Agency conflicts between managers and shareholders An agency relationship can degenerate into an agency conflict when an agent acts in a manner that is not in the best interest of his or her principal. In business, these conflicts most frequently involve the enrichment of the firm's executives or managers (in the form of money and perquisites or power and prestige) at the expense of the shareholders. This usurping of shareholder wealth is most likely to occur when shareholders do not have sufficient information about the decisions and actions being made by the firm's management. Consider the following scenario and determine whether an agency conflict exists: Daniel owns Daniel's Tantalizing Tees, a T-shirt shop in a small college town in Kansas. With a staff of three part-time employees, Daniel operates the business in accordance with his personal goals, dreams, and capabilities.
Does Daniel have an agency conflict to deal with?
A. No; by having part-time, as opposed to full-time, employees, Daniel is prevented from experiencing an agency conflict.
B. Yes; as both the owner and operator of Daniel's Tantalizing Tees, Daniel has created the necessary agency relationship through which an agency conflict can exist.
C. No; as both the owner and operator of Daniel's Tantalizing Tees, Daniel has not created the necessary agency relationship through which an agency conflict can exist.
D. Yes; there is always an inherent conflict of interest between owners and operators (managers). Consider the following scenario and determine whether an agency conflict exists: Five years ago, Li created a plant-care business that grew, stocked, and maintained fresh plants in office buildings throughout Denver. Over time, The Green Zone Inc. (TGZ) has grown from a proprietorship into a corporation, now reaching far beyond Denver. To finance and support this growth, TGZ issued shares that were sold to TGZ employees, Li's family members, and selected outsiders. Li is TGZ's chairman of the board of directors and CEO, but he is no longer the largest shareholder. At the latest annual meeting, two mutually exclusive proposals were placed on the ballot for discussion and vote. The first was put forth by Li and TGZ's management team, and the second was proposed by a small group of other shareholders. Both groups are adamantly opposed to the other group's proposal, even though both proposals would likely have the same effect on TGZ's value and riskiness.
Does an agency conflict exist between TGZ's management and the small group of opposing shareholders?
A. Yes; an agency relationship exists, and an agency relationship always gives rise to agency conflicts, regardless of the actual behavior of the participants.
B. Yes; any conflict or disagreement between the firm's managers and its shareholders constitutes an agency conflict.
C. No; although an agency relationship exists between TGZ's management-including Li as TGZ's chairman and CEO and the firm's shareholders-there is no agency conflict, because no expropriation or wasting of the shareholders' wealth has occurred.
D. No; Li was the original owner of TGZ, so he would always be sensitive to the concerns of the firm's current owners (shareholders) and would not engage in an agency conflict. For the past 40 years, companies have attempted to attract, retain, and encourage managers by developing attractive compensation packages. These compensation packages have also been intended to reduce potential agency conflicts between these managers and the firm's shareholders. In the best interest of shareholders, compensation packages should be structured in a way such that managers have an incentive to maximize the____value of the company's common stock price. Great Fortunes Baking Company's stockholders are mostly individual investors, and there is relatively little institutional ownership. If several pension and mutual funds were to take large positions in Great Fortunes Baking Company's stock, direct shareholder intervention would be likely to motivate the firm's management. Katz Investment Group's stock price is currently trading at $20 per share. The consensus among market analysts is that the stock should trade for $27.5 per share, given the amount, timing, and riskiness of the company's dividends. Is Katz Investment Group more or less likely to receive a hostile takeover bid?
1. Less likely
2. More likely

Answer:

1. C. No; as both the owner and operator of Daniel's Tantalizing Tees, Daniel has not created the necessary agency relationship through which an agency conflict can exist.

For an agency problem to exist, the owners and the managers must be two different sets of people. If they are the same person, then practically speaking, they cannot usurp their own wealth.

2. C. No; although an agency relationship exists between TGZ's management-including Li as TGZ's chairman and CEO and the firm's shareholders-there is no agency conflict, because no expropriation or wasting of the shareholders' wealth has occurred.

Indeed there is an Agency relationship in effect because some shareholders are not in management. However, it cannot be said that there is a agency conflict because there is no evidence shown that shareholder wealth is being expropriated.

