MALAYSIAN BUSINESS LAW

Farid and Ah Fong graduated from a university in 2020 with a qualification in Bachelor of Business and Commerce. They decided to form a business offering advice to clients who wish to grow their businesses at a large scale. Fatimah who is a novice businesswoman is looking for a successful business partner in order to grow her business. She met a businessman by the name Felix but she is unsure of his financial credibility. She approached Farid and Ah Fong for consultation and advice as she came across their advertisement in the social media. Farid and Ah Fong did a thorough business research and recommended to Fatimah to proceed to have a business dealing with Felix as a business partner. Fatimah approached Felix and entered into a multi-million-dollar project. After a few months, Fatimah discovered that Felix is a financially troubled businessman. Fatimah is very upset. She approached Farid and Ah Fong for a clarification. However, Farid and Ah Fong claimed that they have conducted a thorough research on Felix’s financial standing. However, it has now transpired that Farid and Ah Fong did not look at the financial standing of Felix for the year 2018 but only looked at the financial standing for the year 2019. They claimed that there is no need to check the financial standing for the last two years. They also claimed that since they just graduated, they do not have much experience. Fatimah seeks your advice as to her rights against Farid and Ah Fong

P11.16 Sung Corporation, a manufacturer of steel products, began operations on October 1, 2019. Sung's accounting department has begun to prepare the capital asset and depreciation schedule that follows. You have been asked to assist in completing this schedule. In addition to determining that the data already on the schedule are correct, you have obtained the following information from the company's records and personnel:

• 1. Depreciation is calculated from the first day of the month of acquisition to the first day of the month of disposition.
• 2. Land A and Building A were acquired together for $820,000. At the time of acquisition, the land had an appraised value of $90,000 and the building had an appraised value of $810,000.
• 3. Land B was acquired on October 2, 2019, in exchange for 2,500 newly issued common shares. At the date of acquisition, the shares had a fair value of $30 each. During October 2019, Sung paid $16,000 to demolish an existing building on this land so that it could construct a new building.
• 4. Construction of Building B on the newly acquired land began on October 1, 2020. By September 30, 2021, Sung had paid $320,000 of the estimated total construction costs of $450,000. It is estimated that the building will be completed and occupied by July 2022.
• 5. Certain equipment was donated to the corporation by a local university. An independent appraisal of the equipment when it was donated estimated its fair value at $30,000 and the residual value at $3,000.
• 6. Machine A's total cost of $164,900 includes an installation expense of $600 and normal repairs and maintenance of $14,900. Its residual value is estimated at $6,000. Machine A was sold on February 1, 2021.
• 7. On October 1, 2020, Machine B was acquired with a down payment of $5,740 and the remaining payments to be made in 11 annual instalments of $6,000 each, beginning October 1, 2020. The prevailing interest rate was 8%. The following data were determined from present-value tables and are rounded:

  PV of $1 at 8%				PV of an Ordinary Annuity of $1 at 8%
  10 years		0.463		10 years		6.710
  11 years		0.429		11 years		7.139
  15 years		0.315		15 years		8.559

  Sung Corporation Capital Asset and Depreciation Schedule For Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 2020, and September 30, 2021
  Assets		Acquisition Date		Cost		Residual Value		Depreciation Method		Estimated Life in Years		Depreciation Expense, Year Ended September 30
  												2020		2021
  Land A		Oct. 1, 2019		$ (1)		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A
  Building A		Oct. 1, 2019		(2)		$40,000		Straight-line		(3)		$17,450		(4)
  Land B		Oct. 2, 2019		(5)		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A
  Building B		Under construction		$320,000 to date		—		Straight-line		30		—		(6)
  Donated Equipment		Oct. 2, 2019		(7)		3,000		150% declining- balance		10		(8)		(9)
  Machine A		Oct. 2, 2019		(10)		6,000		Double-declining- balance		8		(11)		(12)
  Machine B		Oct. 1, 2020		(13)		—		Straight-line		20		—		(14)
  N/A = Not applicable

Instructions

a. For each numbered item in the schedule, give the correct amount. Round each answer to the nearest dollar.

b.  When would it be appropriate for management to use different depreciation policies as they have done for Machines A and B?

1. Lancaster Real Estate Company was founded 25 years ago by the current CEO, Robert Lancaster. The company purchases real estate, including land and buildings, and rents the property to tenants. The company has shown a profit every year for the past 18 years, and the shareholders are satisfied with the company’s management. Prior to founding Lancaster Real Estate, Robert was the founder and CEO of a failed alpaca farming operation. The resulting bankruptcy made him extremely averse to debt financing. As a result, the company is entirely equity financed, with 8 million shares of common stock outstanding. The stock currently trades at $37.80 per share.

