CHP 23
CHP 23
Given:
The Outdoor Sports Company produces a wide variety of outdoor sports equipment.
Its newest division, Golf Technology, manufactures and sells a single product, AccuDriver,
a golf club that uses global positioning satellite technology to improve the accuracy of
golfers' shots. The demand for AccuDriver is relatively insensitive to price changes.
The following data are available for Golf Technology, which is an investment center for
Outdoor Sports:
Required:
1. Compute Golf Technology's ROI if the selling price of AccuDrivers is $720 per club.
3. Assume that Outdoor Sports judges the performance of its investment centers
on the basis of RI rather than ROI. The company's required rate of
return is 20%. What is the minimum selling price that Golf Technology should
charge per AccuDriver if the company's required rate of return is 20%?
Both investments were made on December 31, 2011. The exchange rate at the time of
Seaside's investment in Norway on December 31, 2011, was 9 kroners = $1. During 2012,
the Norwegian Kroner decreased steadily in value so that the exchange rate on December 31,
2012, is 10 kroners = $1. The average exchange rate during 2012 is (9+10)/2 = 9.5 kroners = $1.
2. Top management wants to know which division earned a better ROI in 2012.
What would you tell them? Explain your answer
We can not tell which division earned a better ROI because the Norwegian
division's return may have been helped by greater inflation in Norway and a
weakening kroner. Need to convert to a common currency.
U. S. Norwegian Norwegian
Division Division Division
(in U.S. $) (in kroner) (in U.S. $)
Operating income $697,500 6,840,000 720,000
Total assets $7,500,000 72,000,000 8,000,000
ROI 9.30% 9.50% 9.00%
Date of investment 12/31/2011 12/31/2011 12/31/2011
Exchange rate 12/31/11 $1 = 9 kroner 9
Exchange rate 12/31/12 $1 = 10 kroner 10
Average exchange during 2012 is (9+10)/2 = 9.5 $1 = 9.5 kroner 9.5
The Norwegian Division's ROI based on kroners is helped by the inflation that
occurs in Norway in 2012 (that caused the Norwegian kroner to weaken against
the dollar from 9 kroners = $1 on 12-31-2011 to 10 kroners =$1 on 12-31-2012).
Inflation boosts the division's operating income. Since the assets are acquired
at the start of the year 2012, the asset values are not increased by the inflation
that occurs during the year. The net effect of inflation on ROI calculated in
kroners is to use an inflated value for the numerator relative to the denominator.
Adjusting for inflationary and currency differences negates the effects of any
differences in inflation rates between the two countries on the calculation of
ROI. After these adjustments, the U.S. Division earned a higher ROI than the
Norwegian Division.
U. S. Norwegian Norwegian
Division Division Division
(in U.S. $) (in kroners) (in U.S. $)
Operating income $697,500 6,840,000 720,000
Total assets $7,500,000 72,000,000 8,000,000
Required return 8% 8% 8%
Capital charge $600,000 $5,760,000 $640,000
Residual Income $97,500 $1,080,000 $80,000
ROI 9.30% 9.50% 9.00%
1. Calculate the ROI for each division using operating income as the
measure of income and total assets as the measure of investment.
Atlantic Division:
ROI = Operating income / Total assets = 7.500%
Pacific Division:
ROI = Operating income / Total assets = 9.000%
2. Calculate residual income (RI) for each division using operating income
as a measure of income and total assets minus current liabilities as a
measure of investment.
Performance
New Car Parts
Division Division
Operating Income $2,475,000 $2,565,000
Less capital charge $3,168,000 $2,412,000
Residual income ($693,000) $153,000
3. William Abraham, the New Car Division manager, argues that the
Performance Parts Division has "loaded up on a lot of short-term
debt" to boost its RI. Calculate an alternative RI for each division
that is not sensitive to the amount of short-term debt taken on by
the Performance Parts Division. Comment on the result.
Performance
New Car Parts
Division Division
Operating Income $2,475,000 $2,565,000
Less capital charge $3,960,000 $3,420,000
Residual income ($1,485,000) ($855,000)
Current liabilities represent funds available for use from sources other
than stock holders. If managers have control over short term debt then
efficient use of creditor generated funds should be taken into account.
This was done in question #2.
