Practice Free CIMAPRO19-CS3-1 Exam Online Questions
You have received the following email from Marcus Svenson, Finance Director:
From: Marcus Svenson, Finance Director
To: Senior Finance Manager
Subject: News reports
Hi,
I have sent you a link to a news site on the internet. Things are getting complicated in Bravador.
Every Board member has been asked to attend a brainstorming session this afternoon, before the CEO flies out to Bravador this evening.
We will be considering the following four matters:
Is it acceptable for us to develop this forest, given the commitment that we have made with respect to indigenous peoples’ rights? They have been quoted at the end of the news article.
Is it fair for the environmental protestors to complain that our operations are unsustainable?
Would it be unethical to offer to build a village, with a proper school and medical clinic, for the tribe and to offer them work in our forestry operations?
Is it really a good idea for the CEO to fly to Bravador just to appear on the television news in his boots and overalls?
Please email me your thoughts on each of these matters before I leave for the meeting this afternoon.
Marcus
The Director of Finance, William Seaton, has stopped you in the corridor:
“Your report was really helpful, but the Board is still considering the implications of that email from Jan Archibald at Fouce Oil. I need to make a more detailed report to the Board and I would like you to draft it for me.
I know that we have owned and operated oil wells in the past, but that has always been with the intention of finding a buyer who is prepared to pay a realistic price. We have chosen never to think about the implications of keeping wells.
I need a report from you that covers the following issues:
The key political risks of retaining our interest in these oil wells, with particular emphasis on high consequence, high likelihood risks.
A suitable response to each of your political risks.
An overview of how changes in the global economy and the demand for oil could affect the decision to proceed.
The challenges associated with putting together a management team to take charge of the production side of this proposed new strategy.
I realise that this is a lot to ask of you, but I need you to move quickly because of the interest from our biggest shareholder.”
The Director of Finance, William Seaton, has stopped you in the corridor:
“Your report was really helpful, but the Board is still considering the implications of that email from Jan Archibald at Fouce Oil. I need to make a more detailed report to the Board and I would like you to draft it for me.
I know that we have owned and operated oil wells in the past, but that has always been with the intention of finding a buyer who is prepared to pay a realistic price. We have chosen never to think about the implications of keeping wells.
I need a report from you that covers the following issues:
The key political risks of retaining our interest in these oil wells, with particular emphasis on high consequence, high likelihood risks.
A suitable response to each of your political risks.
An overview of how changes in the global economy and the demand for oil could affect the decision to proceed.
The challenges associated with putting together a management team to take charge of the production side of this proposed new strategy.
I realise that this is a lot to ask of you, but I need you to move quickly because of the interest from our biggest shareholder.”
From: Martin Wills, Head Geologist
To: William Seaton, Director of Finance
Subject: Reserves
Hi William,
I have reviewed the situation with respect to our “probable” or “2P” reserves, as disclosed in our latest annual report. I am sorry to say that we have to downgrade our figures with respect to reserves. I am recommending that all extraction activities cease for the foreseeable future on the North Atlantic and South Atlantic fields and that the proved reserves be downgraded from proved to probable.
I have to stress that this is not attributable to any past error on the part of the geologists. The world oil price has been depressed and the discovery of large deposits of shale oil in the USA suggests that the oil price will not recover for some time. That means that some oil wells that were commercially viable this time last year are no longer worth processing.
The oil remains under the rock and I have no doubt that we will restore operations in the long term.
We are by no means the only oil company to have been forced to take this action.
The one piece of good news is that the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2014 have already been published. My understanding is that we do not have to withdraw them, so unless you put an advertisement in the press, we can carry on quietly trying to sort this mess out.
I have my best people working on ways to extract oil from our wells more efficiently, so we may be able to increase production over the next year or so.
Martin
The following email has just arrived:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: News article
Hi,
My Secretary has drawn my attention to the attached newspaper clipping. I have been reading comments like this since Fouce Oil acquired its interest in 2010. We briefed the press at the time and made it clear that we would not be commenting further on our relationship with it unless it changed
materially. Nothing has happened since then to make us change our mind on that.
The Board has asked me to compile a report on the following:
How might the presence of Fouce Oil, as a 25% shareholder, affect our decision making as a Board of Directors? Perhaps, surprisingly, we have never had a formal discussion of this matter.
How will Fouce Oil’s stake in Slide affect our share price?
I would like you to email me your thoughts on these points so that I can have as long as possible to think about what I will say to the Board.
