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Planning and decision making techniques

Unit: Advanced Management Accounting

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August 2025

2 Questions
Question 1b
​ ​ ​ ​​Uwese Ltd. is a company that specialises in the production of umbrellas. For the year ending 31 December 2026, the company is planning to produce special promotional umbrellas branded “Jumbo”. Uwese Ltd. wishes to determine the optimal number of umbrellas that should be produced. 

 Additional information:
1.
If all the umbrellas are sold within the year 2026, they would be sold at Sh.900 each.
2.
If the company is unable to sell all the umbrellas within the year 2026, then they would be sold in the following year at Sh.300 per umbrella.
3.
The production cost per umbrella amounts to Sh.400.
4.
The demand for the umbrellas depends on the performance of the economy which is highly unpredictable.
5.
The following are the possible states of the economy:
Economy
Probability
Demand
 (Number of umbrellas)
Good
0.30
500,000
Average
0.46
350,000
Poor
0.24
300,000
6.
Uwese Ltd. has to decide to produce the umbrellas at one of the states of the economy in order to match forecast demand. 
7.
The opportunity cost of not selling an umbrella that is demanded is Sh.100. 

Required: 
(i)
Construct a payoff table showing all the possible outcomes.   
(ii)
Advise the management of Uwese Ltd. on the optimal level of production based on the expected value, maximax and maximin criteria.  
  


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Question 3b
​ ​​Meromax Ltd. is evaluating the viability of a new product it intends to launch on the market based on three uncertain factors which are determined probabilistically. The three uncertain factors are market demand in units, contribution per unit and the fixed costs. These three factors are statistically independent of each other.

In analysing the auto-correlated factors, Meromax Ltd. estimated the following probability distributions:

Market demand 
Contribution per unit 
Fixed cost 
Probability
Units
Probability
Sh. 
Probability
Sh. 
0.15
2,600
0.10
600
0.30
1,600,000
0.20
2,700
0.30
650
0.40
1,800,000
0.30
2,800
0.60
700
0.30
1,700,000
0.20
2,900
o.15
3,000
 
The random numbers for annual market demand, contribution per unit and the fixed cost are provided as follows:

Market demand
28
14
27
30
90
38
58
67
Contribution per uni
60
20
31
07
57
83
18
01
Fixed costs
57
30
69
19
02
29
71
00

Required: 
(i) Calculate the expected net profit using the expected monetary value (EMV) approach. 

(ii) Using Monte Carlo simulation analysis, compute the average expected net profit (ENP) using the above random numbers for 8 trials.   


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April 2025

2 Questions
Question 3a
​​Distinguish between “sunk costs” and “opportunity costs” as used in decision making.


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Question 1b
​ ​ ​ ​​Zeko Television Ltd. is considering launching a new television set branded “mega” to complement its existing product line. Currently it makes “viva” television set which it intends to retain. 

 The company has the following options:

Option.1:
Continue making product “viva”. In this case, the number of customers would be expected to remain at Sh.6,000 per annum. Operational costs would stay at current level of Sh.16,000 per television set per annum. The selling price per television set is Sh.38,000. This profit margin is expected to continue. 
Option.2:
Zeko Television Ltd. can acquire perfect information from consultants at a cost of Sh.50 million before launching “mega”. The expected profits are as follows under the three states of nature: 
Option 2:
States of nature
Probability
Profit/(loss)  (Sh.“000”)
Optimistic
0.6
200,000
Most likely 
0.3
150,000
Pessimistic
0.1
100,000
Option.3:
Zeko Television Ltd. can launch “mega” television without market survey. If this occurs, there is a 75% chance that there is competition from rival firms. The company aims to achieve a target profit of Sh.180 million per annum from this option. The management accountant estimates annual profits in this situation would be as follows: 
Option.3:
With competitors 
Without competitors 
State of nature
Probability
Profit/(loss) (Sh.“000”)
Probability
Profit/(loss) (Sh.“000”)
Optimistic
0.3
220,000
0.5
200,000
Most likely
0.4
200,000
0.3
150,000
Pessimistic
0.3
(80,000)
0.2
100,000

Required: 
Using decision tree approach and ignoring time value of money, determine the: 

(i) Expected value (EV) and recommend the optimal option to choose.

(ii) Probability of failing to break-even for option 3 only.

(iii) Probability that the company will at least achieve the target profit for option 3 only. 


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December 2024

2 Questions
Question 4b
​ ​​Lambda Investment Ltd. is a real estate firm. Recently, the company acquired a piece of land in a metropolitan area with prospective investment opportunities to develop. The investment centre manager is to make a decision on which of the three mutually exclusive projects to invest in the next year. Each project is considered to be an investment centre. The three investment centres are; corporate offices, shopping malls and residential estate. 

The projected annual payoffs per project under the three economic states of nature are as follows:

Decision alternatives 
Economic state
Probability
Corporate offices
Sh.
Shopping mall
Sh.
Residential estate
Sh.
Optimistic
30%
100,000,000
110,000,000  
90,000,000 
Most likely
40%
  70,000,000
90,000,000
120,000,000   
Pessimistic
30%
130,000,000
90,000,000
70,000,000

Required: 
The investment centre to invest in so as to: 

 (i) Satisfy the maximax criterion. 

(ii) Minimise the expected opportunity loss (EOL). 


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Question 4c
​Lambda Investment Ltd. is contemplating acquiring perfect information from an investment research firm about the viability of the investment opportunities. The investment research firm is willing to provide perfect information about the investment project at a cost of Sh.30 million. 

Required: 
Using suitable computations, advise Lambda Investment Ltd. on whether or not to acquire the perfect information from the investment research firm.


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August 2024

3 Questions
Question 4c
​ ​ ​​The finance director of Lengo Training Institute proposed an alternative option, that is, instead of proceeding directly with the nationwide launch, the institute could test the market. This would delay the nationwide launch and together with other outlays associated with testing the market, would lead to costs having a net present value of Sh.0.5 million. The test marketing would yield information indicating whether the nationwide launch is likely to be successful or unsuccessful. The following table shows the reliability of each of the possible indications:

Probability
High
Medium
Low
Test
Successful.launch
0.60
0.60
0.15
0.25
marketing
Unsuccessful.launch 
0.40
0.10
0.40
0.50

Required: 
Represent the information in (b) and (c) above in a decision tree and calculate: 

(i) Value of imperfect information. 

(ii) Advise the finance director as to whether or not Lengo Training Institute should test the market.    


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Question 1b
​​With reference to decision making criteria under uncertainty, explain the meaning of the following decision criteria: 

(i) Minimax criterion. 

(ii) Maximin criterion.


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Question 4b
​​The finance director of Lengo Training Institute is considering a proposal by the board of directors to launch a new course nationwide.  The potential enrollment of the course is classified as either being high, medium or low.   The net present value under each of the three conditions is estimated to be; Sh.50 million, Sh.10 million and (Sh.20 million) respectively.  The marketing director of the institute estimates that there is a 0.40 probability that the enrollment will be high, 0.25 probability that it will be medium and 0.35 probability that it will be low.  The objective of the institute is to maximise the expected net present value. 
 
Required: 
(i) Evaluate whether or not the new course should be launched.
 
(ii) Determine the expected value of perfect information.


