The government is considering taking further action to ____ the pound ____ falling in value.
A.keep…from
B.keep…up
C.stop…to
D.make…from
A.keep…from
B.keep…up
C.stop…to
D.make…from
In 1999, the government spent about $ 39 billion to ______.
A. improve the prison conditions
B. keep men and women in prison
C. build houses for prisoners
D. maintain the prisons
We can conclude that the author believes______.
A.every young man and woman should go to college
B.more young people should be trained for skilled jobs
C.people with higher education should receive higher pay
D.the government should offer more opportunities for college graduates
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
You have recently commenced working for Burung Co and are reviewing a four-year project which the company is considering for investment. The project is in a business activity which is very different from Burung Co’s current line of business.
The following net present value estimate has been made for the project:
All figures are in $ million
Net present value is negative $1·65 million, and therefore the recommendation is that the project should not be accepted.
In calculating the net present value of the project, the following notes were made:
(i) Since the real cost of capital is used to discount cash flows, neither the sales revenue nor the direct project costs have been inflated. It is estimated that the inflation rate applicable to sales revenue is 8% per year and to the direct project costs is 4% per year.
(ii) The project will require an initial investment of $38 million. Of this, $16 million relates to plant and machinery, which is expected to be sold for $4 million when the project ceases, after taking any taxation and inflation impact into account.
(iii) Tax allowable depreciation is available on the plant and machinery at 50% in the first year, followed by 25% per year thereafter on a reducing balance basis. A balancing adjustment is available in the year the plant and machinery is sold. Burung Co pays 20% tax on its annual taxable profits. No tax allowable depreciation is available on the remaining investment assets and they will have a nil value at the end of the project.
(iv) Burung Co uses either a nominal cost of capital of 11% or a real cost of capital of 7% to discount all projects, given that the rate of inflation has been stable at 4% for a number of years.
(v) Interest is based on Burung Co’s normal borrowing rate of 150 basis points over the 10-year government yield rate.
(vi) At the beginning of each year, Burung Co will need to provide working capital of 20% of the anticipated sales revenue for the year. Any remaining working capital will be released at the end of the project.
(vii) Working capital and depreciation have not been taken into account in the net present value calculation above, since depreciation is not a cash flow and all the working capital is returned at the end of the project.
It is anticipated that the project will be financed entirely by debt, 60% of which will be obtained from a subsidised loan scheme run by the government, which lends money at a rate of 100 basis points below the 10-year government debt yield rate of 2·5%. Issue costs related to raising the finance are 2% of the gross finance required. The remaining 40% will be funded from Burung Co’s normal borrowing sources. It can be assumed that the debt capacity available to Burung Co is equal to the actual amount of debt finance raised for the project.
Burung Co has identified a company, Lintu Co, which operates in the same line of business as that of the project it is considering. Lintu Co is financed by 40 million shares trading at $3·20 each and $34 million debt trading at $94 per $100. Lintu Co’s equity beta is estimated at 1·5. The current yield on government treasury bills is 2% and it is estimated that the market risk premium is 8%. Lintu Co pays tax at an annual rate of 20%.
Both Burung Co and Lintu Co pay tax in the same year as when profits are earned.
Required:
(a) Calculate the adjusted present value (APV) for the project, correcting any errors made in the net present value estimate above, and conclude whether the project should be accepted or not. Show all relevant calculations. (15 marks)
(b) Comment on the corrections made to the original net present value estimate and explain the APV approach taken in part (a), including any assumptions made. (10 marks)
To remain fully compliant with the Effland corporate governance code, the board established audit, remuneration and nomination committees which were solely populated by independent non-executive directors. However, it did not consider it necessary to create a separate risk committee because the board believed that the remit of the audit committee included all aspects of risk management policy. This explanation was formally submitted to the shareholders at its first general meeting, who agreed with the board’s proposal.
As part of its expansion strategy, the board of Branscombe Co decided it needed to enter overseas markets, and in particular the developing country of Geeland. The reason that Geeland was selected as a suitable market was because it had experienced rapid economic growth and domestic prosperity following the discovery of rich, offshore mineral deposits. Unfortunately, this small island nation has never enjoyed stable democratic government and is notorious for corrupt business practices, with customs officials regularly demanding bribes from both importers and exporters. As a result, Geeland has a poor international credit rating. In order to attract both domestic and foreign inward investment, the government of Geeland operates with very low levels of indirect tax, which has stimulated the island’s tourist industry and led in turn to a significant increase in hotel building.
Following a successful tendering exercise, Branscombe Co was awarded the contract to supply all of the bathroom equipment for a 200-room hotel, currently under construction in a remote area of the island. The total value of the supply contract amounted to Geeland $1,800,000, and it was to be paid in three equal instalments as the bathrooms were delivered to the hotel. The contract assigns responsibility for shipping the goods the 3,000 km from Effland to the island solely with Branscombe Co, and no payment will be made until an agreed volume of goods clears Geeland customs. A further problem is that the Geeland dollar is quite volatile, but recently it has been strengthening against the Effland dollar. As all contract payments are to be made in Geeland currency, Branscombe Co is exposed to foreign exchange risks.
The many contract-related issues amount to significant risks to Branscombe Co requiring effective management if the supply contract is to be a success and contribute to the company’s ambitious growth targets.
Required:
(a) Explain the function and roles of a risk committee within an effective corporate governance framework, and discuss the advantages which a risk committee could add to the governance of Branscombe Co. (10 marks)
(b) Explain the term risk appetite, and assess how the risk appetite of Branscombe Co has influenced both its corporate strategy and the risks it has chosen to bear. (7 marks)
(c) Explain how Branscombe Co could effectively control the strategic and operational risks which arise from the Geeland supply contract. (8 marks)
A.the North Warlord Government
B.the Northern Warlord Government
C.the North-Warlords Government
A.election
B.campaign
C.poll
D.vote
A.at, of
B.on, in
C.at, in
D.on, of
A.the emphasis on the rights of private citizens
B.the activities government may legitimately pursue
C.the obligation of citizens to participate in government
D.the size of the geographical area controlled by a government