.....company would expense the 1000 share options at $15 (1000 x $15 = $15,000), as this was fair market value at the time of expense, based on Black-Scholes (Harper, 2017). In 2014, the expense would be $3 per share option (1000 x $3 = $3,000), because that is the amount of increase in the value of the options that derives from the change in the exercise price.
The accounting for the awards would change after the options became fully vested, because the value of the options would no longer be based on Black-Scholes. Instead, the options would be based on the difference between the new exercise price and the old exercise price. After the options have vested, there is no longer any time value to the options, so an options model for pricing is no longer necessary -- they are just shares at that point because the employees no longer need….

Executive Stock Option Plans
"If the company does not do better than its competitors, but the stock market goes up, executives do very well from their stock options. This makes no sense." Discuss viewpoint. Can you think of alternatives to the usual executive option plan that take the viewpoint into account?

Executive stock options are performance-based incentive plans that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. They declined due to the stock market crash of the 1970s, but returned aggressively returned in the 1990s (Kole, 1997). Today, most companies grant stock options to their top officers as part of executive compensation, along with salary and bonuses. Options that are awarded as part of a compensation package can be very valuable to executives when stocks are performing well. The challenge comes in when stock value is realized for executives even when a company is not faring well at all. This is problematic.

In general,….

employee stock option pricing is effected by the bonus plan hypotheses as discussed in the Watts and Zimmerman article.
Employee stock option pricing is an option on the common stock of a company that is issued as a form of non-cash compensation. estrictions on the option (as for instance vesting and limited transferability) are ways in which the business attempts to align its own interests with those of the holder's interests. In the event of the company's stock rising, holders of options generally experience a direct financial benefit, which gives employees the incentive to behave in ways that will boost the company's stock price (Summa; web).

The management compensation hypothesis, otherwise known as the Bonus plan hypothesis accordingly states that managers whose incentives are tied up with the firm's accounting performance are more likely to use accounting choices that reduce reported profits and manipulate their accounting methods and records in particular….

Valuation Project
Option Valuation

Value two call options, using two different option-pricing calculators, and/or pricing programs. The two calls you are to value are: Ticket Symbol (WFM)

The August 2014 $50.00 Whole Foods Call Option (50 is the Strike Price)

The January 2015 $50.00 Whole Foods Call Option (50 is the Strike Price)

The two models that were utilized are the Binomial and Black Scholes. The Binomial model is focused on looking at the option from a neutral perspective. This means that a series of valuations will be provided which are showing the potential prices movements. In this case of Whole Foods, the price of the stock must move up or down $1.10 to be able to realize a profit. ("Binomial Options Calculator," 2014) The Black Scholes model is designed to provide everyone with a better understanding of the possible valuations of the option. This takes place by looking at different types of options….

Futures Trading
The purpose of this project was to gain experience in the area of options and futures trading. For the purposes of this project, the values were obtained from various sources. The dates covered were 2/11/2002 to 05/10/2002. The company chosen for this project was the TJX Corporation, Inc. which is in the Retail sector of the S & P. 500. It was chosen primarily because it has been showing a bullish trend for 5 years and would be a good example of bull market trading. The stock was compared to the S & P. 500 Index (Symbol SPX). The final portion of the project required the use of a futures commodity. I chose Corn (Symbol CO (e)). It has been bearish since February.

All tests were ran in a bull market environment. Various trading strategies were tested on this option. The methods tested were a ull market Strategy, utterfly….

The trader must pay the cost of the option ($5.00 x 100 shares = $500). The stick price starts to rise as expected and then stabilizes at $110: before the expiry date on the options contract, the trader can engage in a call option and purchase all the shares of the company's stock at $70, the strike price on the options agreement. The trader pays $7,000 for the stock and can sell the new stock on the market for $11,000, making a profit of $4,000.
Call vs. Put / Seller vs. Buyer

As this paper has already stated, options one the ability, without an obligation, to engage in a security at a set price within a particular time period. With a call option, the buyer has the right, though is not required to buy at a set quantity of a commodity or a financial instrument from a seller by a particular….

Raising Corporate Capital Issues
It appears fairly clear that the most advantageous means of raising capital for a corporation is to sell common stock. However, it is critical to realize that there are other things that a corporation must do in addition to selling common stock to make this method provide the degree of efficacy that the corporation desires. The reason that selling common stock can help to raise capital for the corporation is that it is possible to get many different people to invest in the company through this means. However, these individuals will tend to do so in greater numbers and in ways that continue to benefit the corporation if the company itself excels. Specifically, the company must simultaneously focus on its core business and keep abreast of its competition so that it can continue to generate revenue and, hopefully, provide the sort of profit margins that are viewed….

It is expected that the bond will mirror the performance of the S & P. 500. ("Transaction History," 2010)
November 24, 2010

On November 24th several more new purchases would take place to include: General Motors, erkshire Hathaway, the Fidelity Immediate Government Fund and the Strategic Advisors Income Fund.

Stocks

General Motors was selected, because it could help to provide the portfolio with above average growth. The results were that that stock would see an increase of 1.4%. ("Transaction History," 2010)

erkshire Hathaway was purchased to provide the portfolio with stability and diversification. This investment is expected to outperform the major market averages. The results were up .96%.( "Transaction History," 2010)

Mutual Funds

The Fidelity Intermediate Government Fund was selected because of their focus on medium term Treasury investments. This is expected to underperform the market averages. The results were that the position declined by 2.55%. ("Transaction History," 2010)

The Strategic Advisors Income Fund was selected to….

