Home
Jump to Risk Factors
Jump to Industries
Jump to Exposures
Jump to Event Codes
Jump to Wiki Summary

Industries
Fertilizers and Agricultural Chemicals
Diversified Chemicals
Specialty Chemicals
Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation
Oil and Gas Refining and Marketing and Transportation
Transportation
Environmental Services
Technology Hardware Storage and Peripherals
Information Technology
Technology Hardware and Equipment
Exposures
Cooperate
Regime
Military
Express intent
Judicial
Event Codes
Warn
Yield to order
Solicit support
Riot
Human death
Accident
Agree
Consult
Sanction
Threaten
Wiki Wiki Summary
Financial statement Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities and position of a business, person, or other entity.\nRelevant financial information is presented in a structured manner and in a form which is easy to understand.
Financial distress Financial distress is a term in corporate finance used to indicate a condition when promises to creditors of a company are broken or honored with difficulty. If financial distress cannot be relieved, it can lead to bankruptcy.
Information technology controls In business and accounting, information technology controls (or IT controls) are specific activities performed by persons or systems designed to ensure that business objectives are met. They are a subset of an enterprise's internal control.
Financial market A financial market is a market in which people trade financial securities and derivatives at low transaction costs. Some of the securities include stocks and bonds, raw materials and precious metals, which are known in the financial markets as commodities.
Financial law Financial law is the law and regulation of the insurance, derivatives, commercial banking, capital markets and investment management sectors. Understanding Financial law is crucial to appreciating the creation and formation of banking and financial regulation, as well as the legal framework for finance generally.
Form 8-K Form 8-K is a very broad form used to notify investors in United States public companies of specified events that may be important to shareholders or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. This is one of the most common types of forms filed with the SEC. After a significant event like bankruptcy or departure of a CEO, a public company generally must file a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days to provide an update to previously filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and/or Annual Reports on Form 10-K. Form 8-K is required to be filed by public companies with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Surgery Surgery is a medical or dental specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pathological condition such as a disease or injury, to help improve bodily function, appearance, or to repair unwanted ruptured areas.\nThe act of performing surgery may be called a surgical procedure, operation, or simply "surgery".
Holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself.
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia.
The Pokémon Company The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, Kabushiki gaisha Pokémon) is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing and licensing of the Pokémon franchise, which consists of video game software, a trading card game, anime television series, films, manga, home entertainment products, merchandise, and other ventures. It was established through a joint investment by the three businesses holding the copyright of Pokémon: Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures.
The Weather Company The Weather Company is a weather forecasting and information technology company that owns and operates weather.com and Weather Underground. The Weather Company has been a subsidiary of the Watson & Cloud Platform business unit of IBM since 2016.
The Honest Company The Honest Company, Inc. is an American consumer goods company, founded by actress Jessica Alba.
The Longaberger Company The Longaberger Company is an American manufacturer and distributor of handcrafted maple wood baskets and other home and lifestyle products. The company opened in 1973, was acquired in 2013 by CVSL, Inc., and closed in 2018.
Lluís Companys Lluís Companys i Jover (Catalan pronunciation: [ʎuˈis kumˈpaɲs]; 21 June 1882 – 15 October 1940) was a Spanish politician from Catalonia who served as president of Catalonia from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War.\nCompanys was a lawyer close to labour movement and one of the most prominent leaders of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party, founded in 1931.
Companys, procés a Catalunya Companys, procés a Catalunya (Spanish: Companys, proceso a Cataluña) is a 1979 Spanish Catalan drama film directed by Josep Maria Forn, based on the last months of the life of the President of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, in which he shows his detention by the Nazis and his subsequent execution by the Spanish Francoists. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.
List of largest companies in the United States by revenue This list comprises the largest companies in the United States by revenue as of 2022, according to the Fortune 500 tally of companies. Retail corporation Walmart has been the largest company in the US by revenue since 2014.
Amazon (company) Amazon.com, Inc. ( AM-ə-zon) is an American multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.
El Tarròs El Tarròs (Spanish: Tarrós) is a small village in Tornabous municipality, in the province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain. In 2008 it had 100 inhabitants.
Significant figures Significant figures (also known as the significant digits, precision or resolution) of a number in positional notation are digits in the number that are reliable and necessary to indicate the quantity of something.\nIf a number expressing the result of a measurement (e.g., length, pressure, volume, or mass) has more digits than the number of digits allowed by the measurement resolution, then only as many digits as allowed by the measurement resolution are reliable, and so only these can be significant figures.
