(b) Advise the management of SCC Ltd of THREE strategies that should be considered in order to improve thefuture performance of SCC Ltd. (6 marks)

题目

(b) Advise the management of SCC Ltd of THREE strategies that should be considered in order to improve the

future performance of SCC Ltd. (6 marks)


相似考题

3.2 The risk committee at Southern Continents Company (SCC) met to discuss a report by its risk manager, StephanieField. The report focused on a number of risks that applied to a chemicals factory recently acquired by SCC in anothercountry, Southland. She explained that the new risks related to the security of the factory in Southland in respect ofburglary, to the supply of one of the key raw materials that experienced fluctuations in world supply and also anenvironmental risk. The environmental risk, Stephanie explained, was to do with the possibility of poisonousemissions from the Southland factory.The SCC chief executive, Choo Wang, who chaired the risk committee, said that the Southland factory was importantto him for two reasons. First, he said it was strategically important to the company. Second, it was important becausehis own bonuses depended upon it. He said that because he had personally negotiated the purchase of the Southlandfactory, the remunerations committee had included a performance bonus on his salary based on the success of theSouthland investment. He told Stephanie that a performance-related bonus was payable when and if the factoryachieved a certain level of output that Choo considered to be ambitious. ‘I don’t get any bonus at all until we reacha 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 notaware of the importance of risk management to SCC. She said that the former owner of the factory paid less attentionto risk issues and so the staff were not as aware of risk as Stephanie would like them to be. ‘I would like to get riskawareness 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 explainto 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 strategyfor each of the three risks mentioned in the case. (12 marks)

更多“(b) Advise the management of SCC Ltd of THREE strategies that should be considered in order to improve thefuture performance of SCC Ltd. (6 marks)”相关问题
  • 第1题:

    Required:

    (iii) A firm of consultants has offered to undertake a study on behalf of Envico Ltd which will provide perfect

    information regarding seminar attendance during the forthcoming year.

    Advise the management of Envico Ltd with regard to the maximum amount that they should pay to

    consultants for perfect information regarding seminar attendance and comment briefly on the use of

    perfect information in such decisions. (5 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) If attendance = 100 then management would opt for room size A which would produce a contribution of £832,000 x
    0·2 = £166,400.
    If attendance = 200 then management would opt for room size B which would produce a contribution of £2,163,200
    x 0·5 = £1,081,600.
    If attendance = 400 then management would opt for room size D which would produce a contribution of £6,656,000
    x 0·3 = £1,996,800.
    Therefore the expected value of perfect information would be the sum of the expected values of the three possible
    outcomes which amounts to £3,244,800. Thus, if the information is correct then management should be willing to pay
    up to £3,244,800 – £1,497,600 = £1,747,200 for the information. In practice, it is unlikely that perfect information
    is obtainable. The management of Envico Ltd are really buying an information system that will provide them with a signal
    which may prove to be correct or incorrect! For example, the consultants may predict that demand will be for 300
    seminar places, however there still remains the fact that there is a likelihood of actual demand being for either 100,
    200 or 400 seminar places. One should be mindful that imperfect information which may be, say only 75% reliable,
    might still be worth obtaining. Other than when the value of imperfect and perfect information are equal to zero, the
    value of perfect information will always be greater than the value of imperfect information.

  • 第2题:

    (b) Identify and explain THREE approaches that the directors of Moffat Ltd might apply in assessing the