Lancaster is evaluating a plan to purchase a huge tract of land in the southeastern United States for $85 million. The land will subsequently be leased to tenant farmers. This purchase is expected to increase Lancaster’s annual pretax earnings by $14.125 million in perpetuity. Jennifer Weyand, the company’s new CFO, has been put in charge of the project. Jennifer has determined that the company’s current cost of capital is 10.2 percent. She feels that the company would be more valuable if it included debt in its capital structure, so she is evaluating whether the company should issue debt to entirely finance the project. Based on some conversations with investment banks, she thinks that the company can issue bonds at par value with a 6 percent coupon rate. From her analysis, she also believes that a capital structure in the range of 70 percent equity/30 percent debt would be optimal. If the company goes beyond 30 percent debt, its bonds would carry a lower rating and a much higher coupon because the possibility of financial distress and the associated costs would rise sharply. Lancaster has a 23 percent corporate tax rate (state and federal).

If Lancaster wishes to maximize its total market value, would you recommend that it issue debt or equity to finance the land purchase? Explain.

Johnson Real Estate Company was founded 25 years ago by the current CEO, David Johnson. The company purchases real estate, including land and buildings, and rents the property to tenants. The company has shown a profit every year for the past 18 years, and the shareholders are satisfied with the company’s management. Prior to founding Johnson Real Estate, David was the founder and CEO of a failed camel farming operation. The resulting bankruptcy made him extremely averse to debt financing. As a result, the company is entirely equity financed, with 8 million shares of common stock outstanding. The stock currently trades at $37.80 per share. Johnson is evaluating a plan to purchase a huge tract of land in the southeastern United States for $85 million. The land will subsequently be leased to tenant farmers. This purchase is expected to increase Johnson's annual pretax earnings by $14.125 million in perpetuity. Abigail Burton, the company’s new CFO, has been put in charge of the project. Abigail has determined that the company’s current cost of capital is 10.2 percent. She feels that the company would be more valuable if it included debt in its capital structure, so she is evaluating whether the company should issue debt to entirely finance the project. Based on some conversations with investment banks, she thinks that the company can issue bonds at par value with a 6 percent coupon rate. From her analysis, she also believes that a capital structure in the range of 70 percent equity/30 percent debt would be optimal. If the company goes beyond 30 percent debt, its bonds would carry a lower rating and a much higher coupon because the possibility of financial distress and the associated costs would rise sharply. Johnson has a 23 percent corporate tax rate (state and federal). If Johnson wishes to maximize its total market value, would you recommend that it issue debt or equity to finance the land purchase? Explain.

On January 1, 2020 (the first day of its fiscal year) Wildhorse Ltd. acquired a patent which gave the company the right to use a production process. The process met the six criteria for capitalization as an intangible asset. Below is a listing of the events relating to the patent over the five fiscal years from 2020 through 2024:

record entry for

Jan 1, 2020

Dec 31,2020

Dece 31,2021

Dec 31, 2022

Dec 31, 2023

Dec 31, 2024 (to record amortization expense)

Dec 31, 2024 (to record loss on impairment)

2.

Strong corporate culture, ability to adapt is best blueprint for going global: Lenovo

The blueprint for any company that pursues international expansion starts with building a strong entrepreneurial culture that adapts to the times, according to Chinese technology giant Lenovo Group.

It is a business principle that has served Lenovo well in its decades-long transformation from a start-up electronics company in mainland China in 1984 into the world's biggest supplier of personal computers.

"When a company becomes bigger, make sure that there is a unique culture committed to execute its strategy," Ivan Cheung, Lenovo executive director and general manager for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, said in his interview at the South China Morning Post's Game Changers Forum 3 on Tuesday.

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it acquired IBM's PC business in 2005. Photo: AFP

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it rapidly expanded its international operations after acquiring the personal computer division of IBM for US$1.75 billion in 2005.

The computer giant, which operates in more than 160 countries, has continued its expansion with the purchase last year of Motorola Mobility for US$2.91 billion from Google and the commodity x86 server business of IBM for US$2.1 billion.

"We're trying to replicate our success in the PC industry, in the smartphone and enterprise server businesses," Cheung said.

He pointed out that Lenovo translated the principles of accountability and entrepreneurship into a few action points: "We plan before we commit; we perform as we promise; we prioritise company first; and we practice improving everyday."

In their book The Lenovo Way, authors Gina Qiao and Yolanda Conyers said the strong corporate culture keeps the company prepared to change and diversify.

