Windswept, inc. 2010 income statement ($ in millions) net sales $ 8,700 less: cost of goods sold 7,340 less: depreciation 405 earnings before interest and taxes $ 955 less: interest paid 82 taxable income $ 873 less: taxes 306 net income $ 567 windswept, inc. 2009 and 2010 balance sheets ($ in millions) 2009 2010 2009 2010 cash $ 150 $ 185 accounts payable $ 1,180 $ 1,260 accounts rec. 920 730 long-term debt 1,000 1,265 inventory 1,520 1,550 common stock $ 3,210 $ 2,900 total $ 2,590 $ 2,465 retained earnings 460 710 net fixed assets 3,260 3,670 total assets $ 5,850 $ 6,135 total liab. & equity $ 5,850 $ 6,135 what is the return on equity for 2010?

David burdick is the ceo of acme bubblegum, a successful public company. as one of the cofounders of the company, burdick has enjoyed speaking and writing about the success of acme bubblegum for several years. typically, he speaks at conferences or directly to the press, but recently, he has been blogging about his firm anonymously. specifically, he defended a recent advertising campaign that was unpopular among consumers and pointedly attacked one of acme bubblegum’s competitors. burdick deeply enjoys his anonymous blogging and believes that none of his readers actually know that he works for acme bubblegum. should burdick be allowed to praise his company’s performance anonymously online? should he be allowed to attack his competitors without disclosing his relationship with the company? how would you feel if the ceo of a company at which you shopped was secretly writing criticisms of his or her competition? how would you feel if you knew a writer for your favorite blog was actually closely involved in a company that the blog discussed? 1. define the ethical issue? 2. who are the primary stakeholders? 3. what are the possible alternatives? 4. how could you evaluate the ethical implications of the alternative actions (use appropriate decision rules)? 5. what action would you recommend and why?