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April 2024

4 Questions
Question 3c
​ ​​Olympix Motors Ltd. assembles and sells a single brand of luxurious vehicles branded “Viva”. The following data has been extracted from the current year’s budget:

Contribution per unit 
Sh.800,000 
Total weekly fixed costs 
Sh.100 million
Weekly profit 
Sh.220 million
Contribution to sales ratio 
40%

Additional information:
1.
The company’s production capacity is not being fully utilised in the current year and three possible scenarios are under consideration. 
2.
Each scenario involves reducing the unit selling price on all units sold with an expected consequential effect on the budgeted volume of sales.
3.
Details of each scenario are as follows: 
Scenario
S1
S2
S3
Reduction in unit weekly selling price
2%
5%
7%
Expected increase in sales volume over budget 
10%
18%
25%
4.
The company operates just-in-time (JIT) system and holds no inventory of finished goods. 

Required: 
(i) Calculate for the current year, the weekly sales in units.

(ii) Determine (with supporting calculations) which one of the three scenario should be adopted by the company in order to maximise weekly profits.


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Question 1c
​ ​ ​ ​ ​​Aerosky Holdings Ltd. manufactures and sells sky drones and their accessories. Aerosky Holdings Ltd. operates two divisions; Camera division and Sky division. Camera division manufactures a component branded “HD Camera” that is used by Sky division. Sky division is a manual assembly and final product division that assembles various components to make a product branded “mid-level drones”. 

Both divisions produce one type of output only. 

Sky division needs the HD camera component from Camera division for every “drone” produced. Camera division transfers to Sky division all of the HD camera components needed to produce a drone. Camera division also sells HD camera components to the external market. Sky division outsources its other components in the market from an external supplier. 

The following budgeted information is available for each division:

Division
Camera division Sh.
Sky division Sh.
Market price per HD camera 
19,000
Market price per drone
160,000
Production cost per HD camera
10,000
Assembly cost per hour 
35,500
Total outsourcing cost of other components
1,686,670,000
Fixed non-manufacturing overheads 
10,560,000
33,000,000
External demand
10,000 HD cameras
Production capacity 
22,000 HD cameras

Additional information: 
1. The production cost per HD camera is 60% variable. 
2. Camera division sets a transfer price at 70% of the marginal cost. 
3. The fixed manufacturing overheads are absorbed based on the budgeted output. 
4. Assembly cost per hour is basically a manual job which is subjected to an 80% learning curve rate. The first drone will take 2 hours to assemble. 
5. The learning curve coefficient at 80% level is –0.3219. This will apply to all 12,000 drones assembled. 
6. Assume that the learning curve model is in the form of Y = ax^b 
7. The tax rate applicable for both divisions is 30%.

Required: 
In columnar format, compute the post-tax net profit generated by Camera division, Sky division and Aerosky Holdings Ltd. as a whole. 


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Question 2a
​ ​ ​​Joe Mwinzi, the Management Accountant of Vera Enterprise that makes and sells product “Aloe” has made the following estimates:

Sales demand 
        Variable cost per unit 
Condition
Units
Probability
Condition
Sh.
Probability 
Worst
45,000
0.30
Worst
350
0.30
Most likely 
50,000
0.60
Most likely 
400
0.55
Best
55,000
0.10
Best
550
0.15

Additional information: 
1. The selling price of Aloe product is Sh.1,000 per unit. 
2. Fixed costs attributable to Aloe product is Sh.24,000,000. 
3. Vera Enterprise intends to achieve a target profit of Sh.6,000,000. 

Required: 
(i) Using a probability tree, compute the expected profit of Vera Enterprise. 

(ii) Compute the probability that Vera Enterprise will fail to break-even. 

(iii) Determine the probability that Vera Enterprise will not achieve the target profit. 


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Question 3b
​ ​​Solamax Ltd. makes small assembled solar panels for the domestic local market. The marketing manager believes that in the short run their sales can improve by launching a massive marketing campaign strategy.

The following marketing strategies have been proposed based on the demand for the product:

Strategy A: 
Advertise locally 
Strategy B:
Online marketing 
Strategy C: 
Mass media advertisement with the local television media house
 
The company uses expected value to make this type of decision. The estimated annual profit or (loss) under the three states of market reaction for each market strategy is as follows: 

Market reaction (Demand) 
Marketing strategy 
High Sh.“000”
Medium Sh.“000”
Low Sh.“000”
Market locally 
1,300,000
500,000
350,000
Online marketing 
1,500,000
850,000
410,000
Mass media advertisement 
1,700,000
905,000
(105,000)

Additional information: 
1. Strategy A has low fixed costs and high variable costs; strategy B has average fixed costs and average variable costs while strategy C has high fixed costs and low variable costs. 
2. There is a 30% chance that demand will be high, a 40% chance that demand will be medium and a 30% chance that demand will be low. 
3. A market research company believes it can provide perfect information at a cost of Sh.100,000,000. 

Required: 
(i) Calculate the maximum amount payable to acquire perfect information.

(ii) Advise the management of Solamax Ltd. whether it is viable to acquire the perfect information from the market research company. 


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December 2023

3 Questions
Question 5
​ ​ ​​QUESTION FIVE Simplex Group Ltd., manufacturers new patented electric motorcycles. 

The group has two divisions, Robox Division and Safari Division. Robox Division manufactures a “dual electric battery” which is the key component for Safari Division. Safari Division is an assembly and distribution division for electric motorcycles. Robox Division sells the dual electric batteries to Safari Division and to external customers. 

The following budgeted data is provided for both Robox Division and Safari Division:

Budgeted data: 
Robox Division  Sh.
Safari Division  Sh.
Selling price per electricity battery 
65,000
-
Selling price per motorcycle 
-
300,000
Variable costs per unit: 
Manufacturing cost per electric battery 
47,000
-
Assembly cost per motor cycle 
-
105,000
Fixed cost per annum: 
Fixed manufacturing cost 
750,000,000
1,050,000,000
Units
Units
Production capacity 
220,000 electric batteries 
Internal transfers to Safari Division 
120,000 electric batteries 
External sales demand 
180,000 electric batteries 
60,000 motorcycles

Additional information:
1
Safari Division uses two electric batteries manufactured by Robox Division to assemble one motorcycle and sells motorcycles directly to external customers.
2
Internal transfer price is set at opportunity costs. 
3
Robox Division must satisfy the demand of Safari Division before selling the dual electric batteries externally. 
4
Safari Division is allowed to purchase dual electric batteries from Robox Division or from external supplies. 
5
Safari Division is considering two purchasing options: 
Option 1: 
Buy all the electric batteries it requires from Robox Division 
Option 2: 
Outsource from a cheaper external supplier who has offered to supply all 120,000 electric batteries at a price of Sh.45,000 electric batteries each to Safari Division.
Required: 
(a)
In columnar format, prepare operating statement showing the: 
            (i)
Net profit for each division if Option 1 is adopted.  
           (ii)
Net profit for each division and Simplex Group Ltd. as a whole if Option 2 is adopted.    
(b)
 Robox Division has received a special order from a new customer for the production of 40,000 electric batteries. The manager of Robox Division requires an annual target profit for the division amounting to Sh.6,410,000,000. This order will have no effect on the divisional fixed costs and no impact on the 180,000 electric batteries Robox Division sells to its existing customers. Calculate the minimum transfer price per electric battery to sell the 40,000 electric batteries to the new customer that would enable the manager of Robox Division to achieve the target profit.
(c)
Evaluate FOUR non-financial environmental impact overriding factors to consider before accepting Option 2.  
 


