He suggested that I________ chairman of the meeting.
A.be
B.was
C.am
D.had been
A.be
B.was
C.am
D.had been
I suggested he should______himself to his new conditions.
A.adapt
B.adopt
C.regulate
D.suit
He suggested that he ______there by train.
A. should go
B. went
C. going
D. will go there
(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)
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
Bob Wong was fortunate to inherit some money and decided he wanted to invest for the long term in one or more investments so he would have a higher income in retirement. He was not a specialist in accounting and had little understanding of how investments worked.
Bob studied an investment website which suggested that he needed to be aware of the level of risk in an investment and also that he needed to know what his basic attitude to risk would be. This meant he needed to decide what his risk appetite was and then select investments based on that.
When Bob studied share listings in newspapers, he noticed that they were subdivided into sectors (e.g. banks, pharmaceuticals, mining, retail). He noticed that some sectors seemed to make higher returns than others and he wanted to know why this was. One website suggested that risks also varied by sector and this was partly explained by the different business and financial risks which different sectors are exposed to.
One website said that if a potential investor wanted to know about any given company as a potential investment, the company’s most recent annual report was a good place to start. This was because, it said, the annual report contained a lot of voluntary information, in addition to the financial statements. Bob could use this information to gain an understanding of the company’s strategy and governance. The website suggested that the contents of the corporate governance section of the annual report would be particularly helpful in helping him decide whether or not to buy shares in a company.
Required:
(a) Explain ‘risk appetite’ and ‘risk awareness’, and discuss how Bob’s risk appetite might affect his choice of investments.
(8 marks) (b) Explain ‘business risk’ and ‘financial risk’ and discuss why risks might vary by sector as the website indicated. (8 marks)
(c) Distinguish, with examples, between mandatory and voluntary disclosure in annual reports, and assess the usefulness of corporate governance disclosure to Bob in selecting his investments. (9 marks)
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
Arthur Jellicoe has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of Scapa Holdings, a listed company, for over 15 years, during which time the company has been very successful in capturing market share and achieving levels of profitability well in excess of it direct competition. Much of this success has been credited specifically to the way Arthur has managed the company. So when he advised the board at its last meeting that he plans to retire at the end of the year, there was real concern about appointing his successor. Scapa Holdings is particularly aware that any uncertainty which may arise during the CEO transitional period could result in a fall in share price, which they clearly wish to avoid.
The remuneration policy at Scapa Holdings includes a provision for awarding significant share options to executive directors when the company attains high levels of performance. For many years the targets set by the remuneration committee have been exceeded, so Arthur has accumulated a large number of share options which he can exercise any time over the next year. As part of his retirement planning, Arthur has consulted with an independent financial adviser who has recommended that he exercises his share options before he retires because they will deliver a tax efficient capital gain which he can then invest for his future. Clearly it will be in Arthur’s best interest to choose an exercise date when the share price is trading at its highest. So when a new contract opportunity was tabled by the sales director, which would clearly increase the company’s share price this year, Arthur was an enthusiastic supporter. Unfortunately, the finance director advised the board that its bank loan contained a restrictive covenant requiring the company to maintain interest cover of four times its pre-tax profit. Although Scapa Holdings has always been able meet this loan condition, the finance director is concerned that the further investment in the working capital needed for the proposed new contract presented a significant risk of breaching the loan covenant.
To address this issue the CEO suggested that inventory could be valued differently in order to report a higher profit figure, and thereby increase the level of interest cover. He further suggested that ‘this minor policy change would not be opposed by shareholders’ as it would undoubtedly increase the value of the share price. He also advised the board that he was sure that he could use his longstanding friendship with the engagement partner of Scapa Holdings’ auditors, who he had trained with as an accountant many years ago, to convince the audit team to agree with the higher inventory valuation during the forthcoming audit.
Required:
(a) An inherent risk in any listed company is that its directors have the power to pursue their own personal interests, which may not be aligned with their fiduciary duties towards shareholders.
Explain the term conflict of interest in this context, and using information from the scenario, discuss how Arthur Jellicoe’s behaviour presents a clear conflict of interest, stating what course of action he should take. (8 marks)
(b) Describe the agency relationships at Scapa Holdings, and explain how clear accountability could increase trust between principal and agent thereby reducing agency costs. (9 marks)
(c) Explain the meaning of ‘probity’ when maintaining professional business relationships as described in the scenario, and criticise the ethical behaviour of Arthur Jellicoe with respect to probity. (8 marks)
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
Plantex is a large international pharmaceutical company which has been at the forefront of research into developing cures for many tropical diseases. The nature of its business means that continuous and significant financial investment is required for research and development activities, for which its shareholders expect sizeable returns.
At a recent meeting of the board of Plantex, the finance director, Rachel Tang, submitted a paper on integrated reporting <IR> for discussion and consideration. She advised the board that Plantex had only ever disclosed the minimum information which it was required to by law, but recent developments in the International Integrated Reporting Framework has made a very strong case for broadening the amount of published corporate information.
The primary objective of <IR> is to demonstrate the clear link between a firm’s competitive strategy, governance system and financial performance, alongside the social, environmental and economic context within which the firm operates. Rachel Tang claimed that by integrating these different areas, the board of Plantex would be in a far better position to allocate its valuable resources more effectively and thereby make more environmental and socially sustainable decisions.
The chairman was highly supportive of the proposal as he had been trying to encourage a corporate citizenship agenda at recent board meetings. He suggested that <IR> would demonstrate that Plantex took corporate social responsibility seriously by being more transparent, accountable and responsive to its stakeholders’ demands.
