(c) Explain how absolutist (dogmatic) and relativist (pragmatic) ethical assumptions would affect the outcome

of Anne’s decision. (6 marks)

(c) At a recent meeting of the board of directors, the managing director of Envico Ltd said that he considered it

essential to be able to assess the ‘value for money’ of each seminar. He suggested that the quality of the speakers

and the comfort of the seminar rooms were two assessment criteria that should be used in order to assess the

‘value for money’ of each seminar.

Required:

Discuss SIX separate and distinct assessment criteria (including those suggested by the managing director),

that would enable the management of Envico Ltd to assess the ‘value for money’ of each seminar.

(6 marks)

3 Mary Hobbes joined the board of Rosh and Company, a large retailer, as finance director earlier this year. Whilst she

was glad to have finally been given the chance to become finance director after several years as a financial

accountant, she also quickly realised that the new appointment would offer her a lot of challenges. In the first board

meeting, she realised that not only was she the only woman but she was also the youngest by many years.

Rosh was established almost 100 years ago. Members of the Rosh family have occupied senior board positions since

the outset and even after the company’s flotation 20 years ago a member of the Rosh family has either been executive

chairman or chief executive. The current longstanding chairman, Timothy Rosh, has already prepared his slightly

younger brother, Geoffrey (also a longstanding member of the board) to succeed him in two years’ time when he plans

to retire. The Rosh family, who still own 40% of the shares, consider it their right to occupy the most senior positions

in the company so have never been very active in external recruitment. They only appointed Mary because they felt

they needed a qualified accountant on the board to deal with changes in international financial reporting standards.

Several former executive members have been recruited as non-executives immediately after they retired from full-time

service. A recent death, however, has reduced the number of non-executive directors to two. These sit alongside an

executive board of seven that, apart from Mary, have all been in post for over ten years.

Mary noted that board meetings very rarely contain any significant discussion of strategy and never involve any debate

or disagreement. When she asked why this was, she was told that the directors had all known each other for so long

that they knew how each other thought. All of the other directors came from similar backgrounds, she was told, and

had worked for the company for so long that they all knew what was ‘best’ for the company in any given situation.

Mary observed that notes on strategy were not presented at board meetings and she asked Timothy Rosh whether the

existing board was fully equipped to formulate strategy in the changing world of retailing. She did not receive a reply.

Required:

(a) Explain ‘agency’ in the context of corporate governance and criticise the governance arrangements of Rosh

and Company. (12 marks)

(b) Explain the roles of a nominations committee and assess the potential usefulness of a nominations committee

to the board of Rosh and Company. (8 marks)

(d) Explain the term ‘environmental management accounting’ and the benefits that may accrue to organisations

which adopt it. (4 marks)

2 (a) Explain the term ‘backflush accounting’ and the circumstances in which its use would be appropriate.

(6 marks)

(c) Define ‘retirement by rotation’ and explain its importance in the context of Rosh and Company.

(5 marks)

(c) Identify TWO QUALITATIVE benefits that might arise as a consequence of the investment in a new IT system

and explain how you would attempt to assess them. (4 marks)

3 Moffat Ltd, which commenced trading on 1 December 2002, supplies and fits tyres and exhaust pipes and services

motor vehicles at thirty locations. The directors and middle management are based at the Head Office of Moffat Ltd.

Each location has a manager who is responsible for day-to-day operations and is supported by an administrative

assistant. All other staff at each location are involved in fitting and servicing operations.

The directors of Moffat Ltd are currently preparing a financial evaluation of an investment of ￡2 million in a new IT

system for submission to its bank. They are concerned that sub-optimal decisions are being made because the current

system does not provide appropriate information throughout the organisation. They are also aware that not all of the

benefits from the proposed investment will be quantitative in nature.

Required:

(a) Explain the characteristics of THREE types of information required to assist in decision-making at different

levels of management and on differing timescales within Moffat Ltd, providing TWO examples of information

that would be appropriate to each level. (10 marks)

4 At an academic conference, a debate took place on the implementation of corporate governance practices in

developing countries. Professor James West from North America argued that one of the key needs for developing

countries was to implement rigorous systems of corporate governance to underpin investor confidence in businesses

in those countries. If they did not, he warned, there would be no lasting economic growth as potential foreign inward

investors would be discouraged from investing.

In reply, Professor Amy Leroi, herself from a developing country, reported that many developing countries are

discussing these issues at governmental level. One issue, she said, was about whether to adopt a rules-based or a

principles-based approach. She pointed to evidence highlighting a reduced number of small and medium sized initial

public offerings in New York compared to significant growth in London. She suggested that this change could be

attributed to the costs of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley in the United States and that over-regulation would be the

last thing that a developing country would need. She concluded that a principles-based approach, such as in the

United Kingdom, was preferable for developing countries.

Professor Leroi drew attention to an important section of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to illustrate her point. The key

requirement of that section was to externally report on – and have attested (verified) – internal controls. This was, she

argued, far too ambitious for small and medium companies that tended to dominate the economies of developing

countries.

Professor West countered by saying that whilst Sarbanes-Oxley may have had some problems, it remained the case

that it regulated corporate governance in the ‘largest and most successful economy in the world’. He said that rules

will sometimes be hard to follow but that is no reason to abandon them in favour of what he referred to as ‘softer’

approaches.

(a) There are arguments for both rules and principles-based approaches to corporate governance.

Required:

(i) Describe the essential features of a rules-based approach to corporate governance; (3 marks)