PV Co is evaluating an investment proposal to manufacture Product W33, which has performed well in test marketing trials conducted recently by the company’s research and development division. The following information relating to this investment proposal has now been prepared.

Initial investment $2 million

Selling price (current price terms) $20 per unit

Expected selling price inflation 3% per year

Variable operating costs (current price terms) $8 per unit

Fixed operating costs (current price terms) $170,000 per year

Expected operating cost inflation 4% per year

The research and development division has prepared the following demand forecast as a result of its test marketing trials. The forecast reflects expected technological change and its effect on the anticipated life-cycle of Product W33.

It is expected that all units of Product W33 produced will be sold, in line with the company’s policy of keeping no inventory of finished goods. No terminal value or machinery scrap value is expected at the end of four years, when production of Product W33 is planned to end. For investment appraisal purposes, PV Co uses a nominal (money) discount rate of 10% per year and a target return on capital employed of 30% per year. Ignore taxation.

Required:

(a) Identify and explain the key stages in the capital investment decision-making process, and the role of

investment appraisal in this process. (7 marks)

(b) Calculate the following values for the investment proposal:

(i) net present value;

(ii) internal rate of return;

(iii) return on capital employed (accounting rate of return) based on average investment; and

(iv) discounted payback period. (13 marks)

(c) Discuss your findings in each section of (b) above and advise whether the investment proposal is financially acceptable. (5 marks)

(b) Explain how growth may be assessed, and critically discuss the advantages and issues that might arise as a

result of a decision by the directors of CSG to pursue the objective of growth. (8 marks)

(b) For this part, assume today’s date is 1 May 2010.

Bill and Ben decided not to sell their company, and instead expanded the business themselves. Ben, however,

is now pursuing other interests, and is no longer involved with the day to day activities of Flower Limited. Bill

believes that the company would be better off without Ben as a voting shareholder, and wishes to buy Ben’s

shares. However, Bill does not have sufficient funds to buy the shares himself, and so is wondering if the

company could acquire the shares instead.

The proposed price for Ben’s shares would be ￡500,000. Both Bill and Ben pay income tax at the higher rate.

Required:

Write a letter to Ben:

(1) stating the income tax (IT) and/or capital gains tax (CGT) implications for Ben if Flower Limited were to

repurchase his 50% holding of ordinary shares, immediately in May 2010; and

(2) advising him of any available planning options that might improve this tax position. Clearly explain any

conditions which must be satisfied and quantify the tax savings which may result.

(13 marks)

Assume that the corporation tax rates for the financial year 2005 and the income tax rates and allowances

for the tax year 2005/06 apply throughout this question.

4 Global Imaging is a fast growing high tech company with some 100 employees which aims to double in size over the

next three years. The company was set up as a spin out company by two research professors from a major university

hospital who now act as joint managing directors. They are likely to leave the company once the growth objective is

achieved.

Global Imaging’s products are sophisticated imaging devices facing a growing demand from the defence and health

industries. These two markets are very different in terms of customer requirements but share a related technology.

Over 90% of sales are from exports and the current strategic plan anticipates a foreign manufacturing plant being set

up during the existing three-year strategic plan. Current management positions are largely filled by staff who joined in

the early years of the company and reflect the heavy reliance on research and development to generate the products

to grow the business. Further growth will require additional staff in all parts of the business, particularly in

manufacturing and sales and marketing.

Paul Simpson, HR manager at Global Imaging is annoyed. This stems from the fact that HR is the one management

function not involved in the strategic planning process shaping the future growth and direction of the company. He

feels trapped in a role traditionally given to HR specialists, that of simply reacting to the staffing needs brought about

by strategic decisions taken by other parts of the business. He feels even more threatened by one of the joint managing

directors arguing that HR issues should be the responsibility of the line managers and not a specialist HR staff

function. Even worse, Paul has become aware of the increasing number of companies looking to outsource some or

all of their HR activities.

Paul wants to develop a convincing case why HR should not only be retained as a core function in Global Imaging’s

activities, but also be directly involved in the development of the current growth strategy.

Required:

Paul has asked you to prepare a short report to present to Global Imaging’s board of directors:

(a) Write a short report for Paul Simpson on the way a Human Resource Plan could link effectively with Global

Imaging’s growth strategy. (12 marks)

(ii) the recent financial performance of Merton plc from a shareholder perspective. Clearly identify any

issues that you consider should be brought to the attention of the ordinary shareholders. (15 marks)

(b) Explanations of the various matters. (11 marks)

(b) You are an audit manager in a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants currently assigned to the audit of Cleeves

Co for the year ended 30 September 2006. During the year Cleeves acquired a 100% interest in Howard Co.

Howard is material to Cleeves and audited by another firm, Parr & Co. You have just received Parr’s draft

auditor’s report for the year ended 30 September 2006. The wording is that of an unmodified report except for

the opinion paragraph which is as follows:

Audit opinion

As more fully explained in notes 11 and 15 impairment losses on non-current assets have not been

recognised in profit or loss as the directors are unable to quantify the amounts.

In our opinion, provision should be made for these as required by International Accounting Standard 36

(Impairment). If the provision had been so recognised the effect would have been to increase the loss before

and after tax for the year and to reduce the value of tangible and intangible non-current assets. However,

as the directors are unable to quantify the amounts we are unable to indicate the financial effect of such

omissions.

In view of the failure to provide for the impairments referred to above, in our opinion the financial statements

do not present fairly in all material respects the financial position of Howard Co as of 30 September 2006

and of its loss and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting

Standards.