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Question 1c
​ ​ ​ ​​TL Ltd. sells three types of mosquito nets branded Zerofly, Whyfly and Nofly. Product Whyfly is currently generating profits below target net profit of Sh.750,000. 

The following table shows selected data for the three products for the previous year ended 30 June 2023:

Product
Zerofly
Whyfly
Nofly
Total
Selling price per unit (Sh.) 
80
20
30
Contribution margin ratio
20%
10%
60%
Sales demand in units 
50,000
150,000
60,000
Net profit (Sh.)
-
-
-
490,000

Additional information: 
1. The above data is expected to remain unchanged if Tsavo Ltd. continues producing all the three products. 
2. The sales manager believes that profits can be increased by dropping Whyfly due to its low contribution margin ratio and concentrate on the sales of Zerofly and Nofly. 
3. The entire workforce used to produce Whyfly will be utilised in the production of Nofly. The labour mobility is such that 3 units of Whyfly equal 1 unit of Nofly. To increase demand for Nofly, a 10% price reduction will be allowed next year after dropping Whyfly. 
4. Unit fixed cost is Sh.6.5.
5. TL Ltd. prepares statements on marginal costing basis. 

Required: 
(i) Prepare a comparative statement of profit or loss before and after dropping Whyfly. 

(ii) Advise the management of TL Ltd. on whether to continue or drop product Whyfly. 


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Question 2a
​ ​​Chane Ltd. is considering whether to develop and market a new product. The development cost of the new product will be Sh.360,000,000.

Additional information:
1.
There is a 75% chance that the product development exercise will be successful.
2.
The following matrix relates to the new product: 
Market state 
Probability
Profit (Sh.“000”)
Very successful  
0.4
1,080,000
Moderately successful 
0.3
   200,000
Failure
0.3
(800,000)
3.
The development cost of Sh.360,000,000 has been accounted for in the calculation of the above profits and losses. 
 
Required: 
 As the Management Accountant of Chane Ltd., advise the management of the company on whether or not to develop the new product. 


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August 2023

3 Questions
Question 3b
​ ​ ​​Oreq Ltd. is a small-scale company selling take-away sandwiches in a metropolitan town. The company would like to make a decision on the number of sandwiches to sell at the forthcoming graduation ceremony at County University. The number of sandwiches sold will depend on three market conditions; poor, fair or good condition. 

The table below details the net profit/(loss) that would be earned for each possible number of the sandwiches sold:

Net profit/(loss)
Market conditions
Poor
Fair
Good
Probability of market states 
30% 
40% 
30%
Number of sandwiches sold:
Sh.
Sh.
Sh.
100,000
100,000
300,000
300,000
200,000
(100,000) 
600,000
600,000
300,000
0
700,000
900,000
400,000
(300,000) 
600,000
1,200,000

Required: 
(i) The number of sandwiches to sell to satisfy maximin criterion. 

(ii) The number of sandwiches to sell to satisfy maximax criterion. 

(iii) The number of sandwiches to sell to maximise the expected monetary value (EMV). 

(iv) The maximum amount payable by Oreq Ltd. to acquire perfect information. 


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Question 4
​ ​ ​​ Green Coaches Ltd. is an electric-bus assembly company. The company has received a special order from Transland Bus Company to supply 15 executive electric buses for bus rapid transport (BRT) project at a target price of Sh.8 million per bus. 

Due to the novelty of the project and challenges of learning curve effect, the company wants to analyse three scenarios available before accepting the special order. These scenarios are: 

Scenario 1:
To work overtime and deliver the 15 buses within stipulated period. 

Scenario 2:
To complete 14 buses using overtime and deliver 1 bus late. 

Scenario 3: 
To assemble and deliver the 13 buses without overtime and deliver 2 buses late. 

 Additional information: 
1. The target profit margin is 20% of the target price per bus. 
2. The contract allows for 92 working days without overtime for the assembly and delivery of buses and stipulates a penalty of Sh.1.5 million for each bus delivered late. 
3. The time taken to complete the first bus is 10 days. 
4. Direct labour cost is Sh.180,000 per day for the normal working days per month and overtime premium rate is double the normal rate. 
5. Overheads will be allocated to the special order at a rate of Sh.30,000 per normal working day and no overheads will be allocated for overtime working. 
6. The management accountant’s estimate of direct material cost per bus is Sh.2,500,000. 
7. The learning curve index at 90% learning rate is -0.152. 
8. The learning curve model is in the form of ​\(Y = ax^{-b}\)​.

Required: 
(a) Evaluating each scenario, advise the management on the most economical scenario using learning curve analysis. 

b) Using target costing approach, compute the cost savings of the most economical scenario identified in (a) above. 

(c) Explain FOUR non-financial factors that may have a bearing on the decision for the special order by the management of Green Coaches Ltd. 


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Question 5b
​ ​ ​ ​​Rona Enterprise manufactures three products namely; A, B and C. The current sales, cost and selling price details and processing time requirements are as follows: The standard selling price and standard cost per unit for each product for the period ending 31 August 2023 are as follows:

Product A 
Product B
Product C
Annual sales (units)
6,000
6,000
1,000
Selling price (Sh.) 
200
320
400
Unit cost (Sh.)
180
240
300
Processing time required per unit (hours ) 
1
1.5
2

Additional information:
1.
The firm is working at full capacity of 17,000 processing hours per year.
2.
 Fixed costs are absorbed into unit cost by a charge of 200% of variable cost.
3.
Processing can be switched from one product line to another.
4.
The selling prices are not to be altered. 
5
Information in respect to the maximum demand for each product which Rona Enterprise could alternatively outsource from an independent supplier, for the same quality, is given below at current selling prices: 
5.
Product
Expected maximum demand (Units)
Quoted price (Sh.)
A
11,000
175
B
8,000
240
C
2,000
320
6.
In the period commencing 1 September 2022 and ending 31 August 2023, the company budgeted for production fixed overheads of Sh.2,000,000. 

Required:
(i)
Compute the shortfall of the limiting factor.
(ii) 
Determine the optimal production mix indicating the products and quantity to outsource from external supplier.
(iii)
Based on your recommendations in (b) (ii) above, determine the net profit for the period 31 August 2023. 


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April 2023

2 Questions
Question 2b
​ ​ ​​Wangwana Growers Ltd., is a large-scale maize growing firm in Western region growing maize for both domestic and export market. Fred Juma, the Management Accountant, has established that there is a probability of getting a high, medium or low harvest. Fred Juma has to decide on the optimum selling price for one bag of maize and three prices are under consideration. 

The selling price per bag of 90 kilograms for different types of customers is as follows:

Sh.
Wholesale price
5,000
Retail price 
5,500
Export price
6,000

The expected number of bags of maize to sell at three price levels for each of the above states of harvest is as shown below:

  Decision alternative 
Selling price per bag 
Sh.5,000
Sh.5,500
Sh.6,000
Conditions
Number of bags to be sold
High harvest 
13,000
12,500
8,500
Medium harvest 
10,000
9,000
8,500
Low harvest
  6,000
6,000
3,500
 
Additional information: 
1. From past experience, there is a 10% probability that the harvest will be low, a 30% probability that the harvest will be medium and a 60 % probability that the harvest will be high. 
2. The estimated variable cost is Sh.3,000 per bag of 90 kilograms of maize. 
3. The fixed cost at each selling price level is Sh.15 million. 
4. Fred Juma can engage an agricultural expert to carry out a survey on the productivity of the land, which will cost him Sh.1 million. 