Bit numbering In computing, bit numbering is the convention used to identify the bit positions in a binary number.\n\n\n== Bit significance and indexing ==\n\nIn computing, the least significant bit (LSB) is the bit position in a binary integer representing the binary 1s place of the integer.
Statistical significance In statistical hypothesis testing, a result has statistical significance when it is very unlikely to have occurred given the null hypothesis. More precisely, a study's defined significance level, denoted by \n \n \n \n α\n \n \n {\displaystyle \alpha }\n , is the probability of the study rejecting the null hypothesis, given that the null hypothesis is true; and the p-value of a result, \n \n \n \n p\n \n \n {\displaystyle p}\n , is the probability of obtaining a result at least as extreme, given that the null hypothesis is true.
Financial condition report In accounting, a financial condition report (FCR) is a report on the solvency condition of an insurance company that takes into account both the current financial status, as reflected in the balance sheet, and an assessment of the ability of the company to survive future risk scenarios. Risk assessment in an FCR involves dynamic solvency testing, a type of dynamic financial analysis that simulates management response to risk scenarios, to test whether a company could remain solvent in the face of deteriorating economic conditions or major disasters.
Financial ratio A financial ratio or accounting ratio is a relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprise's financial statements. Often used in accounting, there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall financial condition of a corporation or other organization.
Federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac In September 2008 the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that it would take over the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Both government-sponsored enterprises, which finance home mortgages in the United States by issuing bonds, had become illiquid as the market for those bonds collapsed in the subprime mortgage crisis.
Arithmetic Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós) 'number', and τική [τέχνη] (tikḗ [tékhnē]) 'art, craft') is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th century, Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano formalized arithmetic with his Peano axioms, which are highly important to the field of mathematical logic today.
Special Activities Center The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly-trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as "special forces".
Met Operations Met Operations, also known as Met Ops, is one of the four business groups which forms the Metropolitan Police Service. It was created during the 2018-19 restructuring of the service, amalgamating many of its functions from the Operations side of the Specialist Crime & Operations Directorate formed in 2012, with the Specialist Crime side of that Directorate placed under the new Frontline Policing Directorate.
Víctor Gay Zaragoza Víctor Gay Zaragoza (born 19 June 1982 in Barcelona, Spain) is a writer, storyteller, trainer and consultant on storytelling. He is author of the essays "Filosofía Rebelde" (Rebel Philosophy), "50 libros que cambiarán tu vida" (50 books that will change your life) and the historical novel "El defensor" (The defender).
Liability (financial accounting) In financial accounting, a liability is defined as the future sacrifices of economic benefits that the entity is\nobliged to make to other entities as a result of past transactions or other past events, the settlement of which may result in the transfer or use of assets, provision of services or other yielding of economic benefits in the future.\n\n\n== Characteristics ==\nA liability is defined by the following characteristics:\n\nAny type of borrowing from persons or banks for improving a business or personal income that is payable during short or long time;\nA duty or responsibility to others that entails settlement by future transfer or use of assets, provision of services, or other transaction yielding an economic benefit, at a specified or determinable date, on occurrence of a specified event, or on demand;\nA duty or responsibility that obligates the entity to another, leaving it little or no discretion to avoid settlement; and,\nA transaction or event obligating the entity that has already occurredLiabilities in financial accounting need not be legally enforceable; but can be based on equitable obligations or constructive obligations.
Equity (finance) In finance, equity is ownership of assets that may have debts or other liabilities attached to them. Equity is measured for accounting purposes by subtracting liabilities from the value of the assets.
The Liability The Liability (also known as The Hitman's Apprentice) is a 2013 British black comedy crime-thriller film directed by Craig Viveiros and written by John Wrathall. The film stars Tim Roth, Talulah Riley, Jack O'Connell and Peter Mullan.
Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth A Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) is an annual document that all government workers in the Philippines, whether regular or temporary, must complete and submit attesting under oath to their total assets and liabilities, including businesses and financial interests, that make up their net worth. The assets and liabilities of the official, his or her spouse, and any unmarried children under 18 who are living at home, must be included.
