2021年ACCA F3《Irrecoverable debts and allowances》常考知识点

正确答案：

(b) Benchmarking at Marlow Fashion will not be an easy exercise. Marlow Fashion has developed a distinctive way of reaching
its markets that means direct comparisons will be hard to make. Certainly, it can carry out historical benchmarking in
comparing how its own processes and activities have improved, or otherwise, over a relevant period of time. Unfortunately,
this is likely to simply confirm worsening performance. It can compare its own key operations against the ‘best in class’;
regardless of which industry the excellent performer comes from. It could and should have been carrying out competitive
benchmarking on the retail side of the business where information should be more easily available. There may be an
opportunity to benchmark itself against firms that have gone through a similar crisis and achieved a successful turnaround.

In terms of the advantages and disadvantages, the willingness of managers responsible for a key area of performance to
compare themselves against relevant external performance measures should make them take responsibility for any changes
necessary. In Marlow Fashion, the acceptance that things have to be done differently will be the first stage in the turnaround.
Getting managers face-to-face with the problems, accepting responsibility for change and recognising that the necessary
changes are ‘doable’ is an important stage in creating a willingness to change. The disadvantages are that every organisation
and situation is different and there is no one best way. Marlow Fashion thought it had discovered the best way and this created
an unwillingness to change. There is also the danger that you are solving today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. A good
competitor will be trying to maintain its competitive advantage through constantly improving its processes. It also has a vested
interest in trying to prevent its improvements from being revealed to its competitors. Also, many of the ‘softer’ processes –
typically involving people – are difficult if not impossible to replicate in another organisation. These advantages are to do with
culture and leadership and not easily transferable to another organisation and the context in which it is operating.

正确答案：
(ii) Proposal to increase the after tax proceeds from the sale of the loan stock
AS should delay the sale of the loan stock until after 5 April 2008. The gain made at the time of the takeover would
then crystallise in 2008/09 and would be covered by the annual exemption for that year. The net proceeds would be
increased by the capital gains tax saved of ￡3,446 (￡8,616 x 40%).
More appropriate forms of external finance
A bank overdraft is not the most appropriate form. of long term business finance. This is because the bank can demand
repayment of the overdraft at any time and the rates of interest charged are fairly high.
AS should seek long term finance for his long term business needs, for example a bank loan secured on the theatre, and
use the bank overdraft to finance the working capital required on a day-to-day basis.

正确答案：
(a) Risks at Southland and management strategies
Risk management strategies
There are four strategies for managing risk and these can be undertaken in sequence. In the first instance, the organisation
should ask whether the risk, once recognised, can be transferred or avoided.
Transference means passing the risk on to another party which, in practice means an insurer or a business partner in another
part of the supply chain (such as a supplier or a customer).
Avoidance means asking whether or not the organisation needs to engage in the activity or area in which the risk is incurred.
If it is decided that the risk cannot be transferred nor avoided, it might be asked whether or not something can be done to
reduce or mitigate the risk. This might mean, for example, reducing the expected return in order to diversify the risk or
re-engineer a process to bring about the reduction.
Risk sharing involves finding a party that is willing to enter into a partnership so that the risks of a venture might be spread
between the two parties. For example an investor might be found to provide partial funding for an overseas investment in
exchange for a share of the returns.
Finally, an organisation might accept or retain the risk, believing there to be no other feasible option. Such retention should
be accepted when the risk characteristics are clearly known (the possible hazard, the probability of the risk materialising and
the return expected as a consequence of bearing the risk).
Risks in the case and strategy
There are three risks to the Southland factory described in the case.
Risk to the security of the factory in Southland. This risk could be transferred. The transference of this risk would be through
insurance where an insurance company will assume the potential liability on payment, by SCC, of an appropriate insurance
premium.
Risk to the supply of one of the key raw materials that experienced fluctuations in world supply. This risk will probably have
to be accepted although it may be possible, with redesigning processes, to reduce the risk.
If the raw material is strategically important (i.e. its use cannot be substituted or reduced), risk acceptance will be the only
possible strategy. If products or process can be redesigned to substitute or replace its use in the factory, the supply risk can
be reduced.
The environmental risk that concerned a possibility of a poisonous emission can be reduced by appropriate environmental
controls in the factory. This may require some process changes such as inventory storage or amendments to internal systems
to ensure that the sources of emissions can be carefully monitored.
Tutorial note: the strategies for the individual risks identified in the case are not the only appropriate responses and other
strategies are equally valid providing they are supported with adequate explanation.