Required: 
(i) A payoff matrix table showing the net profit. 

(ii) The price to set to maximise the expected monetary value. 

(iii) Advise Fred Juma whether it is worthwhile to acquire the perfect information from the agricultural expert. 


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Question 4b
​ ​ ​ ​​Fixit Fabricators Ltd. has been facing a lean financial spell for the past two years. The profit has been declining steadily and the results of the preceding year showed a loss of Sh.2,000,000. This is the first time the company has reported a loss in its 10-year history. 

The chairman and the board of directors have been deliberating on the remedial steps to implement to arrest the situation. Three competing proposals have been suggested by a taskforce set up some months back aimed at boosting sales and improving efficiency of operations in the current year. As a member of the taskforce, you have been invited to attend the next board meeting to deliberate on the proposals. 

The following information is available: 
1. The target profit for the current year is Sh.4,000,000 regardless of the proposal that will be adopted. 
2. The company’s fixed costs currently amount to Sh.20,000,000 per year. 
3. The company can sell up to a maximum of 12,000 units of its product in the local market and unlimited quantities in a neighbouring country. For the sales in the local market, unit variable costs amount to Sh.5,000, while for the sales in the neighbouring country, an extra Sh.500 per unit is incurred in transportation expenses. 
4. The same transfer price of Sh.10,000 normally prevails both in the local market and neighbouring country. 
5. Sales for the past year amounted to 9,000 units, all in the local market. 

The main requirements of the three competing proposals are as follows:

Proposal A:
The Company should improve the quality of packaging of its products at a cost of Sh.500 per unit. 
Proposal B:
The company should spend Sh.2,000,000 on an advertising campaign. 
Proposal C:
 The Company should reduce the selling price by Sh.500 per unit. 

Required: 
(i) For proposals A, B, and C, determine the break-even point in the neighbouring country in order to achieve the target profit. 

(ii) Summarise FIVE financial factors to consider for proposal C.  



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December 2022

3 Questions
Question 5a
​​Explain THREE conceptual differences between the following concepts as applied in strategic management for short term decision making: 

(i) Throughput accounting. 

(ii) Limiting factor analysis.


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Question 2b
​ ​ ​​Jikaze Ltd. is organised into divisions. Divisional managers are rewarded through a remuneration package which is linked to accounting rate of return (ARR) performance measures. Venus Division of Jikaze Ltd. is currently investigating two mutually exclusive investment proposals namely MX and JX. If the proposals are viable, Venus Division wishes to assign priority in the event that funds may not be available to cover both proposals. 

Details of the two mutually exclusive proposals are:

Investment proposal 
 MX 
Sh. “000”
 JX 
Sh. “000”
Initial cash outlay on non-current assets
192,000
192,000  
Net cash inflow: 
Year 1
67,200
32,000
Year 2
67,200
64,000
Year 3
67,200
96,000
Year 4
67,200
128,000  

Additional information:
1.
The management assesses the cost of capital to the company at 16%.
2.
The Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) calculation is based on the accounting profit which is computed by adding back depreciation to net cash inflow of each year. 
3.
Depreciation is on straight-line basis over the assets’ useful life.
4.
Net present value (NPV) method is used to estimate the most viable project when using project life cycle costing.
5.
 Ignore tax and residual value.
6.
The present value interest factor (PVIF) of the proposal is as follows: 
Year
1
2
3
4
Present value at 16% 
0.8621
0.7432
0.6407
0.5523

Required: 
Advise the management of Jikaze Ltd. on the most viable investment proposal using the following performance appraisal measures: 

(i) Product life cycle costing. 

(ii) Accounting rate of return (ARR). 


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Question 2a
​ ​ ​ ​​Lengo Ltd. is considering marketing a new product. The fixed cost of this product will amount to Sh.5,000,000. There are three uncertain factors namely; selling price, variable cost and annual sales volume. 

The product has a life of only one year and the various possible levels of these factors together with estimated probabilities are given below:

Selling
Price
Sh.
Probability
Variable
cost
Sh.
Probability
Annual Sales
volume
Units
Probability
400
0.3 
200
0.1
40,000
0.4 
450
0.5
250
0.6
50,000
0.5
500
0.2
300
0.3
60,000
0.1

Additional information:
1.
Assume that the three factors are statistically independent. 
2.
The company uses cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis to make decisions.
3.
The following random numbers are provided: 
Selling price: 
8
0
6
1
3
5
1
3
9
1
Variable costs: 
0
4
3
4
6
7
2
8
5
9
Sales volume: 
6
3
9
4
0
9
7
6
8
5

Required 
Using CVP analysis criteria, simulate the problem and determine the average profits. 


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April 2022

4 Questions
Question 1c
​ ​​Compute the maximisation value payable to acquire perfect information under (b) above.


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Question 1b
​ ​​Jumbo Ltd. is proposing to introduce to the market a home security appliance system. It has three different possible models; Micro, Basic and Macro which vary in sophistication and complexity, but currently the company has capacity to manufacture only one model. An analysis of the probable acceptance of the models has been carried out and the resulting profit estimated. The results are as follows:

Profits (Sh."000")
Model acceptance
Acceptance Probability
Micro
Basic
Macro
Excellent
20%
60
100
120
Moderate
50%
40
60
 80
Poor
30%
20
0
-40

The Finance Director of Jumbo Ltd. estimates the utilities for various sums of money from Sh.-40,000 to Sh. 120,000 as follows:

Monetary value (Sh. "000")
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Utility
0
0.20
0.37
0.52
0.65
0.78
0.89
0.96
1.00

Required: 
Using scenario analysis, determine which model should be introduced to the market under: 

(i) Maximisation of expected monetary value. 

(ii) The criterion of maximisation of expected utility.


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Question 1d
​ ​​BB Ltd. sells two types of products branded "D" and "A". The Financial Controller has prepared the following information based on the sales forecast for the period:

Product
D
A
Total
Sales volume (units)
1,200
600
-

Sh.
Sh.
Sh.
Unit selling price
300
200
-
Unit variable cost
150
110
-
Unit contribution
150
90
-
Total sales revenue
360,000
120,000
480,000
Less: Total variable costs
180,000
66,000
246,000
Contribution to direct and common fixed costs
180,000
54,000
234,000
Less: Direct avoidable fixed costs
90,000
27,000
117,000
Operating profit
90,000
27,000
117,000
Less: Common indirect fixed costs
-
-
39,000
Operating profit
-
-
78,000

The common fixed costs relate to the costs of common facilities and can only be avoided if neither of the products is sold. The Managing Director is concerned that the sales may be less than forecast and has requested information relating to the break-even point for the period. 

Required: 
The break-even point of the two products in units and sales value if they are sold in the: 

(i) Original sales mix. 

(ii) Sales mix of 1:1


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Question 2a
​ ​ ​​Zinc Ltd. is a local manufacturer ofthree products namely; Exe, Wye and Zed. 

The management of the company is unhappy with the current production mix and is seeking advice on the most optimal arrangement. The current production is 10,000 units of Exe, 5,000 units of Wye and 6,000 units of Zed. 

