Deck 4: Financial Goals and Corporate Governance

Question 1

In the Anglo-American model of corporate governance, the primary goal of management is to:

A) maximize the wealth of all stakeholders.
B) maximize shareholder wealth.
C) minimize costs.
D) minimize risk.

Answer 1

maximize shareholder wealth.

Question 2

Which of the following is a reason why managers act to maximize shareholder wealth in Anglo-American markets?

A) the use of stock options to align the goals of shareholders and managers
B) the market for corporate control that allows for outside takeover of the firm
C) performance-based compensation for executive management
D) all of the above

Answer 2

all of the above

Question 3

In finance, an efficient market is one in which:

A) prices are assumed to be correct.
B) prices adjust quickly and accurately to new information.
C) prices are the best allocators of capital in the macro economy.
D) all of the above

Answer 3

all of the above

Question 4

Which of the following is generally NOT considered to be a viable operational goal for a firm?

A) maintaining a strong local currency
B) maximization of after-tax income
C) minimization of the firm's effective global tax burden
D) correct positioning of the firm's income, cash flows and available funds as to country and currency

Question 5

The problems that may arise due to the separation of ownership and management in large business organizations are known as:

A) separation anxiety.
B) the agency problem.
C) corporate disconnect theory.
D) none of the above

Question 6

The study of how shareholders can motivate management to accept the prescriptions of the shareholder wealth maximization model is called:

A) market efficiency.
B) the SWM model.
C) agency theory.
D) the SCM model.

Question 7

The stakeholder capitalism model:

A) typically avoids the flaw of impatient capital.
B) tries to meet the desires of multiple stakeholders.
C) may leave management without a clear signal about tradeoffs among the several stakeholders.
D) all of the above

Question 8

State Owned Enterprises (SOEs):

A) are a form of public ownership.
B) are created for commercial activities rather than civil or social activities.
C) are the dominant form of business organization in some countries.
D) are all of the above.

Question 9

Unsystematic risk can be defined as:

A) the total risk to the firm.
B) the risk of the individual security.
C) the added risk that a firm's shares bring to a diversified portfolio.
D) the risk of the market in general.

Question 10

Foreign stock markets are frequently characterized by controlling shareholders for the individual publicly traded firms. Which of the following is NOT identified by the authors as typical controlling shareholders?

A) the government (for example, privatized utilities)
B) institutions (such as banks in Germany)
C) family (such as in France)
D) All of the above were identified by the authors as controlling shareholders.

Question 11

Systematic risk can be defined as:

A) the total risk to the firm.
B) the risk of the individual security.
C) the risk of the market in general.
D) the risk that can be systematically diversified away.

Question 12

Which of the following operational goals for the international firm may be incompatible with the others?

A) maintaining a strong local currency
B) maximization of after-tax income
C) minimization of the firm's effective global tax burden
D) Each of these goals may be incompatible with one or more of the others.

Question 13

The Stakeholder Capitalism Model (SCM):

A) clearly places shareholders as the primary stakeholder.
B) combines the interests and inputs of shareholders, creditors, management, employees, and society.
C) has financial profit as its goal and is often termed impatient capital.
D) is the Anglo-American model of corporate governance.

Question 14

Privatization is a term used to describe:

A) firms that are purchased by the government.
B) government operations that are purchased by corporations and other investors.
C) firms that do not use publicly available debt.
D) non-public meetings held by members of interlocking directorates.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with the private ownership of business organizations?

A) the government
B) families
C) individuals
D) publicly traded, widely-held organizations

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with the public ownership of business organizations?

A) the state
B) the government
C) families
D) civil society

Question 17

The Shareholder Wealth Maximization Model (SWM):

A) combines the interests and inputs of shareholders, creditors, management, employees, and society.
B) is being usurped by the Stakeholder Capitalism Model as those types of MNEs dominate their global industry segments.
C) clearly places shareholders as the primary stakeholder.
D) is the dominant form of corporate management in the European-Japanese governance system.

Question 18

"Maximize corporate wealth":

A) is the primary objective of the non-Anglo-American model of management.
B) as a management objective treats shareholders on a par with other corporate stakeholders such as creditors, labor, and local community.
C) has a broader definition than just financial wealth.
D) all of the above

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the stakeholder capitalism model?