    QUALITATIVE benefits of the proposed investment in a new IT system. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) One approach that the directors of Moffat Ltd could adopt would be to ignore the qualitative benefits that may arise on the
    basis that there is too much subjectivity involved in their assessment. The problem that this causes is that the investment will
    probably look unattractive since all costs will be included in the evaluation whereas significant benefits and savings will have
    been ignored. Hence such an approach is lacking in substance and is not recommended.
    An alternative approach would involve attempting to attribute values to each of the identified benefits that are qualitative in
    nature. Such an approach will necessitate the use of management estimates in order to derive the cash flows to be
    incorporated in a cost benefit analysis. The problems inherent in this approach include gaining consensus among interested
    parties regarding the footing of the assumptions from which estimated cash flows have been derived. Furthermore, if the
    proposed investment does take place then it may well be impossible to prove that the claimed benefits of the new system
    have actually been realised.
    Perhaps the preferred approach is to acknowledge the existence of qualitative benefits and attempt to assess them in a
    reasonable manner acceptable to all parties including the company’s bank. The financial evaluation would then not only
    incorporate ‘hard’ facts relating to costs and benefits that are quantitative in nature, but also would include details of
    qualitative benefits which management consider exist but have not attempted to assess in financial terms. Such benefits might
    include, for example, the average time saved by location managers in analysing information during each operating period.
    Alternatively the management of Moffat Ltd could attempt to express qualitative benefits in specific terms linked to a hierarchy
    of organisational requirements. For example, qualitative benefits could be categorised as being:
    (1) Essential to the business
    (2) Very useful attributes
    (3) Desirable, but not essential
    (4) Possible, if funding is available
    (5) Doubtful and difficult to justify.

  • 第3题:

    (c) Explain how the use of activity-based techniques may benefit Taliesin Ltd. (5 marks)


    正确答案:
    (c) The usefulness of activity-based techniques is accentuated in situations where overheads comprise a significant proportion of
    product costs. Manufacturing overheads comprise 30·9% of turnover during the year ended 31 May 2005. Traditional
    methods of allocating overheads to products might result in product cost information which is misleading and detrimental to
    managerial decision-making. Calculations of product costs are more prone to error in situations where higher levels of
    overhead exist. The consequences can prove disastrous as, for example, in the under-pricing or over-pricing of products.
    Since Taliesin Ltd is going to confine its activities to its home country it must be prepared to face increased competition and
    this increases the need for greater visibility and more accurate product cost information.
    At present, Taliesin Ltd offers a range of products which is increasing in number and this may lead to the need for a more
    detailed costing system. Traditional absorption systems might well be inadequate as the number of product variants increases.
    One would expect that each new product developed is more complex than its predecessors. The company would probably
    start with simple Vanilla, then a few basic flavours but as Taliesin Ltd has expanded one would expect it to take longer to
    originate and test new products until they are ready to be introduced. It will probably take longer to mix the ingredients for a
    run of each product.
    These two, development and mixing ingredients, are examples of activities which arise when new products are considered.
    If traditional absorption costing and budgeting are used based on machine-time in production then the effect of these activities
    would be ignored.
    In order to gain a full appreciation of the impact of new product introduction activity-based techniques should be used to
    guide Taliesin Ltd into the easiest way to maintain its policy of growth. It may be a better decision to expand abroad or into
    new markets at home with the existing products than pursue growth by introducing new products to a dwindling number of
    customers.
    We are not told of the composition of the customer base of Taliesin Ltd. However, one thing we do know is that the scope of
    activity-based techniques extends beyond products and services. For example, the application of activity-based costing can
    provide vital information that enables management to undertake customer profitability analysis, thereby further improving
    management decision-making and operating performance.

  • 第4题:

    (ii) Comment briefly on how divisional managers might respond to the results achieved and ONE potential

    problem that might be experienced by Our Timbers Ltd. (2 marks)


    正确答案:

  • 第5题:

    5 A management accounting focus for performance management in an organisation may incorporate the following:

    (1) the determination and quantification of objectives and strategies

    (2) the measurement of the results of the strategies implemented and of the achievement of the results through a

    number of determinants

    (3) the application of business change techniques, in the improvement of those determinants.

    Required:

    (a) Discuss the meaning and inter-relationship of the terms (shown in bold type) in the above statement. Your

    answer should incorporate examples that may be used to illustrate each term in BOTH profit-seeking

    organisations and not-for-profit organisations in order to highlight any differences between the two types of

    organisation. (14 marks)


