Minicase 1 (25%)

Cash Flows and Financial Statements at Sunset Boards, Inc.

Sunset Boards is a small company that manufactures and sells surfboards in Malibu. Tad Marks, the founder of the company, is in charge of the design and sale of the surfboards, but his background is in surfing, not business. As a result, the company’s financial records are not well maintained. The initial investment in Sunset Boards was provided byTad and his friends and family. Because the initial investment was relatively small, and the company has made surfboards only for its own store, the investors haven’t required detailed financial statements from Tad. But thanks to word of mouth among professional surfers, sales have picked up recently, and Tad is considering a major expansion. His plans include opening another surfboard store in Hawaii, as well as supplying his “sticks” (surfer lingo for boards) to other sellers. Tad’s expansion plans require a significant investment, which he plans to finance with a combination of additional funds from outsiders plus some money borrowed from banks. Naturally, the new investors and creditors require more organized and detailed financial statements than Tad has previously prepared. At the urging of his investors, Tad has hired financial analyst Christina Wolfe to evaluate the performance of the company over the past year. After rooting through old bank statements, sales receipts, tax returns, and other records, Christina has assembled the following information:

Sunset Boards currently pays out 50 percent of net income as dividends to Tad and the other original investors, and it has a 20 percent tax rate. You are Christina’s assistant, and she has asked you to prepare the following:1. An income statement for 2010 and 2011.2. A balance sheet for 2010 and 2011.3. Operating cash flow for each year.4. Cash flow from assets for 2011.

5. Cash flow to creditors for 2011.6. Cash flow to stockholders for 2011.

QUESTIONS1. How would you describe Sunset Boards’ cash flows for 2011? Write a brief discussion.2. In light of your discussion in the previous question, what do you think about Tad’s expansion plans?

Minicase 2 (50%)

Ratio Analysis at S&S Air, Inc.

Chris Guthrie was recently hired by S&S Air, Inc., to assist the company with its financial planning and to evaluate the company’s performance. Chris graduated from college five years ago with a finance degree. He has been employed in the finance department of a Fortune 500 company since then. S&S Air was founded 10 years ago by friends Mark Sexton and Todd Story. The company has manufactured and sold light airplanes over this period, and the company’s products have received high reviews for safety and reliability. The company has a niche market in that it sells primarily to individuals who own and fly their own airplanes. The company has two models; the Birdie, which sells for $53,000, and the Eagle, which sells for $78,000. Although the company manufactures aircraft, its operations are different from commercial aircraft companies. S&S Air builds aircraft to order. By using prefabricated parts, the company can complete the manufacture of an airplane in only five weeks. The company also receives a deposit on each order, as well as another partial payment before the order is complete. In contrast, a commercial airplane may take one and one-half to two years to manufacture once the order is placed.Mark and Todd have provided the following financial statements. Chris has gathered the industry ratios for the light airplane manufacturing industry.

QUESTIONS1. Using the financial statements provided for S&S Air, calculate each of the ratios listed in the table for the light aircraft industry.2. Mark and Todd agree that a ratio analysis can provide a measure of the company’s performance. They have chosen Boeing as an aspirant company. Would you choose Boeing as an aspirant company? Why or why not? There are other aircraft manufacturers S&S Air could use as aspirant companies. Discuss whether it is appropriate to use any of

the following companies: Bombardier, Embraer, Cirrus Design Corporation, and Cessna Aircraft Company.3. Compare the performance of S&S Air to the industry. For each ratio, comment on why it might be viewed as positive or negative relative to the industry. Suppose you create aninventory ratio calculated as inventory divided by current liabilities. How do you think S&S Air’s ratio would compare to the industry average?

Planning for Growth at S&S Air

After Chris completed the ratio analysis for S&S Air, Mark and Todd approached him about planning for next year’s sales. The company had historically used little planning for investment needs. As a result, the company experienced some challenging times because of cash flow problems. The lack of planning resulted in missed sales, as well as periods when Mark and Todd were unable to draw salaries. To this end, they would like Chris to prepare a financial plan for the next year so the company can begin to address any outside investment requirements. The income statement and balance sheet are shown here:

QUESTIONS1. Calculate the internal growth rate and sustainable growth rate for S&S Air. What do these numbers mean?2. S&S Air is planning for a growth rate of 12 percent next year. Calculate the EFN for the company assuming the company is operating at full capacity. Can the company’s sales increase at this growth rate?3. Most assets can be increased as a percentage of sales. For instance, cash can be increased by any amount. However, fixed assets must be increased in specific amounts because it is impossible, as a practical matter, to buy part of a new plant or machine. In this case, a company has a “staircase” or “lumpy” fixed cost structure. Assume S&S Air is currently producing at 100 percent capacity. As a result, to increase production, the company must set up an entirely new line at a cost of $5,000,000. Calculate the new EFN with this assumption. What does this imply about capacity utilization for the company next year?

Minicase 3

Conch Republic Electronics

Conch Republic Electronics is a midsized electronics manufacturer located in Key West, Florida. The company president is Shelley Couts, who inherited the company. When it was founded over 70 years ago, the company originally repaired radios and other household appliances. Over the years, the company expanded into manufacturing and is now a reputable manufacturer of various electronic items. Jay McCanless, a recent MBA graduate, has been hired by the company’s finance department. One of the major revenue-producing items manufactured by Conch Republic is a smart phone. Conch Republic currently has one smart phone model on the market, and sales

have been excellent. The smart phone is a unique item in that it comes in a variety of tropical colors and is preprogrammed to play Jimmy Buffett music. However, as with anyelectronic item, technology changes rapidly, and the current smart phone has limited features in comparison with newer models. Conch Republic spent $750,000 to develop a prototype for a new smart phone that has all the features of the existing smart phone but adds new features such as WiFi tethering. The company has spent a further $200,000 for a marketing study to determine the expected sales figures for the new smart phone.Conch Republic can manufacture the new smart phones for $185 each in variable costs. Fixed costs for the operation are estimated to run $5.3 million per year. The estimated sales volume is 74,000, 95,000, 125,000, 105,000, and 80,000 per year for the next five years, respectively. The unit price of the new smart phone will be $480. The necessary equipment can be purchased for $38.5 million and will be depreciated on a seven-year MACRS schedule. It is believed the value of the equipment in five years will be $5.4 million. As previously stated, Conch Republic currently manufactures a smart phone. Production of the existing model is expected to be terminated in two years. If Conch Republic does not introduce the new smart phone, sales will be 80,000 units and 60,000 units for the next two years, respectively. The price of the existing smart phone is $310 per unit, with variable costs of $125 each and fixed costs of $1,800,000 per year. If Conch Republic does introduce the new smart phone, sales of the existing smart phone will fall by 15,000 units per year, and the price of the existing units will have to be lowered to $275 each. Net working capital for the smart phones will be 20 percent of sales and will occur with the timing of the cash flows for the year; for example, there is no initial outlay for NWC, but changes in NWC will first occur in Year 1 with the first year’s sales. Conch Republic has a 35 percent corporate tax rate and a 12 percent required return. Shelley has asked Jay to prepare a report that answers the following questions.

QUESTIONS1. What is the payback period of the project?2. What is the profitability index of the project?3. What is the IRR of the project?4. What is the NPV of the project?