Cost and Pricing - Many businesses are offering their products and services over the Internet. Find well known company and, determine the following: A product (or service) description A produc

Cost and Pricing - Many businesses are offering their products and services over the Internet. Find well known company and, determine the following:
1. A product (or service) description
2. A product price
3. Based on your responses to parts (1) and (2), along with the description of the company's business, identify the potential costs that are required to provide the product selected in part (1) and categorize them as fixed or variable.
4. Which product do you believe has the largest contribution margin per incremental unit sold?
5. Describe at least two types of standard costs your selected company might use. Additionally, explain the types of direct and overhead variances each of your selected organizations might encounter. Provide an example of each.
Activity-Based Costing Define activity-based costing (ABC) systems. What benefits does implementing an ABC system bring to the company? Explain at least two benefits. What are the disadvantages to implementing an ABC system? List and explain at least two. Would the proposed changes make ABC a universally applicable costing method in your opinion? Why or why not? Elaborate your response.
Non-Financial Performance Many city and county governments are discovering that you can control only what you measure. As a result, many municipal governments are introducing non-financial performance measures to help improve municipal services. Use the Google search engine to perform a search for “municipal government performance measurement.” Google will provide a list of Internet sites that outline various city efforts in using nonfinancial performance measures. Report on the types of measures used by one of the cities from the search.
Personal Investment Analysis Find of the cost of a bachelor's degree at the university of your choice assume additional costs of $16,000 for an additional fifth year of education to get Master's degree. Assume that all tuition is paid at the beginning of the year. A student considering this investment must evaluate the present value of cash flows from possessing a graduate degree versus holding only the undergraduate degree. Assume that the average student with an undergraduate degree is expected to earn an annual salary of $55,000 per year (assumed to be paid at the end of the year) for 10 years. Assume that the average student with a graduate Masters degree is expected to earn an annual salary of $76,000 per year (assumed to be paid at the end of the year) for nine years after graduation. Assume a minimum rate of return of 10%. Determine the net present value of cash flows from an undergraduate degree. Use the present value table provided in this chapter 26. Determine the net present value of cash flows from a Masters degree, assuming that no salary is earned during the graduate year of schooling. What is the net advantage or disadvantage of pursuing a graduate degree under these assumption?