What is the purpose of the balance sheet? Briefly identify and describe the major types of assets and the claims of creditors and owners shown on the typical balance sheet.
> How do credit terms and collection efforts affect the investment in accounts receivable?
> What risks arise when a firm lowers its credit standards to try to increase sales volume?
> How can a firm control the risk of changing exchange rates when billing an overseas customer?
> Explain how the cash conversion cycle differs from the operating cycle.
> Describe various credit-reporting agencies that provide information on business credit applicants.
> What is credit analysis? Identify the five C’s of credit analysis.
> Besides lower expenses, explain another advantage of using electronic payments rather than paper checks.
> How does remote capture reduce float?
> Why can’t a firm that wants to increase disbursement float simply make payments after the stated due date?
> How can a firm use float to slow down its disbursements?
> 1. A firm’s sales decline while it is locked into a number of fixed cost leases for equipment. What is this an example of? a. Purchasing power risk b. Business risk c. Price risk d. Financial risk 2. In recent years some U.S. firms have merged with
> How can processing float be reduced?
> What are some strategies a firm can use to speed up its collections by reducing float?
> What are the three components of float? Which are under the control of the firm seeking to reduce collection float?
> What is float? Why is it important to cash management?
> Briefly describe a manufacturing firm’s operating cycle.
> Why is a short-term investment policy statement necessary?
> What are the three main concerns of a treasurer when investing a firm’s excess cash?
> Why would a corporation want to invest excess cash in securities issued by a municipality?
> Identify and briefly describe several financial instruments that are used as marketable securities.
> What characteristics should an investment have to qualify as an acceptable marketable security?
> 1. Which of the following statements is true? a. To compute variance, divide the sum of the squared deviations by the number of observations. b. To compute variance, divide the sum of the deviations by the number of observations minus one. c. The coeff
> Describe the four motives or reasons for holding cash.
> Describe what happens to a firm’s current asset accounts if the firm has seasonal sales and they use (a) level production, or (b) seasonal production.
> How does the choice of level or seasonal production affect a firm’s cash over the course of a year?
> What are the sources of cash outflows from a firm over any time frame?
> What are the sources of cash inflows to a firm over any time frame?
> What is meant by working capital?
> What do market value ratios indicate? Identify some market value ratios.
> What do profitability ratios indicate? Identify some measures of profitability.
> What do financial leverage ratios indicate? Identify some measures of financial leverage.
> What do asset management ratios indicate? Identify some basic asset management ratios.
> 1. How is the dollar return for a stock over a given period computed? a. Change in price plus dividends received b. Last period’s price minus current price c. Last period’s price minus current price plus dividends received d. Change in price minus di
> What do liquidity ratios indicate? Identify some basic liquidity ratios.
> Which type or category of ratios relates stock market information to financial statement items?
> Identify the types of ratios that are used to analyze a firm’s financial performance based on its income statements and balance sheets.
> What is ratio analysis? Also briefly describe the three basic categories or ways that ratio analysis is used.
> Describe what would happen to the DOL if all costs are fixed? Variable?
> What does a firm’s degree of operating leverage (DOL) indicate?
> What will happen to the break-even point if the contribution margin rises (falls)?
> What is the purpose of knowing the break-even point?
> What is cost-volume-profit analysis? How can it be used by a firm?
> Explain how financial planning is used to determine a firm’s external financing requirements.
> 1. A market that can absorb large trades without large security price movements is said to have which of the following? a. Depth b. Breadth c. Electronic trading d. Many traders 2. A market with which of the following has attracted many participant
> Explain how internally generated funds are used to reduce the need for external financing to fund asset investments.
> How is the process of financial planning used to estimate asset investment requirements?
> How is the Du Pont system related to both the balance sheet and the income statement?
> Describe the Du Pont method or system of ratio analysis. What are the two major components of the system?
> List some reasons why financial statement analysis is conducted. Identify some of the participants that analyze firms’ financial statements.
> What is the purpose of the income statement? Also, briefly identify and describe the major types of expenses that are shown on the typical income statement.
> General accounting practice is based upon the accrual concept. Explain what this means and briefly describe how this compares with the financial manager’s focus on cash.
> What types of information are included in an annual report?
> Briefly describe the differences between a subchapter S corporation and a limited liability company.
> 1. Which of the following true of the OTC market? a. Stocks are traded in a physical location, over a counter in an office, on Wall Street. b. Primary market transactions are underwritten by investment banks. c. Only large institutional traders may par
> What are the differences in owner liability in proprietorships and partnerships versus corporations?
