(b) Explain the advantages and the disadvantages of:

(i) the face to face interview between two people; (6 marks)

(c) Assess how the fundamental ethical principles of IFAC’s Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants should

be applied to the provision of a forensic investigation service. (6 marks)

Shoe Co, a shoe manufacturer, has developed a new product called the ‘Smart Shoe’ for children, which has a built-in tracking device. The shoes are expected to have a life cycle of two years, at which point Shoe Co hopes to introduce a new type of Smart Shoe with even more advanced technology. Shoe Co plans to use life cycle costing to work out the total production cost of the Smart Shoe and the total estimated profit for the two-year period.

Shoe Co has spent $5·6m developing the Smart Shoe. The time spent on this development meant that the company missed out on the opportunity of earning an estimated $800,000 contribution from the sale of another product.

The company has applied for and been granted a ten-year patent for the technology, although it must be renewed each year at a cost of $200,000. The costs of the patent application were $500,000, which included $20,000 for the salary costs of Shoe Co’s lawyer, who is a permanent employee of the company and was responsible for preparing the application.

The following information is also available for the next two years:

Shoe Co is still negotiating with marketing companies with regard to its advertising campaign, so is uncertain as to what the total marketing costs will be each year. However, the following information is available as regards the probabilities of the range of costs which are likely to be incurred:

Required:

Applying the principles of life cycle costing, calculate the total expected profit for Shoe Co for the two-year period.

(10 marks)

(iii) whether you agree or not with the statement of the production director. (3 marks)

The group have now decided to convert their business idea into reality.

(b) What elements should a marketing plan contain to achieve a successful launch of their restaurant?

(8 marks)

4 The Better Agriculture Group (BAG), which has a divisional structure, produces a range of products for the farming

industry. Divisions B and C are two of its divisions. Division B sells a fertiliser product (BF) to customers external to

BAG. Division C produces a chemical (CC) which it could transfer to Division B for use in the manufacture of its

product BF. However, Division C could also sell some of its output of chemical CC to external customers of BAG.

An independent external supplier to The Better Agriculture Group has offered to supply Division B with a chemical

which is equivalent to component CC. The independent supplier has a maximum spare capacity of 60,000 kilograms

of the chemical which it is willing to make available (in total or in part) to Division B at a special price of $55 per

kilogram.

Forecast information for the forthcoming period is as follows:

Division B:

Production and sales of 360,000 litres of BF at a selling price of $120 per litre.

Variable conversion costs of BF will amount to $15 per litre.

Fixed costs are estimated at $18,000,000.

Chemical (CC) is used at the rate of 1 kilogram of CC per 4 litres of product BF.

Division C:

Total production capacity of 100,000 kilograms of chemical CC.

Variable costs will be $50 per kilogram of CC.

Fixed costs are estimated at $2,000,000.

Market research suggests that external customers of BAG are willing to take up sales of 40,000 kilograms of CC at a

price of $105 per kilogram. The remaining 60,000 kilograms of CC could be transferred to Division B for use in

product BF. Currently no other market external to BAG is available for the 60,000 kilograms of CC.

Required:

(a) (i) State the price/prices per kilogram at which Division C should offer to transfer chemical CC to Division

B in order that the maximisation of BAG profit would occur if Division B management implement rational

sourcing decisions based on purely financial grounds.

Note: you should explain the basis on which Division B would make its decision using the information

available, incorporating details of all relevant calculations. (6 marks)

(b) Discuss the relative costs to the preparer and benefits to the users of financial statements of increased

disclosure of information in financial statements. (14 marks)

Quality of discussion and reasoning. (2 marks)

4 A properly conducted appraisal interview is fundamental in ensuring the success of an organisation’s performance

appraisal system.

Required:

(a) Describe three approaches to conducting the appraisal interview. (5 marks)

2 The risk committee at Southern Continents Company (SCC) met to discuss a report by its risk manager, Stephanie

Field. The report focused on a number of risks that applied to a chemicals factory recently acquired by SCC in another

country, Southland. She explained that the new risks related to the security of the factory in Southland in respect of

burglary, to the supply of one of the key raw materials that experienced fluctuations in world supply and also an

environmental risk. The environmental risk, Stephanie explained, was to do with the possibility of poisonous

emissions from the Southland factory.

The SCC chief executive, Choo Wang, who chaired the risk committee, said that the Southland factory was important

to him for two reasons. First, he said it was strategically important to the company. Second, it was important because

his own bonuses depended upon it. He said that because he had personally negotiated the purchase of the Southland

factory, the remunerations committee had included a performance bonus on his salary based on the success of the

Southland investment. He told Stephanie that a performance-related bonus was payable when and if the factory

achieved a certain level of output that Choo considered to be ambitious. ‘I don’t get any bonus at all until we reach

a high level of output from the factory,’ he said. ‘So I don’t care what the risks are, we will have to manage them.’

Stephanie explained that one of her main concerns arose because the employees at the factory in Southland were not

aware of the importance of risk management to SCC. She said that the former owner of the factory paid less attention

to risk issues and so the staff were not as aware of risk as Stephanie would like them to be. ‘I would like to get risk

awareness embedded in the culture at the Southland factory,’ she said.

Choo Wang said that he knew from Stephanie’s report what the risks were, but that he wanted somebody to explain

to him what strategies SCC could use to manage the risks.

Required:

(a) Describe four strategies that can be used to manage risk and identify, with reasons, an appropriate strategy

for each of the three risks mentioned in the case. (12 marks)