(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)
第1题:
(b) Using the TARA framework, construct four possible strategies for managing the risk presented by Product 2.
Your answer should describe each strategy and explain how each might be applied in the case.
(10 marks)
第2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)
第3题:
(b) Comment (with relevant calculations) on the performance of the business of Quicklink Ltd and Celer
Transport during the year ended 31 May 2005 and, insofar as the information permits, its projected
performance for the year ending 31 May 2006. Your answer should specifically consider:
(i) Revenue generation per vehicle
(ii) Vehicle utilisation and delivery mix
(iii) Service quality. (14 marks)
difference will reduce in the year ending 31 May 2006 due to the projected growth in sales volumes of the Celer Transport
business. The average mail/parcels delivery of mail/parcels per vehicle of the Quicklink Ltd part of the business is budgeted
at 12,764 which is still 30·91% higher than that of the Celer Transport business.
As far as specialist activities are concerned, Quicklink Ltd is budgeted to generate average revenues per vehicle amounting to
£374,850 whilst Celer Transport is budgeted to earn an average of £122,727 from each of the vehicles engaged in delivery
of processed food. It is noticeable that all contracts with major food producers were renewed on 1 June 2005 and it would
appear that there were no increases in the annual value of the contracts with major food producers. This might have been
the result of a strategic decision by the management of the combined entity in order to secure the future of this part of the
business which had been built up previously by the management of Celer Transport.
Each vehicle owned by Quicklink Ltd and Celer Transport is in use for 340 days during each year, which based on a
365 day year would give an in use % of 93%. This appears acceptable given the need for routine maintenance and repairs
due to wear and tear.
During the year ended 31 May 2005 the number of on-time deliveries of mail and parcel and industrial machinery deliveries
were 99·5% and 100% respectively. This compares with ratios of 82% and 97% in respect of mail and parcel and processed
food deliveries made by Celer Transport. In this critical area it is worth noting that Quicklink Ltd achieved their higher on-time
delivery target of 99% in respect of each activity whereas Celer Transport were unable to do so. Moreover, it is worth noting
that Celer Transport missed their target time for delivery of food products on 975 occasions throughout the year 31 May 2005
and this might well cause a high level of customer dissatisfaction and even result in lost business.
It is interesting to note that whilst the businesses operate in the same industry they have a rather different delivery mix in
terms of same day/next day demands by clients. Same day deliveries only comprise 20% of the business of Quicklink Ltd
whereas they comprise 75% of the business of Celer Transport. This may explain why the delivery performance of Celer
Transport with regard to mail and parcel deliveries was not as good as that of Quicklink Ltd.
The fact that 120 items of mail and 25 parcels were lost by the Celer Transport business is most disturbing and could prove
damaging as the safe delivery of such items is the very substance of the business and would almost certainly have resulted
in a loss of customer goodwill. This is an issue which must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
The introduction of the call management system by Quicklink Ltd on 1 June 2004 is now proving its worth with 99% of calls
answered within the target time of 20 seconds. This compares favourably with the Celer Transport business in which only
90% of a much smaller volume of calls were answered within a longer target time of 30 seconds. Future performance in this
area will improve if the call management system is applied to the Celer Transport business. In particular, it is likely that the
number of abandoned calls will be reduced and enhance the ‘image’ of the Celer Transport business.
第4题:
3 Better budgeting in recent years may have been seen as a movement from ‘incremental budgeting’ to alternative
budgeting approaches.
However, academic studies (e.g. Beyond Budgeting – Hope & Fraser) argue that the annual budget model may be
seen as (i) having a number of inherent weaknesses and (ii) acting as a barrier to the effective implementation of
alternative models for use in the accomplishment of strategic change.
Required:
(a) Identify and comment on FIVE inherent weaknesses of the annual budget model irrespective of the budgeting
approach that is applied. (8 marks)
第5题:
(e) Briefly discuss FOUR initiatives that management might consider in order to further enhance profitability.
(4 marks)
第6题:
(ii) Comment briefly on the use of its own tree plantations as a source of raw materials by Our Timbers Ltd.
(3 marks)
第7题:
(d) Comment on THREE factors other than NPV that the directors of ITL should consider when deciding whether
to manufacture the Snowballer. (3 marks)
第8题:
(c) Critically discuss the statement (in note 12) of the managing director of GBC and suggest how the company
could calculate the value of the service provision to the population of the Western region. (6 marks)
第9题:
(c) Explain the reasons for the concerns of the government of Happyland with companies such as TMC and
advise the directors of a strategy that might be considered in order to avoid being subject to any forthcoming
legislation concerning the environment. (5 marks)
第10题:
(b) Explain by reference to Hira Ltd’s loss position why it may be beneficial for it not to claim any capital
allowances for the year ending 31 March 2007. Support your explanation with relevant calculations.