A) Banks and other financial institutions are less important creditors than securities markets.
B) Labor unions are more powerful than in the Anglo-American markets.
C) Governments interfere more in the marketplace to protect important stakeholder groups.
D) All of the above are TRUE.

Question 20

Under the Shareholder Wealth Maximization Model (SWM) of corporate governance, poor firm performance is likely to be faced with all but which of the following?

A) sale of shares by disgruntled current shareholders
B) shareholder activism to attempt a change in current management
C) as a maximum threat, initiation of a corporate takeover
D) prison time for executive management

Question 21

PolyProduction Inc. has two classes of common stock. Class A has 5 million shares with 10 votes per share. Class B has 5 million shares with 1 vote per share. If the dividends per share are equal for both class A and B stock, then Class A shareholders have ________ of the votes and ________ of the dividends.

A) 90.91%; 90.91%
B) 90.91%; 50.00%
C) 50.00%; 50.00%
D) 83.33%; 33.33%

Question 22

According to recent research, family-owned firms in some highly-developed economies typically outperform publicly-owned firms.

Question 23

The goal of all international corporations is to maximize shareholder wealth.

Question 24

In recent years the trend has been for markets to increasing focus on the global stakeholders.

Question 25

If share price rises from $12 to $15 per share, and pays a dividend of $1 per share, what was the rate of return to shareholders?

A) 26.67%
B) -13.33%
C) 33.33%
D) 16.67%

Question 26

In recent years the trend has been for markets to increasing focus on the shareholder wealth form of wealth maximization.

Question 27

State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) by their very name cannot be traded on stock exchanges because they are government owned.

Question 28

Systematic risk can be eliminated through portfolio diversification.

Question 29

The primary operational goal for the firm is to:

A) maximize after-tax profits in each country where the firm is operating.
B) minimize the total financial risk to the firm.
C) maximize the consolidated after-tax profits of the firm.
D) maximize the total risk to the firm.

Question 30

According to the authors, dual classes of voting stock are the norm in non-Anglo-American markets.

Question 31

With shareholder wealth maximization as the manager's goal, capital may be termed:

A) impatient.
B) patient.
C) borrowed.
D) bought.

Question 32

The stakeholder capitalism model does not assume that equity markets are either efficient or inefficient.

Question 33

Non-Anglo-American markets are dominated by the "one-vote-one-share" rule.

Question 34

In the U.S. and U.K. stock markets are characterized by ownership of firms concentrated in the hands of a few controlling shareholders. In contrast, the rest of the world tends to have more widespread ownership of shares.

Question 35

A recent study shows that privately held firms use less financial leverage and enjoy lower costs of debt than publicly traded firms.

Question 36

The stakeholder capitalism model assumes that only systematic risk "counts" or is a prime concern for management.

Question 37

Agency theory states that unsystematic risk can be eliminated through diversification.

Question 38

Dividend yield is the change in the share price of stock as traded in the public equity markets.

Question 39

The stakeholder capitalism model (SCM) holds that total risk (operational and financial) is more important than just systematic risk.

Question 40

Patient Capitalism is characterized by short-term focus by both management and investors.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a source of new stock exchange listing additions?

A) initial public offerings
B) movements of share listings from one exchange to another
C) spinouts from larger firms
D) All of the above are sources.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a delisting category?

A) forced delistings
B) mergers
C) acquisitions
D) All of the above are categories of delistings.

Question 43

The relationship among stakeholders used to determine and control the strategic direction and performance of an organization is termed:

A) corporate governance.
B) Anglo-American activism.
C) capital structure.
D) working capital management.

Question 44

Companies that are delisted cease to trade.

Question 45

The number of publicly traded firms:

A) peaked in the U.S. in 1996.
B) peaked worldwide in 1996.
C) increased significantly in 2009 as a result of the international financial crisis.
D) all of the above

Question 46

In the stakeholder capitalism model (SCM) the assumption of market efficiency is absolutely critical.

Question 47

Generally speaking, which of the following is NOT considered an important factor in the composition and control of corporate boards of directors?

