(a) Boards of Directors are expected to manage companies effectively. However, corporate boards sometimes fail to do so. Recent corporate scandals have highlighted key weaknesses of Board of Directors.
Required:
Explain FIVE common weaknesses of Board of Directors.
(b) Zamu Enterprises began as a small company which operated in the financial services sector of Zamora’s economy. Within the last ten years, the Board, which is chaired by the founder, Ms. Amina Zuri, has incrementally expanded into three more sectors of the economy, namely: telecommunications, logistics and real estate. Currently a conglomerate, Zamu Enterprises has four different companies in its portfolio and has its corporate head office located within the capital city, Zambara.
Required:
Explain the different levels of corporate strategy as it relates to Zamu Enterprises.
(c) Technology is one of the most powerful forces within the external business environment that has changed significantly how business is conducted especially within the 21st Century. For instance, information technology (IT), well exploited, can have significant impact on all the five forces of competition.
Required:
Identify FOUR effects of technological change on organization.
(a) Different organizations take different stance on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which will be reflected in how they manage such responsibilities. The stance taken normally reflects the extent of inclusion of stakeholders’ interests.
Required:
Explain each of the following CSR stance:
(i) Enlightened self-interest.
(ii) Multiple stakeholder obligation.
(b) Zamtel Communications Ltd is a recently listed local company that is in the process of reorganizing its corporate governance structure to reflect its status as a public company. At the first board meeting after the listing, the board chairman raised the issue of setting up of sub-committees of the Board. The Board agreed to start with two sub committees which are Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee. The board chairman is unsure how the remuneration committee of the board should be composed, its functions and other related matters. As a corporate governance consultant, the board chairman has written to you for advice on various issues regarding the remuneration committee.
Required:
Write a report to the board chairman advising him of the following:
(i) The composition of the Remuneration Committee.
(ii) THREE functions of Remuneration Committee.
(iii) THREE factors to be considered in the remuneration of executive and non-executive directors.
Introduction
The government of Zamora has been concerned with low savings culture, low financial inclusion as well as high cash-based transactions in the country. In 2005, the government decided to pursue policies to grow the financial services industry (FSI) since it was indispensable to the accelerated economic growth required to make the country middle income country. The key service providers include banks, non-bank institutions, and mobile network operators (MNOs). By the close of 2017, 52% of the population remained excluded from any form of financial services.
There is generally high cost of credit in the country as the banks complain of difficulty in mobilizing deposits. Zamora is said to have one of the highest lending rates in the world, placing second in the latest ranking released by Trading Economics, a development which has been identified as a disincentive for the business community. The government budget deficit as a percentage of Domestic Product (GDP) decreased from 8.7% in 2015 to 8.5% in 2020 respectively. In the past, the government relied on external capital markets to fund the budget deficits but, following the worsening deficit figures, international financial organizations have raised concerns about the need for the government to ensure fiscal discipline.
The major development that revolutionized the FSI was the launch of a mobile money solution in 2009 by the four MNOs. Mobile money rides on the backbone of the mobile telephony infrastructure of the mobile network’s operators. This allows mobile money to be operated from wherever there is network coverage. It is estimated that there is 70% mobile network coverage in Zamora.
The MNOs deliver mobile financial services largely through thousands of registered mobile money agents throughout the country. This effectively makes agents closer to the customers than traditional banks and non-bank financial institutions. Most of the traditional banks’ branch networks are concentrated in the urban centers to the exclusion of peri-urban and rural communities. The combination of these two factors enables mobile money services to be administered quickly and efficiently, and in the most remote areas. The capital requirement for registration as mobile money agent is ZM₵4,000 and the daily transaction limit is currently at ZM₵5,000. On the average, agents operate one network mobile money, while very few agents have signed up to two or more different mobile money solutions. The total number of agents have increased from about 17,467 in 2016 to 93,376 as at close of 2023, and National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has projected rapid annual growth for the next three years (2024 – 2027).
The Environment
Mobile money started in the country largely with two products – airtime purchases and domestic remittances for small amounts. With the passage of time, mobile money service offerings have expanded to include bill payments, Point of Sales (POS) payments, fund transfers in increasingly larger amounts, and deposit collection by banks and non-bank financial institutions. The expansion of the product offerings from mobile money makes it more appealing to a broad spectrum of mobile subscribers in the country. Customers are, therefore, keeping larger amounts in their wallets than they used to, and are using the expanding offerings from mobile money at the expense of existing products from the banks. There is growing mobile phone penetration rate as increasing number of mobile phone users are subscribing to more than one mobile network.