3.  Intrinsic

The  Intrinsic value of a stock is the value that an investor believes the stock is worth. A Manager should therefore get incentives that will inspire them to take investor perception of stock high. When this happens it increases shareholder wealth primarily through capital gain.

4 ... direct shareholder intervention would be more likely to motivate the firm's management.

Institutional Investors such as Pension and Mutual funds usually have more say in a company as they represent several shareholders and have expertise in  the field. Should they get involved, their direct intervention would motivate the firm's management.

5. More likely

If investors believe that the stock should be trading for higher than it actually is, this is incentive to try to lay their hands on the stock to take advantage of this undervaluation. They would be able to offer the current shareholders more money than what it is currently worth which will most likely get them the shares they want. This is classified as a Hostile takeover.

At the end of 2018, we have a credit balance of $10,000 in allowance for doubtful accounts before the adjusting entry for bad debts expense. After analyzing the accounts in the accounts receivable using the aging of receivables method, the company's management estimates that uncollectible accounts will be $30,000. What will be the amount of bad debts expense reported on the income statement

Eberley Corporation's cost formula for its manufacturing overhead is $25,700 per month plus $10 per machine-hour. For the month of July, the company planned for activity of 5,900 machine-hours, but the actual level of activity was 5,920 machine-hours. The actual manufacturing overhead for the month was $86,800. The manufacturing overhead in the planning budget for July would be closest to:

Consider two ways of commuting in a crowded city: taking public transportation, such as subway and buses, or driving your own car.

A person who chooses to take public transportation in a crowded city imposes a NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE externality on drivers. A policy implication of this result is a SUBSIDY FOR OR TAX ON those who take public transportation.

Persons who choose to drive their own cars to get around in a crowded city impose a NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE externality on other drivers. A policy implication of this result is a TAX ON OR SUBSIDY FOR those who drive their own cars.

Sumner sold equipment that it uses in its business for $31,800. Sumner bought the equipment a few years ago for $79,100 and has claimed $39,550 of depreciation expense. Assuming that this is Sumner's only disposition during the year, what is the amount and character of Sumner's gain or loss

Using a time line The financial manager at Starbuck Industries is considering an investment that requires an initial outlay of ​$27 comma 000 and is expected to produce cash inflows of ​$2 comma 000 at the end of year​ 1, ​$6 comma 000 at the end of years 2 and​ 3, $ 10 comma 000 at the end of year​ 4, ​$7 comma 000 at the end of year​ 5, and ​$6 comma 000 at the end of year 6. a. Select the time line option that represents the cash flows associated with Starbuck​ Industries' proposed investment. b. Which of the approacheslong dashfuture value or present valuelong dashdo financial managers rely on most often for decision​ making? Why?

Kahn of Portland Oregon sent a letter to Lischner of Los Angeles inquiring whether Kushner’s property in Humboldt County was for sale. Lischner replied that he was interested in selling and asked Kahn about the fair market value. Kahn wrote that it was difficult to make an offer without a legal description of the property and asked for it and the annual taxes. These were provided by Lischner. Subsequently, Kahn wrote, "I hesitate to place a value on someone else’s property, but I can tell you that I have been offered a similar track of property for $2,000. Since your property is closer to mine, I would prefer to buy yours, and offer a four-year term contract at a total price of $2,500." The two parties ultimately agreed on a cash price of $2,500. Shortly after contracting with Kahn, Lischner went to Humboldt county and readily learned, upon the most superficial inquiry that the property was worth more than $2,500. He sold the property to Pacoima Lumber Sales, Inc. for $7,500. Thereupon, Kahn sued Lischner for $5,000. Lischner responded that he had been induced to contract by a fraudulent misrepresentation as to the value of the property by Kahn and therefore could rescind their contract of sale.What are the elements that must be present for fraudulent misrepresentation? Did Kahn commit fraud? Why, or why not.