4. Performance Auto, whose tax rate is 40%, has two sources of funds:
long-term debt with a market value of $18,000,000 and an interest rate of
10%, and equity capital with a market value of $12,000,000 at a cost of
equity of 15%. Performance Auto applies the same weighted-average
cost of capital to both divisions, because each division faces similar risks.
Calculate the EVA for each division.
1. It is a residual income type of measure and does not have the dysfunctional
effects of ROI-based measures. (ROI as a performance evaluation measure
creates incentives for managers to reject projects that increase the value of
the firm simply because they may reduce the overall ROI of the division.)
2. EVA calculations incorporate tax effects that are costs to the firm. It provides
an after-tax comprehensive summary of the effects of various decisions on the
company and its shareholders.
Both the residual income and the EVA calculations indicate that the Performance
Parts Division is performing nominally better than the New Car Division.
The negative EVA for both divisions indicates that, on an after-tax basis, both
divisions are destroying value -- the after-tax economic returns from both divisions
are less than the required returns.
Exercise 23-32
Given:
Global Event Group has two major divisions: Print and Internet.
Summary financial data (in millions) for 2011 and 2012 are as follows:
The two division managers' annual bonuses are based on division ROI (defined
as operating income divided by total assets). If a division reports an increase in
ROI from the prior year, its management is automatically eligible for a bonus. The
management of a division reporting a decline in ROI has to present an explanation
to the Global Event Group board and is unlikely to get any bonus.
Carol Mays, manager of the Print Division, is considering a proposal to invest $960
million in a new computerized news reporting and printing system. It is estimated that the
new system's state-of-the-art graphics and ability to quickly incorporate late-breaking news
into papers will increase 2013 division operating income by $144 million. Global Event
Group uses a 12% required rate of return on investment for each division.
Profit Investment
Margin Turnover ROI
OI Revenue OI
Revenue TA TA
For 2012:
Print 30.00% 0.85 25.50% 25.50%
Internet 2.60% 2.50 6.50% 6.50%
2012 Results:
The Print Division has a relatively high ROI because of its high income margin.
The Internet Division has a low ROI because of its very low income margin
(despite having a high investment turnover ratio).
2. Why might Mays be less than enthusiastic about accepting the investment proposal
for the new system, despite her belief in the benefits of the new technology?
ROI
2012 ROI before investment proposal 25.50%
ROI for investment proposal 15.00%
2012 ROI with investment proposal 25.10%
Given the existing bonus plan, any proposal that reduces divisional ROI
is unattractive.
3. Chris Moreno, CEO of Global Event Group, is considering a proposal to base
division executive compensation at each division on division RI.
a. Compute the 2012 RI for each division. 12%
Capital Divisional
Operating Charge Residual
Income at 12% Income
Print $6,120 ($2,880) $3,240
Internet 780 (1,440) (660)
Capital Divisional
Operating Charge Residual
Newspapers Income at 12% Income
Pre-Investment RI $6,120 ($2,880.00) $3,240.00
Investment Proposal $144 ($115.20) $28.80
Post-Investment RI $6,264 ($2,995.20) $3,268.80
Investing in the new computerized system will increase the Print Division's RI.
As a result, if Mays is evaluated using a RI measure, Mays would be favorably
inclined to adopting the new proposal.
4. Moreno is concerned that the focus on annual ROI could have an adverse
long-run effect on Global Event Group's customers. What other measurements
do you recommend that Moreno use? Explain.
These measures will require managers to invest in areas that have favorable
long-run effects on Global Event Group's customers.
Exercise 23-33
Given:
Chris Moreno seeks your advice on revising the existing bonus plan for division
managers of the Global Event Group. Assume division managers do not like bearing
risk. Moreno is considering three ideas.
Positive Features
The benefit of this compensation plan is that managers would be motivated
to put in extra effort to increase divisional RI because managers' rewards
would increase with increases in divisional RI.
Negative Features
Compensating managers largely on the basis of RI subjects the managers
to excessive risk, because each division's RI depends not only on the
manager's effort but also on random factors over which the manager has no
control. A manager may put in a great deal of effort, but the division's RI
may be low because of adverse factors (high interest, recession) that the
manager cannot control.
The motivation for having some salary and some performance-based bonus
in compensation plans is to balance the benefits of incentives against the
extra costs of imposing uncontrollable risk on the manager.
