed to a cost of around $1,000,000 to the supplier. after speaking with in-house counsel, it was estimated that litigation would cost the company several million dollars and last for years. weighing the costs of litigation, along with possible ambiguity in the contract, what are three options you could take to resolve the dispute? which would be the best option for your business and why?