A truck was purchased 3 years ago for $50,000 and can be sold today for $25,000. The operating costs are $9,000 per year, and it is expected to last 4 more years with a $5,000 salvage value. A new truck, which will perform that same service, can be purchased for $55,000, and it will have a life of 10 years with operating costs of $28,000 per year and a $10,000 salvage value. What is the value that should be used as P for the presently owned vehicle in a replacement study

Agent Jennings makes a presentation on Medicare advertised as an educational event. Agent Jennings distributes materials that are solely educational in nature. However, she gives a brief presentation that mentions plan-specific premiums. Is this a prohibited activity at an event that has been advertised as educational?

Rachelle transfers property with a tax basis of $800 and a fair market value of $960 to a corporation in exchange for stock with a fair market value of $765 and $42 in cash in a transaction that qualifies for deferral under section 351. The corporation assumed a liability of $153 on the property transferred. What is the corporation's tax basis in the property received in the exchange

On March 1, Bartholomew Company purchased a new stamping machine with a list price of $70,000. The company paid cash for the machine; therefore, it was allowed a 5% discount. Other costs associated with the machine were: transportation costs, $1,300; sales tax paid, $3,120; installation costs, $1,000; routine maintenance during the first month of operation, $1,200. What is the cost of the machine

A corporation has $7,000,000 in income after paying preferred dividends of $500,000. The company has 1,000,000 shares of common stock outstanding. The market price of the stock is $56. What is the price-earnings ratio

The systematic process of selecting, supporting, and managing a firm's collection of projects is called: Profile management. Heavyweight project management. Project portfolio management. Matrix project organization.

_____ do NOT have the authority to make decisions. a. Self-managing teams b. Semi-autonomous work groups c. Employee involvement teams d. Self-designing teams e. Autonomous work groups

One-year Treasury securities yield 4%. The market anticipates that 1-year from now 1-year Treasury securities will yield 2.1%. If the pure expectations theory is correct, what should be the yield today for 2-year Treasury securities? Write your answer as a percentage, i.e. for example write 8% as 8.

The following adjusting journal entry does not include an explanation. Select the best explanation for the entry. Supplies Expense 730 Supplies 730 ppppppp?Record purchase of supplies. Adjust supplies inventory to actual. Record sale of supplies. Reduce supplies expense.

The following information is available for a company's maintenance cost over the last seven months.
Month Maintenance Hours Maintenance Cost
June 9 $5,200
July 18 $6,650
August 12 4,850
September 15 5,750
October 21 6,650
November 24 6,950
December 6 3,350
Using the high-low method, estimate both the fixed and variable components of its maintenance cost.
High-Low method Calculation of variable cost per unit
Total cost at the high point ____
Variable costs at the high point
Volume at the high point: ____
Variable cost per unit ____
Total variable costs at the high point ____
Total fixed costs ____
Total cost at the low point ____
Variable costs at the low point
Volume at the low point ____
Variable cost per unit
Total variable costs at the low point
Total fixed costs ____

A customer has an individual cash account, an individual margin account, a joint cash account with his wife, and a custodial account for each of his 2 children. If the firm liquidates, Securities Investor Protection Corporation covers::________

Morrow City Inc. manufactures small flash drives and is considering raising the price by 75 cents a unit for the coming year. With a 75-cent price increase, demand is expected to fall by 7,000 units. Current Projected Demand 79,000 units 72,000 units Selling price $8.50 $9.25 Incremental cost per unit $5.80 $5.80 If the price increase is implemented, operating profit is projected to ________.

QUESTION 12 For a strategic alliance, firms should seek partners that are: a. known for being opportunistic. b. radically different when it comes to strategic goals. c. willing to share costs and risks of new-product development. d. different in terms of vision and agendas. e. similar when it comes to capabilities.

A pollution haven is A. unattractive for multinational investment because of the ambient pollution. B. a location with weak environmental rules that attracts manufacturing companies due to decreased costs. C. a place that has very low worker wages. D. a place where people actually like pollution and view it as a positive externality.