(6 marks)
第11题:
TQ Company, a listed company, recently went into administration (it had become insolvent and was being managed by a firm of insolvency practitioners). A group of shareholders expressed the belief that it was the chairman, Miss Heike Hoiku, who was primarily to blame. Although the company’s management had made a number of strategic errors that brought about the company failure, the shareholders blamed the chairman for failing to hold senior management to account. In particular, they were angry that Miss Hoiku had not challenged chief executive Rupert Smith who was regarded by some as arrogant and domineering. Some said that Miss Hoiku was scared of Mr Smith.
Some shareholders wrote a letter to Miss Hoiku last year demanding that she hold Mr Smith to account for a number of previous strategic errors. They also asked her to explain why she had not warned of the strategic problems in her chairman’s statement in the annual report earlier in the year. In particular, they asked if she could remove Mr Smith from office for incompetence. Miss Hoiku replied saying that whilst she understood their concerns, it was difficult to remove a serving chief executive from office.
Some of the shareholders believed that Mr Smith may have performed better in his role had his reward package been better designed in the first place. There was previously a remuneration committee at TQ but when two of its four non-executive members left the company, they were not replaced and so the committee effectively collapsed.
Mr Smith was then able to propose his own remuneration package and Miss Hoiku did not feel able to refuse him.
He massively increased the proportion of the package that was basic salary and also awarded himself a new and much more expensive company car. Some shareholders regarded the car as ‘excessively’ expensive. In addition, suspecting that the company’s performance might deteriorate this year, he exercised all of his share options last year and immediately sold all of his shares in TQ Company.
It was noted that Mr Smith spent long periods of time travelling away on company business whilst less experienced directors struggled with implementing strategy at the company headquarters. This meant that operational procedures were often uncoordinated and this was one of the causes of the eventual strategic failure.
(a) Miss Hoiku stated that it was difficult to remove a serving chief executive from office.
Required:
(i) Explain the ways in which a company director can leave the service of a board. (4 marks)
(ii) Discuss Miss Hoiku’s statement that it is difficult to remove a serving chief executive from a board.
(4 marks)
(b) Assess, in the context of the case, the importance of the chairman’s statement to shareholders in TQ
Company’s annual report. (5 marks)
(c) Criticise the structure of the reward package that Mr Smith awarded himself. (4 marks)
(d) Criticise Miss Hoiku’s performance as chairman of TQ Company. (8 marks)
(a) (i) Leaving the service of a board
Resignation with or without notice. Any director is free to withdraw his or her labour at any time but there is normally
a notice period required to facilitate an orderly transition from the outgoing chief executive to the incoming one.
Not offering himself/herself for re-election. Terms of office, which are typically three years, are renewable if the director
offers him or herself for re-election and the shareholders support the renewal. Retirement usually takes place at the end
of a three-year term when the director decides not to seek re-election.
Death in service when, obviously, the director is unable to either provide notice or seek retirement.
Failure of the company. When a company fails, all directors’ contracts are cancelled although this need not signal the
end of the directors’ involvement with company affairs as there may be ongoing legal issues to be resolved.
Being removed e.g. by being dismissed for disciplinary offences. It is relatively easy to ‘prove’ a disciplinary offence but
much more difficult to ‘prove’ incompetence. The nature of disciplinary offences are usually made clear in the terms and
conditions of employment and company policy.
Prolonged absence. Directors unable to perform. their duties owing to protracted absence, for any reason, may be
removed. The length of qualifying absence period varies by jurisdiction.
Being disqualified from being a company director by a court. Directors can be banned from holding directorships by a
court for a number of reasons including personal bankruptcy and other legal issues.
Failing to be re-elected if, having offered him or herself for re-election, shareholders elect not to re-appoint.
An ‘agreed departure’ such as by providing compensation to a director to leave.
(ii) Discuss Miss Hoiku’s statement
The way that directors’ contracts and company law are written (in most countries) makes it difficult to remove a director
such as Mr Smith from office during an elected term of office so in that respect, Miss Hoiku is correct. Unless his contract
has highly specific performance targets built in to it, it is difficult to remove Mr Smith for incompetence in the
short-term as it is sometimes difficult to assess the success of strategies until some time has passed. If the alleged
incompetence is within Mr Smith’s term of office (typically three years) then it will usually be necessary to wait until the
director offers himself for re-election. The shareholders can then simply not re-elect the incompetent director (in this
case, Mr Smith). The most likely way to achieve the departure of Mr Smith within his term of office will be to ‘encourage’
him to resign by other directors failing to support him or by shareholders issuing a vote of no confidence at an AGM or
EGM. This would probably involve offering him a suitable financial package to depart at a time chosen by the other
members of the board or company shareholders.
(b) Importance of the chairman’s statement
The chairman’s statement (or president’s letter in some countries) is an important and usually voluntary item, typically carried
at the very beginning of an annual report. In general terms, it is intended to convey important messages to shareholders in
general, strategic terms. As a separate section from other narrative reporting sections of an annual report, it offers the
chairman the opportunity to inform. shareholders about issues that he or she feels it would be beneficial for them to be aware
of. This independent communication is an important part of the separation of the roles of CEO and chairman.
In the case of TQ Company, the role of the chairman is of particular importance because of the dominance of Mr Smith.
