Author: chris

Your operational amplifier circuit specification is determined as follows:

are input voltages within the range of 0 to 100mV and determine the output voltage of the amplifier circuit ( ). and E are numbers deduce from your SID as follows:
A is the last digit of your SID (7 in the example above).
B is the second from the last digit of your SID (6 in the example above).
C is the third from the last digit of your SID (5 in the example above).
D is the fourth from the last digit of your SID (4 in the example above).If D is an even digit (such as 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) specify a non-inverting stage while odd digit (such as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) specify an inverting stage. For example, with the example SID above the ‘7’ indicates an inverting stage.
E is the fourth from the last digit of your SID (3 in the example above) determines the gain of the last cascaded amplifier in V/V. For example, the ‘3’ in the example above indicates the required gain is 3 V/V. If your digit is a ‘0’ this should be interpreted as a gain of 10 V/V.
.
The digit F is the fifth from the last digit of your SID (2 in the example above) indicates the input impedance of the last cascaded amplifier in kΩ. For the example above the digit ‘2’ indicates the input impedance required from the stage design is 2 kΩ. Again if your digit is ‘0’ interpret this as 10 kΩ.

Record your personal specification below: (3 marks)
A =
B =
C =
D =
E =
Expected circuit transfer function =

The first task is to design an operational amplifier circuit that is compliant with your specification. Multiple operational amplifiers will be required. Your answer should include a clear schematic diagram of the stage from Multisim or a similar schematic editor and a clear justification of how the component values have been selected to comply with the specification.

Insert the schematic diagram of the operational amplifier circuit here: (7 marks)

Insert the justification for how the component values were derived here: (9 marks)

The next task is to employ the circuit simulation facilities of a design tool such as Multisim to demonstrate that the design performs to specification. You should present simulation results along with a clear explanation of what they show to confirm compliance.

The circuit transfer function is as specified (8 marks)
Insert simulation results here:

The circuit transfer function is as specified (8 marks)
Insert your explanation of why the results demonstrate compliance with specification here:

Finally, you should briefly discuss any practical concerns that would need to be taken into account if the design were to be implemented physically in the laboratory. Include references to sources of information that you used for this section.

Insert discussion on practical implementation here: (15 marks)

•The investment bank your group works for has been hired by the Board of Directors of the
company assigned to your group to perform analyses of the company’s capital structure and to
provide advice on whether the current capital structure is optimal.
•Since, your group will report directly to the Board of Directors, you can assume Financial
Management level knowledge of finance, i.e., you can assume that your readers would be familiar
with Modigliani and Miller (MM) theorem with corporate taxes. The report should therefore cover
material more advanced than MM with corporate taxes.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Include a brief (half page) summary of the contents of your report and highlight its major conclusions
and recommendations.
•Half of the executive summary page should be left blank.
2. COMPANY AND INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Provide a brief summary of the firm’s business activities and business segments and recent
developments in the company and its industry.
•This overview of up to 2 pages should also identify two comparable firms, which you will use in
your analyses in the next section. You should fully justify your choice of the comparable firms.
3. CAPITAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS
In this section you will analyse the company’s capital structure and leverage policy.
Your discussion in this section should include but not be restricted to the following:
3.1 Historical Company Leverage/Financing Analysis and Peer/Industry Leverage
Analysis
•You should document the financing and leverage history of the company and characterise the
company’s historical (and current) leverage policy using:
o recent trends in the use of debt and equity and recent financing activities of the firm (debt and equity issues, placements and share buybacks); current and recent history of leverage and interest coverage ratios; management discussions about the firm’s leverage policy.
Does the company have a target leverage ratio?
Does the past pattern of the company’s leverage support
•the managerial inertia theory?
•the security mispricing theory?
o recent capital expenditures (including mergers) and their financing
Is the financing behaviour of the company consistent with the pecking order
theory?
•You should document and discuss the firm’s leverage policy relative to the leverage policies of comparable firms and to industry average leverage (information on industry average leverages will be posted on UTSOnline).
3.2 Optimal Leverage Analysis
•You should discuss the implications of the various capital structure theories for optimal capital
structure as they apply to your assigned company including:
o Trade-off theory
The trade-off between tax benefits of debt (including personal taxes and dividend
imputation credits (see Topic 8)) and the financial distress costs
The implications of the trade-off theory determinants (see Topic 6) of optimal
leverage for the optimal leverage of the firm.
•Analyses of the determinants should be both qualitative and quantitative.
You may incorporate stakeholder theory, agency theory and predation theory (see
Topic 7) along the trade-off theory determinants mentioned above in a broader
trade-off theory framework.
The analyses of the broader trade-off theory determinants should be detailed
and should form the bulk of your analyses of optimal leverage.
o Agency theory
o Stakeholder theory
o Predation / Product market completion theory
•You should determine the optimal leverage or optimal leverage range of the firm and whether the
firm should increase, decrease or maintain its current leverage.
•You should also suggest how and when any recommended leverage change should be
implemented.