Furthermore, mobile money has become very popular among middle- and lower-income earners who make up about 80% of the population. The operation of mobile money on the handset is very easy and convenient and can be done from the comfort of one’s location. All that prospective mobile money customers require are a registered SIM card on the network of choice and a valid national ID. With these they can be set up and ready to use their mobile wallets within minutes. The processes for setting up and using bank accounts are however more complex due to stricter Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement by the Central Bank of Zamora. Remittances through mobile money is instant at a fee of 1% of amount remitted or received. Mobile money transactions in Zamora reached ZM₵679.17 million by the end of June 2022, according to the Central Bank of Zamora’s Payment Systems Department and it is expected to hit ZM₵35 billion by the close of 2023. Until very recently, the income from mobile money was not taxed but the Minister of Finance in his 2023 mid-year review hinted of plans to impose a tax on the fees from mobile money operations.
The mobile money operations face the issue of network instability and system downtime as mobile network operators have not correspondingly expanded their infrastructure to match the growing subscribers. Sometimes, the agents are unable to meet cash demands of the customers due to mismatch in net remittances. This is more pervasive in the rural communities. Due to the weaknesses inherent in the issuance of valid Identity Cards (IDs), there are many fake ID cards, and this has resulted in fraudsters having a field day. Some agents and customers have lost sums of money to fraudsters.
The customers and other players in the FSI have expressed concerns about their inability to carry out mobile money services across the various networks. Accordingly, the Central Bank tasked its Payment Systems Department to ensure interoperability of mobile money across all networks in the country by June 2023. The government believes that mobile interoperability will deepen financial inclusion.
Regulation
Mobile money services have operated without any regulatory framework. The industry players, according to a recent survey, suggested that the long-term survival of the mobile money service requires stringent regulation. The Central Bank has now published guidelines for mobile money operators to be licensed as Dedicated Electronic Money Issuers (DEMI). The provisions include stringent KYC on the agents before registration, monthly returns on the activities of the agents, prosecution of the agents for mobile money fraud, etc. The mobile network operators are required to pay interest at the rate of 6% p.a. on the float on the mobile wallet.
Proposal
The Board of Directors of Prime Tel Solutions Ltd at a recent meeting discussed the possibility of opening a new unit to provide mobile money service to take advantage of the newly regulated industry. The Finance Director has presented five-year estimates for the new venture as follows:
Year
0
1
2
3
4
5
ZM₵’000
ZM₵’000
ZM₵’000
ZM₵’000
ZM₵’000
ZM₵’000
Cost of capital asset
(200)
Total investment in net working capital
(20)
(25)
(30)
(35)
(35)
Gross Fees
250
300
350
350
300
Direct and other costs
(155)
(185)
(215)
(215)
(195)
Depreciation
(40)
(40)
(40)
(40)
(40)
Interest
(24)
(24)
(24)
(24)
(24)
Profit
31
51
71
71
41
Net total assets
220
200
211
220
240
190
For taxation purposes, capital allowances will be available against the taxable profits of the venture, at 25% per annum on a reducing balance basis and in year 5 any balance would be granted as additional capital allowance. The rate of tax on taxable profits is 25% and tax is paid one year in arrears. The capital assets will have a zero-salvage value at the end of 5 years. The after-tax weighted average cost of capital is estimated to be 24% per annum.
Required:
(a) Assess THREE environmental factors faced by Prime Tel Solutions Ltd.
(b) Analyse the competitive environment of mobile money segment using Porter’s Five Forces.
(c) Identify and explain FOUR critical success factors for the successful mobile money service operations.
(d) Determine the viability of the project using Net Present Value (NPV) technique and advise the Board of Directors whether to invest or not.
(e) Recommend THREE strategies which the Board of Directors could implement to give Prime Tel Solutions Ltd a competitive edge.
Apea Chemist Ltd is a company engaged in the manufacturing of various drugs for the local market. There have been series of ethical infractions within the company. Some top managements have been accused of insider trading, bribing of some key staff of the regulatory authorities and attempts to cover up alleged distribution of expired drugs. There is total breakdown of ethical standards within the company. The board of directors have expressed grave concerns about the current happenings in the company. At its last quarterly meeting, the board resolved to engage the services of a corporate governance expert to help address the situation. The board understands that there are two major approaches to managing ethics in an organization.
Required:
As a corporate governance expert, you have been engaged by the board to advise it on TWO approaches to the management of ethics in organizations.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          (bi)
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) Code of Ethics discusses the need for professional accountants to be aware of and avoid conflict of interest situation as well as maintain independence in carrying out their professional duties. The professional accountant is exposed to several threats to independence, which are likely to lead to conflict of interest. A threat may arise where an assurance firm provides services other than assurance services to an assurance client.
Required:
(i) Identify the specific threat a professional accountant or assurance firm faces by providing the following services:
Preparing accounting records and financial statements.
Valuation services.
(ii) Suggest TWO measures each a professional accountant can take to minimize the threats identified in (i).