> Identify and briefly describe the three major forms of business ownership used in the United States.
> Briefly describe the financial responsibilities undertaken by a firm’s treasurer.
> What are the responsibilities of a firm’s controller?
> Describe four provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
> What is restricted stock? How does it improve managerial incentives compared to the use of stock options?
> What are the two main solutions for reducing the adverse effects of agency problems?
> Discuss some ways agents can make self-serving decisions.
> What is meant by the principal-agent problem in the context of corporate governance?
> How do the financial markets accommodate the needs of both risky firms and very safe firms?
> 1. Traders wanting to buy a security make ______ prices; traders wanting to sell make ______ prices. a. Bid; ask b. Buy; sell c. Stop; limit d. Market; limit 2. Which type of order is executed immediately after a specified price target is hit? a.
> How are financial strategy and financial plans linked together?
> What does it mean when a firm’s MVA is negative?
> Briefly explain how shareholder wealth is measured.
> Describe the financial goal espoused by business firms.
> What steps did Ford take from 2008 to 2009, as seen by its balance sheet?
> What was GM’s financial position prior to its bailout in 2009? How did the bailout improve its financial position?
> How are industry-operating differences reflected in a firm’s financial statements?
> How can common-size financial statements be used?
> What is a statement of cash flows? What are the three standard sections contained in a statement of cash flows?
> Describe the three different accounts that comprise the owners’ equity section on a typical corporate balance sheet.
> 1. Participants on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange do not include which one of the following? a. House brokers b. Registered brokers c. Designated market makers d. Supplemental liquidity providers 2. The NYSE is an example of a(n) ___________
> It has often been said that a business should begin with a vision or mission statement. Explain what that means.
> Explain what is meant by “market efficiency.” What are the characteristics of an efficient market?
> Explain the historical relationships between return and risk for common stocks versus corporate bonds.
> Describe the meaning of a “state of nature” and explain how this concept is used to provide expected measures of return and risk.
> Suppose the U.S. dollar strengthens in the past year against other currencies. Explain its effect on U.S. dollar revenues and expenses for a global firm headquartered in the U.S.
> What are sources of risk facing a firm which are reflected on its income statement?
> Business risk has three possible sources. What are they?
> What is meant by the coefficient of variation? How is it used as a measure of risk?
> What is the market portfolio? Can we invest in such a portfolio?
> Define the concept of “beta” and describe what it measures.
> 1. A broker is paid by _________ by assisting the trading process; a dealer makes money on the __________ by trading from their own account. a. Salary; fees b. Fees; commissions c. Fees; spread d. Commissions; spread 2. In addition to assisting pri
> What is meant by the Capital Asset Pricing Model? Describe how it relates to expected return and risk.
> Describe how the variance and standard deviation are calculated and indicate how they are used as measures of risk.
> Classify each of the following as an example of systematic or unsystematic risk. a) The labor unions at Caterpillar, Inc. declared a strike yesterday. b) Contrary to what polls stated, the President was re-elected. c) Disagreement about inflation polic
> How does systematic risk differ from unsystematic risk?
> Describe what happens to portfolio risk as more and more assets are added to a portfolio. Are there advantages to international diversification?
> Explain the fallacy of this statement: “I’d rather put my money into a single high earning asset than in a portfolio of diversified investments; I’ll earn more money with the single asset.”
> Explain the terms diversification and correlation in the context of forming portfolios.
> Define what is meant by a portfolio and describe how the expected return on a portfolio is computed.
> How do mutual fund return data present evidence for or against efficient markets? Explain.
> Explain if you agree or disagree with this statement: “After the merger announcement the stock price greatly increased. Then it fell for the next 1-2 days before becoming relatively stable. This is proof against the efficient market hypothesis.”
> 1. What is the difference between the funds received by the company from the underwriters and the value of the firm’s shares in the aftermarket known as? a. Spread b. Underpricing c. Flotation costs d. Sum of the spread and underpricing 2. Direct co
> 1. Which of the following is the largest component of the M1 money supply definition? a. Currency b. Traveler’s checks c. Demand deposits d. Other checkable deposits 2. The M2 definition of the money supply does not include which of the following?
> What type of market efficiency—none, weak, semi-strong, or strong—exists under each of the following statements? a) I know which stocks are going to rise in value by looking at their price changes over the past two weeks. b) Returns earned by company off
