Finance

Interview questions1.    Why did you consider the career path to become a financial controller? And how has been your experience so far?2.    Having worked for over eight years in the same industry, how have your views and skilled changes over the years? Are your skills the same as when you first joined the financial sector?3.    What are the main advantages and disadvantages of being a financial controller, especially during this era when unexpected recessions are emerging, such as the Covid-19 pandemic?4.    Before the pandemic prevailed, did you, as financial control, anticipate the financial industry’s outcomes?5.    Which actions or strategies are you willing to enact to ensure your current organization recovers from all the damages caused by the outbreak?6.    What if the government rules out that every organization increases its working personnel’s minimum wage from a certain percentage to a special rate? How would you work as a financial controller to ensure your organization is able to run its operations accordingly and, at the same time, increase the wages?7.    What potential challenges or effects has the outbreak enacted that, if not handles effectively, can lead to the failure of your organization?8.    Since you have been in the industry for quite some time now, which aspects of the profession would you use to motivate newbies who would like to join the future domain?9.    What are the fundamental challenges you have faced in your profession, and what reforms would you suggest to ensure the upcoming financial controller will not meet the case challenges?10.    Where do you see the financial controller profession in 10 years?

Review the information of the company Plug Power through Yahoo! Finance and the SEC EDGAR database in the Filings & Forms (Links to an external site.) page. From each section of previous chapters you have read in this class, you will be provided with a foundation to use in completing an assessment of the financial performance of a corporation.In prior weeks, you learned about portions of the financial statements and how each is analyzed. This week, you will put it all together. Choose a publicly traded organization that is not used in the textbook and complete your own financial statement analysis.In your paper,Evaluate the past financial performance of the organization.Determine the organization’s future financial performance.Assess the organization’s financial statements to determine credit risk.Conduct a screen for the potential investment in the organization’s equity.Choose an analyst adjustment to report the organization’s financials.Explain how the chosen analyst adjustment may help in determining the value of the business.The Corporate Performance ReportMust be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) guide.

Which of the required financial statements explain the difference between two balance sheet dates? Describe how these financial statements explain the difference between two different balance sheets completed on different dates. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: “Because many estimates are used in the preparation of financial statements, the statements are not a meaningful and accurate measurement of the financial position of a company.” Why/why not? Is the use of estimates in accounting ethical? Why/why not?

The basic requirement is to undertake a general financial analysis, comparing financial position and performance over the two most recent financial years, of an ASX listed company. The annual report for the chosen company should be available on the company website. Note: You are to use the ‘consolidated’ data in conducting your analysis. The analysis should consider each of the following financial ratios: – profitability and market performance – efficiency, – liquidity, – capital structure Note: You are only required to look at the most recent financial report. For those ratios which involve averages, you will calculate an average for the most recent year only, the prior year ratio calculation will NOT consider average calculations. This assignment will contain two elements: 1. Schedule(s) of relevant ratios and other useful calculations – The detailed calculation of relevant ratios and other useful calculations should be included, as one appendix, prepared using Excel. An example template is provided under the assessment 2 information, FINA6017 appendix layout – Blank.xls. – You will be advised by your facilitator as to which ratios to calculate. – You are advised to show the formulae used in determining particular ratios and other figures. 2. A written report The written report is the main element of this assessment. A sample template is provided under the assessment 2 information, FINA6017 Assignment Suggested Layout – Blank.doc. The written report should: – Explain what is revealed by the ratios and other calculations, in the context of the company’s profitability, asset efficiency, liquidity, capital structure, and market performance. – In particular, any important changes over the two financial years should be identified, discussed and, where possible, explained. – Provide an overall assessment of whether the company, over the recent financial year, has been better than the previous financial year, in the perspective of existing equity investors (shareholders). In preparing this report, you should: – analyse the financial statements of the business; – identify key ratios and apply ratio analysis; – argue the case of why the organisation may or may not succeed in the future and what the business should be doing to help it succeed; – consider the impact of the political and competitive environment on the business; – discuss relevant ethical considerations when an organisation becomes insolvent; – include external factors that need to be taken into consideration and the likelihood of a merger or acquisition; – provide a recommendation, that is, would you invest in this company after your own analysis or under what circumstances would you buy/save the business? Points to consider I. You are encouraged to seek and use additional public information about the company from sources, other than the annual report (for example, the internet, journal articles, newspapers, and business magazines). II. However, it is NOT envisaged that you will be engaged in extensive research of this nature and it is expected that the annual report will be the primary resource relied upon, in completing the assignment. III. You are asked NOT to try and make direct personal contact with the company or its officers (for example by telephone, fax, letter or email), in an attempt to gather further information. IV. It is important to note that you must NOT reproduce company promotional material from the annual report or company website and represent it as critical analysis. V. You will be provided relevant share price data by your facilitator for the company so that investment ratios (such as a price earnings ratio) can be calculated. VI. You may find it useful to consult accounting references, in addition to the prescribed text, which deals with the analysis and interpretation of company financial reports. VII. It is essential that you use the appropriate APA 6th referencing style, for citing and referencing research. Please see more information on referencing here: http://library.laureate.net.au/research_skills/referencing As this is a Masters-level subject, students are expected to engage with high quality academic journal articles, using the Torrens University Library: http://library.laureate.net.au. Textbooks, Wikipedia and, in general, anything that can be obtained through an open Google search page, are considered supplementary materials, unbecoming of a postgraduate.

