(d) The management of Wonderland plc have become concerned about the increased level of operating costs

associated with its petrol-driven ferries and have made a strategic decision to dispose of these. They are now

considering entering into a contract with the Newman Steamship Company (NSC), a shipping organisation based

in Robynland. The contract would entail NSC providing transport to and from Cinola Island for all visitors to the

zoo and circus.

As a result of negotiations with NSC, the directors of Wonderland plc are considering two options whereby NSC

will become responsible for the transportation of visitors to and from Cinola Island with effect from 1 December

2007 or 1 December 2008.

Additional information is available as follows:

(1) NSC would require Wonderland plc to pay for the necessary modifications to their steamships in order that

they would satisfy marine regulations with regard to passenger transportation. The only firm which could

undertake this work is currently working to full capacity and would require a payment of ￡2,450,000 in

order to undertake the work necessary so that the ferries could be in operation by 1 December 2007. The

same firm would require a payment of ￡1,725,000 in order to make the necessary modifications so that

the ferries could be in operation by 1 December 2008. The government of Robynland would be willing to

pay a grant of 8% towards the cost of getting the ferries into operation by 1 December 2007, but would not

be willing to pay a grant in respect of any later date.

(2) On 1 December 2002 Wonderland plc paid ￡500,000 to the Port Licencing Authority of Robynland. This

payment was for a licence which entitles Wonderland plc to use all harbour facilities in Robynland during

the five-year period ending 30 November 2007. The licence could be renewed on 1 December 2007 at a

cost of ￡150,000 per annum.

(3) Redundancy payments would need to be paid in respect of loss of employment. These would amount to

￡1,200,000 if the contract with NSC commenced on 1 December 2007. This amount would reduce to

￡750,000 if the contract commenced on 1 December 2008.

(4) Wonderland plc has a contract for the provision of petrol for its ferries which is due to expire on 30 November

2008. Early termination of the contract would incur a penalty charge of ￡76,000. An emergency reserve

stock of petrol held by Wonderland plc, which cannot be used after 30 November 2007 due to marine

regulations regarding the age of fuel, could be sold for ￡55,000 on 1 December 2007 but not on any date

thereafter.

(5) The ferries could be sold for ￡3,300,000 on 1 December 2007. If retained after 1 December 2007 the

ferries would require servicing during the year ending 30 November 2008 which would incur costs

amounting to ￡150,000. The resale value of the ferries on 1 December 2008 would be ￡2,900,000.

(6) Stock of consumable items which originally cost ￡150,000 could be sold on 1 December 2007 for

￡110,000 and on 1 December 2008 for ￡50,000.

Required:

(i) On purely financial grounds, advise whether the management of Wonderland plc should enter into a

contract with NSC with effect from 1 December 2007 or 1 December 2008. You may ignore the time

value of money. (9 marks)

3 You are the manager responsible for the audit of Volcan, a long-established limited liability company. Volcan operates

a national supermarket chain of 23 stores, five of which are in the capital city, Urvina. All the stores are managed in

the same way with purchases being made through Volcan’s central buying department and product pricing, marketing,

advertising and human resources policies being decided centrally. The draft financial statements for the year ended

31 March 2005 show revenue of $303 million (2004 – $282 million), profit before taxation of $9·5 million (2004

– $7·3 million) and total assets of $178 million (2004 – $173 million).

The following issues arising during the final audit have been noted on a schedule of points for your attention:

(a) On 1 May 2005, Volcan announced its intention to downsize one of the stores in Urvina from a supermarket to

a ‘City Metro’ in response to a significant decline in the demand for supermarket-style. shopping in the capital.

The store will be closed throughout June, re-opening on 1 July 2005. Goodwill of $5·5 million was recognised

three years ago when this store, together with two others, was bought from a national competitor. It is Volcan’s

policy to write off goodwill over five years. (7 marks)

Required:

For each of the above issues:

(i) comment on the matters that you should consider; and

(ii) state the audit evidence that you should expect to find,

in undertaking your review of the audit working papers and financial statements of Volcan for the year ended

31 March 2005.

NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three issues.

(b) Discuss the key issues which the statement of cash flows highlights regarding the cash flow of the company.

(10 marks)

5 The directors of Quapaw, a limited liability company, are reviewing the company’s draft financial statements for the

year ended 31 December 2004.

