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Mini-Case Harry, Sirly, and Bo Are in the Midst of a a Heated

question 81

Multiple Choice

Mini-Case
Harry, Sirly, and Bo are in the midst of a heated discussion. As the chief operating officers of the U-Scream Ice Cream Corporation, they are reviewing the latest financial reports. Intense competition has resulted in deceased profits. Each of the three officers has his own view of how to reverse the current trend.
Harry suggests cutting costs by firing union employees and hiring replacement workers at lower wages. He has directed the firm's attorney to find a loophole in the contract that will allow for this action. Sirly protests, stating that Harry's proposal is unethical and unfair. Sirly feels that every stakeholder should be treated equally, and that profiting at the expense of others is foolhardy.
Bo, agreeing in part with Sirly, states, "We must be sensitive to all affected parties, but clearly our primary goal is to make a profit for our owners." In an attempt to resolve the conflict between Harry and Sirly, Bo offers an alternative suggestion: reduce the firm's charitable contributions until acceptable profit levels are realized. Sirly is outraged and reminds Bo of the social responsibilities that U-Scream Ice Cream has to the community, environment, suppliers, employees, and stockholders.
-On which of the three ethics check questions would Harry primarily focus?

Definitions:

Debt-to-Assets Ratio

A leverage ratio that calculates the total amount of debt relative to the total amount of assets, indicating how much of the company's assets are funded by debt.

Cost of Equity

The rate of return that a company theoretically pays to its equity investors to compensate for the risk they undertake by investing in the company.

Cost of Equity

The return that investors expect for investing in a company's equity, considered the cost of equity capital.

Security Market Line

A representation in financial models that shows the relationship between the risk of an investment and its expected return.