Part A – Baby Shack
Bruce is an entrepreneur who founded Baby Shack, an online retailer of baby products such as nappies and baby food, in early 2013. On Baby Shack’s website customers can choose from a large range of products from a variety of manufacturers. The company has a distribution centre in Adelaide, South Australia from where it ships goods to customers across Australia via a third party courier network. Last month the company generated $13,000 revenue and made a loss.
You are working for Cockatoo Capital, an Australian VC firm, and you have been approached by Bruce who is seeking series A VC funding. Until now Bruce has invested $100,000 in the business from family and friends.
1. What would be the most appropriate valuation methodology to use to value a company like Baby Shack and why? [10 points]
2. Bruce is prepared to offer 12,000 shares in Baby Shack for $1.8 million in VC funding. There are currently 16,000 shares on issue. Calculate the pre-money valuation and post-money valuation of the company. What percentage ownership will Cockatoo Capital gain in the company? [10 points]
3. Since the business started, Bruce has found customer adoption to be quite slow. Bruce believes that one of the reasons for this is because many people do not yet know that Baby Shack exists. He is confident that once people become aware of the “outstanding offering” of Baby Shack, business will pick up. Has the business reached product / market fit? What should Bruce’s priorities be at this stage of the company’s development and why? [10 points]
4. This is Bruce’s first startup venture since leaving a well-paid position as product manager at a leading nappy company. Although he has no prior experience with online startups, he has employed a skilled software developer as head of technology and a qualified financial controller to run the company’s accounts. Is this a good founder and team for Cockatoo Capital to invest alongside? Why or why not? Are there any vital skills missing in the team? [10 points]
5. Comparable businesses have been sold on a valuation of 2.5x annual revenue. How much annual revenue will Baby Shack need to generate in order to give Cockatoo Capital a 5x return on its investment? [5 points]
6. Overall, is Baby Shack an attractive investment for Cockatoo Capital? [5 points]

Part B – DealMax
Consider the Australian company DealMax (www.dealmax.com.au).
1. Briefly describe the market in which DealMax is operating. Do you think this is an attractive market to be in? Why or why not? [10 points]
2. What value proposition does DealMax offer to its customers? [10 points]
3. One of DealMax’s key competitors is Mozo (www.mozo.com.au). How do the business models of DealMax and Mozo differ? Which business model do you think is superior? Give reasons for your view. [10 points]
4. Can the market in which DealMax operates be considered to be a “winner-takes-all” market? Why or why not? [10 points]
5. Do you think DealMax would be an attractive company for an acquirer to purchase in a trade sale? Name some companies (at least 2) that you think could be potential acquirers of DealMax, along with the rationale for each acquirer. [10 points]

1) Search the Web and locate three (3) Web sites that relate to the readings (associated chapter(s)). These sites could be white papers or research documents found on research databases, commercial or non-commercial sites that have something to do with the readings, or news articles that discuss the topics. For each URL write a one-paragraph summary of the Web site focusing on how it relates to the readings (chapter).