    正确答案:
    5 (a) Objectives may be viewed as profit and market share in a profit-oriented organisation or the achievement of ‘value for money’
    in a not-for-profit organisation (NFP). The overall objective of an organisation may be expressed in the wording of its mission
    statement.
    In order to achieve the objectives, long-term strategies will be required. In a profit-oriented organisation, this may incorporate
    the evaluation of strategies that might include price reductions, product design changes, advertising campaign, product mix
    change and methods changes, embracing change techniques such as BPR, JIT, TQM and ABM. In NFP situations, strategies
    might address the need to achieve ‘economy’ through reduction in average cost per unit; ‘efficiency’ through maximisation of
    the input:output ratio, whilst checking on ‘effectiveness’ through monitoring whether the objectives are achieved.
    The annual budget will quantify the short-term results anticipated of the strategies. These results may be seen as the level of
    financial performance and competitiveness achieved. This quantification may be compared with previous years and with
    actual performance on an ongoing basis. Financial performance may be measured in terms of profit, liquidity, capital structure
    and a range of ratios. Competitiveness may be measured by sales growth, market share and the number of new customers.
    In a not-for-profit organisation, the results may be monitored by checking on the effectiveness of actions aimed at the
    achievement of the objectives. For instance, the effectiveness of a University may be measured by the number of degrees
    awarded and the grades achieved. The level of student ‘drop-outs’ each year may also be seen as a measure of ineffectiveness.
    The determinants of results may consist of a number of measures. These may include the level of quality, customer
    satisfaction, resource utilisation, innovation and flexibility that are achieved. Such determinants may focus on a range of nonfinancial
    measures that may be monitored on an ongoing basis, as part of the feedback information in conjunction with
    financial data.
    A range of business change techniques may be used to enhance performance management.
    Techniques may include:
    Business process re-engineering (BPR) which involves the examination of business processes with a view to improving the
    way in which each is implemented. A major focus may be on the production cycle, but it will also be applicable in areas such
    as the accounting department.
    Just-in-time (JIT) which requires commitment to the pursuit of ‘excellence’ in all aspects of an organisation.
    Total quality management (TQM) which aims for continuous quality improvement in all aspects of the operation of an
    organisation.
    Activity based management systems (ABM) which focus on activities that are required in an organisation and the cost drivers
    for such activities, with a view to identifying and improving activities that add value and eliminating those activities that do
    not add value.
    Long-term performance management is likely to embrace elements of BPR, JIT, TQM and ABM. All of these will be reflected
    in the annual budget on an ongoing basis.

  • 第6题:

    (ii) the factors that should be considered in the design of a reward scheme for BGL; (7 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) The factors that should be considered in the design of a reward scheme for BGL.
    – Whether performance targets should be set with regard to results or effort. It is more difficult to set targets for
    administrative and support staff since in many instances the results of their efforts are not easily quantifiable. For
    example, sales administrators will improve levels of customer satisfaction but quantifying this is extremely difficult.
    – Whether rewards should be monetary or non-monetary. Money means different things to different people. In many
    instances people will prefer increased job security which results from improved organisational performance and
    adopt a longer term-perspective. Thus the attractiveness of employee share option schemes will appeal to such
    individuals. Well designed schemes will correlate the prosperity of the organisation with that of the individuals it
    employs.
    – Whether the reward promise should be implicit or explicit. Explicit reward promises are easy to understand but in
    many respects management will have their hands tied. Implicit reward promises such as the ‘promise’ of promotion
    for good performance is also problematic since not all organisations are large enough to offer a structured career
    progression. Thus in situations where not everyone can be promoted there needs to be a range of alternative reward
    systems in place to acknowledge good performance and encourage commitment from the workforce.
    – The size and time span of the reward. This can be difficult to determine especially in businesses such as BGL
    which are subject to seasonal variations. i.e. summerhouses will invariably be purchased prior to the summer
    season! Hence activity levels may vary and there remains the potential problem of assessing performance when
    an organisation operates with surplus capacity.
    – Whether the reward should be individual or group based. This is potentially problematic for BGL since the assembly
    operatives comprise some individuals who are responsible for their own output and others who work in groups.
    Similarly with regard to the sales force then the setting of individual performance targets is problematic since sales
    territories will vary in terms of geographical spread and customer concentration.
    – Whether the reward scheme should involve equity participation? Such schemes invariably appeal to directors and
    senior managers but should arguably be open to all individuals if ‘perceptions of inequity’ are to be avoided.
    – Tax considerations need to be taken into account when designing a reward scheme.

  • 第7题:

    (ii) Briefly discuss THREE disadvantages of using EVA? in the measurement of financial performance.

