Crag Co has sales of $200m per year and the gross profit margin is 40%. Finished goods inv

d a net profit margin of 10%. Due to fierce competition, ZXC Co has lost market share and is looking for ways to win back former customers and to keep the loyalty of existing customers. The sales director has pointed out that a major competitor of ZXC Co currently offers an early settlement discount of 0·5% for settlement within 30 days, while ZXC Co itself does not offer an early settlement discount. He suggests that if ZXC Co could match this early settlement discount, annual income from credit sales would increase by 20%.

Credit customers of ZXC Co take an average of 51 days to settle invoices. Approximately 0·5% of the company’s credit sales have historically become bad debts each year and written off as irrecoverable. The finance director has been advised that offering an early settlement discount of 0·5% for payment within 30 days would increase administration costs by $35,000 per year, while 75% of credit customers would be likely to take the discount. The credit controller believes that bad debts would fall to 0·375% of credit sales if the early settlement discount were introduced.

ZXC Co has an average short-term cost of finance of 4% per year. Assume that there are 360 days in each year.

Required:

(a) Evaluate whether ZXC Co should introduce the early settlement discount. (6 marks)

(b) Discuss TWO ways in which a company could reduce the risk associated with foreign accounts receivable. (4 marks)

:

Required:

(a) State the breakeven sales revenue for Swim Co and estimate, to the nearest $10,000, the company’s profit if 500 athletes attend a training course. (2 marks)

(b) Using the chart above, explain the cost and revenue structure of the company. (8 marks)

cost of each set of headphones varies depending on the number purchased, although they can only be purchased in batches of 1,000 units. It also has to pay import taxes which vary according to the quantity purchased.

Jewel Co has already carried out some market research and identified that sales quantities are expected to vary depending on the price charged. Consequently, the following data has been established for the first month:

Required:

(a) Calculate how many batches Jewel Co should import and sell. (6 marks)

(b) Explain why Jewel Co could not use the algebraic method to establish the optimum price for its product.

(4 marks)

The following financial information relates to HGR Co:

Statement of financial position at the current date (extracts)

The finance director has completed a review of accounts receivable management and has proposed staff training and operating procedure improvements, which he believes will reduce accounts receivable days to the average sector value of 53 days. This reduction would take six months to achieve from the current date, with an equal reduction in each month. He has also proposed changes to inventory management methods, which he hopes will reduce inventory days by two days per month each month over a three-month period from the current date. He does not expect any change in the current level of accounts payable.

HGR Co has an overdraft limit of $4,000,000. Overdraft interest is payable at an annual rate of 6·17% per year, with payments being made each month based on the opening balance at the start of that month. Credit sales for the year to the current date were $49,275,000 and cost of sales was $37,230,000. These levels of credit sales and cost of sales are expected to be maintained in the coming year. Assume that there are 365 working days in each year.

Required:

(a) Discuss the working capital financing strategy of HGR Co. (7 marks)

(b) For HGR Co, calculate:

(i) the bank balance in three months’ time if no action is taken; and

(ii) the bank balance in three months’ time if the finance director’s proposals are implemented.

Comment on the forecast cash flow position of HGR Co and recommend a suitable course of action.

(10 marks)

(c) Discuss how risks arising from granting credit to foreign customers can be managed and reduced.

(8 marks)

de payables after 60 days. One of its suppliers has offered the company an early settlement discount of 0·5% for payment within 30 days. Administration costs will be increased by $500 per year if the early settlement discount is taken. Nesud Co buys components worth $1·5 million per year from this supplier.

From a different supplier, Nesud Co purchases $2·4 million per year of Component K at a price of $5 per component. Consumption of Component K can be assumed to be at a constant rate throughout the year. The company orders components at the start of each month in order to meet demand and the cost of placing each order is $248·44. The holding cost for Component K is $1·06 per unit per year.

The finance director of Nesud Co is concerned that approximately 1% of credit sales turn into irrecoverable debts. In addition, she has been advised that customers of the company take an average of 65 days to settle their accounts, even though Nesud Co requires settlement within 40 days.

Nesud Co finances working capital from an overdraft costing 4% per year. Assume there are 360 days in a year.

Required:

(a) Evaluate whether Nesud Co should accept the early settlement discount offered by its supplier. (4 marks)

(b) Evaluate whether Nesud Co should adopt an economic order quantity approach to ordering Component K. (6 marks)

(c) Critically discuss how Nesud Co could improve the management of its trade receivables. (10 marks)

&8226;You have just received a telephone call for your colleague，Sue Benton，who is away from her desk．A sales representative，John Smith，frOm Barton’s & Co has been delayed．He cannot get to a meeting with Sue，but thinks he can get there later．He has given you his mobile number and would Iike Sue to call him back． &8226;Write a message for your colleague saying： &8226;who has called &8226;why he wilI be Iate &8226;when he can get there &8226;what he wants Sue to do &8226;Write 30-40．words． &8226;Write on your Answer Sheet．

date, it acquired 75% of Tamsin Co’s equity shares by means of a share exchange of two new shares in Gregory Co for every five acquired shares in Tamsin Co. These shares were recorded at the market price on the day of the acquisition and were the only shares issued by Gregory Co during the year ended 31 March 20X6.