The Management Accountant has provided the following information relating to the three products:

Product
Details
Exe Sh.
Wye Sh.
Zed Sh.
Selling price per unit
1,200
2,000
2,250
Production costs per unit:


Direct materials 
300
900
600
Variable overheads
150
400
450

Additional information:
1.
 Each type of product passes through three departments in which a different type of labour is used. The labour requirements in each department are given below:
Department
Rate per hour
Labour requirements per unit (hours)
Sh.
Exe
Wye
Zed
1
20
3
4
6
2
40
1
2.5
4
3
30
5
7
9
2.
There is a shortage of labour in department 2 and it is not possible to increase labour input hours beyond the level currently utilised.
3.
Fixed overheads are budgeted at Sh.5,000,000 per annum and are expected to remain constant.
4.
A recent market survey disclosed that the maximum sales potential for the company is 12,500 units of Exe, 7,500 units of Wye and 8,000 units of Zed.

Required:
Advise the management of Zinc Ltd. on the most profitable production mix and optimal profit using: 
(i)
Limiting factor analysis. 
(ii)
Throughput accounting.


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Question 3a
​​Explain the role of strategic planning in performance management.


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December 2021

3 Questions
Question 2b
​ ​A plastic moulding company recycles plastic waste to produce plastic chairs. The company has received a threeyear contract for the supply of a new model of chairs to be sold by Tumani Supermarket Ltd. through a chain of retail shops. 

The following data relate to the cost estimates for the new model of chairs.

Sh.
Plastic waste cost per chair
300
Labour cost per hour
200
Fixed overheads per year
1,250,000
Capital investment
1,600,000

Additional information:
1.
The estimated time to produce the first chair is 10 hours.
2.
It is estimated that a learning curve effect of 90% on labour to produce the chairs will be experienced. 
3.
The contract requires skilled labour that cannot be increased above the currently available hours. The available hours will produce 5,000 chairs for the first year.
4.
Assume that an equilibrium of labour hours in the first year will be available in both year 2 and year 3.
5.
The selling price per chair is set at Sh.900. 
6.
All cash flows occur at the year end while the initial investment is incurred at the start of year 1.
7.
The capital investment has a nil salvage value at the end of the contract period.
8
The company has a cost of capital of 12%.

Required: 
(i)
Using the Net Present Value (NPV) of the contract, advise the management of the company on whether to accept or reject the contract.
(ii)
State four other factors that the management of the company should consider before making the decision in (b) (i) above.
 


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Question 1b
​ ​ ​​Babycom Ltd. produces and sells four types of dolls for children. The company also produces and sells a set of dress kit for the dolls. 

The following estimates for the next financial year have been provided:

Doll type
Estimated demand Units
Standard material cost sh.
Standard labour cost Sh.
Estimated sale price per unit Sh.
A
50,000
20
15
60
B
40,000
25
15
80
C
35,000
32
18
100
D
30,000
50
20
120
Dress kit
200,000
15
5
50

Additional information: 
1. To encourage the sale of dress kits, a discount of 20% in its price is offered if it were to be purchased along with the doll. It is expected that all the customers buying the dolls will also buy the dress kit. 
2. The company's factory has effective capacity of 200,000 labour hours per annum on a single shift basis and it provides all the products on that basis. 
3. The labour hour rate is Sh.15 while overtime of labour has to be paid at double the normal rate. 
4. Variable costs are at 40% of direct labour cost. 5. Fixed costs are estimated at Sh.3,000,000. 

Required: 
(i) Expected contribution from the four types of dolls and the dress kit. 

(ii) The net profit for the organisation as a whole.


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Question 1a
​ ​ ​ ​​A company expects to sell 1,000 units per month of a newly launched product but there is uncertainty as to both the unit selling price and the unit variable cost. The company has set a target minimum profit of Sh.85,000 per month. The following estimates of selling price, variable cost and their related probabilities are provided:

Selling price per unit
Sh.
Probability
Variable cost per unit
Sh.
Probability
200
0.25
80
0.20
250
0.40
100
0.50
300
0.35
120
0.30

There are specific fixed costs of Sh.50,000 per month expected for the new product. 

Required: 
(i) Expected monthly profit from the new product.

(ii) Probability of the company achieving its profit target.


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September 2021

4 Questions
Question 5a
​ ​​PM Ltd. operates two divisions namely X and Y. Division X produces an intermediate product M that has no external market. The product is then transferred to Division Y where it is used as an input in the production of product N. 

The following relates to the demand schedule of product N:

Quantity sold (units)
Selling price (Sh.)
1
150
2
140
3
130
4
120
5
110
6
100

Divisional costs are as shown in the table below:

Division
X Sh.
Y Sh.
Variable cost per unit
13
7
Fixed costs attributable to the product
50,000
70,000

Additional information: 
1. Product N is transferred to Division Y at Sh.25 per unit. 
2. Assume that production of both M and N is in batches of 1,000 units. 

Required: 
(i) The profit maximising output level for Division X at the current transfer price. 

(ii) The optimal output level for the overall company given that the variable cost of Division X is Sh.5 per unit.


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Question 4a
​​Explain three differences between "standard costing" and "target costing".


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Question 2b
​ ​​Safi Ltd. manufactures and markets automatic dish-washing machines. Among the components which it purchases each year from external suppliers for assembly into finished article are new window units, of which it uses 20,000 units per annum. It is considering buying in bulk in order to claim quantity discounts. This will lower the number of orders placed but raise the administrative and other costs of placing and receiving orders. The details of actual and expected ordering costs and carrying costs are given below:

Actual
Proposed
Ordering costs per order (O)
Sh.31.25
Sh.120
Purchase cost per item (P)
Sh.6.25
Sh.6.0
Annual Inventory holding cost as a percentage of purchase cost (1)
20%
20%

Additional information: 
1. To implement the new arrangements, re-organisation will be required of which estimated costs amount to Sh.10,000. 
2. These costs can be wholly claimed as a business expense for tax purposes in the year before the system comes into operation. 
3. The corporate tax rate is 30%. 

Required:
(i) Determine the change in the economic order quantity (EOQ) caused by the new system.

(ii) Calculate the payback period for the proposal and comment on your results. 

(iii) Outline any two limitations of the payback period method applied in (b) (ii) above.


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Question 1c
​ ​ ​ ​​The divisional managers of Lenga Juu Ltd., a medium-sized company are usually evaluated and those with outstanding performance rewarded on an annual basis. The divisional manager of KT division is faced with the following mutually exclusive investments:

Project A
Sh.
Project B
Sh.
Initial capital outlay
8,000,000
8,120,000
Net cash flows:
Year
2022
3,620,000
4,260,000
2023
3,620,000
3,580,000
2024
3,620,000
2.640,000
2025
3,620,000
2,100,000

Additional information: 
1. The initial capital outlay is to be amortised evenly over the projects' lives. 
2. The initial outlay is to be made on 1 January 2022. 
3. The company's required rate of return is 18%. 
4. All cash flows accrue evenly throughout the year. 
5. Assets are valued at the net book value at the beginning of each year in determining the divisional returns. 
6. Both projects A and B are expected to have nil residual value. 
7. Ignore taxation. 

Required: 
(i) Using the average residual income method of project evaluation, advise the management on the project to select.

(ii) Determining the average return on investment, advise the management on which project to select.


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May 2021

2 Questions
Question 3a
​ ​​Ulanda Ltd. is a manufacturing company based in the western part of the country. It has two divisions. One of the divisions within Ulanda Ltd. is currently negotiating with another supplier regarding outsourcing Component A that it manufactures. 