    (3 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) Disadvantages of an EVA approach to the measurement of financial performance include:
    (i) The calculation of EVA may be complicated due to the number of adjustments required.
    (ii) It is difficult to use EVA for inter-firm and inter-divisional comparisons because it is not a ratio measure.
    (iii) Economic depreciation is difficult to estimate and conflicts with generally accepted accounting principles.
    Note: Other relevant discussion would be acceptable.

  • 第8题:

    (c) Advise Alan on the proposed disposal of the shares in Mobile Ltd. Your answer should include calculations

    of the potential capital gain, and explain any options available to Alan to reduce this tax liability. (7 marks)


    正确答案:

     

    However, an exemption from corporation tax exists for any gain arising when a trading company (or member of a trading
    group) sells the whole or any part of a substantial shareholding in another trading company.
    A substantial shareholding is one where the investing company holds 10% of the ordinary share capital and is beneficially
    entitled to at least 10% of the
    (i) profits available for distribution to equity holders and
    (ii) assets of the company available for distribution to equity holders on a winding up.
    In meeting the 10% test, shares owned by a chargeable gains group may be amalgamated. The 10% test must have been
    met for a continuous 12 month period during the 2 years preceding the disposal.
    The companies making the disposals must have been trading companies (or members of a trading group) throughout the
    12 month period, as well as at the date of disposal. In addition, they must also be trading companies (or members of a trading
    group) immediately after the disposal.
    The exemption is given automatically, and acts to deny losses as well as eliminate gains.
    While Alantech Ltd has owned its holding in Mobile Ltd for 33 months, its ownership of the Boron holding has only lasted
    for 10 months (at 1 June 2005) since Boron was acquired on 1 July 2004. Selling the shares in June 2005 will fail the
    12 month test, and the gain will become chargeable.
    It would be better for the companies to wait for a further month until July 2005 before selling the amalgamated shareholding.
    By doing so, they will both be able to take advantage of the substantial shareholdings relief, thereby saving tax of £29,625
    assuming a corporation tax rate of 19%.

  • 第9题:

    (ii) Briefly outline the tax consequences for Henry if the types of protection identified in (i) were to be

    provided for him by Happy Home Ltd compared to providing them for himself. You are not required to

    discuss the corporation tax (CT) consequences for Happy Home Ltd. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) Provision of protection: company or individual
    If any of the policies are taken out and paid for by Henry personally, then there will be no tax relief on the premiums,
    but neither will there normally be any tax payable on the proceeds or benefits received.
    If Happy Home Ltd were to pay the premiums on a policy taken out by Henry, and of which he was the direct beneficiary,
    then this will constitute a benefit, on the grounds that the company will have satisfied a personal liability of Henry’s.
    Accordingly, income tax and Class 1A national insurance contributions will be payable on the benefit.
    If, however, Happy Home Ltd were to decide to offer protection benefits to their employees on a group basis (and not
    just to Henry), then it would be possible to avoid a charge under the benefits rules and/or obtain a lower rate of premium
    under a collective policy. For example:
    – A death in service benefit of up to four times remuneration can be provided as part of an approved pension scheme.
    No benefit charge arises on Henry and any lump sum will be paid tax free. This could be considered a substitute
    for a term assurance policy.
    – If a group permanent health insurance policy were taken out, no benefit charge would arise on Henry, but any
    benefits payable under the policy would be paid to Happy Home Ltd in the first instance. When subsequently paid
    on to Henry, such payments would be treated as arising from his employment and subject to PAYE and national
    insurance as for normal salary payments.
    – If a group critical illness policy were taken out, again no benefit charge would arise on Henry, but in this case also,
    any benefits received by Henry directly from Happy Home Ltd as a result of the payments under the policy would
    be considered as derived from his employment and subject to income tax and national insurance. Such a charge
    to tax and national insurance would however be avoided if these payments were made in terms of a trust.

