Hatfield Medical Supply’s stock price had been lagging its industry averages, so its board of directors brought in a new CEO, Jaiden Lee. Lee had brought in Ashley Novak, a finance MBA who had been working for a consulting company, to replace the old CFO, and Lee asked Novak to develop the financial planning section of the strategic plan. In her previous job, Novak’s primary task had been to help clients develop financial
Novak began by comparing Hatfield’s financial ratios to the industry averages. If any ratio was substandard, she discussed it with the responsible manager to see what could be done to improve the situation. The following data show Hatfield’s latest financial statements plus some ratios and other data that Novak plans to use in her analysis.
Hatfield Medical Supply (Millions of Dollars, Except per Share Data)
Selected Additional Data for 2019
Using Hatfield’s data and its industry averages, how well run would you say Hatfield appears to be in comparison with other firms in its industry? What are its primary strengths and weaknesses? Be specific in your answer and point to various ratios that support your position. Also, use the DuPont equation (see Chapter 3) as one part of your analysis.
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Chapter 12 Solutions
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
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- You are a Senior Manager in Federer & Co, a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants offeringaudit and assurance services mainly to large, privately owned companies. The firm has suffered from increased competition, due to two new firms of accountants setting up in the same town. Several audit clients have moved to the new firms, leading to loss of revenue, and an over staffed audit department. Ann Agassi, one of the partners of Federer & Co, has asked you to consider how the firm could react to this situation. Several possibilities have been raised for your consideration: 1. Several audit clients are experiencing staff shortages, and it has been suggested that temporary staff assignments could be offered. It is envisaged that a number of audit managers could be seconded to clients for periods not exceeding six months, after which time they would returnto Federer & Co. Required: Identify and explain the fundamental ethical principle and ethical threat involved for Federer…arrow_forwardYou have joined the companies finance team couple of months ago and went through a series of on job rotation and training. Today, the team welcomes a new member and your supervisor asks you take care of the new employee’s onboarding to the team. In particular, your supervisor asks you to tackle the following issues: 1. Describe the cash flows between a firm and its stakeholders. 2. The three fundamental decisions the finance team is concerned with, and how do they affect the firm’s balance sheet? 3. Explain why profit maximization is not the best goal for a company. What is an appropriate goal? 4. What are some of the external and internal factors that affect a firm’s stock price? What is the difference between these two types of factors? 5. Identify the sources of agency costs. What are some ways a company can control these costs? 6. Give an example of a conflict of interest in a business setting, other than the one involving the real estate agent discussed in the text.arrow_forwardYou are the chief information officer for a midsized organization that has decided to implement an ERP system. The CEO has met with a consulting ERP firm based on a recommendation from a personal friend at his club. At the interview, the president of the consulting firm introduced the chief consultant, who was charming, personable, and seemed very knowledgeable. The CEO’s first instinct was to sign a contract with the consultant, but he decided to hold off until he had received your input. Required Write a memo to the CEO presenting the issues and the risks associated with consultants. Also, outline a set of procedures that could be used as a guide in selecting a consultant.arrow_forward
- Assume Ethan Lester and Vick Jensen are CPAs. Ethan was seen as a “model employee” who deserved a promotion to director of accounting, according to Kelly Fostermann, the CEO of Fostermann Corporation, a Maryland-based, largely privately held company that is a prominent global designer and marketer of stereophonic systems. The company has an eleven person board of directors. Kelly considered Ethan to be an honest employee based on performance reviews and his unwillingness to accept the promotion, stating that he wasn’t ready yet for the position. Kelly admired his willingness to learn and grow, not just expect a promotion. Little did she know that Ethan was committing a $50,000 fraud during 2015 by embezzling cash from the company. In fact, no one seemed to catch on because Ethan was able to override internal controls. However, the external auditors were coming in and to solidify the deception, he needed the help of Vick Jensen, a close friend who was the accounting manager and also…arrow_forwardAssume Ethan Lester and Vick Jensen are CPAs. Ethan was seen as a “model employee” who deserved a promotion to director of accounting, according to Kelly Fostermann, the CEO of Fostermann Corporation, a Maryland-based, largely privately held company that is a prominent global designer and marketer of stereophonic systems. The company has an eleven person board of directors. Kelly considered Ethan to be an honest employee based on performance reviews and his unwillingness to accept the promotion, stating that he wasn’t ready yet for the position. Kelly admired his willingness to learn and grow, not just expect a promotion. Little did she know that Ethan was committing a $50,000 fraud during 2015 by embezzling cash from the company. In fact, no one seemed to catch on because Ethan was able to override internal controls. However, the external auditors were coming in and to solidify the deception, he needed the help of Vick Jensen, a close friend who was the accounting manager and also…arrow_forwardAssume Ethan Lester and Vick Jensen are CPAs. Ethan was seen as a “model employee” who deserved a promotion to director of accounting, according to Kelly Fostermann, the CEO of Fostermann Corporation, a Maryland-based, largely privately held company that is a prominent global designer and marketer of stereophonic systems. The company has an eleven person board of directors. Kelly considered Ethan to be an honest employee based on performance reviews and his unwillingness to accept the promotion, stating that he wasn’t ready yet for the position. Kelly admired his willingness to learn and grow, not just expect a promotion. Little did she know that Ethan was committing a $50,000 fraud during 2015 by embezzling cash from the company. In fact, no one seemed to catch on because Ethan was able to override internal controls. However, the external auditors were coming in and to solidify the deception, he needed the help of Vick Jensen, a close friend who was the accounting manager and also…arrow_forward
- Assume you are the management accountant for the Foleo Group. James and Leon have called you and the CFO into a meeting to discuss concerns they have with the number of SliFones that are being returned by customers under warranty. They have pulled some numbers from the accounting system and elsewhere regarding not only the warranty costs, but also other expenses associated with the quality of the phones for the current year. The directors have handed you the below costs and asked you to look into why faulty SliFones are being returned by customers. \table[[Quality Activity,\table[[Cost of Quality],[Activity]]],[Testing phones during production processes,$25,000arrow_forwardYou are working in a mid-size company for the last couple of years. Recently you are promoted as a Chief Information Officer (CIO) and excited to perform your new role efficiently. David Savage, Chief Operation Officer (CEO) of your company has decided to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. David Savage has met with a consulting ERP firm based on a recommendation from a friend at his club. During a recent meeting, David Savage introduced the chief consultant, who was charming, was personable, and seemed very knowledgeable. The CEO’s first instinct was to sign a contract with the consultant, but he decided to hold off until he had received your input.Required:David Savage asked you to write a memo presenting the issues and the risks associated with consultants. Further, outline a set of procedures that could be used as a guide in selecting a consultant.arrow_forwardRichmond, Inc., operates a chain of 44 department stores. Two years ago, the board of directors of Richmond approved a large-scale remodeling of its stores to attract a more upscale clientele. Before finalizing these plans, two stores were remodeled as a test. Linda Perlman, assistant controller, was asked to oversee the financial reporting for these test stores, and she and other management personnel were offered bonuses based on the sales growth and profitability of these stores. While completing the financial reports, Perlman discovered a sizable inventory of outdated goods that should have been discounted for sale or returned to the manufacturer. She discussed the Situation with her management colleagues; the consensus was to ignore reporting this inventory as obsolete because reporting it would diminish the financial results and their bonuses. Required: According to the IMA’s Statement of Ethical Professional Practice, would it be ethical for Perlman not to report the inventory…arrow_forward
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