"The Chinese have a saying: To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years. That's fine with us because we know how to be patient," the authors wrote.

Amid changes in the global economy and evolving consumer tastes, start-ups must also realise that being adaptable can help them survive tough times.

Lenovo currently finds itself in need to be more nimble as global personal computer sales continue to decline and competition in the smartphone and commodity server businesses intensify.

The company last month announced that it was laying off 3,200 employees in non- manufacturing jobs, out of its total 60,000 worldwide staff, under a sweeping restructuring plan.

That would help the company reduce expenses by US$650 million in the second half of its fiscal year to March and US$1.35 billion on an annual basis.

The restructuring will see Motorola be responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing smartphones. The production supply chain for personal computers and servers will also be integrated.

Yang Yuanqing, the chairman and chief executive at Lenovo, said last month that the company targeted a 30 per cent global market share in personal computers and the turnaround of its mobile devices business in two to three quarters.

Question:

What changes did Lenovo undergo? Process change or strategic cultural change? Explain your answers based on the consideration of the theme of change, driving force, and the degree of the organization changes. What are the reasons for Lenovo’s to success?

Strong corporate culture, ability to adapt is best blueprint for going global: Lenovo

The blueprint for any company that pursues international expansion starts with building a strong entrepreneurial culture that adapts to the times, according to Chinese technology giant Lenovo Group.

It is a business principle that has served Lenovo well in its decades-long transformation from a start-up electronics company in mainland China in 1984 into the world's biggest supplier of personal computers.

"When a company becomes bigger, make sure that there is a unique culture committed to execute its strategy," Ivan Cheung, Lenovo executive director and general manager for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, said in his interview at the South China Morning Post's Game Changers Forum 3 on Tuesday.

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it acquired IBM's PC business in 2005. Photo: AFP

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it rapidly expanded its international operations after acquiring the personal computer division of IBM for US$1.75 billion in 2005.

The computer giant, which operates in more than 160 countries, has continued its expansion with the purchase last year of Motorola Mobility for US$2.91 billion from Google and the commodity x86 server business of IBM for US$2.1 billion.

"We're trying to replicate our success in the PC industry, in the smartphone and enterprise server businesses," Cheung said.

He pointed out that Lenovo translated the principles of accountability and entrepreneurship into a few action points: "We plan before we commit; we perform as we promise; we prioritise company first; and we practice improving everyday."

In their book The Lenovo Way, authors Gina Qiao and Yolanda Conyers said the strong corporate culture keeps the company prepared to change and diversify.

"The Chinese have a saying: To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years. That's fine with us because we know how to be patient," the authors wrote.

Amid changes in the global economy and evolving consumer tastes, start-ups must also realise that being adaptable can help them survive tough times.

Lenovo currently finds itself in need to be more nimble as global personal computer sales continue to decline and competition in the smartphone and commodity server businesses intensify.

The company last month announced that it was laying off 3,200 employees in non- manufacturing jobs, out of its total 60,000 worldwide staff, under a sweeping restructuring plan.

That would help the company reduce expenses by US$650 million in the second half of its fiscal year to March and US$1.35 billion on an annual basis.

The restructuring will see Motorola be responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing smartphones. The production supply chain for personal computers and servers will also be integrated.

Yang Yuanqing, the chairman and chief executive at Lenovo, said last month that the company targeted a 30 per cent global market share in personal computers and the turnaround of its mobile devices business in two to three quarters.

Question:

What changes did Lenovo undergo? Process change or strategic cultural change? Explain your answers based on the consideration of the theme of change, driving force, and the degree of the organization changes. What are the reasons for Lenovo’s to success?

3.

Strong corporate culture, ability to adapt is best blueprint for going global: Lenovo

The blueprint for any company that pursues international expansion starts with building a strong entrepreneurial culture that adapts to the times, according to Chinese technology giant Lenovo Group.

It is a business principle that has served Lenovo well in its decades-long transformation from a start-up electronics company in mainland China in 1984 into the world's biggest supplier of personal computers.

"When a company becomes bigger, make sure that there is a unique culture committed to execute its strategy," Ivan Cheung, Lenovo executive director and general manager for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, said in his interview at the South China Morning Post's Game Changers Forum 3 on Tuesday.

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it acquired IBM's PC business in 2005. Photo: AFP

Lenovo has been a role model for many Chinese technology companies since it rapidly expanded its international operations after acquiring the personal computer division of IBM for US$1.75 billion in 2005.

The computer giant, which operates in more than 160 countries, has continued its expansion with the purchase last year of Motorola Mobility for US$2.91 billion from Google and the commodity x86 server business of IBM for US$2.1 billion.