Thanks
William
The newspaper clipping can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.
You received a telephone call at home early in the morning, asking you to check your emails. The following email was waiting for you:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Public relations crisis
Hi,
This email arrived from the Head of our Middle East office just now. They are a few hours ahead of us, so he rang me at home to make sure that I had seen his message.
We have a few hours before the news article will be published, so I need to make the best use of that time in order to limit the damage to Slide. Your priority is to protect our reputation because I have already woken up the engineers and geologists and they are going to deal with the actual oil spillage.
I am not thinking too clearly, so I need you to provide some initial thoughts on the following:
Should we use our business relationship with Business News to have them withdraw the story? We are a major advertiser and we spend millions with them every month.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Should we respond with the facts as we know them? All we know for certain is that there have been reports of oil contamination in an area that has countless oil facilities nearby, and so we could deny all responsibility, at least until our experts have had the chance to get there and to investigate.
If we do decide to make a public announcement then we will need to have a plan in place. We need to assemble a team to deal with the press.
How should we structure our media response team?
What are the key factors that the Board should consider when communicating with the press? Explain why the factors that you have identified are important.
I realise that it is still very early, but I need your thoughts very quickly.
Thanks
William
The email referred to above can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.
You received a telephone call at home early in the morning, asking you to check your emails. The following email was waiting for you:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Public relations crisis
Hi,
This email arrived from the Head of our Middle East office just now. They are a few hours ahead of us, so he rang me at home to make sure that I had seen his message.
We have a few hours before the news article will be published, so I need to make the best use of that time in order to limit the damage to Slide. Your priority is to protect our reputation because I have already woken up the engineers and geologists and they are going to deal with the actual oil spillage.
I am not thinking too clearly, so I need you to provide some initial thoughts on the following:
Should we use our business relationship with Business News to have them withdraw the story? We are a major advertiser and we spend millions with them every month.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Should we respond with the facts as we know them? All we know for certain is that there have been reports of oil contamination in an area that has countless oil facilities nearby, and so we could deny all responsibility, at least until our experts have had the chance to get there and to investigate.
If we do decide to make a public announcement then we will need to have a plan in place. We need to assemble a team to deal with the press.
How should we structure our media response team?
What are the key factors that the Board should consider when communicating with the press? Explain why the factors that you have identified are important.
I realise that it is still very early, but I need your thoughts very quickly.
Thanks
William
The email referred to above can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.
It is now three days since the start of the oil spillage crisis.
You have received the following email from William Seaton, Director of Finance:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Crisis management issues
Hi,
A quick update on the latest developments.
We have brought Block Associates in to lead the operations on dealing with the oil spill. It has assigned one of its leading consultants to take charge of this for us. We have paid Block Associates an annual retainer for many years, but we have never actually had to call on its services because we have been able to contain any environmental problems using our own resources.
Using Block Associates is going to be expensive. It insists on being free to bring in whatever equipment and personnel are required to resolve matters and to charge that on the basis of cost plus 25%. Our annual retainer is simply the cost of ensuring that it will respond on this basis if required.
We have had some murmurings of discontent already because our own engineers and geologists have made significant progress in identifying the cause of the spillage and they believe that they are capable of bringing it to a successful conclusion. They have suggested that it would be both quicker and cheaper to leave them in charge, while retaining the option to bring in Block Associates at a later date if they fail.
Firstly, what factors should we take into account in deciding whether to leave our own experts in charge of this operation rather than using Block Associates?
Secondly, how should we manage our relationship with Block Associates if we decide that it should be used?
Thirdly, two things: The Board is concerned that Slide’s engineers and geologists have already become disillusioned by the decision to consider calling in Block Associates. We cannot afford to lose their commitment or to see them decide to leave Slide in the longer term. I need you to provide me with some ideas as to how we can motivate them to give their best performance for the duration of this crisis AND to inspire them to remain in Slide’s employment after the crisis has been resolved.
William
The following email has been forwarded to you by William Seaton, Director of Finance:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Email from CFO of Fouce Oil
Hi
This email arrived last night. I need you to help me to think through the various implications of doing what it suggests before I present it to the Board. I need you to focus on the following issues:
Would this proposal make sense from a strategic point of view?
If we did decide to go ahead, what would be the issues that we would have to consider with respect to informing the
stock market?
Could you please email me your thoughts within the next hour? I have to brief the Board later today.
Thanks
William
The email referred to can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.