Contingent liability Contingent liabilities are liabilities that may be incurred by an entity depending on the outcome of an uncertain future event such as the outcome of a pending lawsuit. These liabilities are not recorded in a company's accounts and shown in the balance sheet when both probable and reasonably estimable as 'contingency' or 'worst case' financial outcome.
Accrued liabilities Accrued liabilities are liabilities that reflect expenses that have not yet been paid or logged under accounts payable during an accounting period; in other words, a company's obligation to pay for goods and services that have been provided for which invoices have not yet been received. Examples would include accrued wages payable, accrued sales tax payable, and accrued rent payable.
Legal liability In law, liable means "responsible or answerable in law; legally obligated". Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law and can arise from various areas of law, such as contracts, torts, taxes, or fines given by government agencies.
Risk Factors
BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORP Item 1A Risk Factors The Company faces intense competition from rail carriers and other transportation providers, and its failure to compete effectively could adversely affect its results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
The Company operates in a highly competitive business environment
Depending on the specific market, the Company faces intermodal, intramodal, product and geographic competition
For example, the Company believes that high service truck lines, due to their ability to deliver non-bulk products on an expedited basis, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on the Company’s ability to compete for deliveries of non-bulk, time-sensitive freight
While the Company must build or acquire and maintain its rail system, trucks and barges are able to use public rights-of-way maintained by public entities
Any material increase in the scope and quality of these alternative methods or the passage of legislation granting greater latitude to motor carriers with respect to size and weight restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
A downturn in the economy or change in government policy could negatively impact demand for the Company’s services
Significant, extended negative changes in economic conditions that impact the producers and consumers of the commodities transported by the Company may have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
In addition, changes in United States and foreign government policies could change the economic environment and affect demand for our services
For example, changes in clean air laws may impact demand for coal and United States and foreign government agriculture subsidies may impact the demand for grain
As part of its railroad operations, the Company frequently transports chemicals and other hazardous materials
The Company is required to transport these commodities to the extent of its common carrier obligation
An accidental release of these commodities could result in a significant loss of life and extensive property damage
The associated costs could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
Future acts of terrorism or war, as well as the threat of war, may cause significant disruptions in the Company’s business operations
Terrorist attacks, such as those that occurred on September 11, 2001, as well as the more recent attacks on the transportation systems in Madrid and London, any government response to those types of attacks and war or risk of war may adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
The Company’s rail lines and facilities could be direct targets or indirect casualties of an act or acts of terror, which could cause significant business interruption and result in increased costs and liabilities and decreased revenues, which could have an adverse effect on its operating results and financial condition
Such effects could be magnified where releases of hazardous materials are involved
Any act of terror, retaliatory strike, sustained military campaign or war or risk of war may have an adverse impact on the Company’s operating results and financial condition by causing or resulting in unpredictable operating or financial conditions, including disruptions of rail lines, volatility or sustained increase of fuel prices, fuel shortages, general economic decline and instability or weakness of financial markets which could restrict its ability to raise capital
In addition, insurance premiums charged for some or all of the coverage currently maintained by the Company could increase dramatically or certain coverage may not be available to the Company in the future
4 ______________________________________________________________________ [28]Table of Contents The Company is subject to stringent environmental laws and regulations which may impose significant costs on its business operations
The Company’s operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations concerning, among other things, emissions to the air; discharges to waters; the generation, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of waste and hazardous materials; and the cleanup of hazardous material or petroleum releases
In addition, many of the Company’s land holdings are and have been used for industrial or transportation-related purposes or leased to commercial or industrial companies whose activities may have resulted in discharges onto the property
Environmental liability can extend to previously owned or operated properties, leased properties and properties owned by third parties, as well as to properties currently owned and used by the Company
Environmental liabilities have arisen and may continue to arise from claims asserted by adjacent landowners or other third parties in toxic tort litigation
The Company has been and may continue to be subject to allegations or findings to the effect that it has violated, or is strictly liable under, these laws or regulations
The Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity could be adversely affected as a result of any of the foregoing, and it may be required to incur significant expenses to investigate and remediate environmental contamination
The Company records liabilities for environmental cleanup when the amount of its liability is both probable and reasonably estimable
The Company’s future success depends on its ability to continue to comply with the significant federal, state and local governmental regulations to which it is subject
The Company is subject to a significant amount of governmental regulation with respect to its rates and practices, railroad operations and a variety of health, safety, labor, environmental and other matters
Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Company
Governments may change the legislative framework within which the Company operates without providing the Company with any recourse for any adverse effects that the change may have on its business
Also, some of the regulations require the Company to obtain and maintain various licenses, permits and other authorizations, and it cannot assure that it will continue to be able to do so
Increased economic regulation of the rail industry could negatively impact the Company’s ability to determine prices for rail services and to make capital improvements to its rail network, resulting in an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
The availability of qualified personnel and an aging workforce may adversely affect the Company’s operations
Changes in demographics, training requirements and the availability of qualified personnel, particularly train crew members, could negatively impact service levels
In addition, approximately 45 percent of the workforce will be eligible for retirement within the next 10 years
The Company’s efforts to attract and retain qualified personnel may be hindered due to increased demand in the job market
Unpredictable increases in demand for rail services may exacerbate these risks and may have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
5 ______________________________________________________________________ [29]Table of Contents Most of the Company’s employees are represented by unions, and failure to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements may result in strikes, work stoppages, or substantially higher ongoing labor costs
A significant majority of BNSF Railway’s employees are union-represented
BNSF Railway’s union employees work under collective bargaining agreements with various labor organizations
A negotiating process for new, major collective bargaining agreements covering all of BNSF Railway’s union employees has been underway since the bargaining round was initiated on November 1, 2004
Wages, health and welfare benefits, work rules and other issues have traditionally been addressed through industry-wide negotiations
These negotiations have generally taken place over an extended period of time and have previously not resulted in any extended work stoppages
The existing agreements have remained in effect and will continue to remain in effect until new agreements are reached or the Railway Labor Act’s procedures (which include mediation, cooling-off periods and the possibility of Presidential intervention) are exhausted
While the negotiations have not yet resulted in any extended work stoppages, if the Company is unable to negotiate acceptable new agreements, it could result in strikes by the affected workers, loss of business and increased operating costs as a result of higher wages or benefits paid to union members, any of which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
Severe weather and natural disasters could disrupt normal business operations, which would result in increased costs and liabilities and decreases in revenues
The Company’s success is dependent on its ability to operate its railroad system efficiently
Severe weather and natural disasters, such as tornados, flooding and earthquakes, could cause significant business interruptions and result in increased costs and liabilities and decreased revenues
In addition, damages to or loss of use of significant aspects of the Company’s infrastructure due to natural or man-made disruptions could have an adverse affect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity for an extended period of time until repairs or replacements could be made
Extreme swings in weather could also negatively affect the performance of locomotives and rolling stock
Fuel supply availability and fuel prices may adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
Fuel supply availability could be impacted as a result of limitations in refining capacity, disruptions to the supply chain, or rising global demand
A significant reduction in fuel availability could impact the Company’s ability to provide transportation services at current levels, increase fuel costs and impact the economy
Each of these factors could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
Additionally, the Company is expected to be able to offset a significant portion of the anticipated higher fuel costs through its fuel surcharge program and fuel hedging activities in 2006
However, to the extent that the Company is unable to maintain and expand its existing fuel surcharge program, increases in fuel prices could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition or liquidity
The Company depends on the stability and availability of its information technology systems
The Company relies on information technology in all aspects of its business
A significant disruption or failure of its information technology systems could result in service interruptions, safety failures, security violations, regulatory compliance failures, and the inability to protect corporate information assets against intruders or other operational difficulties
Although the Company has taken steps to mitigate these risks, including Business Continuity Planning, Disaster Recovery Planning and Business Impact Analysis, a significant disruption could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
Additionally, if the Company is unable to acquire or implement new technology, it may suffer a competitive disadvantage, which could also have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or liquidity
6 ______________________________________________________________________ [30]Table of Contents Personal injury claims constitute a significant expense, and increases in the amount or severity of these claims could adversely affect the Company’s operating results
The Company is subject to various personal injury claims by third parties and employees, including claims by employees who worked around asbestos until it was substantially eliminated by 1985
Personal injury claims by BNSF Railway employees are subject to the Federal Employees’ Liability Act (FELA), rather than state workers’ compensation laws
The Company believes that the FELA system, which includes unscheduled awards and a reliance on the jury system, has contributed to increased expenses in the past
Future events, such as increases in the number of claims that will be filed, developments in legislative and judicial standards and the costs of settling claims, could result in an adverse effect on the Company’s operating results