Discuss how a company can make strategic changes that will change their cost of capital. These changes can be positive or negative and increase or decrease the cost of capital. Also discuss what variable(s) the company has no control over to effect change in the cost of capital and why this is the case.

Indicate whether each of the following companies is primarily a service, merchandise, or manufacturing business. if you are unfamiliar with the company, use the internet to locate the company's home page or use the finance web site of yahoo. 1. alcoa inc. 2. boeing 3. caterpillar 4. citigroup inc. 5. cvs 6. dow chemical company 7. ebay inc. 8. fedex 9. ford motor company 10. gap inc. 11. h& r block 12. hilton hospitality, inc. 13. procter & gamble 14. suntrust 15. walmart stores, inc.