Miss Hoiku had a particular responsibility to use her most recent statement to inform. shareholders about going concern issues
notwithstanding the difficulties that might cause in her relationship with Mr Smith. Miss Hoiku has an ethical as well as an
agency responsibility to express her independence in the chairman’s statement and convey issues relevant to company value
to the company’s shareholders. She can use her chairman’s statement for this purpose.
(c) Criticise the structure of the reward package that Mr Smith awarded himself
The balance between basic to performance related pay was very poor. Mr Smith, perhaps being aware that the prospect of
gaining much performance related income was low, took the opportunity to increase the fixed element of his income to
compensate. This was not only unprofessional and unethical on Mr Smith’s part, but it also represented very bad value for
shareholders. Having exercised his share options and sold the resulting shares, there was now no element of alignment of
his package with shareholder interests at all. His award to himself of an ‘excessively’ expensive company car was also not
in the shareholders’ interests. The fact that he exercised and sold all of his share options means that he will now have no
personal financial motivation to take strategic decisions intended to increase TQ Company’s share value. This represents a
poor degree of alignment between Mr Smith’s package and the interests of TQ’s shareholders.
(d) Criticise Miss Hoiku’s performance as chairman of TQ Company
The case describes a particularly poor performance by a company chairman. It is a key function of the chairman to represent
the shareholders’ interests in the company and Miss Hoiku has clearly failed in this duty.
A key reason for her poor performance was her reported inability or unwillingness to face up to Mr Smith who was clearly a
domineering personality. A key quality of a company chairman is his or her ability and willingness to personally challenge the
chief executive if necessary.
She failed to ensure that a committee structure was in place, allowing as she did, the remunerations committee to atrophy
when two members left the company.
Linked to this, it appears from the case that the two non-executive directors that left were not replaced and again, it is a part
of the chairman’s responsibility to ensure that an adequate number of non-executives are in place on the board.
She inexplicably allowed Mr Smith to design his own rewards package and presided over him reducing the performance
related element of his package which was clearly misaligned with the shareholders’ interests.
When Mr Smith failed to co-ordinate the other directors because of his unspecified business travel, she failed to hold him to
account thereby allowing the company’s strategy to fail.
There seems to have been some under-reporting of potential strategic problems in the most recent annual report. A ‘future
prospects’ or ‘continuing business’ statement is often a required disclosure in an annual report (in many countries) and there is evidence that this statement may have been missing or misleading in the most recent annual report.
第12题:
第13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)
第14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)
第15题:
(d) Discuss the main benefits that might accrue from the successful implementation of a Total Quality
Management programme by the management of the combined entity. (5 marks)
第16题:
(c) Explain how the use of activity-based techniques may benefit Taliesin Ltd. (5 marks)
第17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)
第18题:
(b) (i) State FOUR reasons why payback period is widely used by organisations in the capital investment
appraisal process. (2 marks)
第19题:
5 GE Railways plc (GER) operates a passenger train service in Holtland. The directors have always focused solely on
the use of traditional financial measures in order to assess the performance of GER since it commenced operations
in 1992. The Managing Director of GER has asked you, as a management accountant, for assistance with regard to
the adoption of a balanced scorecard approach to performance measurement within GER.
Required:
(a) Prepare a memorandum explaining the potential benefits and limitations that may arise from the adoption of
a balanced scorecard approach to performance measurement within GER. (8 marks)
第20题:
JOL Co was the market leader with a share of 30% three years ago. The managing director of JOL Co stated at a
recent meeting of the board of directors that: ‘our loss of market share during the last three years might lead to the
end of JOL Co as an organisation and therefore we must address this issue immediately’.
Required:
(b) Discuss the statement of the managing director of JOL Co and discuss six performance indicators, other than
decreasing market share, which might indicate that JOL Co might fail as a corporate entity. (10 marks)
第21题:
3 The Global Hotel Group (GHG) operates hotels in most of the developed countries throughout the world. The directors
of GHG are committed to a policy of achieving ‘growth’ in terms of geographical coverage and are now considering
building and operating another hotel in Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland is a developing country which is situated 3,000
kilometres from the country in which GHG’s nearest hotel is located.
The managing director of GHG recently attended a seminar on ‘the use of strategic and economic information in
planning organisational performance’.
He has called a board meeting to discuss the strategic and economic factors which should be considered before a
decision is made to build the hotel in Tomorrowland.
Required:
(a) Discuss the strategic and economic factors which should be considered before a decision is made to build
the hotel. (14 marks)
第22题:
(ii) State, with reasons, whether Messier Ltd can provide Galileo with accommodation in the UK without
giving rise to a UK income tax liability. (2 marks)
第23题:
You work as a network exchange administrator at company.com.the company.com network currently consists of a single active directory forest containing a single domain named company.com.the company.com organization makes use of microsoft exchange server 2010 as their messaging solution.company.com currently makes use of two exchange servers named - ex01 and -ex02which are configured as mailbox servers.During the course of the business week you receive instruction from company.com to have a mailbox moved from -ex01 to -ex02.what should you do?()