Your review of the prior year auditor’s report shows that the 2005 audit opinion was worded identically.

Required:

(i) Critically appraise the appropriateness of the audit opinion given by Parr & Co on the financial

statements of Howard Co, for the years ended 30 September 2006 and 2005. (7 marks)

1 The board of Worldwide Minerals (WM) was meeting for the last monthly meeting before the publication of the yearend

results. There were two points of discussion on the agenda. First was the discussion of the year-end results;

second was the crucial latest minerals reserves report.

WM is a large listed multinational company that deals with natural minerals that are extracted from the ground,

processed and sold to a wide range of industrial and construction companies. In order to maintain a consistent supply

of minerals into its principal markets, an essential part of WM’s business strategy is the seeking out of new sources

and the measurement of known reserves. Investment analysts have often pointed out that WM’s value rests principally

upon the accuracy of its reserve reports as these are the best indicators of future cash flows and earnings. In order to

support this key part of its strategy, WM has a large and well-funded geological survey department which, according

to the company website, contains ‘some of the world’s best geologists and minerals scientists’. In its investor relations

literature, the company claims that:

‘our experts search the earth for mineral reserves and once located, they are carefully measured so that the company

can always report on known reserves. This knowledge underpins market confidence and keeps our customers

supplied with the inventory they need. You can trust our reserve reports – our reputation depends on it!’

At the board meeting, the head of the geological survey department, Ranjana Tyler, reported that there was a problem

with the latest report because one of the major reserve figures had recently been found to be wrong. The mineral in

question, mallerite, was WM’s largest mineral in volume terms and Ranjana explained that the mallerite reserves in

a deep mine in a certain part of the world had been significantly overestimated. She explained that, based on the

interim minerals report, the stock market analysts were expecting WM to announce known mallerite reserves of

4·8 billion tonnes. The actual figure was closer to 2·4 billion tonnes. It was agreed that this difference was sufficient

to affect WM’s market value, despite the otherwise good results for the past year. Vanda Monroe, the finance director,

said that the share price reflects market confidence in future earnings. She said that an announcement of an incorrect

estimation like that for mallerite would cause a reduction in share value. More importantly for WM itself, however, it

could undermine confidence in the geological survey department. All agreed that as this was strategically important

for the company, it was a top priority to deal with this problem.

Ranjana explained how the situation had arisen. The major mallerite mine was in a country new to WM’s operations.

The WM engineer at the mine said it was difficult to deal with some local people because, according to the engineer,

‘they didn’t like to give us bad news’. The engineer explained that when the mine was found to be smaller than

originally thought, he was not told until it was too late to reduce the price paid for the mine. This was embarrassing

and it was agreed that it would affect market confidence in WM if it was made public.

The board discussed the options open to it. The chairman, who was also a qualified accountant, was Tim Blake. He

began by expressing serious concern about the overestimation and then invited the board to express views freely. Gary

Howells, the operations director, said that because disclosing the error to the market would be so damaging, it might

be best to keep it a secret and hope that new reserves can be found in the near future that will make up for the

shortfall. He said that it was unlikely that this concealment would be found out as shareholders trusted WM and they

had many years of good investor relations to draw on. Vanda Monroe, the finance director, reminded the board that

the company was bound to certain standards of truthfulness and transparency by its stock market listing. She pointed

out that they were constrained by codes of governance and ethics by the stock market and that colleagues should be

aware that WM would be in technical breach of these if the incorrect estimation was concealed from investors. Finally,

Martin Chan, the human resources director, said that the error should be disclosed to the investors because he would

not want to be deceived if he were an outside investor in the company. He argued that whatever the governance codes

said and whatever the cost in terms of reputation and market value, WM should admit its error and cope with

whatever consequences arose. The WM board contains three non-executive directors and their views were also

invited.

At the preliminary results presentation some time later, one analyst, Christina Gonzales, who had become aware of

the mallerite problem, asked about internal audit and control systems, and whether they were adequate in such a

reserve-sensitive industry. WM’s chairman, Tim Blake, said that he intended to write a letter to all investors and

analysts in the light of the mallerite problem which he hoped would address some of the issues that Miss Gonzales

had raised.

Required:

(a) Define ‘transparency’ and evaluate its importance as an underlying principle in corporate governance and in

relevant and reliable financial reporting. Your answer should refer to the case as appropriate. (10 marks)

2 Alpha Division, which is part of the Delta Group, is considering an investment opportunity to which the following

estimated information relates:

(1) An initial investment of $45m in equipment at the beginning of year 1 will be depreciated on a straight-line basis

over a three-year period with a nil residual value at the end of year 3.

(2) Net operating cash inflows in each of years 1 to 3 will be $12·5m, $18·5m and $27m respectively.

(3) The management accountant of Alpha Division has estimated that the NPV of the investment would be

$1·937m using a cost of capital of 10%.

(4) A bonus scheme which is based on short-term performance evaluation is in operation in all divisions within the

Delta Group.

Required:

(a) (i) Calculate the residual income of the proposed investment and comment briefly (using ONLY the above

information) on the values obtained in reconciling the short-term and long-term decision views likely to

be adopted by divisional management regarding the viability of the proposed investment. (6 marks)

(iii) Whether or not you agree with the statement of the marketing director in note (9) above. (5 marks)

Professional marks for appropriateness of format, style. and structure of the report. (4 marks)