Task: MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
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You can often access financial information for most of the companies listed in the Dow-Jones Industrial Average by going to that company's website and looking for the Annual Report, often listed in the Investor Relations or Investor Info section. If you cannot find the information needed, try obtaining the financial information on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission by going to the SEC's information website- https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml .
Find the most recent annual financial statement information for the Safeway Corporation - https://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Home and the General Electric Corporation (GE) -https://www.ge.com/ . Based on your review of the most recent Statement of Cash Flows for each company, answer the following:
1. Ascertain whether Safeway and GE use the direct or indirect method of presenting operating activities.
2. Each site lists the last three years statement of cash flows. Determine the direction or trend of the overall cash flow position - and the direction or trend of each of the three activities (operating, investing, and financing) for both corporations.
3. From the items listed in the three parts of the statement, determine the reasons for the changes or trends.
4. Compare Safeway's cash flow statement with GE's in terms of the items in each and the "bottom line” results.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
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What is a value proposition? For each of these brands, articulate your perception of their key value proposition:
Caterpillar earth mover
Apple iPod
Wii home gaming system*
McDonald's hamburgers
FedEx overnight delivery service
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Consider the concept of the value chain. Identify a firm that you believe does an especially good job of investing in elements in the value chain in order to gain higher profit margins versus competition. Which two or three elements in the value chain does that firm handle especially well? For each of those elements, what do they do that is better than their competition?