ACCA考试是什么专业都可以考吗？

2 David Gould set up his accounting firm, providing accounting services to small businesses, in 2001. Within three

years his fee income was in excess of ￡100K a year and he had nearly 100 clients most of whom had been gained

through word of mouth. David recognised that these small or micro businesses, typically employing ten or fewer

people, were receiving less than satisfactory service from their current accountants. These accounting firms typically

had between five and ten partners and operated regionally and not nationally. Evidence of poor service included

limited access to their particular accountant, poor response time to clients’ enquiries and failure to identify

opportunities to save clients money. In addition bad advice, lack of interest in business development opportunities for

the client and poor internal communication between the partners and their staff contributed to client dissatisfaction.

David has deliberately kept the costs of the business down by employing three part-time accountants and relying on

his wife to run the office.

David had recently met Ian King who ran a similar sized accounting firm. The personal chemistry between the two

and complementary skills led to a partnership being proposed. Gould and King Associates, subject to securing the

necessary funding, is to be launched in September 2006. David is to focus on the business development side of the

partnership and Ian on the core services provided. Indicative of their creative thinking is David’s conviction that

accounting services are promoted very inadequately with little attempt to communicate with clients using the Internet.

He is also convinced that there are real opportunities for the partnership to move into new areas such as providing

accountancy services for property developers, both at home and abroad. Ian feels that the partnership should set up

its own subsidiary in India, enjoying the benefits of much cheaper accountancy staff and avoiding the costs and

complications of outsourcing their core accounting services. Ian sees fee income growing to ￡2 million in five years’

time.

David has been asked by his bank to provide it with a business plan setting out how the partnership intends to grow

and develop.

Required:

(a) Write a short report for David giving the key features that you consider to be important and that you would

expect to see in the business plan for the Gould and King partnership that David has to present to his bank.

(12 marks)

PV Co is evaluating an investment proposal to manufacture Product W33, which has performed well in test marketing trials conducted recently by the company’s research and development division. The following information relating to this investment proposal has now been prepared.

Initial investment $2 million

Selling price (current price terms) $20 per unit

Expected selling price inflation 3% per year

Variable operating costs (current price terms) $8 per unit

Fixed operating costs (current price terms) $170,000 per year

Expected operating cost inflation 4% per year

The research and development division has prepared the following demand forecast as a result of its test marketing trials. The forecast reflects expected technological change and its effect on the anticipated life-cycle of Product W33.

It is expected that all units of Product W33 produced will be sold, in line with the company’s policy of keeping no inventory of finished goods. No terminal value or machinery scrap value is expected at the end of four years, when production of Product W33 is planned to end. For investment appraisal purposes, PV Co uses a nominal (money) discount rate of 10% per year and a target return on capital employed of 30% per year. Ignore taxation.

Required:

(a) Identify and explain the key stages in the capital investment decision-making process, and the role of

investment appraisal in this process. (7 marks)

(b) Calculate the following values for the investment proposal:

(i) net present value;

(ii) internal rate of return;

(iii) return on capital employed (accounting rate of return) based on average investment; and

(iv) discounted payback period. (13 marks)

(c) Discuss your findings in each section of (b) above and advise whether the investment proposal is financially acceptable. (5 marks)

(d) Evaluate the effect on Gerard of the changes to be made by Fizz plc to its performance related bonus scheme.

You should ignore the effect of any pension contributions to be made by Gerard in the future, consider both

the value and timing of amounts received by Gerard and include relevant supporting calculations.

(5 marks)

Note: – You should assume that the income tax rates and allowances for the tax year 2006/07 apply throughout

this question.

(b) The directors of Carver Ltd are aware that some of the company’s shareholders want to realise the value in their

shares immediately. Accordingly, instead of investing in the office building or the share portfolio they are

considering two alternative strategies whereby, following the sale of the company’s business, a payment will be

made to the company’s shareholders.

(i) Liquidate the company. The payment by the liquidator would be ￡126 per share.

(ii) The payment of a dividend of ￡125 per share following which a liquidator will be appointed. The payment

by the liquidator to the shareholders would then be ￡1 per share.

The company originally issued 20,000 ￡1 ordinary shares at par value to 19 members of the Cutler family.

Following a number of gifts and inheritances there are now 41 shareholders, all of whom are family members.

The directors have asked you to attend a meeting to set out the tax implications of these two alternative strategies

for each of the two main groups of shareholders: adults with shareholdings of more than 500 shares and children

with shareholdings of 200 shares or less.

Required:

Prepare notes explaining:

– the amount chargeable to tax; and

– the rates of tax that will apply

in respect of each of the two strategies for each of the two groups of shareholders ready for your meeting

with the directors of Carver Ltd. You should assume that none of the shareholders will have any capital

losses either in the tax year 2007/08 or brought forward as at 5 April 2007. (10 marks)

Note:

You should assume that the rates and allowances for the tax year 2006/07 will continue to apply for the

foreseeable future.