A large international company has two business units. Invested assets and condensed income statement data for each business unit for the past year are as follows: Compute the following for Business Unit 1: a) Operating Income Using the Dupont Formula: b) Profit Margin % (round % to 1 decimal) c) Investment Turnover (round to 2 decimals) d) Return on Investment (round 1 decimal) Compute the following for Business Unit 2: 2A) Operating Income Using the Dupont Formula: 2B) Profit Margin (round % to 1 decimal) 2C) Investment Turnover (round to 2 decimals) 2D) Return on Investment (round 1 decimal)

A company had beginning inventory... A company had beginning inventory of 10 units at a cost of $20 each on March 1. On March 2, it purchased 10 units at $22 each. On March 6 it purchased 6 units at $25 each. On March 8, it sold 22 units for $54 each. Using the FIFO perpetual inventory method, what was the cost of the 22 units sold

Tom Company incurs overhead costs each year in its three main departments, setup ($70,000), machining ($34,000), and packing ($56,000). Information about the company's two products is as follows:

Product A1 Product B1 Total
Number of setups 7 33 40
Machining hours 2,800 2,200 5,000
Orders packed 280 220 500
Number of products manufactured 560 440 1,000
If machining hours are used as a base under traditional costing, how much overhead is assigned to Product A1?

For​ 2018, Rest-Well Bedding uses​ machine-hours as the only overhead​ cost-allocation base. The direct cost rate is​ $6.00 per unit. The selling price of the product is​ $21.00. The estimated manufacturing overhead costs are​ $275,000 and estimated​ 40,000 machine hours. The actual manufacturing overhead costs are​ $350,000 and actual machine hours are​ 50,000. Using job​ costing, the 2018 actual​ indirect-cost rate is​ ________.

Lease A does not contain a bargain purchase option, but the lease term is equal to 90% of the estimated economic life of the leased property. Lease B does not transfer ownership of the property to the lessee by the end of the lease term, but the lease term is equal to 75% of the estimated economic life of the leased property. Based on this information alone, how should the lessee classify these leases

Use the 2012 segment information provided by BMW and Volkswagen to an- swer the following questions: a. Which company is more multinational? b. Which company is more internationally diversified? c. In which region(s) of the world did each company experience the greatest growth from 2011–2012? the greatest decline?

You purchase one MMM July 129 call contract (equaling 100 shares) for a premium of $21. You hold the option until the expiration date, when MMM stock sells for $141 per share. You will realize a ______ on the investment.

On December 31, the end of the first year of operations, Frankenreiter Inc. manufactured 25,600 units and sold 24,000 units. The following income statement was prepared, based on the variable costing concept: Frankenreiter Inc. Variable Costing Income Statement For the Year Ended December 31, 20Y1 1 Sales $9,600,000.00 2 Variable cost of goods sold: 3 Variable cost of goods manufactured $5,376,000.00 4 Inventory, December 31 (336,000.00) 5 Total variable cost of goods sold 5,040,000.00 6 Manufacturing margin $4,560,000.00 7 Total variable selling and administrative expenses 1,150,000.00 8 Contribution margin $3,410,000.00 9 Fixed costs: 10 Fixed manufacturing costs $1,664,000.00 11 Fixed selling and administrative expenses 890,000.00 12 Total fixed costs 2,554,000.00 13 Income from operations $856,000.00 Determine the unit cost of goods manufactured, based on (a) the variable costing concept and (b) the absorption costing concept.

Problem 5-40 Loan Payments (LG5-9) You wish to buy a $10,800 dining room set. The furniture store offers you a 3-year loan with an APR of 10.8 percent. What are the monthly payments

he following balance sheet contains errors. Mark Brock Services Co. Balance Sheet For the Year Ended December 31 Assets Liabilities Current assets: Current liabilities: Cash $7,170 Accounts receivable $10,000 Accounts payable 7,500 Accum. depr.-building 12,525 Supplies 2,590 Accum. depr.-equipment 7,340 Prepaid insurance 800 Net income 11,500 Land 24,000 Total current assets $42,060 Total liabilities $41,365 Owner’s Equity Property, plant, and equipment: Wages payable $1,500 Building $43,700 Mark Brock, capital 88,645 Equipment 29,250 Total owner’s equity 90,145 Total property, plant, and equipment 72,950 Total assets $131,510 Total liabilities and owner’s equity $131,510 Required: Prepare a corrected balance sheet. Be sure to complete the statement heading. Refer to the lists of Accounts, Labels, and Amount Descriptions for the exact wording and order of text entries. You will not need to enter colons (:) on the Balance Sheet. "Less" or "Plus" will automatically appear if it is required.