  • 第10题:

    (c) State the specific inquiries you should make of Robson Construction Co’s management relevant to its

    accounting for construction contracts. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (c) Specific inquiries – accounting for construction contracts
    Tutorial note: This answer is illustrative of the types of inquiry that should be made. Other relevant answer points will be
    awarded similar credit. For each full mark to be earned an inquiry should address the specifics of Robson (e.g. that its
    accounting policies are ‘generally less prudent’). The identification of asset overstatement/liability understatement may
    reduce the purchase price offered by Prescott.
    ■ Are any constructions being undertaken without signed contracts?
    Tutorial note: Any expenditure on constructions without contracts (e.g. of a speculative nature, perhaps to keep the
    workforce employed) must be accounted for under IAS ‘Inventories’; revenue cannot be recognised nor profit taken.
    ■ Is full provision made for future losses foreseen on loss-making contracts?
    Tutorial note: The information in the brief is that ‘provisions are made’. The level of provision is not indicated and
    could be less than full.
    ■ Which contracts started during the year are likely to be/have been identified as loss-making (for which no provision has
    yet been made)?
    Tutorial note: Profits and losses are only determined by contract at each financial year end.
    ■ What are management’s assumptions and judgments on the likely future outcome on the Sarwar contract (and other
    actual and contingent liabilities)?
    Tutorial note: Robson would be imprudent if it underestimates the probability of an unfavourable outcome (or
    overestimates the likelihood of successful recourse).
    ■ What claims history has Robson experienced? (What proportion of contracts have been subject to claims? What
    proportion of claims brought have been successful? How have they been settled? Under insurance? Out-of-court
    settlement?) How effective are the penalty clauses? (Is Robson having to pay penalties for overrunning on contracts?)
    ■ What are the actual useful lives of assets used in construction? What level of losses are made on disposal?
    Tutorial note: If such assets are depreciated over useful lives that are estimated to be too long, depreciation costs
    incurred to date (and estimated depreciation to be included in costs to completion) will be understated. This will result
    in too much profit/too little loss being calculated on contracts.
    ■ What is the cause of losses on contracts? For example, if due to theft of building supplies Robson’s management is not
    exercising sufficient control over the company’s assets.

  • 第11题:

    Which configuration should be done in order to improve the performance of the Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921G in a WLAN infrastructure?()

    • A、enable aggressive load balancing
    • B、enable coverage hole detection
    • C、disable dynamic transmit power control
    • D、enable short preamble

    正确答案:D

  • 第12题:

    You are designing a forest and domain structure to address the concerns of Contoso, Ltd., and to meet the business and technical requirements. You want to use the minimum number of domains and forests that are required.  Which domain structure should you use?()

    • A、One forest and two domains.
    • B、One forest and three domains.
    • C、One forest and four domains.
    • D、Two forests and three domains.
    • E、Two forests and four domains.

    正确答案:E

  • 第13题:

    (c) At a recent meeting of the board of directors, the managing director of Envico Ltd said that he considered it

    essential to be able to assess the ‘value for money’ of each seminar. He suggested that the quality of the speakers

    and the comfort of the seminar rooms were two assessment criteria that should be used in order to assess the

    ‘value for money’ of each seminar.

    Required:

    Discuss SIX separate and distinct assessment criteria (including those suggested by the managing director),

    that would enable the management of Envico Ltd to assess the ‘value for money’ of each seminar.

    (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (c) The following are six separate and distinct assessment criteria (including those suggested by the managing director), that
    would enable the management of Envico Ltd to assess the ‘value for money’ of each seminar. The assessment criteria are
    presented as questions that would comprise the contents of a questionnaire but other presentations would have been equally
    acceptable.
    (1) Did the course meet your objectives?
    ‘Value for money’ may, in part, be assessed by reference to the ‘effectiveness’ of the service provision. Effectiveness may
    be viewed in this context as meeting the objectives of attendees. All attendees have similar but varying objectives and
    hence it is vital that Envico Ltd meets the objectives of all attendees if seminars are to constitute ‘value for money’.
    (2) How would you rate the quality of the speakers?
    A primary resource of Envico Ltd is its speakers and thus it is important to gauge how they were perceived to perform
    by the attendees.
    (3) How would you rate comfort, cleanliness and facilities of the seminar rooms?
    Again, a principal resource, which is consumed when providing the service, is the seminar room and the facilities
    contained within it. Attendees will find a clean and ergonomically designed room more conducive for education and
    training activities.
    (4) How would you assess the quality of the course materials?
    Since Envico Ltd undertakes the provision of educational and training seminars then the quality of course materials
    provided assumes critical significance as they represent the ‘raison d’être’ of Envico Ltd. If they are perceived to be of
    high quality they may act as a good advertisement for the company. Conversely, poor quality course materials will cause
    Envico Ltd to be perceived poorly.
    (5) How strongly would you recommend Envico courses to friends and colleagues?
    This is a very important consideration since ‘word of mouth’ may represent the best means of advertising the services
    provided by Envico Ltd and is indicative of whether attendees consider that they have received ‘value for money’ from
    Envico Ltd.
    (6) Do you consider that you could have achieved your objectives in attending the course in a more expedient manner? If
    so, please detail below.
    This question acknowledges that the time of attendees is a scarce resource and hence there may well be an opportunity
    cost in attending seminars in addition to the explicit costs such as course fees, travel and subsistence costs etc. It is
    essential that Envico Ltd is flexible in its approach to meeting the needs of clients where attendance at seminars is either
    impracticable or undesirable. Perhaps a series of interactive CDs and/or video tuition may be more appropriate in certain
    instances.

