Presented below is a portion of Note 8 to Starbucks€™ 2008 Consolidated Financial Statements.
Note 8: Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in millions):

Required
a. Estimate the average total estimated useful life of depreciable property, plant, and equipment. Starbucks reports $604.5 million of depreciation and amortization in the statement of cash flows, of which $1.5 million relates to amortization of limited-life intangible assets. Does the estimate reconcile with stated accounting policy on useful lives for property, plant, and equipment? Explain.
b. How should an analyst interpret fluctuations in this estimate for a given company over time? How should an analyst interpret differences in this estimate between a company and its competitors?
c. Estimate the average age of depreciable assets, the percentage of PP&E that has been used up, and the remaining useful life. How might an analyst use thisinformation?

Fiscal Year Ended Sep 28, 2008 Sep 30, 2007 Land Buildings Leasehold improvements Store equipment Roasting equipment Furniture, fixtures and other Work in progress $ 59.1 217.7 3,363.1 1,045.3 220.7 517.8 293.6 $ 5,717.3 (2,760.9) S 2,956.4 $ 56.2 161.7 3,179.6 1,007.0 208.8 477.9 215.3 $5,306.5 (2,416.1) $2,890.4 Less accumulated depreciation and amortization Property, plant and equipment, net