Positive Features
Rewarding managers on the basis of companywide RI will motivate
managers to take actions that are in the best interests of the company
rather than actions that maximize a division's RI.
Negative Features
Each division manager's compensation will depend not only on the performance
of that division manager but on the performance of the other division managers.
Hence, compensating managers on the basis of companywide RI will impose
extra risk on each division manager, and will raise the cost of compensating them,
on average.
Positive Features
The benefit of benchmarking or relative performance evaluation is to cancel
out the effects of common noncontrollable factors that affect a performance
measure. Taking out the effects of these factors provides better information
about a manager's performance.
Negative Features
For benchmarking or relative performance evaluation to be effective, it is
critical that similar noncontrollable factors affect each division. It is not clear
that the same noncontrollable factors that affect the performance of the
Print Division (cost of newsprint paper, for example) also affect the
performance of the Internet division. If the noncontrollable factors are not
the same, then comparing the RI of one division to the RI of the other division
will not provide useful information for relative performance evaluation.
2. Moreno is concerned that the pressure for short-run performance may cause
managers to cut corners. What systems might Moreno introduce to avoid this
problem? Explain.
Using measures like RI and ROI -- diagnostic levers of control -- can cause managers
to cut corners and take other actions that boost short-run performance but harm the
company in the long run.
Moreno can guard against such problems by introducing and upholding strong
boundary and belief systems of control within the company.
3. Moreno is also concerned that the pressure for short-run performance might
cause managers to ignore emerging threats and opportunities. What systems
might Moreno introduce to avoid this problem? Explain.
Excessive focus on diagnostic control system measures such as ROI, RI, and NI
might cause a myopic disregard for emerging threats and opportunities.
Moreno should not only ask for regular reports on ROI, RI, etc., he should meet
regularly with division managers, discuss 5- and 10-year strategic plans, and
obtain their field-based inputs. Such regular dialogues will help surface
emerging threats and opportunities, and allows for the development of action
plans that need to be taken in response.
Exercise 23-28
Given:
Nature's Elixir Corporation operates three divisions that process and bottle natural fruit juices.
The historical-cost accounting system reports the following information for 2011:
Assets:
Current assets (expressed in 2011 $) $400,000 $500,000 $600,000
Long-term assets 280,000 1,800,000 2,640,000
Total assets $680,000 $2,300,000 $3,240,000
Nature's Elixir estimates the useful life of each plant to be 12 years, with a $0 terminal
disposal value. The straight-line depreciation method is used.
An index of construction costs for the 10-year period that Nature's Elixir has been
operating (2001 year-end = 100) is
Given the high turnover of current assets, management believes that the historical-cost
and current-cost measures of current assets are approximately the same.
Required:
1. Compute the ROI ratio (operating income to total assets) of each division using
historical-cost measures. Comment on the results.
Passion Kiwi Mango
Fruit Fruit Fruit
Calculation of Historical Cost ROI Division Division Division
The Passion Fruit Division appears to be considerably more efficient than the Kiwi
Fruit and Mango Fruit Divisions at using investment dollars to generate operating
operating income.
2. Use the approach in Exhibit 23-2 (pg. 817) to compute the ROI of each division,
incorporating current-cost estimates as of 2011 for depreciation and long-term
assets. Comment on the results.
Step 1: Restate long-term assets from gross book value at historical cost to
gross book value at current cost as of the end of 2011.
The original costs of the plants (gross book values) under historical costs are
calculated as the useful life of each plant times the straight-line depreciation.
Step 2: Derive net book value of long-term assets at current costs as of the end
of 2011.
NBV of L/T assets at current costs as of the end of 2011 $476,000 $2,250,000 $2,805,000
NBV of L/T assets at current costs as of the end of 2011 $476,000 $2,250,000 $2,805,000
Current assets at the end of 2011 (given) 400,000 500,000 600,000
Current costs of total assets in 2011 $876,000 $2,750,000 $3,405,000
Step 6: Compute ROI using current-cost estimates for long-term assets and
depreciation.
Use of current cost, results in the Mango Fruit Division appearing to be the most
efficient. The Passion Fruit Division's ROI is reduced substantially when the 10
year old plant is restated for the 70% increase in construction costs over the 2001
to 2011 period.
3. What advantages might arise from using current-cost asset measures as compared
with historical-cost measures for evaluating the performance of the managers of the
three divisions?
