Advance finance assignment

Q1.) Expander plc wishes to acquire a 70% stake in Target plc by purchasing 280 million of Target’s 400 million £1 ordinary shares. Target currently has retained earnings of £1,360 million and is not expecting to issue any shares or pay any dividends in the immediate future. The purchase of Target will be paid for through a combination of immediate and deferred cash payments.

Expander will pay £5,000 million of cash at the date of acquisition, plus a further £2,000 million in two years’ time.

Target has some valuable brands, trade names and internet domain names. These are not currently recognised in Target’s financial statements. The estimated fair value of these assets is £3,500 million and these brands and domain names are estimated to have a useful life of approximately 8 years.

Expander has not yet determined whether it should measure non-controlling interest in its subsidiaries on the basis of a proportionate interest in the identifiable net assets of the subsidiary or whether it should use the “full goodwill” method. The fair value of a 30% holding in Target is estimated to be £2,500 million.

Where appropriate you may assume a discount rate of 5% per annum.

Required:

Explain the following for the board of Expander plc:

a) Discuss whether the IASB should have permitted a choice of accounting treatment in IFRS 3. (10 marks)

b) Explain how the use of estimates affects the calculation of goodwill, with specific reference to faithful representation. (20 marks)

c) Advise the board of Expander as to the appropriate accounting policy to adopt in respect of measuring non-controlling interest at acquisition. (10 marks)

Your answer should be illustrated by supporting calculations.

Q2.)

Financial information disclosed by firms can lead to capital markets’ reactions. Discuss several types of voluntary information that has been shown to affect capital markets’ reactions, explaining:

a) what types of information you find more relevant;

b) how it has been shown to affect capital markets (both in terms of models used and the positive/negative impact expected); and

c) what other aspects/variables one needs to take into consideration (i.e., to control for) when measuring the impact of disclosure.

Examples from academic studies, professional reports and reputable financial press should be included in your answer, to enrich your essay.

The word limit is 3000 words (+/- 10%). We recommend that you allow 1500 words for PART 1 and 1500 words for PART 2