The division currently manufactures 10,000 units of the component per annum.

Total cost of producing 
10,000 components 
Sh."000"
Unit cost

Sh.
Direct material "Zed"
1,200
12
Direct labour
1,000
100
Variable manufacturing overhead costs (Power and utilities)
100
10
Fixed manufacturing overhead costs
800
80
Share of non-manufacturing overheads
500
50
3,600
360

Additional information: 
1. The above costs are expected to remain unchanged in the foreseeable future if Ulanda Ltd.'s division continues to manufacture the components. 
2. The supplier has offered to supply 10,000 components per annum at a price of Sh.300 per unit guaranteed for a minimum of three years. 
3. If Ulanda Ltd. outsources Component A, the direct labour force currently employed in producing the components will be made redundant. No redundancy costs will be incurred. 
4. Direct materials and variable overheads are avoidable if component A is outsourced. 
5. Fixed manufacturing overheads would be reduced by Sh.100,000 per annum but non-manufacturing costs would remain unchanged. 
6. Assume initially that the capacity that is required for component A has no alternative use.

Required: 
(i) Advise the management of Ulanda Ltd. on whether the component should be bought or made.

(ii) Assume now that the extra capacity that will be made available from outsourcing Component A can be used to manufacture and sell 10,000 units of Component B at a price of Sh.340 per unit. All of the labour force required to manufacture Component A will be used to make Component B. The variable manufacturing overheads, fixed manufacturing overheads and non-manufacturing overheads will be the same as the costs incurred for manufacturing Component A. Material Zed required to manufacture Component A would not be required but additional material Wye required for making Component B would cost Sh.130 per unit. 

Required: 
Assess whether the division of Ulanda Ltd. should outsource Component A.


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Question 1b
​ ​​Primers Ltd. has two Divisions namely; A and B. Division A has been given a budgeted target of selling 200,000 units of a component branded X001. It manufactures the component and sells it in the open market at a price which fetches a return of 25% on the average assets employed by the Division. 

The following figures are relevant for Division A:
Fixed overheads
Sh.400 million
Variable costs
Sh.1,000 per unit

Average Assets:
Debtors
Sh.200 million
Inventory
Sh.400 million
Plant and other assets
Sh.600 million

Additional information:
1.The Marketing Department of Primers Ltd. has however conducted a survey and found that the maximum number of X001 that the market could take at the proposed price is 140,000 units. 
2.Fortunately, Division B is willing to purchase the balance of 60,000 units. The Manager of Division A is willing to sell to Division B at a concessional price of Sh.4,000 per unit, but the Manager of Division B is ready to pay Sh.2,250 only per unit as he feels he could manufacture X001 in his Division at that price.
3.Rather than sell to Division B at Sh.2,250, the Manager of Division A feels he would rather restrict the activities of his Division to the manufacture and sale of 140,000 units of the component only for sale in the open market. By this, he could reduce his investment by Sh.80 million in inventories, Sh.120 million of plant and other assets and Sh. 40 million in selling and administrative expenses.  

Required: 
Present a persuasive case showing that selling 60,000 units of X001 to Division B at Sh.2,250 per unit is in the best interest of the whole company.


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November 2020

4 Questions
Question 4c
​​Blade Ltd. uses decision tree analysis to evaluate potential projects. The Company has been exploring the launch of a new product which it believes has a 70% probability of success. The company is however considering undertaking an advertising campaign costing Sh.500,000 which would increase the probability of success to 95%, If successful, the product would generate income of Sh.2,000,000 otherwise Sh.700,000 would be received.

Required:
Using decision tree, advise the management of Blade Ltd. on the maximum amount of cash that the company should be prepared to pay for advertising.


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Question 3b
​​ABC Ltd. intends to review the selling price of one of its products branded "Reno". In the recent past, the monthly average sales of "Reno" has been 50,000 units at a standard selling price of Sh.60 per unit,

An analysis of the expected monthly demand with a price increase of either Sh.5 or Sh. 10 per unit of this product is given below:

Market condition
Probability
Estimated demand with price increase of:

Optimistic

0.30
Sh.5
55,000
Sh.10
40,000
Most likely
0.50
40,000
25,000
Pessimistic
0.20
30,000
16,000

Additional information:
1
The current unit variable cost is Sh.50. However, it is expected to vary in the next production period as follows:
Economic condition
Probability
Sh.
High
Medium
Low
0.20
0.60
0.20
55
52
47
2
The fixed cost of production is currently at Sh.335,000 per month. It is expected to vary as follows in the next production period:
  • Increase by Sh.80,000 with a probability of 0.20
  • Increase by Sh.60,000 with a probability of 0.60
  • Increase by Sh.40,000 with a probability of 0.20

Required:
Using a probability tree simulation:
(i). Determine the selling price that the company should adopt to maximise profitability.

(ii) The probability that the company will at least break even for each of the price increase of Sh.5 and Sh.10 per unit of product "Reno".


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Question 2a(ii)
​​JAES Ltd. is considering the purchase of a new machine for Sh.3,500,000. The company feels quite confident that it could sell the goods produced by the machine so as to yield annual cash surplus of Sh.1,000,000. There is however some uncertainty as to the machines working life.

A recently published trade association survey shows that in total the members of the association own 250 of such machines and have found the lives of the machines to vary as provided below:

Machine useful life (years)
3
4
5
6
7
Number of machines
20
50
100
70
10

Assuming a discount rate of 10%, the net present value (NPV) for each different machine life is as follows:

Machine useful life (years)
3
4
5
6
7
Net Present Value (Sh.)
1,010,000
330,000
290,000
860,000
1,370,000

Required:
Advise the management of JAES Ltd. whether they should buy the machine.


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Question 1c
​​Blue Beach Hotel is a 5-star hotel based in Naivasha Town, Kenya. In the onset to the Kenya Athletic Federation's cross-country championship for the year 2020 due to be held in Naivasha later in the year, the hotel management has reviewed the hotel's operations with a view to streamlining activities so as to take full advantage of the event. The management has decided to package the booking options into three as follows:

  • Bed only
  • Bed and breakfast
  • Full board

The management is aware that the outcome could take any of the following possibilities for each of the booking options above:

  • Full booking
  • Moderate booking
  • Low booking

They have worked the likely payoff amounts for the booking options under each possible outcome as per the table given below


Events

Probability

Bed only
Sh."000"
Decision alternatives
Bed and Breakfast
Sh."000"

Full board
Sh."000"

Full boarding
0.30
24,000
90,000
16,000
Moderate booking
0.50
48,000
44,000
28,000
Low booking
0.20
  6,000
  8,000
18,000

Required:
Advise the management of the hotel on the best booking option using the following decision theory techniques:

(i)  Expected monetary value (EMV).

(ii) Expected opportunity loss (EOL).

(iii) A research company has offered to give more insight to the hotel management on the likely booking situations that might arise.

Determine the maximum amount the hotel should pay to the research company.