1. Research a local, small business that does business in a traditional way, but has not been involved in e-Commerce.

• Based on your research, describe how the company would benefit from e-Commerce and then describe the disadvantages if the company were to implement e-Commerce.

• Using the same company, determine which category of e-Commerce would be most beneficial. Explain why this category would be better suited than the others.

2. Research a business that establishes trust and credibility with its customers through its Website.

• Based on your research in the second e-Activity, indicate the ways in which the company establishes trust and credibility with its customers through its Website.

• Identify some of the cultural issues in international e-Commerce and how these issues can be overcome.

3. Internet and World Wide Web

• Determine the impact that the Internet and World Wide Web has had on doing business.

• Articulate what you believe is driving the growth of the Internet and World Wide Web.

4. Intranets and Extranets

• Compare a public network to a private network. Identify the security risks of using a public network in e-Commerce.

• Compare a private network to a virtual private network. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using a VPN in e-Commerce.

5. Intellectual Property

• Copyright law has always included elements, such as the fair-use exemption, that make it difficult to apply. Explain how the Internet has made this worse by citing specific examples.

• Determine whether file sharing is necessary to further advantage technology or if it should be stopped because it violates copyright law.

6. Privacy Rights and Obligations

• Explain the various privacy rights that businesses on the Web are lawfully obligated to adhere to. Describe some of the gray areas in enforcing these laws on the Internet.

• Cookies are small text files placed on Web client computers to identify returning customers to a Website. Most visitors find the privacy risk posed by cookies to be acceptable. Analyze the future of cookie usage by looking at the advantages and disadvantages, along with the current business and consumer climate.

Design a stand-alone/grid-connected renewable generation system for residential use in Victoria (you have to choose a specific location in Victoria) using HOMER legacy software with the specification as follow:
1. The system may comprise back-up generator (diesel), utility grid, PV panel, wind turbine, converter and battery.
2. You should use hourly residential load profile (house size: maximum six bed rooms) in kW for weekday and weekend. Data will be different for different months considering weather and seasons. You should search the internet for hourly residential load data of the specific location you use in Victoria. A good place to start is AEMO. If you have smart meter installed in your house, you can access the load data through the Distribution or Retail Company’s website. You should provide the appropriate reference for the load profile.
3. The presence of back-up generator is a must in your system. You should use current fuel price rate for the back-up generator and provide necessary reference.
4. Wind resource profile is available through Bureau of Metrology (BOM) website for Victoria. You should use monthly average wind speed given in m/s.
5. You can collect solar resource profile through NASA or BOM website. You should use daily average radiation data of each month given in kWh/m2/d
Sensitivity analysis requirement:
 Diesel fuel price increases by 50%.
 Rebate program on renewable energy component (PV module, wind turbine, converter and battery) is up to 40%.
Write a report based on simulation result. The report should show some of the points or more as follows:
 Load & resources profiles
 The feasible system architecture according to the sensitivity analysis result
 Comparison between the feasible system architecture and system which has only diesel generator or diesel generator and grid.

1. WHY IS POLITICAL JOURNALISM IMPORTANT?
2. DOES POLITICAL JOURNALISM ILLUMINATE OR OBSCURE THE POLITICAL PROCESS?
3. DO JOURNALISTS SHAPE THE WAY THAT THE PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT POLITICS?
4. IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALISTS AND POLITICIANS COLLABORATIVE OR ADVERSARIAL?
5. IS THE INTERNET MAKING POLITICAL JOURNALISM OBSOLETE?

To answer both of the following 2 questions that relate to this week’s case study.

1. How do the markets of diamonds differ across the US, Europe, Japan and China?

2. What are the marketing implications of this case study?