Foundations of Financial Management Canadian 11th Edition Block Solutions Manual
Foundations of Financial Management Canadian 11th Edition Block Solutions Manual
Foundations of Financial Management Canadian 11th Edition Block Solutions Manual
Chapter 1
Discussion Questions
1-1. Regulation was greatly increased with the Dodd – Frank Act and other measures.
1-2. The student should be prepared to pay a higher price for the promised $2 from the Royal
Bank. The risk is lower.
1-3. The goal of shareholder wealth maximization implies that the firm will attempt to achieve
the highest possible valuation in the marketplace. It is the one overriding objective of the
firm and should influence every decision. The problem with a profit maximization goal is
that it fails to take account of risk, the timing of the benefits is not considered, and profit
measurement is a very inexact process.
1-4. Agency theory examines the relationship between the owners of the firm and the
managers of the firm. In privately owned firms, management and the owners are usually
the same people. Management operates the firm to satisfy its own goals, needs, financial
requirements and the like. As a company moves from private to public ownership,
management now represents all owners. This places management in the agency position
of making decisions in the best interest of all shareholders.
1-5. Because institutional investors such as pension funds (Ontario Teachers’, CPP) and
mutual funds own a large percentage of major companies, they are having more to say
about the way publicly owned companies are managed. As a group, they have the ability
to vote large blocks of shares for the election of a board of directors, which is supposed to
run the company in an efficient, competitive manner. The threat of being able to replace
poor performing boards of directors makes institutional investors quite influential. Since
these institutions, like pension funds and mutual funds, represent individual workers and
investors, they have a responsibility to see that the firm is managed in an efficient and
ethical way.
1-6. Insider trading occurs when someone has information that is not available to the public
and then uses the information to profit from trading in a company’s common stock. The
provincial securities commissions are responsible for protecting against insider trading.
1-7. Regulations set the “rules of the game” in which the firm operates. Shareholder wealth
maximization can and should still be sought within the rules, for economic efficiency to
be achieved. Society judge’s deregulation benefits against the costs of regulation.
1-8. Management operates within a competitive market and they should be paid their
opportunity cost. If managers do not act to maximize shareholder wealth, share prices
will become depressed. To the extent manager’s compensation is tied to share price
performance, shareholders can fire managers, and there exists a market for corporate
control, management will be compensated based on their economic contribution.
1-1
Block et al. Foundations of Financial Management 11Ce Solutions Manual
McGraw-Hill Education © 2018
1-9. Daily functions- cash management, inventory control, receipt and disbursement of funds.
Occasional- share issue, bond issue, capital budgeting and dividend decisions.
1-10. There is unlimited liability for the sole proprietorship and partnership forms of
ownership. Under the limited partnership, only the general partner(s) has unlimited
liability, with limited partners obligated only to the extent of their initial contribution.
Finally, all shareholders in a corporation have limited liability, although owner/
shareholders of small businesses often have to give banks their personal guarantees.
1-11. The corporate form is best suited to large organizations because of the easy divisibility of
ownership through issuance of shares. Also, the corporation has continued existence
independent of any shareholder.
1-12. Money markets refer to those markets dealing with short-term securities that have a life
of one year or less. Capital markets refer to securities with a life of more than one year.
1-13. A primary market refers to the use of the financial markets to raise new funds. After the
securities are sold to the public (institutions and individuals), they trade in the secondary
market between investors. It is in the secondary market that prices are continually
changing as investors buy and sell securities based on the expectations of corporate
prospects. A liquid secondary market promotes a successful primary market.
1-14. Government debt loads require financing. This puts large demands ($1 trillion in
accumulated federal and provincial debt in 2017) on the capital markets, putting upward
pressure on interest rates and a corporation’s ability to invest in capital projects. When
governments finance their deficits abroad they place Canada’s economic levers outside of
our control and debt servicing payments can impact the foreign exchange markets. As the
government debt load relative to GDP been reduced in recent years there has been less
pressure on interest rates, corporations have borrowed more, but there have been less
‘risk free’ government securities available (causing liquidity problems particularly in the
money markets).
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Block et al. Foundations of Financial Management 11Ce Solutions Manual
McGraw-Hill Education © 2018
Chapter 1
Problems
1-3. Two to Ten Dollar Corporation would be expected to have the higher valuation because
the $10 per share dividend (although achieved later) is expected to be sustained for a
much longer period of time. Building earnings for longer term sustainability is more
valuable than quick returns that peter out.
1-3
Block et al. Foundations of Financial Management 11Ce Solutions Manual
McGraw-Hill Education © 2018
Foundations of Financial Management Canadian 11th Edition Block Solutions Manual
Chapter 1
1-4. Share value is a combination of expected earnings (or cash flow) and the risk inherent in
those cash flows. Although the financial institution reports lower earnings it is because
of restructuring charges that lower reported earnings. Cash flows are not likely to be
effected. Future earnings should be more reliable and therefore less risky than those of
the new health services company. Therefore the market is likely to suggest a higher
value for the financial institution.
There is no correct answer. It depends on the tradeoff between risk, returns and costs.
1-4
Block et al. Foundations of Financial Management 11Ce Solutions Manual
McGraw-Hill Education © 2018