  • 第14题:

    (ii) Explain THREE strategies that might be adopted in order to improve the future prospects of Diverse

    Holdings Plc. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) The forecast situation of Diverse Holdings Plc is not without its problems. KAL and OPL require the immediate attention
    of management. The position of KAL is precarious to say the least. There is a choice of strategies for it:
    (i) Outsource the manufacture of appliances
    (ii) Set up a manufacturing operation overseas
    (ii) Withdraw from the market.
    Each alternative must be assessed. Whatever decision is taken it is unlikely to affect the other four subsidiaries.
    PSL is also independent of the other subsidiaries. A strategic decision to widen its range of products and outlets must
    surely help. Hence management should endeavour to find new markets for its products, which are separate and distinct
    from those markets served by its appointed distributors.
    21
    In order to improve the prospects of OPL management need to adopt appropriate strategies since at the present time the
    company appears to be in a high growth market but is unable to capture a reasonable market share. Perhaps the answer
    lies in increased or more effective advertising of the endorsement of the product range by health and safety experts.
    Management should endeavour to develop a strategy to integrate further its subsidiaries so that they can benefit from
    each other and also derive as much synergy as possible from the acquisition of HTL.
    It is of paramount importance that management ensure that sufficient funds are channelled into growing OFL and HTL,
    which are both showing a rising trend in profitability. The group has depleted cash reserves which must to some extent
    be attributable to the purchase of HTL. It is possible that the divestment of KAL would provide some much needed
    funding.

  • 第15题:

    (e) Briefly discuss FOUR initiatives that management might consider in order to further enhance profitability.

    (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (e) In order to enhance profitability management might take the following actions:
    (i) Increase the maximum capacity of the circus.
    (ii) Undertake a detailed review of operating costs which are budgeted at £239,200,000. Such a review might identify nonvalue
    added costs which may be eliminated thereby increasing profitability.
    (iii) Enter into a strategic arrangement with large hotels and travel agencies to offer travel and accommodation inclusive
    arrangements for visitors to Cinola Island. This might help to increase the number of visitors to the zoo thereby increasing
    profits.
    (iv) Change the price structure and entitlement of tickets so that purchasers might visit Cinola Island on two separate days
    in order to attend the zoo and circus. Additional revenues would arise as a consequence of the increased number of
    visitors to the zoo, thereby increasing profitability.
    (v) Hold prize draws for free tickets to the zoo for families on an ‘all-inclusive basis’, including restaurants, photographs,
    souvenirs etc.
    N.B. Only four initiatives were required to be discussed.

  • 第16题:

    (ii) Comment briefly on the use of its own tree plantations as a source of raw materials by Our Timbers Ltd.

    (3 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) The use of its own tree plantations as a source of raw materials not only ensures available supplies of timber but may
    also demonstrate that the directors of Our Timbers Ltd are mindful of the need for careful planning in the consumption
    of natural resources. This concern with the need to protect the environment will enhance the reputation of Our Timbers
    Ltd as an environmentally-conscious organisation which in turn may translate into a source of competitive advantage
    since contemporary thought is very much focused on the environmental responsibilities of organisations with particular
    regard to the use of natural resources such as timber.

