Why do you think Under Armour’s shares are down 40% from its high, given the growth? What is Wall Street wanting from UA? Do you think UA will be able to deliver? If you were CEO of UA, would you want to “manage” Wall Street’s expectations? If so, how?
SAP’s free cash flow increased, giving the company additional financial flexibility. Why do you think the European investor base would rather SAP reduce debt than increase share buybacks? Is being “debt-free” an “optimal” position for any company? Does is matter if it is European or not?
So Yahoo is being investigated for the delay in disclosure re: the cybersecurity breach. If you were CEO, how would you determine, not only if you must disclose, but also by when?
Jay Clayton is the lead candidate for chair of the SEC. Do you think he is qualified? Do some of those same qualifications present a potential problem if he were to be confirmed as chair? What is the ideal candidate for the job? Does such a candidate exist?
So the SEC fined GM $1,000,000 for failing to disclose the ignition switch problem internally to its accountants so they could assess whether a loss contingency should have been booked. What is the purpose of this fine? Who will pay it? How do you think it was determined?
Do you think it is appropriate to hold individuals (such as a named CFO) liable for errors in financial reporting? Why or why not? What are the consequences for bringing talented individuals into CFO roles?
If you had the final say on who should be the head of the PCAOB, what criteria would you use? Are you for or against the proposed requirement that audit firms identify the lead partner on an audit engagement?
Given the SEC Chair’s promotion of IFRS, why do you suppose that movement on the issue continues to drag on so slowly?
Why is there a trend toward “de-equitizing” the capital markets? Do you believe (over) regulation of public companies plays a part? If you needed cash, what options are available and how would you choose?
Do you agree that Apple (and CEO Tim Cook in particular) had a “terrible” year? What performance metrics, such as financial ratios, would you personally use to judge Apple’s performance? How would you assess their prospects?
Can you connect the dots between exchange rates and goodwill impairments? Are the effects related to FX transactions or translations?
So VW may accrue another billion as a contingent liability. What is the threshold for balance sheet recognition of contingencies under US GAAP? Under IFRS? Do you believe these future costs have already been reflected into the firm’s stock price? How could you determine if they have?
Are share repurchases “investments” in a firm’s own stock? Are they a form of “financial engineering”? What do you think is the real reason for the surge?
Microsoft obtained SEC approval before disclosing non-GAAP revenue figures in its financial filings. What do you think the consequences would have been had Microsoft not received pre-clearance before announcing non-GAAP revenue?
What do you think were all the factors that Walmart considered in its decision to settle the lawsuit? How (and where . . . i.e., which part of the 10-K) would you check to see if Walmart had a accrued a liability for this?
The “Dodd-Frank” legislation was enacted largely because of the financial crisis of 2008. What is your opinion about, for example, the following: 1) say-on-pay 2) insiders hedging company stock 3) pay-ratio disclosure 4) conflict minerals disclosure? Should these provisions be maintained? Why or why not? Who benefits from these disclosures?
If you were the CEO of a MNC doing business in the U.K., how would you rank the factors in order of importance, including the corporate income tax rate, that you would consider in whether to continue to remain in the U.K.? What factors do you think Nissan considered?
Can you tell from this description whether the pro forma (adjusted) results for Marvell Technology are “good”?
How can lower inventory levels be associated with higher gross margins? What’s the counter argument? If you were the head of merchandising at Macy’s, what factors do you consider in inventory levels?