(a) Comment on the value and purpose of the SWOT analysis in the process of corporate review.
(b) Explain what other charging systems Tech Trend could adopt for supplying Nexus Com. Discuss how your proposals would affect the remit under which Tech Trend currently operates.
(c) Discuss the financial and strategic case for selling Tech Trend.
(d) Discuss the considerations which a buyer is likely to consider when constructing its bid price.
(e) Suggest, and briefly justify, alternative strategies which Nexus Com could implement in Tech Trend in order to increase its competitiveness, and to identify more clearly its performance.
Unity Aid (UA) is a non-governmental organisation that provides charitable support to disadvantaged families. It is currently involved in a number of community projects to assist in the provision of clean water supply to families in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Senegal. In its home country, Uganda, it focuses more on assisting clients in accessing state-granted financial support as well as providing counselling and psychological support to less privileged people.
The NGO has grown very rapidly in recent years as demand for its services has increased. In line with this rising demand, it has begun to slowly evolve from an enterprise primarily run by volunteers to an institution employing professional managers from the private sector. These changes are considered essential in supporting the sustainability of the charity.
The board of trustees at the NGO recognize the need to adopt a relevant code of ethics as part of necessary governance support structures. They are, however, concerned about recent criticism of such codes and wish to ensure that any code developed is effective throughout the organization.
Required:
(a) Advise UA on FOUR fundamental principles to be included in its code of ethics.
 (b) Explain FOUR benefits of good corporate governance to UA.
(a) Nexlify IT Solutions (NIS) started operations 10 years ago in Zamora providing a wide range of information technology solutions to diverse clientele. Mr. Adom, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, recently has been contemplating venturing into other Central African markets to take advantage of untapped opportunities. This is also to strengthen competitive position of NIS since Zamorean market growth is beginning to slow down and competition is getting keener.
At the 2016 second quarter Board meeting, the CEO tabled his proposal for consideration and board’s input before the document was finalized. During the Board discussions Prof Mensah, who lectures Corporate Strategy, suggested to the CEO to use Porter’s Diamond of national advantage to assess competitive advantage of the other Central African countries the company intends to enter. Prof Mensah also mentioned to the CEO that companies that compete in the global marketplace typically face two types of competitive pressures: pressures for cost reductions or global integration and pressures to be locally responsive.
The cost reduction-local responsiveness dilemma shapes and results in four basic international strategies – international, global, multidomestic, and transnational – which the CEO should consider in making the choice.
Required:
Discuss how the FOUR factors in the Porter’s Diamond of national advantage determine competitiveness of the other Central African countries on the global stage.
(b) Explain the following internationalization strategies and identify TWO risks associated with each of the strategies:
(a) Tech Trend IT Limited (TIL) started operations 10 years ago in Zamora providing a wide range of information technology solutions to diverse clientele. Mr. Mensah, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, recently has been contemplating venturing into other Central African markets to take advantage of untapped opportunities. This is also to strengthen competitive position of TIL since Zamorean market growth is beginning to slow down and competition is getting keener.
At the 2016 second quarter Board meeting, the CEO tabled his proposal for consideration and board’s input before the document was finalized. During the Board discussions Prof Nkrumah, who lectures Corporate Strategy, suggested to the CEO to use Porter’s Diamond of national advantage to assess competitive advantage of the other Central African countries the company intends to enter. Prof Nkrumah also mentioned to the CEO that companies that compete in the global marketplace typically face two types of competitive pressures: pressures for cost reductions or global integration and pressures to be locally responsive.
The cost reduction-local responsiveness dilemma shapes and results in four basic international strategies – international, global, multidomestic, and transnational – which the CEO should consider in making the choice.
Required:
Discuss how the FOUR factors in the Porter’s Diamond of national advantage determine competitiveness of the other Central African countries on the global stage.
(b) Explain the following internationalization strategies and identify TWO risks associated with each of the strategies:
(a) Corporate Social Responsibility represents a company’s voluntary commitment to address the ethical, social and environmental factors associated with its operations. Despite its potential for furthering social needs, there are cogent arguments against Corporate Social Responsibility and may come under severe pressure in terms of its financing.
Required:
Discuss FOUR limits of Corporate Social Responsibility.
(b) Professional accountants face many threats in the performance of their duties that may negatively affect accountants’ objectivity and independence. One of such threats is intimidation threat which may arise from close business relationships, family and personal relationships, and assurance staff members moving to employment with client as well as actual and threatened litigation.
Required:
Explain FOUR safeguards you will consider to deal with actual and threatened litigation as a professional accountant.
(c) Human Resource Management play an essential role in employee development activities. Employee development activities refer to initiatives taken by organization and employees to enhance their skills with time and keep themselves acquainted with the latest developments.
Required:
Explain TWO strategic importance of Human Resource Management and employee development.
