Project Financing – Associateship
ISQ Examination (Winter-2006)

Q.1    Please write the alphabate of selected choice in the answer column:                           (12)
                                                                                                                                                 (Answer)

i

What are the earnings per share for a company that earned Rs. 100,000 last year in after-tax profit, has 200,000 common shares outstanding and Rs. 1.2 million retained earnings at the end of the year?

A) Rs. 100,000                 B) Rs. 6.00                      C) Rs. 0.50
D) Rs. 6.50                       E) None of the above

 
ii

Which of the following would NOT improve the current ratio?

A) Borrowing short-term to finance fixed assets
B) Issue long-term debt to finance inventory
C) Sell common stock to reduce current liabilities
D) Sell fixed assets to reduce accounts payable
E) None of the above

 
iii

Which of the following is NOT a cash flow for a firm?

A) Depreciation              B) Dividends             C) Mark-up payments
D) Taxes                        E) None of the above

 
iv

For a profitable firm total sources of funds always ________ total uses of funds:

A) Be equal to        B) Be greater than              C) Be less than
D) Have no consistent relationship                     E) None of the above

 
vi

Net working capital refers to:

A) Total assets minus fixed assets  B) Current assets minus current liabilities
C) Current assets minus inventories             D) Current assets
E) None of the above

 
vii

Which of the following would be considered a use of funds:

A) A decrease in accounts receivable          B) A decrease in cash
C) An increase in accounts payable             D) An increase in cash
E) None of the above

 
viii

Which asset-liability combination would most likely result un the firm’s having the greater risk of technical insolvency?

A) Increasing current assets while lowering current liabilities
B) Increasing current assets while incurring more current liabilities
C) Reducing current assets, increasing current liabilities, and
      reducing long term debt
D) Replacing short-term debt with equity           E) None of the above

 
ix

Normal debt-equity ratio as prescribed by SBP is:

A) 70:30     B) 75:25     C) 60:40     D) 80:20      E) None of the above

 
x

Which of the following provides biggest security value to a bank:

A) First pari passé charge on fixed assets
B) First exclusive hypothecation charge on movable assets
C) First floating charge on book debts and assets
D) None of the above

 
xi

Which one of these is included in the cost of land and site development?

A) Basic cost of land including conveyance and other allied charges
B) Cost of gates, godowns, warehouses and open yard facilities
C) Basic cost of land including conveyance and other charges,
      and cost of tube wells and garages.
D) Cost of laying approach roads, internal roads, sewers,
     drainage, and cost of land
E) None of the above

 
xii

The primary loan document in project financing is:

A) Demand Promissory Note           B) Charge Document
C) Loan Agreement                         D) None of the above

 
xiii

Material cost consists of:

A) The price paid to the suppliers
B) The price paid to the supplier plus freight expenses
C) The price paid to the supplier plus freight expenses
     and insurance charges
D) None of the above

 

Q.1    State True or False in the answer column. Give brief reason for your selection at the space           provided below the question:                                                                                         (15)

                                                                                                                                               (Answer)

i
Fixed costs arise as a result of capacity creation and vary with the changes in levels of capacity utilization.
 
ii
Project Finance is a type of finance in which lenders look primarily to cash flow and assets of the project as the source of payment of mark-up and principal.
 
iii
It is not advisable to assume a high capacity utilization level in the first year of a project’s operation.
 
iv
Pre-operating expenses are indirectly related to project’s implementation schedule.
 
v
The amount payable for obtaining know-how and engineering services for settling up a project and the royalty payable annually must necessarily be included in the project cost.
 
vi
Taking cognizance of inflation, it would be advisable to make a higher contingency provision of, say, 20% in the cost of the project.
 
vii
An equitable mortgage of an immovable property may be created by deposit of title deeds with the bank except in cantonment areas.
 
viii
The cushion period mark-up included in the re-purchase price is waived as a rebate for timely payment by the borrower.
 
ix
A subordinated loan is a secured loan extended by the sponsors of the project and is subordinate to the claim of the bank/DFI.
 
x
Where mark-up or principal is overdue by 180 days or more, the loan is classified as substandard and the unrealized mark-up is not to be credited to the Income Account in terms of the Prudential Regulations.
 
xi
In developing countries like Pakistan, appropriate technology should be selected, and not the latest or sophisticated one.
 
xii
Repairs and maintenance are directly related to the state of machinery.
 
xiii
Internal rate of return represents the rate of return on the unrecovered investment balance in the project.
 
xiv
An industry is considered to be efficient and hence has a comparative advantage if the Official Exchange Rate is less than its Domestic Resources Cost.
 
xv
Cost and benefits of a project must be measured in terms of cash flows and not accounting income.
 

Q.3     Fill in the blanks:                                         (05)

i. Cash flows associated with a project may be divided into three components:

ii. Terminal cash flow of a project consists of two components:

Q4.      What do the following commonly used abbreviations stand for?            (8)

             1. CIRC                2. BMR              3. PERT             4. CIF
             5. FOB                 6. DRC               7. IERR              8. CPM

Q.5      It is estimated that Eldec Industries Limited will operate at 40% of its installed capacity in the first year, 60% in the second year, and 90% from the third year onwards. Projections for the third year of production are as follows:                                                                                                  (10)

             A. Sales:                                                                                     Rs. 27,000,000
                          80,000 units @ Rs. 150
             B. Variable Costs:
                        Raw materials                            Rs. 8,100,000
                        Consumable Stores                    Rs. 2,000,000
                        Power, fuel, water, etc               Rs. 1,000,000
                        Selling expenses                         Rs.    900,000                  Rs. 12,000,000
             C. Fixed Costs:
                        Wages and salaries                     Rs. 3,000,000
                         Repairs & Maintenance             Rs.    300,000
                         Depreciation                              Rs. 1,600,000
                         Rent, insurance, etc                    Rs.    200,000
                         Administrative expenses             Rs.    800,000
                         Mark-up                                    Rs. 2,100,000                   Rs. 8,000,000

You are required to calculate:
(i) Break-even volume of production
(ii) Break-even sales
(iii) Break-even capacity
(iv) Relative margin of safety
(v) Contribution margin per unit

Q6.      You have been hired as a Consultant by the sponsors of a new project being promoted by them. Selection of technology is presently under consideration. What factors would have a bearing on your choice of technology? Also, discuss various ways of acquiring technology. (10)

Q.7      There are often time and cost slippages in projects during their implementation. What are the causes of over-runs and how can these be controlled through proper monitoring? (10)

Q.8      Banks often nominate their representatives on the Boards of the Companies financed by them. What is the role of Nominee Directors and how can they safeguard the interest of the bank? (10)

Q.9      Why is sponsors’ appraisal needed in project financing? How would you as a financial analyst, appraise the sponsors of a new project which the Bank is planning to finance. (10)

Q.10     What are the objectives of economic appraisal? What criteria would you use to find out if these objectives are being achieved?. (10)