A) the number of insider vs. outside directors
B) the total number of directors on the board
C) the composition of the compensation committee
D) All of the above are important factors of board composition.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT commonly associated with a government affiliated form of corporate governance regime?

A) no minority influence
B) lack of transparency
C) state ownership of enterprise
D) All are associated with this type of corporate governance regime.

Question 49

Anglo-American markets is a term used to describe business markets in:

A) North, Central, and South America.
B) the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.
C) the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
D) the United States, France, Britain, and Germany.

Question 50

What are the most important distinctions that make state owned enterprises (SOEs) different from other forms of government organizations?

Question 51

The decline of share listings in the United States has led to considerable debate over whether these trends represent a fundamental global business shift away from the publicly traded corporate form, or something that is more U.S.-centric combined with the economic times. Develop an argument to why the decline happened.

Question 52

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in July 2002, was designed to:

A) reinstitute heavy tariffs on international trade.
B) reform corporate governance.
C) limit the Federal Reserve Board's ability to engage in the buying and selling of gold.
D) limit trade with countries deemed lenient on terrorism.

Question 53

Since movements between exchanges typically are a zero sum within a country, and spinouts and bulletin board movements are few in number, real growth in listings comes from IPOs.

Question 54

Describe the management objectives of a firm governed by the shareholder wealth maximization model and one governed by the stakeholder wealth maximization model. Give an example of how these two models may lead to different decision-making by executive management.

Question 55

Signed into law on July 30, 2002, the ________ Act requires CEOs of publicly traded companies to vouch for the veracity of the firm's published financial statements.

A) Smoot-Hawley
B) Humphrey-Hawkins
C) McCain-Merrill
D) Sarbanes-Oxley

Question 56

Define patient and impatient capitalism and discuss how each may lead to different decision-making in the shareholder wealth maximization model.

Question 57

One of the most challenging issues in the financial management of the enterprise is the possible separation of ownership from management resulting in the so-called principal agent problem. Define the agency problem, explain possible ways to alleviate the agency problem and discuss differences in across global markets.

Question 58

U.S. listings of publicly traded firms as a percentage of worldwide listings of such firms INCREASED from 11% in 1996 to approximately 33% in 2015.

Question 59

Which of the following broad topics is NOT identified as an area to be established as good corporate governance practice by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)?

A) protect the rights of shareholders
B) disclosure and transparency
C) the proper role of stakeholders in the governance of the firm
D) All of the above should be a concern of good corporate governance.

Question 60

When discussing the structure of corporate governance, the authors distinguish between internal and external factors. ________ is an example of an internal factor, and ________ is an example of an external factor.

A) Equity markets; executive management
B) Debt markets; board of directors
C) Executive management; auditors
D) Auditors; regulators

Question 61

Regarding comparative corporate governance regimes: Bank-based regimes characterized by government influence in bank lending and a lack of transparency is often found in countries such as Korea and Germany.

Question 62

The deliberation of the of the process demonstrated in the European-Japanese system of corporate governance has sometimes been termed:

A) socialism.
B) impatient capital.
C) patient capital.
D) communism.

Question 63

Although there are many different cultural and legal approaches used in corporate governance worldwide, there is a growing consensus on what constitutes good corporate governance. List and explain at least three standardized common principles of good corporate governance.

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT a possible and appropriate response by shareholders dissatisfied with existing firm management of a publicly traded firm?

A) Shareholders could sell their shares of stock.
B) Shareholders could remain quietly disgruntled.
C) Shareholders, perhaps with the help of others, could attempt to initiate a takeover.
D) All of these responses may be possible and appropriate.

Question 65

Having Anglo-Americans as members of the board of directors of a non-Anglo-American firm signals poor corporate governance in the firm.

Question 66

The Board of Directors:

A) consists exclusively of the officers of the corporation.
B) is the legal body which is accountable for the governance of the corporation.
C) are not subject to the external forces of the marketplace.
D) is appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT an important concept when distinguishing between international and domestic financial management?

A) corporate governance
B) culture, history, and institutions
C) political risk
D) All of the above are important distinguishing concepts.

Question 68

Investor protection is typically better in countries with codified civil law (the Code Napoleon) than in countries with a legal system based in English common law.

Question 69

The relatively low cost of compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) has been a surprising benefit of the act.