Rachel Tang further asserted that <IR> would have the effect of simplifying published financial information, with excessive detail being removed and critical information being highlighted. If Plantex voluntarily adopted <IR> , its shareholders, and other stakeholders, would better understand how the firm was really performing and so be able to make a meaningful assessment of the firm’s long-term strategy. This openness could encourage further investment and strengthen the firm’s competitive position.
The chief executive, Stanley Broadway, suggested that this all sounded very good in theory, but he found it hard to justify the extra expense without any recognisable return to shareholders. He said it was ‘just another costly management fad that distracted the company from its real purpose – making money for its shareholders!’
Required:
(a) Explain the concept of corporate citizenship and assess the rights and responsibilities of Plantex as a corporate citizen of society. (7 marks)
(b) Describe the differing opinions about integrated reporting of Rachel Tang and Stanley Broadway and assess them using the relevant Gray, Owen & Adams positions on social responsibility. (6 marks)
(c) (i) Describe the advantages to Plantex and its stakeholders of adopting . (6 marks)
(ii) Explain how using an approach will provide information about the six capitals including the resources and relationships on which Plantex depends. (6 marks)
(80) Sociologists are interested in how a society began and how it grew. They also study the levels within a society. For example, the child is part of the family, the family is part of the neighborhood, and the neighborhood is part of the community. There are many different groups, and sociologists are interested in the effect that these groups have on people.
A Frenchman named Auguste Comte made sociology a separate science in the 1830s. He suggested that a new science was necessary to study a society of people. A famous book, Principles of Sociology, was published by an Englishman, Herbert Spencer, in 1882. This book had an unprecedented (史无前例的) effect on the science of sociology. In this book, Spencer theorized that a society's customs evolved, or grew, from very simple to more complicated and advanced. This theory shows the influence that Charles Darwin (who believed that man had evoked from very simple forms to the present human) had on Spencer.
What is the best title for this passage?
A.Society.
B.People's Interests.
C.Society in Different Nations.
D.Sociology.
(56)
A.hot
B.warm
C.cool
D.heated
developing countries. Professor James West from North America argued that one of the key needs for developing
countries was to implement rigorous systems of corporate governance to underpin investor confidence in businesses
in those countries. If they did not, he warned, there would be no lasting economic growth as potential foreign inward
investors would be discouraged from investing.
In reply, Professor Amy Leroi, herself from a developing country, reported that many developing countries are
discussing these issues at governmental level. One issue, she said, was about whether to adopt a rules-based or a
principles-based approach. She pointed to evidence highlighting a reduced number of small and medium sized initial
public offerings in New York compared to significant growth in London. She suggested that this change could be
attributed to the costs of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley in the United States and that over-regulation would be the
last thing that a developing country would need. She concluded that a principles-based approach, such as in the
United Kingdom, was preferable for developing countries.
Professor Leroi drew attention to an important section of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to illustrate her point. The key
requirement of that section was to externally report on – and have attested (verified) – internal controls. This was, she
argued, far too ambitious for small and medium companies that tended to dominate the economies of developing
countries.
Professor West countered by saying that whilst Sarbanes-Oxley may have had some problems, it remained the case
that it regulated corporate governance in the ‘largest and most successful economy in the world’. He said that rules
will sometimes be hard to follow but that is no reason to abandon them in favour of what he referred to as ‘softer’
approaches.
(a) There are arguments for both rules and principles-based approaches to corporate governance.
Required:
(i) Describe the essential features of a rules-based approach to corporate governance; (3 marks)
Mr Oggon Mordue, a financial journalist who had worked in audit and assurance for many years, was in the audience.
He suggested that the normal advice on threats to independence was wrong. On the contrary in fact, the more services that a professional services firm can provide to a client the better, as it enables the firm to better understand the client and its commercial and accounting needs. Mrs Yttria disagreed, saying that his views were a good example of professional services firms not acting in the public interest.
Mr Mordue said that when he was a partner at a major professional services firm, he got to know his clients very well through the multiple links that his firm had with them. He said that he knew all about their finances from providing audit and assurance services, all about their tax affairs through tax consulting and was always in a good position to provide any other advice as he had acted as a consultant on other matters for many years including advising on mergers, acquisitions, compliance and legal issues. He became very good friends with the directors of client companies, he said. The clients, he explained, also found the relationship very helpful and the accounting firms did well financially out of it.
Another reporter in the audience argued with Mr Mordue. Ivor Nahum said that Mr Mordue represented the ‘very worst’ of the accounting profession. He said that accounting was a ‘biased and value laden’ profession that served minority interests, was complicit in environmental degradation and could not serve the public interest as long as it primarily served the interests of unfettered capitalism. He said that the public interest was badly served by accounting,as it did not address poverty, animal rights or other social injustices.
Required:
(a) Explain, using accounting as an example, what ‘the public interest’ means as used by Mrs Yttria in her
speech. (5 marks)
(b) This requirement concerns ethical threats. It is very important for professional accountants to be aware of ethical threats and to avoid these where possible.
Required:
(i) With reference to the case as appropriate, describe five types of ethical threat. (5 marks)
(ii) Assess the ethical threats implied by Mr Mordue’s beliefs. (8 marks)
(c) Assess Ivor Nahum’s remarks about the accounting profession in the light of Gray, Owen & Adams’ deep
green (or deep ecologist) position on social responsibility. (7 marks)