Chpt 11
Variable costs can be defined as the costs that:
Vary directly with sales
Simulation analysis is based on assigning a _____ and analyzing the results
Wide range of values to multiple variables simultaneously
The degree of operating leverage is equal to:
1 + FC/OCF
Fixed costs:
Are constant over the short-run regardless of the quantity of output produced
Which one of the following types of analysis is the most complex to conduct?
Simulation
Which one of the following will best reduce the risk of a project by lowering the degree of operating leverage?
Subcontracting portions of the project rather than purchasing new equipment to do all the work in-house
By definition, which one of the following must equal zero at the accounting break-even point?
Net income
A firm's managers realize they cannot monitor all aspects of their projects but do want to maintain a constant focus on the key aspect of each project in an attempt to maximize their firm's value. Given this specific desire, which type of analysis should they require for each project and why?
Sensitivity analysis; to identify the key variable that affects a project's profitability
Which one of the following will be used in the computation of the best-case analysis of a proposed project?
The lowest variable cost per unit that can reasonably be expected
Sensitivity analysis determines the:
Degree to which the net present value reacts to changes in a single variable
The CFO of Edward's Food Distributors is continually receiving capital funding requests from its division managers. These requests are seeking funding for positive net present value projects. The CFO continues to deny all funding requests due to the financial situation of the company. Apparently, the company is:
Facing hard rationing
Assume a project has a discounted payback that equals the project's life. The project's sales quantity must be at which one of these break-even points?
Financial
Which one of the following represents the level of output where a project produces a rate of return just equal to its requirement?
Financial break-even
You would like to know the minimum level of sales that is needed for a project to be accepted based on its net present value. To determine that sales level you should compute the:
Financial break-even point
Which of the following variables will be forecast at their highest expected level under a worst case scenario?
Fixed and variable costs
Operating leverage is the degree of dependence a firm places on its:
Fixed costs
Assume both the discount and tax rates are positive values. At the financial break-even point, the:
IRR equals the required return
Scenario analysis is best suited to accomplishing which one of the following when analyzing a project?
Identifying the potential range of reasonable outcomes
You are considering a project and are concerned about the reliability of the cash flow forecasts. To reduce any potentially harmful results from accepting this project, you should consider:
Lowering the degree of operating leverage
By definition, which one of the following must equal zero at the cash break-even point?
Operating cash flow
Which of the following are inversely related to variable costs per unit?
Operating cash flow per unit and contribution margin per unit
A decrease in which one of the following will increase the accounting break-even quantity? Assume straight-line depreciation is used and ignore taxes.
Sales price per unit
The contribution margin per unit is equal to the:
Sales price per unit minus the variable cost per unit
Steve is fairly cautious when analyzing a new project and thus he projects the most optimistic, the most realistic, and the most pessimistic outcome that can reasonably be expected. Which type of analysis is Steve using?
Scenario analysis
Which one of the following statements concerning scenario analysis is correct?
Scenario analysis helps managers analyze various outcomes that are possible given reasonable ranges for each of the assumptions
Which type of analysis identifies the variable, or variables, that are most critical to the success of a particular project?
Sensitivity
The procedure of allocating a fixed amount of funds for capital spending to each business unit is called:
Soft rationing
Uptown Promotions has three divisions. As part of the planning process, the CFO requested that each division submit its capital budgeting proposals for next year. These proposals represent positive net present value projects that fall within the long-range plans of the firm. The requests from the divisions are $4.2 million, $3.1 million, and $6.8 million. For the firm as a whole, management has limited spending to $10 million for new projects next year even though the firm could afford additional investments. This is an example of:
Soft rationing
A project has a payback period that exactly equals the project's life. The project is operating at:
The accounting break-even point
A project has a projected IRR of negative 100 percent. Which one of the following statements must also be true concerning this project?
The net present value of the project is negative and equal to the initial investment
When you assign the highest anticipated sales price and the lowest anticipated costs to a project, you are analyzing the project under the condition known as:
Worst case scenario analysis
Theresa is analyzing a project that currently has a projected NPV of zero. Which one of the following changes that she is considering is most apt to cause that project to produce a positive NPV instead? Consider each change independently
Decrease the labor hours per unit produced
Scenario analysis is defined as the:
Determination of changes in NPV estimates when what-if questions are posed
Forecasting risk emphasizes the point that the correctness of any decision to accept or reject a project is highly dependent upon the:
Accuracy of the projected cash flows
Bell Weather Goods has several proposed independent projects that have positive NPVs. However, the firm cannot initiate any of the projects due to a lack of financing. This situation is referred to as:
Capital rationing
Valerie just completed analyzing a project. Her analysis indicates that the project will have a six-year life and require an initial cash outlay of $320,000. Annual sales are estimated at $589,000 and the tax rate is 34 percent. The net present value is a negative $320,000. Based on this analysis, the project is expected to operate at the:
Cash break-even point
When the operating cash flow of a project is equal to zero, the project is operating at the:
Cash break-even point
Which one of these is most associated with an IRR of -100 percent?
Cash break-even point
Which one of the following is the relationship between the percentage change in operating cash flow and the percentage change in quantity sold?
Degree of operating leverage
Given the following, which feature identifies the most desirable level of output for a project?
Discounted payback period equal to the project's life
As the degree of sensitivity of a project to a single variable rises, the:
Greater is the importance of accurately predicting the value of that variable
PC Enterprises wants to commence a new project but is unable to obtain the financing under any circumstances. This firm is facing:
Hard rationing
Which one of the following characteristics best describes a project that has a low degree of operating leverage?
High variable costs relative to the fixed costs
Which of the following values will be equal to zero when a firm is operating at the accounting break-even level of output?
IRR and net income
Forecasting risk is defined as the possibility that:
Incorrect decisions will be made due to erroneous cash flow projections
Which one of these combinations must increase the contribution margin?
Increasing the sales price and decreasing the variable cost per unit
Webster Iron Works started a new project last year. As it turns out, the project has been operating at its accounting break-even level of output and is now expected to continue at that level over its lifetime. Given this, you know that the project:
Is operating at a higher level than if it were operating at its cash break-even level
The base case values used in scenario analysis are the values considered to be the most:
Likely to occur
Steve, the sales manager for TL Products, wants to sponsor a one-week "Customer Appreciation Sale" where the firm offers to sell additional units of a product at the lowest price possible without negatively affecting the firm's profits. Which one of the following represents the price that should be charged for the additional units during this sale?
Marginal cost
The change in variable costs that occurs when production is increased by one unit is referred to as the:
Marginal cost
The president of Global Wholesalers would like to offer special sale prices to the firm's best customers under the following terms:
Marginal cost of all variable inputs
The change in revenue that occurs when one more unit of output is sold is referred to as:
Marginal revenue
An analysis of the change in a project's NPV when a single variable is changed is called _____ analysis
Sensitivity
An analysis that combines scenario analysis with sensitivity analysis is called _____ analysis
Simulation
Brubaker & Goss has received requests for capital investment funds for next year from each of its five divisions. All requests represent positive net present value projects. All projects are independent. Senior management has decided to allocate the available funds based on the profitability index of each project since the company has insufficient funds to fulfill all of the requests. Management is following a practice known as:
Soft rationing
Which one of the following characteristics relates to the cash break-even point for a given project?
The project never pays back
Assume you graph a project's net present value given various sales quantities. Which one of the following is correct regarding the resulting function?
The slope of the function measures the sensitivity of the net present value to a change in sales quantity
