Amunicipal water authority is considering the installation of a new water system. two options are being considered. the first option is a steel pipeline with an installation cost of $225 million. annual maintenance and pumping costs begin at $15 million and increase by $1.0 million per year. the second option is a gravity fed concrete canal with an installation cost of $400 million. annual maintenance costs begin at $0.5 million and increase by $0.4 million per year. if the water system is expected to last 100 years and the interest rate is 5% per year compounded yearly, which system is cheapest? compare the present worth of both options.

Richardson hired j. c. flood company, a plumbing contractor, to correct a stoppage in the sewer line of her house. the plumbing company's 'snake' device, used to clear the line leading to the main sewer, became caught in the underground line. to release it, the company excavated a portion of the sewer line in richardson's backyard. in the process, the company discovered numerous leaks in a rusty, defective water pipe that ran parallel with the sewer line. to meet public regulations, the water pipe, of a type no longer approved for such service, had to be replaced either then or later, when the yard would have to be excavated again. the plumbing company proceeded to repair the water pipe. though richardson inspected the company's work daily and did not express any objection to the extra work involved in replacing the water pipe, she refused to pay any part of the total bill after the company completed the entire operation. j. c. flood company then sued richardson for the costs of labor and material it had furnished. (c) for what, if anything, should richardson be liable? explain."

Suppose that xtel currently is selling at $40 per share. you buy 500 shares using $15,000 of your own money, borrowing the remainder of the purchase price from your broker. the rate on the margin loan is 8%. a. what is the percentage increase in the net worth of your brokerage account if the price of xtel immediately changes to (a) $44; (b) $40; (c) $36? (leave no cells blank - be certain to enter "0" wherever required. negative values should be indicated by a minus sign. round your answers to 2 decimal places.) b. if the maintenance margin is 25%, how low can xtel’s price fall before you get a margin call? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.) c. how would your answer to requirement 2 would change if you had financed the initial purchase with only $10,000 of your own money? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.) d. what is the rate of return on your margined position (assuming again that you invest $15,000 of your own money) if xtel is selling after one year at (a) $44; (b) $40; (c) $36? (negative values should be indicated by a minus sign. round your answers to 2 decimal places.) e. continue to assume that a year has passed. how low can xtel’s price fall before you get a margin call? (round your answer to 2 decimal places.)

China's new 5 percent tax on disposable wooden chopsticks, reflecting concerns about deforestation, has been praised by environmentalists. the move is hitting hard at the japanese, who consume 25 billion set of wooden chopsticks annually. almost all of the chopsticks used in japan come from china. the reuirements for chinese manufacturers of wooden chopsticks to pay the 5 percent tax is a factor in their external environment.