"We're trying to replicate our success in the PC industry, in the smartphone and enterprise server businesses," Cheung said.

He pointed out that Lenovo translated the principles of accountability and entrepreneurship into a few action points: "We plan before we commit; we perform as we promise; we prioritise company first; and we practice improving everyday."

In their book The Lenovo Way, authors Gina Qiao and Yolanda Conyers said the strong corporate culture keeps the company prepared to change and diversify.

"The Chinese have a saying: To cultivate trees, you need 10 years. To cultivate people, you need 100 years. That's fine with us because we know how to be patient," the authors wrote.

Amid changes in the global economy and evolving consumer tastes, start-ups must also realise that being adaptable can help them survive tough times.

Lenovo currently finds itself in need to be more nimble as global personal computer sales continue to decline and competition in the smartphone and commodity server businesses intensify.

The company last month announced that it was laying off 3,200 employees in non- manufacturing jobs, out of its total 60,000 worldwide staff, under a sweeping restructuring plan.

That would help the company reduce expenses by US$650 million in the second half of its fiscal year to March and US$1.35 billion on an annual basis.

The restructuring will see Motorola be responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing smartphones. The production supply chain for personal computers and servers will also be integrated.

Yang Yuanqing, the chairman and chief executive at Lenovo, said last month that the company targeted a 30 per cent global market share in personal computers and the turnaround of its mobile devices business in two to three quarters.

Question:

What changes did Lenovo undergo? Process change or strategic cultural change? Explain your answers based on the consideration of the theme of change, driving force, and the degree of the organization changes. What are the reasons for Lenovo’s to success?

The current administration is offering the 2 trillion dollars stimulus package to maintain the loss due to the unprecedented chaos caused by the Coronavirus. (Let’s say this package can inject 4 trillion dollars into the economy this year while including the multipliers).

• What will be the unemployment rate during this summer? How about at the end of the year?

The US unemployment rate in March 2020 was 4.4%. It is expected to increase due to lockdowns and the fact that it will take some time for businesses, especially small ones, to recover. My estimation for the summer unemployment rate would be 5.5%.At the end of the year hopefully quite a lot of businesses would have recovered. My estimate for the end of year business rate would be 4%.

• Use GDP per capita in the US in 2019, calculate the total number of unemployed people because of the Coronavirus in 2020, and estimate the total loss in the economy, due to the unemployment.
• 2019 USA GDP per capita $65,111.6
• Total US labor force is ~165 million.
• The US unemployment rate in December 2019 was 3.6%. This has jumped to 4.4% now, an increase of .8%.
• .8%x165= 1.32 million
• Total loss in economy due to unemployment= 1.32mil x65111= 85.947 billion

If businesses lose 10 percent of their value by the end of this year (despite the stimulus package), what is the total loss in the economy because of that (use Wall Street Journal website to derive the total assets of the US companies)?

• American total assets for the quarter ending December 31, 2019 were $525.064B.
• A 10% loss from that is 52.5 billion

• What will be your estimation of the total GDP in 2020? Calculate the growth rate (from 2019 to 2020)

My estimation is that there will be contraction in US economy in first 2 quarters, and then slight expansion in the last 2 quarters. Total growth would be level, at best at .5%. So, total GDP in 2020

=GDP in 2019x1.005

=21.44x1.005= $21.5472 trillion

NEED ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING

• Based on your above calculations, roughly compute the saving rates in 2020 if the population growth rate would be 0.5 percent, depreciation rate 3 percent, and technological progress 1 percent (considering the current crisis). Explain the “ODD” result you get!

• Explain and calculate the total debt for the US at the end of 2020 (part of the debt is due to the stimulus package, and the other part is because of the reduction in government’s revenue from taxation).

• Who will pay this debt, and how will this debt show itself in the future of the US economy?

• Who is (actually) responsible for this substantial cumulative debt? Support your claim

On January 1, 2016, SugarBear Company acquired equipment costing $150,000, which will be depreciated on the assumption that the equipment will be useful for five years and have a residual value of $12,000. The estimated output from this equipment is as follows: 2016 - 15,000 units; 2017 - 24,000 units; 2018 - 30,000 units; 2019 - 28,000 units; 2020 - 18,000 units. The company is now considering possible methods of depreciation for this asset.

Required:

a.) Calculate what the depreciation expense would be for each year of the asset's life, if the company chooses:

i.) The straight-line method

ii.) The units-of-production method

iii.) The double-diminishing-balance method

b.) Briefly discuss the criteria that a company should consider when selecting a depreciation method.