The summarised financial statements of Gregory Co as a single entity at 31 March 20X5 and as a group at 31 March 20X6 are:

Other information:

(i) Each month since the acquisition, Gregory Co’s sales to Tamsin Co were consistently $2m. Gregory Co had chosen to only make a gross profit margin of 10% on these sales as Tamsin Co is part of the group.

(ii) The values of property, plant and equipment held by both companies have been rising for several years.

(iii) On reviewing the above financial statements, Gregory Co’s chief executive officer (CEO) made the following observations:

(1) I see the profit for the year has increased by $1m which is up 20% on last year, but I thought it would be more as Tamsin Co was supposed to be a very profitable company.

(2) I have calculated the earnings per share (EPS) for 20X6 at 13 cents (6,000/46,000 x 100) and for 20X5 at 12·5 cents (5,000/40,000 x 100) and, although the profit has increased 20%, our EPS has barely changed.

(3) I am worried that the low price at which we are selling goods to Tamsin Co is undermining our group’s overall profitability.

(4) I note that our share price is now $2·30, how does this compare with our share price immediately before we bought Tamsin Co？

Required: (a) Reply to the four observations of the CEO. (8 marks)

(b) Using the above financial statements, calculate the following ratios for Gregory Co for the years ended 31 March 20X6 and 20X5 and comment on the comparative performance:

(i) Return on capital employed (ROCE)

(ii) Net asset turnover

(iii) Gross profit margin

(iv) Operating profit margin

Note: Four marks are available for the ratio calculations. (12 marks)

Note: Your answers to (a) and (b) should reflect the impact of the consolidation of Tamsin Co during the year ended 31 March 20X6.

(ii) On 1 July 2006 Petrie introduced a 10-year warranty on all sales of its entire range of stainless steel

cookware. Sales of stainless steel cookware for the year ended 31 March 2007 totalled $18·2 million. The

notes to the financial statements disclose the following:

‘Since 1 July 2006, the company’s stainless steel cookware is guaranteed to be free from defects in

materials and workmanship under normal household use within a 10-year guarantee period. No provision

has been recognised as the amount of the obligation cannot be measured with sufficient reliability.’

(4 marks)

Your auditor’s report on the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006 was unmodified.

Required:

Identify and comment on the implications of these two matters for your auditor’s report on the financial

statements of Petrie Co for the year ended 31 March 2007.

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

(c) Lamont owns a residential apartment above its head office. Until 31 December 2006 it was let for $3,000 a

month. Since 1 January 2007 it has been occupied rent-free by the senior sales executive. (6 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 Lamont Co for the year ended

31 March 2007.

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

Extracts from the recent financial statements of Bold Co are given below.

A factor has offered to manage the trade receivables of Bold Co in a servicing and factor-financing agreement. The factor expects to reduce the average trade receivables period of Bold Co from its current level to 35 days; to reduce bad debts from 0·9% of turnover to 0·6% of turnover; and to save Bold Co $40,000 per year in administration costs. The factor would also make an advance to Bold Co of 80% of the revised book value of trade receivables. The interest rate on the advance would be 2% higher than the 7% that Bold Co currently pays on its overdraft. The factor would charge a fee of 0·75% of turnover on a with-recourse basis, or a fee of 1·25% of turnover on a non-recourse basis. Assume that there are 365 working days in each year and that all sales and supplies are on credit.

Required:

(a) Explain the meaning of the term ‘cash operating cycle’ and discuss the relationship between the cash operating cycle and the level of investment in working capital. Your answer should include a discussion of relevant working capital policy and the nature of business operations. (7 marks)

(b) Calculate the cash operating cycle of Bold Co. (Ignore the factor’s offer in this part of the question). (4 marks)

(c) Calculate the value of the factor’s offer:

(i) on a with-recourse basis;

(ii) on a non-recourse basis. (7 marks)

(d) Comment on the financial acceptability of the factor’s offer and discuss the possible benefits to Bold Co of factoring its trade receivables. (7 marks)

ur audit client, Mulligan Co,

designs and manufactures wooden tables and chairs. The business has expanded rapidly in the last two years, since

the arrival of Patrick Tiler, an experienced sales and marketing manager.

The directors want to secure a loan of $3 million in order to expand operations, following the design of a completely

new range of wooden garden furniture. The directors have approached LCT Bank for the loan. The bank’s lending

criteria stipulate the following:

‘Loan applications must be accompanied by a detailed business plan, including an analysis of how the finance will

be used. LCT Bank need to see that the finance requested is adequate for the proposed business purpose. The

business plan must be supported by an assurance opinion on the adequacy of the requested finance.’

The $3 million finance raised will be used as follows:

$000

Construction of new factory 1,250

Purchase of new machinery 1,000

Initial supply of timber raw material 250

Advertising and marketing of new product 500

Your firm has agreed to review the business plan and to provide an assurance opinion on the completeness of the

finance request. A meeting will be held tomorrow to discuss this assignment.

Required:

(a) Identify and explain the matters relating to the assurance assignment that should be discussed at the meeting

with Mulligan Co. (8 marks)