  • 第17题:

    (b) (i) Advise the directors of GWCC on specific actions which may be considered in order to improve the

    estimated return on their investment of £1,900,000. (8 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) (i) The directors of GWCC might consider any of the following specific actions in order to improve the return on the
    investment:
    – Attempt to raise the selling price of the Mighty Ben cake to Superstores plc. Much will depend on the nature of the
    relationship in terms of mutuality of trust and co-operation between the parties. If Superstores plc are insistent on
    a launch price of £20·25 and a mark-up of 35% on its purchase price from GWCC then this is likely to be
    unsuccessful.
    – Attempt to reduce the material losses in the first 600 batches of production via improved process control.
    – Attempt to negotiate a retrospective rebate based on volumes of packaging purchased.
    – Improve the rate of learning of the hand-skilled cake decorators via a more intensive training programme and/or
    altering the flow of production.
    – Undertake a thorough review of all variable overheads which have been absorbed on the basis of direct labour
    hours. It might well be the case that labour is not the only ‘cost driver’ in which case variable overheads might be
    overstated.
    – Undertake a thorough review of all fixed overheads to ensure that they are specific to the production of the Mighty
    Ben cake.
    – Adopt a ‘value engineering’ approach in order to identify ‘non value added’ features/aspects of the product or
    processes used to produce it. This would have to be done in conjunction with Superstores plc, but might end in a
    ‘win-win’ scenario.
    – Ensure that all overhead expenditure will be incurred in the most ‘economic’ manner.

  • 第18题:

    (b) Explain THREE problems in undertaking a performance comparison of GBC and TTC and also explain THREE

    items of additional information that would be of assistance in assessing the operating and financial

    performance of GBC and TTC. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) The relative performance of GBC and TTC is difficult to assess due to the following:
    (i) They would appear to have differing objectives. GBC provides free transport for senior citizens and charges lower fares
    than TTC. GBC also uses environmentally friendly fuel. Each of these factors inhibits a direct comparison of the two
    organisations.
    (ii) The organisations are funded differently. It is evident that TTC uses loan finance to fund operations which gives rise to
    interest charges which are not incurred by GBC. On the other hand GBC is funded by the government.
    (iii) TTC has higher fixed asset values which precipitate much higher depreciation charges.
    (iv) There is also a lack of non-financial performance indicators such as the number of on-time arrivals, number of accidents,
    complaints re passenger dissatisfaction, staff turnover, adherence to relevant legislation, convenience of pick-up/drop-off
    points etc.
    The following items of additional information would assist in assessing the financial and operating performance of the two
    companies:
    (1) The number of staff employed by each organisation would assist in the assessment of the financial and operating
    performance. Ratios such as revenue generated per employee and operating costs per employee might provide useful
    comparators of financial and operating efficiency.
    (2) Safety and accident records of each organisation would give an indication of the reliability and safety afforded to
    passengers by each organisation. Passenger safety is of paramount importance to all passenger transport businesses.
    (3) Records of late/cancelled buses together with the number of complaints received from the passengers would provide an
    indication of the efficiency of the service provided by each organisation.
    (4) The accessibility of the services, location of pick-up/drop-off points would provide an indication of the flexibility of service
    delivery provided by each organisation.
    (5) The comfort, cleanliness and age of the respective bus fleets would provide a further indication of the level of service
    quality provided by each organisation.
    (6) The fuel emission levels of the buses operated by each organisation would provide an indication of the extent of their
    ‘social responsibility’.
    Notes: (i) Only three items of additional information were required.
    (ii) Alternative relevant discussion and examples would be acceptable.

  • 第19题:

    (ii) The percentage change in revenue, total costs and net assets during the year ended 31 May 2008 that

    would have been required in order to have achieved a target ROI of 20% by the Beetown centre. Your

    answer should consider each of these three variables in isolation. State any assumptions that you make.