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November 2019

3 Questions
Question 2a
​​QHY Ltd. manufactures a product branded "Tamu". To manufacture a unit of Tamu, three ingredients are required namely; A, B and C. Currently, QHY Ltd. is operating at its full capacity of 28,000 machine hours. The product is manufactured in batches of 20 litres. The current production data is provided as follows:

...........................................
Cost per batch
Ingredient
Machine hours per batch 
Variable
Sh.
Fixed
Sh.
Total
Sh.
A
  6
200
60
260
B
10
220
70
290
C
12
 240
180   
420
Cost of assembly

320
130  
450
Total cost per batch
1,420
Profit mark-up
280
Selling price
1,700

Additional information:
1
During discussion on the budget for the year ending 31 December 2020, the sales manager estimated that sales volume might grow either by 50% or 75% provided the required machine capacity is available.
2
hile assembly capacity could be increased and meet the projected growth in demand, the machine capacity of 28,000 hours cannot be increased. Therefore, in order to take advantage of the buoyant market, the management is considering the purchase of one of the three ingredients.
3
The following quotation has been received from an external supplier:
Ingredient
Price per batch (20 litres)
Sh.

A
B
C
290
320
390
4
The management of QHY Ltd. has decided to buy only one ingredient in any one financial period.

Required: 
Evaluate which ingredient and the quantity ofthe ingredient to be outsourced if production is increased by: 

(i) 50%. 

(ii) 75%.
 


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Question 1c
​​Fairdeal Ltd. uses a third party delivery service to deliver goods to customers. The current average cost per delivery is Sh.125. Fairdeal Ltd. is considering establishing an in-house delivery service. A number of factors could affect the average total cost per delivery for the in-house delivery mode. 

The table below shows the possible average total cost and the probability of each one occurring for the in-house delivery mode:

Average total cost (Sh.)
Probability
105
107
110
121
125
126
142
156
158
0.05
0.10
0.08
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.12
0.18
0.05

Required:
(i)
Expected value of the average total cost based on the above probability distribution.
(ii)
Evaluate the decision that the company's manager is likely to make based on the average total cost in (c) (i) above and the current average delivery cost of Sh.125 per delivery, assuming the manager is:
  • Risk neutral.
  • Risk averse.
  • Risk seeker.
 


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Question 1b
​​Justify why in the short term some costs and revenues are not relevant for decision making.


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May 2019

2 Questions
Question 1c
​ ​​Marima Ltd. is considering introducing two new products in the market.

The company has the following options:

Option 1:
Introduce both products.
Option 2:
Introduce either of the products.
Option 3:
Introduce none of the products, depending on their performance in the market.

An analysis of the product's likely performance indicates the probability of a good performance as 30%, fair performance as 50% and poor performance as 20%. The sales revenue depending on the state of nature is as shown below:

State of nature
Decision
Good performance (S1)
Sh."million"
Fair performance (S2)
Sh."million"
Poor performance (S3)
Sh."million"

Neither
    0
    0
  0
Product 1 only
  30
15.6
7.2
Product 2 only
25.2
14.4
7.2
Both
52.8
  8.8
3.2

Required: 
(i) For each decision, determine the expected monetary value. 

(ii) Advise the management of Marima Ltd. on the action to take assuming that Rima Ltd. could supply perfect information at a cost of Sh.5 million.


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Question 4b
​ ​​Bidii Ltd. operates a single retail outlet which sells directly to the public. The profit statement for the months March 2019 and April 2019 are provided as follows:

March
Sh."000"
April
Sh."000"

Sales
8,000
9,000
Cost of sales
(5,000)
(5,500)
Gross profit
3,000
3,500
Expenses:
Selling and distribution costs
(800)
(900)
Administrative costs
(1,500)
(1,500)
Net profit
700
1,100

Required: 
(i) Using the high-low points technique, identify the behaviour of cost of sales, selling and distribution costs and administrative costs. 

(ii) Draw a contribution break-even chart and identify the monthly break-even sales value and area of contribution.

(iii) Assuming a margin of safety equal to 30% of the break-even value, calculate Bidii Ltd.'s annual profits. 

(iv) Bidii Ltd. is now considering opening another retail outlet selling the same product. The company plans to use the same profit margins in both outlets and has estimated that the specific costs of the second outlet will be Sh.10,000,000 per annum. Bidii Ltd. also expects that 10% of its annual sales from its existing outlet would transfer to this second outlet if it were to be opened. 

Required: 
Annual value of sales required from the new outlet in order to achieve the same profit as previously obtained from the single outlet.


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November 2018

1 Questions
Question 2a
​​Nion Ltd. wishes to determine whether it should be investigating its variances or not. 

The following information is relevant for the decision to be undertaken:

1
There is a 90% probability that the production processes will remain in control.
2
The benefit of investigating variances is Sh.55,000.
3
It will cost Sh.1,500 to inspect the process at the investigation point.
4
If a correctable cause is discovered, it will cost Sh.10,000 to make the necessary adjustments.

Required: 
Using a decision tree, evaluate whether the variances should be investigated.


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May 2018

2 Questions
Question 2a
​​​​Explain the following costs as used in decision making: 
(i) Avoidable costs. 

(ii) Sunk costs. 

(iii) Differential costs.


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Question 1
​ ​​A company manufacturing roof tiles has been considering the likely demand for the tiles over the next six years. The demand pattern is estimated as follows:

High demand for six years
0.5
Low demand for six years
0.3
High demand for three years followed by low demand for three years
0.2

Additional information:
1
There is no probability of a low demand followed by a high demand.
2
Enlargement of capacity will be required and the following options are available:
  • Option A: Install a fully automatic facility immediately at a cost of Sh.10.8 million.
  • Option B: Install a semi-automatic facility immediately at a cost of Sh.8 million.
  • Option C: Install a semi-automatic facility immediately as in Option B above and upgrade to a fully automatic facility at an additional cost of Sh.4 million in three years time provided demand has been high for the three years. 
3
The returns expected under the three capacity options and demand levels are estimated as follows:
Option
If demand is high
If demand is low
A
Sh.3.2 million per annum
Sh.1.2 million per annum
B
Sh.1.8 million per annum 
Sh.1.6 million per annum
C
Upgrade
Sh.2.2 million per annum for three years
Sh.0.6 million per annum for three years
No Upgrade
Sh.1.0 million per annum for three years
Sh.1.6 million per annum for three years

Required: 
(a) A decision tree representing the above information. 

(b) Advise the company on which capacity option to take given that the objective is to maximise expected monetary value (EMV). 


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November 2017

2 Questions
Question 1b
​​Sori Ltd. produces and sells three products; A, B and C. Sori Ltd. has contracts to supply products A and B which will utilise all the specific materials that are available to make these two products during the next period. 

The revenue that these contracts will generate and the contribution to sales (C/S) ratios of products A and B are as follows:

Product A
Product B
Revenue
Sh.10 million
Sh.20 million
C/S ratio
15%
10%

Additional information: 
1. Product C will generate a contribution to sales (C/S) ratio of 25%. 

2. The total fixed costs of Sori Ltd. are Sh.5.5 million during the next period. 

3. The management have budgeted to earn a profit of Sh.1 million.

Required: 
The revenue that needs to be generated from product C for Sori Ltd. to achieve the budgeted profit.


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Question 1a
​​Tripa Ltd. is a company that specialises in the production of umbrellas. For the year ending 31 December 2018, the company is planning to produce special promotional umbrellas branded "Jumbo". Tripa Ltd. wishes to determine the optimal number of umbrellas that should be produced.