Part 8

In regard to the organizational structure, al-Mart Stores can be said to be organized by divisions. In this regard, we have al-Mart supercentres, Sam's Clubs etc. Currently, the company's president is Mr. Mike Duke. Other key management positions in the firm include the position of chief financial officer, vice chairman, chief executive officer-international operations, and chief executive officer- al-Mart U.S.. These key positions are currently held by Mr. Charles M. Holley Jr., Mr. Eduardo Castro-right, Mr. Doug McMillon and Mr. illiam S. Simon respectively.

Part 9

Headline 1

"Stagnant ages, High Unemployment Slam al-Mart U.S. Sales: Domestic Sales at orld's Largest Retailer Post Two-Year Slump." (5/17/2011). (MSN n.p.)

Impact and Reason

In my own opinion, the news item above will bring about a decrease in the price of al-Mart's Store Stock. My reasoning in this case is that based on a decline in sales, investors will not be so keen on buying the stock….

Regardless of one's appetite for risk, it is essential that some diversification of assets is used to prevent 'losing' money by saving money in a bank account alone, although noninsured investments should not be concentrated on one area of the economy, to protect against potential losses.
Even in today's economic climate, investors should allocate some of their funds in safe, but higher-interest bearing sources. These might include certificates of deposits or CDs, which can be allocated into different accounts so the CDs mature at different times, to free up more of the saver's money. These safer investments may also include government bonds of stable governments and corporations, as well as preferred stock for companies that offer this option. Unlike CDs less than $250,000 in value, however, bonds and preferred stocks are not insured by the government.

The concept of the future value of money underlines the importance of saving in general.….

Real options valuation: KLM ailines flight options
The object of this pape is to delive a eal option valuation of an option on an ai ticket fom KLM Ailines. The pape consists of seveal pats: (i) a file explaining the poblem, the modeling choices and the solutions (ii) a table with calculations and; (iii) the conclusion.

The value of an options contact elies on a vaiety of diffeent vaiables. In addition to the value of the undelying asset itself, options ae extemely complex to value. Thee ae many picing models in cuent use, though all basically incopoate the concepts of moneyness, ational picing, put-call paity, option-time value.

Relevant Definitions:

Moneyness is a measue of the degee to which a deivative is likely to have positive monetay value at its expiation.

Rational picing is the assumption in economics that asset pices will eflect the abitage-fee pice of the asset as any deviation fom this pice will….

Employee Stock Ownership on Employees in the Airlines Industry since September 11th.
Review current materials on the issue.

Airline industry ESOPs tend to be very volatile.

This paper will examine the effects of the September 11th tragedy on employees' employee stock ownership plans in the airlines industry. The following generic information is provided for background before examining the main issue for this paper.

In the United States, the main vehicle for employee ownership in a company is the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) which first became a recognized plan in 1974. There are between 17 and 20 million U.S. employees participating in large ESOPs or other contribution plans holding stock. Employees may own stock directly in their companies through stock purchase programs or be members of work cooperatives.

Studies find the employee ownership has a positive impact on performance even in adverse times. September 11th adversely affected the majority of domestic carriers in the….

Corporate Finance
UnitedHealth Group Stock

This report will provide insight into the UnitedHealth Group Stock from an investor's perspective. The report will show a financial analysis included with an overview of the company's current health standing. The paper will also provide a summary of the company and their products and services. The key to any intelligent investing strategy lies in the investor knowing what a stock is really worth and also if it is safe to buy, sell or hold. Therefore, since this report is from an investor's perspective, the company's stock and industry will be reviewed so as to present a big picture of where United Health is today and where they want to go in the future.

Over the five past years the UnitedHealth Group stock has been making great progress as analysts consistently consider the group a strong buy option. As can be seen from the two stock splits over….

The reason that the subject lends itself to natural resources or real estate is that there will be some information available in those areas, making the valuation less difficult than in innovative areas.
The pessimistic approach is characterized by the divest/shrink option. When a firm is divesting or shrinking it can first scale down, which means that it can "shrink or shut down a project part way through if new information changes the expected payoffs;" this option lends itself to capital intensive industries or industries dealing with financial services (Mauboussin, 1999). ather than shutting down a project, a company can also choose to switch down, which involves switching "to more cost-effective and flexible assets as new information is obtained," and might be used in smaller companies, where the wholesale shut-down of a project could end a business (Mauboussin, 1999). The scope-down option is the mirror image of the above-mentioned scope-up….

By opening stock options to middle management and employees, it was assumed that better employee performance would be incentivized. As company stock prices go up, it creates a greater spread between the option price when it was granted to the employee and the hypothetical sale price at the end of the vesting period. Consistently better performance over a longer period of time would yield greater reward when the option is exercised. However, as Hall and Murphy again point out, "even if employees can increase the value of the firm, their share of that gain through their option holdings is very small. Combining this enormous free-rider problem with the risk imposed on employees through stock-based pay, it seems obvious that cash-based incentive plans based on objective or subjective performance measures can provide stronger and more efficient pay-performance incentives."
Despite many early statements in the life of the practice that employee stock….

1. Hourly Compensation: Starbucks baristas are paid an hourly wage that varies depending on location and experience. Starting wage typically ranges from $9 to $12 per hour.

2. Benefits Package: Starbucks offers a comprehensive benefits package to its employees, including health insurance, dental and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement savings plan, paid time off, and discounts on store products.

3. Stock Options: Starbucks offers eligible employees the opportunity to participate in its Bean Stock program, which grants them stock options in the company.

4. Bonus Incentives: Starbucks employees may be eligible for performance-based bonuses and incentives based on individual and store performance.

5. Tuition Reimbursement:....