Critique this statement:  1.) “The use of debt financing lowers the net income of the firm, and hence debt financing should be used only as a last resort.”   2.) Discuss some factors that health services managers must consider when choosing between debt and equity financing.  Consider both investor-owned and not-for-profit firms in your answer. 3.) What capital components are typically included when estimating a firm’s corporate cost of capital? Is the corporate cost of capital the same for all firms? Explain your answer. LECTURE NOTES BELOW: Capital Structure Lesson 12 Lecture Notes COST OF CAPITAL Capital refers to the funds invested in a business. The capital can come from different sources.  All capital has a cost. However, it varies from one sources of capital to another, from one company to another, and from one period of time to another. Cost of capital may be defined as the company’s cost of collecting funds. This is equal to the average rate of return that an investor in a company will expect for providing funds. It is the minimum rate of return that the project must earn to keep the value of the company intact. The minimum rate of return is equal to cost of capital. The cost of capital is always expressed in terms of percentage. Proper allowance is made for tax purposes. This is done to get a correct picture of the cost of capital. The concept of cost of capital is a major standard for comparison used in financial decisions. Acceptance or rejection of an investment project depends on the cost that the company has to pay for financing it. Good financial management involves selection of projects which are expected to earn returns higher than the cost of capital. Therefore, it is important for the financial manager to calculate the cost of capital which the company has to pay and compare it with the rate of return which the project is expected to earn. In capital expenditure decisions, financial managers typically accept projects arranged in descending order of rate of return. They stop at the point where the cost of capital equals the rate of return offered by the project. That is, the financial manager finds out the break-even point of the project. Accepting any project below the break-even point will cause financial loss for the company. The cost of capital is a guideline for determining the optimum capital structure of a company. In order to calculate the overall cost of capital, a financial manager should take the following steps: Determine the type of funds to be raised and their share in the capital structure. Determine cost of each type of funds. Calculate combined cost of capital of the company by giving weights to each type of funds in terms of proportion of funds raised to total funds. (Patil, 2013) DEBT FINANCING Debt is borrowing money from an outside source with the promise to return the principal, in addition to an agreed-upon level of interest. Although the term tends to have a negative connotation, startup companies often turn to debt to finance their operations. In fact, even the healthiest of corporate balance sheets will include some level of debt. In finance, debt is also referred to as “leverage.” The most popular source for debt financing is the bank, but debt can also be issued by a private company or even a friend or family member. Advantages to Debt Financing Maintain ownership: When you borrow from the bank or another lender, you are obligated to make the agreed-upon payments on time, but that is the end of your obligation to the lender. You can choose to run your business however you choose without outside interference. Tax deductions: This is a huge attraction for debt financing. In most cases, the principal and interest payments on a business loan are classified as business expenses, and thus can be deducted from your business income taxes. Drawbacks to Debt Financing Repayment: As mentioned above, your sole obligation to the lender is to make your payments. Unfortunately, even if your business fails, you will still have to make these payments. If you are forced into bankruptcy, your lenders will have claim to repayment before any equity investors. High rates: Even after calculating the discounted interest rate from your tax deductions, as explained above, you may still be faced with a high interest rate. Interest rates will vary with macroeconomic conditions, your history with the banks, your business credit rating, and your personal credit history. Impacts your credit rating: It might seem attractive to keep bringing on debt when your firm needs money, a practice knowing as “levering up,” but each loan will be noted on your credit rating. The more you borrow, the higher the risk to the lender, and the higher interest rate you’ll pay. Cash and collateral: Even if you plan to use the loan to invest in an important asset, you’ll need to make sure your business will be generating sufficient cash flows by the time loan repayment starts. You’ll likely be asked to put up collateral on the loan in case you default on your payments. Alternatives to Debt Financing Equity financing: This involves selling shares of your company to interested investors, or putting your own money into the company. Mezzanine financing: Lenders who set up this debt tool offer the business unsecured debt (no collateral is required). The trade-off is a high interest rate, in the 20- 30 percent range. The lender has the right to convert the debt into equity in the company if the company defaults on payments. Despite the high interest rate, mezzanine financing appeals to entrepreneurs because it offers quick liquidity, and even though it can be converted to equity, the issuing bank usually does not want to be an equity holder, meaning they’re not looking to control the company. Hybrid financing: Most likely you’ll turn to a combination of debt and equity financing to fund your venture. The question then becomes: What is the proper combination? When to Use Debt Financing As mentioned above, the lender will be seeking installment payments on his loan shortly after the money is lent. That means in order to begin making payments you will need cash. Even a thriving business can be short on cash if its money is tied up in equipment, or customers aren’t paying. When considering debt, ask yourself: Am I using this money to invest in fixed or variable costs? If you’re investing in fixed costs, such as a new piece of equipment, then you likely won’t see any cash returns from it in the short-term. If you need the money to invest in variable costs such as materials for the product you make or costs associated with each new client, than the debt investment should have associated cash inflow. What are my customers like? Customers who consistently pay on time are critical to cash flow and the ability to repay debt. How quickly will you receive cash from your payers, most of whom are insurance companies?  Check with professional associations on statistics such as accounts receivable aging and Days Sales Outstanding (DSO). Where am I in my business lifecycle? In the early stages of a firm, debt financing can be dangerous. You will likely be losing money at first, thus hurting your ability to make payments. Since your net income will be low, the tax advantages of debt will be minimal. As your business grows and matures, debt becomes a stronger option. The tax advantage will be greater, your cash flow will be more predictable, and the risk you face in bankruptcy decreases since you have been operating longer. (Richards, n.d.) LECTURE NOTS BELOW:

There is no specific guideline/requirement for the work. However please do note that this dissertation requires analysing the data of the gender diversity in UK firms and thereby compare its corporate performance. Tables/graph are preferred to be created for financial statement analysis. The structure should follow how a proper dissertation is done.  Research proposal as attached is just for a reference as it might not as perfect.

Company: Amazon In your 2-3 minute video address the following points. Explain your rationale for the elements you provided in your Executive Summary and how they specifically support your recommendation. (30 seconds – 1 minute) Explain how you formulated your recommendation and list the top 3-5 drivers that caused you to come to this conclusion. (45 seconds – 1.5 minutes) Provide a brief reflection on how your skills have grown through the process of working with your mentor and revising the sections of your report throughout this course. (30 seconds – 1 minute)

The topic would be NYC school budget cuts for past year into this year (2019-2020).   Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper about how the political process and changing public policy at the federal, state, and municipal levels influence budgeting. Include details on how the change came about and its effect on the resulting program. Ensure you: o   Identify political, economic, social, and cultural influences that caused the change in the budget. o   Identify the interaction among the federal, state, and municipal levels with regard to your selected program. o   Specify the limits of the agency budget office and how they may try to compensate for those limits. o   Identify some strategies and agencies politicians might use to justify increasing or decreasing the budget for the program you selected.   Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

review the financials of plug power inc. in Yahoo! Finance and the SEC EDGAR database in the Filings & Forms (Links to an external site.) page. You can access the financials by going to the Yahoo! Finance website, typing in the stock symbol of your organization, and then clicking on the Financials tab. After you have read, you will continue analyzing the financial health of the company. In other words, using the ratios provided by Robinson, Henry, Pirie, and Broihahn (2015), you will continue building a comprehensive financial statement analysis of your company.In your paper,Calculate the following ratios:Debt-to-assets ratioDebt-to-capital ratioDebt-to-equity ratioFinancial leverage ratioInterest coverage ratioFixed charge coverage ratioEvaluate the company’s solvency, based on the ratios calculated above.Recommend three areas that the company could improve in order to strengthen its financial position, based on the ratios calculated above.Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references page) and formatted according to APA.

Topic: Stewardship of ResourcesThread: Owners, managers, and employees all are accountable to some extent for their use of resources owned by others. In light of what you have learned so far in this course and in your other business courses, how can you apply the concepts of biblical stewardship in your life and business? Read this excerpt from an article by R. C. Sproul, then submit a response explaining your agreements, disagreements, and/or questions regarding the idea as well as any implications it may have in your life and business.Must have a verse from the bible related to the topic.Thread must be at least 250 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and be supported with at least 2 citations in current APA format. Acceptable sources include the course textbook, scholarly journal articles, and the Bible.Name of book: Block, S., Hirt, G., & Danielsen, B. (2019). Foundations of financial management (17th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Custom.