Additional information:
1
If all the umbrellas are sold within the year 2018, they would be sold at Sh.900 each.
2
If the company is unable to sell all the umbrellas within the year 2018, then they would be sold in the following year at Sh.300 per umbrella.
3
The production cost per umbrella amounts to Sh.400.
4
The demand for the umbrellas depends on the performance of the economy which is highly unpredictable.

The following are the possible states of economy: 
Economy
Probability
Demand (Number of umbrellas)
Good
Average
Poor
0.30
0.46
0.24
500,000
350,000
300,000
5
 Tripa Ltd. has to decide to produce the umbrellas at one of the states of the economy in order to match forecast demand.
6
The opportunity cost of not selling an umbrella that is demanded is Sh.100.

Required:
(i)
Construct a pay off table showing all the possible outcomes.
(ii)
Advise the management of Tripa Ltd. on the optimal level of production based on the expected value. maximax and maximin criteria.


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May 2017

2 Questions
Question 1b
​​Samoa Ltd. has to decide which of the three new mutually exclusive products; X. Y and Z, to launch. The company's directors believe that the demand for the three products will vary depending on competitor's reaction. There is a 30% chance that the competitor's reaction will be strong, a 20% chance that the competitor's reaction will be normal and a 50% chance that the competitor's reaction will be weak. The company uses expected value to make this type of decision. 

The net present values of the possible outcomes are as follows:


Competitor's reaction
Product X
Sh. "000"
Product Y
Sh. "000"
Product Z
Sh. "000"
Strong
Normal
Weak
400
600
1,000
800
1,200
1,600
1,200
   800
1,000

A market researcher believes that he could provide perfect information on potential competitor's reaction in the above market. 

Required: 
Advise the management of Samoa Ltd. on the maximum amount that should be paid for the information from the market researcher


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Question 1a
​​Furahia Ltd., an events management company is considering whether to advertise an outdoor concert. The sale of tickets is dependent on the weather, as indicated below:

  • If the weather is poor, it is expected that 5,000 tickets will be sold without advertising. There is a 70% chance that the weather will be poor. 
  • If the weather is good, it is expected that 10,000 tickets will be sold without advertising. There is a 30% chance that the weather will be good. 
  • If the concert is advertised and the weather is poor, there is a 60% chance that advertising will stimulate further demand and ticket sales will increase to 7,000. 
  • If the concert is advertised and the weather is good, there is a 25% chance that advertising will stimulate further demand and ticket sales will increase to 13,000.
The profit expected before deducting the cost of advertising at different levels of ticket sales are as follows:

Number of tickets sold
Profit
Sh. "000"
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
(20,000)
(5,000)
35,000
55,000
75,000
90,000
115,000
130,000
150,000

The cost of advertising the concert is expected to be Sh.15,000,000. 

Required: 
Using a decision tree, advise the management of Furahia Ltd. on whether the outdoor concert should be advertised.


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November 2016

1 Questions
Question 3
​ ​​Best deal Ltd. has developed a new product and is currently considering the marketing and pricing policy that it should employ for the product. Specifically, it is considering whether the sales price should be set at Sh.150 per unit or at a higher price of Sh.240 per unit. Sales volume and respective probabilities at these two prices are as follows:

Sales price of Sh.150
Forecast sales volume

Probability
Sales price of Sh.240
Forecast sales volume
Probability
20,000
30,000
40,000
0.1
0.6
0.3
18.000
16,000
20,000
24,000
0.1
0.3
0.3
0.3

Additional information:
1
Fixed production cost of the venture will be Sh.380,000.
2
The level of advertising and publicity costs will depend on the sales price and the market aimed for. With a sales price of Sh. 150 per unit, the advertising and publicity costs will amount to Sh.120,000. With a sales price of Sh.240 per unit, these costs will amount to Sh.1,220,000. 
3
Labour and variable overhead costs will amount to Sh.50 per unit produced.
4
Each unit produced requires 2 Kgs of raw materials and the basic cost is expected to be Sh.40 per Kg. However, the suppliers of the raw materials are prepared to lower the price in return for a firm agreement to purchase a guaranteed minimum quantity. If Best deal Ltd. contracts to purchase at least 40,000 Kgs, then the price will be reduced to Sh.37.5 per Kg for all purchases. If Best deal Ltd. contracts to purchase a minimum of 60,000 Kgs, then the price will be reduced to Sh.35 per Kg for all purchases. It is only if Best deal Ltd. guarantees either of the above minimum levels of purchases in advance that the appropriate reduced prices will be effected. 
5
If Best deal Ltd. was to enter into one of the agreements for the supply of the raw materials and was to find that it did not require to utilise the entire quantity of materials purchased, then the excess could be sold. The sales price will depend upon the quantity that is offered for sale. If 16,000 Kgs or more is sold, the sales price will be Sh.29 per Kg for all sales. If less than 16,000 Kgs are offered, the sales price will only be Sh.24 per Kg.
6
Irrespective of the amount sold, the costs incurred in selling the excess raw materials per kg. will be as follows:
                     Sh.
Packaging   3.00
Delivery       4.50
Insurance    1.50
7
Best deal Ltd.'s management team feels that losses are undesirable while high expected monetary values are desirable. Therefore, it is considering the utilisation of a formula that incorporates both aspects of the outcome to measure the desirability of each strategy. The formula to be used to measure desirability is: 

Desirability = L+ 3 E

Where:  L = The lowest outcome of the strategy.
              E = The expected monetary value of the strategy.   

The higher this measure is, the more desirable the strategy.
The marketing manager seeks your advice, as the management accountant, to assist in deciding on the appropriate strategy.

Required:
(a)
Prepare statements showing the various expected outcomes of each of the choices open to Best deal Ltd.
(b)
Advise the management of Best deal Ltd. on the best choice of strategies if the company's objective is to:
(i)
Maximise expected monetary value.
(ii)
Minimise the harm done to the firm if the worst outcome of each choice was to occur.
(iii)
Maximise the score on the above mentioned measure of desirability.


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May 2016

1 Questions
Question 3a
​ ​ ​ ​​Sawasawa Ltd. is a fitness centre serving traders within the Centrai Business District (CBD). Currently. the centre has 4,000 members with each member payinga subscription fee of Sh.35,000 per annum. 

The centre comprises of a gym, a swimming pool and a small exercise area. 

A competitor plans to open a new fitness centre within the same locality. This is expected to cause a decrease in membership numbers for Sawasawa Ltd. unless its facilities are upgraded. 

Consequently, Sawasawa Ltd. is considering the following options in a bid to improve its membership numbers:

Option 1
No upgrade. In this case, membership numbers would be expected to fall to 3,250 per annum for the next four years. Operationai costs would remain unchanged at the current level of Sh.4,500 per member per annum. 

Option 2 
Upgrade the exercise area. The capital cost of this upgrade would be Sh.18,000,000. The expected effect on membership numbers for the next four years is as follows: 

Probability
Effect on membership numbers
0.3
Remain at their current level of 4,000 members per annum.
0.7
Increase to 4,800 members per annum.
The effect on operational costs for the next four years is expected to be:
Probability
Effect on operational costs
0.4
Increase to Sh.6,000 per annum per member.
0.6
Increase to Sh.8,000 per annum per member.
Any improvements are expected to last for four years.

Required: 
(i) Using the expected monetary value (EMV) criterion, recommend the decision that Sawasawa Ltd. should make. 

(ii) Advise on the maximum price that Sawasawa Ltd. should pay for perfect information about the upgrade of the exercise area.


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