Use of current costs increases the comparability of ROI measures across divisions'
operating plants built at different construction cost price levels. Use of current cost
also will increase the willingness of managers, evaluated on the basis of ROI, to move
from divisions with assets purchased many years ago to divisions with assets purchased
in recent years.
Exercise 23-20 Financial and nonfinancial performance measures, goal congruence. (CMA)
Given:
Summit Equipment specializes in the manufacture of medical equipment, a field that has become
increasingly competitive. Approximately two years ago, Ben Harrington, president of Summit,
decided to revise the bonus plan (based, at the time, entirely on operating income) to encourage
division managers to focus on areas that were important to customers and that added value
without increasing costs. In addition to a profitability incentive, the revised plan includes incentives
for reduced rework cost, reduced sales returns, and on-time deliveries. Bonuses are calculated
and awarded semiannually on the following bases.
Note: If the calculation of the bonus results in a negative amount for a particular period, the
manager simply receives no bonus, and the negative amount is not carried forward to the next
period.
In 2011, under the old bonus plan, the Charter Division manager earned a bonus of $27,060 and
the Mesa Division manager, a bonus of $22,440.
Results for Summit's Charter Division and Mesa Division for 2012, the first year under the new
bonus plan, follow:
Charter Division Mesa Division
From 1/1/2012 7/1/2012 1/1/2012 7/1/2012
To 6/30/2012 12/31/2012 6/30/2012 12/31/2012
Revenues $4,200,000 $4,400,000 $2,850,000 $2,900,000
Operating income $462,000 $440,000 $342,000 $406,000
On-time delivery 95.4% 97.3% 98.2% 94.6%
Rework costs $11,500 $11,000 $6,000 $8,000
Sales returns $84,000 $70,000 $44,750 $42,500
Competition!
The new performance measures take a balanced scorecard approach by evaluating and
rewarding managers on the basis of direct quality measures (such as rework, on-time delivery,
and sales returns). The new bonus plan should motivate managers to take actions that
Harrington believes will increase operating income now and in the future.
2. Calculate the bonus earned by each manager for each 6-month period for 2012.
3. What effect did the change in the bonus plan have on each manager's behavior?
Did the new bonus plan achieve what Harrington desired?
What changes, if any, would you make to the new bonus plan?
The manager of the Charter Division is likely to be frustrated by the new plan, as the
division bonus is more than $20,000 less than the previous year. However, the new
performance measures have begun to have the desired effect --both on-time deliveries
and sales returns improved in the second half of the year, while rework costs improved
slightly.
The manager of the Mesa Division should be as satisfied with the new plan as with
the old plan, as the bonus is almost equivalent. However, on-time deliveries declined
considerably in the second half of the year. Rework costs also increased. Sales
returns declined slightly in the second half.
1. Increasing the weights put on on-time deliveries, rework costs, and sales
returns performance measures while decreasing the weight put on operating
income.
2. A reward structure for rework costs that are below 2% of operating income
would encourage managers to drive costs lower.
3. The bonus plan should carry forward the negative amounts for one 6-month
period into the next 6-month period.
4. Developing benchmarks, and then giving rewards for improvements over prior
periods and encouraging continuous improvement.
1. Calculate the ROI for each division using operating income as the
measure of income and total assets as the measure of investment.
Atlantic Division:
ROI = Operating income / Total assets = 20%
Pacific Division:
ROI = Operating income / Total assets = 15%
Atlantic Division:
RI = Operating Income - Capital charge @ 12% = $80,000
Pacific Division:
RI = Operating Income - Capital charge @ 12% = $150,000
3. Potomic Electric has two sources of funds: long-term debt with a market
value of $3,500,000 and an interest rate of 10%, and equity capital with
a market value of $3,500,000 at a cost of equity of 14%. Potomic's income
tax rate is 40%. Potomic applies the same weighted-average cost of capital
to both divisions, because each division faces similar risks. Calculate the
EVA for each division.
It is a residual income type of measure and does not have the dysfunctional
effects of ROI-based measures. (ROI as a performance evaluation measure
creates incentives for managers to reject projects that increase the value of
the firm simply because they may reduce the overall ROI of the division.)
EVA calculations incorporate tax effects that are costs to the firm. It provides
an after-tax comprehensive summary of the effects of various decisions on the
company and its shareholders.