Baxter, at Age 45, Was Hired as the General Manager

question 101

True/False

Baxter, at age 45, was hired as the general manager of the CountrySide Shipping Company by Carrothers, the company president. The initial contract of employment was for a three-year term and was embodied in an exchange of letters between Baxter and Carrothers in 2008. At the end of the three-year term, Baxter continued on as general manager, receiving annual increases in salary, executive profit sharing, pension contributions, and discretionary bonuses, if business was exceptionally good in a given year. In January 2020, for no apparent reason, Carrothers called Baxter into his office, and told him his services were no longer required. Carrothers offered Baxter a week's salary as "severance pay." At the time of termination, Baxter was earning a salary of $70,000 per year, received company paid pension contributions of $5,000 annually, and, in 2019, had received $3,000 from profits shared, and a $5,000 bonus. Baxter is not entitled to any notice of termination, because his written contract of employment expired in 2011.

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Definitions:

Repurchase Agreement

A financial transaction in which one party sells a security to another party with the promise to buy it back at a specified date and price.

Poison Pill

A strategy used by companies to deter hostile takeovers by making the company less attractive to the potential acquirer.

Consolidation

The process of combining multiple entities or accounts into a single entity or account for reporting and analysis purposes.

Common Stock

Equity ownership in a corporation, with voting rights and potential dividends, but with dividends paid after preferred shareholders.