The following material matters are under discussion:

(a) During the year the company has begun selling a product with a one-year warranty under which manufacturing

defects are remedied without charge. Some claims have already arisen under the warranty. (2 marks)

Required:

Advise the directors on the correct treatment of these matters, stating the relevant accounting standard which

justifies your answer in each case.

NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three matters

(b) Discuss the statements of the operational manager of Bonlandia and assess their implications for SSH.

(4 marks)

(c) Comment on four reasons why the Managing Director of Quicklink Ltd might consider the acquisition of the

Celer Transport business to be a ‘good strategic move’ insofar as may be determined from the information

provided. (5 marks)

1 The scientists in the research laboratories of Swan Hill Company (SHC, a public listed company) recently made a very

important discovery about the process that manufactured its major product. The scientific director, Dr Sonja Rainbow,

informed the board that the breakthrough was called the ‘sink method’. She explained that the sink method would

enable SHC to produce its major product at a lower unit cost and in much higher volumes than the current process.

It would also produce lower unit environmental emissions and would substantially improve product quality compared

to its current process and indeed compared to all of the other competitors in the industry.

SHC currently has 30% of the global market with its nearest competitor having 25% and the other twelve producers

sharing the remainder. The company, based in the town of Swan Hill, has a paternalistic management approach and

has always valued its relationship with the local community. Its website says that SHC has always sought to maximise

the benefit to the workforce and community in all of its business decisions and feels a great sense of loyalty to the

Swan Hill locality which is where it started in 1900 and has been based ever since.

As the board considered the implications of the discovery of the sink method, chief executive Nelson Cobar asked

whether Sonja Rainbow was certain that SHC was the only company in the industry that had made the discovery and

she said that she was. She also said that she was certain that the competitors were ‘some years’ behind SHC in their

research.

It quickly became clear that the discovery of the sink method was so important and far reaching that it had the

potential to give SHC an unassailable competitive advantage in its industry. Chief executive Nelson Cobar told board

colleagues that they should clearly understand that the discovery had the potential to put all of SHC’s competitors out

of business and make SHC the single global supplier. He said that as the board considered the options, members

should bear in mind the seriousness of the implications upon the rest of the industry.

Mr Cobar said there were two strategic options. Option one was to press ahead with the huge investment of new plant

necessary to introduce the sink method into the factory whilst, as far as possible, keeping the nature of the sink

technology secret from competitors (the ‘secrecy option’). A patent disclosing the nature of the technology would not

be filed so as to keep the technology secret within SHC. Option two was to file a patent and then offer the use of the

discovery to competitors under a licensing arrangement where SHC would receive substantial royalties for the twentyyear

legal lifetime of the patent (the ‘licensing option’). This would also involve new investment but at a slower pace

in line with competitors. The licence contract would, Mr Cobar explained, include an ‘improvement sharing’

requirement where licensees would be required to inform. SHC of any improvements discovered that made the sink

method more efficient or effective.

The sales director, Edwin Kiama, argued strongly in favour of the secrecy option. He said that the board owed it to

SHC’s shareholders to take the option that would maximise shareholder value. He argued that business strategy was

all about gaining competitive advantage and this was a chance to do exactly that. Accordingly, he argued, the sink

method should not be licensed to competitors and should be pursued as fast as possible. The operations director said

that to gain the full benefits of the sink method with either option would require a complete refitting of the factory and

the largest capital investment that SHC had ever undertaken.

The financial director, Sean Nyngan, advised the board that pressing ahead with investment under the secrecy option

was not without risks. First, he said, he would have to finance the investment, probably initially through debt, and

second, there were risks associated with any large investment. He also informed the board that the licensing option

would, over many years, involve the inflow of ‘massive’ funds in royalty payments from competitors using the SHC’s

patented sink method. By pursuing the licensing option, Sean Nyngan said that they could retain their market

leadership in the short term without incurring risk, whilst increasing their industry dominance in the future through

careful investment of the royalty payments.

The non-executive chairman, Alison Manilla, said that she was looking at the issue from an ethical perspective. She

asked whether SHC had the right, even if it had the ability, to put competitors out of business.

Required:

(a) Assess the secrecy option using Tucker’s model for decision-making. (10 marks)

(b) Discuss FOUR factors that distinguish service from manufacturing organisations and explain how each of

these factors relates to the services provided by the Dental Health Partnership. (5 marks)

(iii) How items not dealt with by an IFRS for SMEs should be treated. (5 marks)