    (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) The ROI of Beetown is currently 13·96%. In order to obtain an ROI of 20%, operating profit would need to increase to
    (20% x $3,160,000) = $632,000, based on the current level of net assets. Three alternative ways in which a target
    ROI of 20% could be achieved for the Beetown centre are as follows:
    (1) Attempts could be made to increase revenue by attracting more clients while keeping invested capital and operating
    profit per $ of revenue constant. Revenue would have to increase to $2,361,644, assuming that the current level
    of profitability is maintained and fixed costs remain unchanged. The current rate of contribution to revenue is
    $2,100,000 – $567,000 = $1,533,000/$2,100,000 = 73%. Operating profit needs to increase by $191,000
    in order to achieve an ROI of 20%. Therefore, revenue needs to increase by $191,000/0·73 = $261,644 =
    12·46%.
    (2) Attempts could be made to decrease the level of operating costs by, for example, increasing the efficiency of
    maintenance operations. This would have the effect of increasing operating profit per $ of revenue. This would
    require that revenue and invested capital were kept constant. Total operating costs would need to fall by $191,000
    in order to obtain an ROI of 20%. This represents a percentage decrease of 191,000/1,659,000 = 11·5%. If fixed
    costs were truly fixed, then variable costs would need to fall to a level of $376,000, which represents a decrease
    of 33·7%.
    (3) Attempts could be made to decrease the net asset base of HFG by, for example, reducing debtor balances and/or
    increasing creditor balances, while keeping turnover and operating profit per $ of revenue constant. Net assets
    would need to fall to a level of ($441,000/0·2) = $2,205,000, which represents a percentage decrease
    amounting to $3,160,000 – $2,205,000 = 955,000/3,160,000 = 30·2%.

  • 第20题:

    (b) Identify the most appropriate approved share option scheme for Happy Home Ltd. Outline the scheme

    requirements and the tax benefits of using it compared to the current unapproved scheme. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) Share option scheme
    The scheme that is best suited to Happy Home Limited is the enterprise management incentive (EMI) scheme. This share
    option scheme is aimed at small fast growing companies, and because the potential risks are considered to be higher, the
    available rewards are greater.
    To qualify, the company must be a trading company, carrying out a qualifying trade in the United Kingdom, with gross assets
    no more than £30m. The company must not be under the control of another company.
    A qualifying company can grant each employee unexercised options over shares worth up to £100,000 per employee subject
    to a total overall limit of unexercised options of £3 million. The options must be granted for commercial reasons to recruit and
    retain the employee(s).
    A qualifying employee is one who works on average 25 hours per week or 75% of their working time and who does not
    (together with his/her associates) have a material interest in the company.
    No income tax or national insurance is charged on either the grant or the exercise of the option provided that the option is
    exercised not more than 10 years from the date of the grant and the amount paid is not less than the market value of the
    shares at the time the option was granted.
    On the sale of the shares, capital gains tax will apply, but business asset taper relief is available. Also in this case, the taper
    relief starts from the date the option is granted and not from the date of exercise, as is the case with other option schemes.

  • 第21题:

    (c) On the assumption that the administrators of Noland’s estate will sell quoted shares in order to fund the

    inheritance tax due as a result of his death, calculate the value of the quoted shares that will be available to

    transfer to Avril. You should include brief notes of your treatment of the house and the shares in Kurb Ltd.

    (9 marks)

    Note: you should assume that the tax rates and allowances for the tax year 2006/07 apply throughout this

    question.


    正确答案:

    (c) Value of quoted shares that can be transferred to Avril
    The value of shares to be transferred to Avril will be equal to £370,000 less the inheritance tax due by the estate.
    IHT is payable on transfers in the seven years prior to Noland’s death and on the death estate.
    The only chargeable gift in the seven years prior to Noland’s death is the transfer to the discretionary trust. No tax is due in
    respect of this gift as it is covered by the nil rate band.

  • 第22题:

    关于SCC板的描述正确的有:()

    • A、SCC板可以提供单板级别的电源保护
    • B、SCC上可以显示当前子架的子架ID
    • C、SCC板可以生成光监控信道
    • D、每个子架上必需配有主备两块SCC板

    正确答案:A,B

  • 第23题:

    父域是nyist.com那么子域的规范表示是下列哪项选项()。

    • A、nyist.scc.com
    • B、scc.nyist.com
    • C、nyist.com.scc.com
    • D、scc.com.nyist

    正确答案:B