Financial Decision Making for Manage

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Over the past 10 weeks working at Maryland Creative Solutions, LLC (MCS), you have continued to prove your value through your ethical organizational analysis and ability to build effective virtual teams, while working hard in the areas of economics, finance, and accounting. Frank Marinara and Elisa Izuki are happy with your progress, and have decided to offer you a junior partner position with MCS. Congratulations! You’re excited to continue working for the company and believe you are on the right path to someday making senior partner.

INBOX (2 NEW EMAILS)

From: Frank Marinara, MCS Director of Finance

To: You

Congrats on the promotion, we couldn’t have asked for a better junior partner. Keep it up!

Frank

 

From: Elisa, MCS Managing Senior Director Partnerships

To: You

We’re glad to have you as the newest junior partner at MCS. You will now be responsible for a greater depth of analysis as you make recommendations for our clients.

McCormick & Company is very satisfied with the work our accounting and finance teams did on the previous project, and they would like us to continue working with them. In our ongoing work with this client, we are expecting you to be able to determine the cost of capital and make capital budgeting decisions.

McCormick is considering a new project that requires an initial investment to build a new plant and purchase equipment. Given the information on capital structure and valuation that I’ll pass along to you, you’ll need to determine if McCormick should accept this project. You’ll be digging into the company’s market capitalization figures and value of debt to make cost of capital decisions and you’ll be analyzing the valuation of multiple cash flows to provide guidance on key budgeting choices.

I also want you to join a meeting next week on the topic of capital budgeting with the other financial analysts. This discussion will help the client decide how they should organize their capital budget for making financial decisions.

Ultimately, we’d like you to give a presentation to the client that summarizes your guidance and file a report that highlights your recommendations. Now that you are junior partner, I am expecting you to give the presentation to the client. I’ll need all of these assignments complete within the next two weeks. I know it’s a lot, but I have no doubts about your abilities.

Reach out if you need anything,

Elisa

Elisa needs all of these assignments done within two weeks. As usual, you can get started in Step 1, but first, take two minutes to view the video below.

Transcript

Course Touchpoint

When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.

· 1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer’s ideas.  

· 1.6: Follow conventions of Standard Written English.  

· 1.7: Create neat and professional looking documents appropriate for the project or presentation.    

· 3.1: Identify numerical or mathematical information that is relevant in a problem or situation.

· 3.2: Employ mathematical or statistical operations and data analysis techniques to arrive at a correct or optimal solution.

· 3.3: Analyze mathematical or statistical information, or the results of quantitative inquiry and manipulation of data.

· 3.4: Employ software applications and analytic tools to analyze, visualize, and present data to inform decision-making.

· 5.3: Create, implement, and evaluate a personal leadership development plan.

· 10.4: Make strategic managerial decisions for obtaining capital required for achieving organizational goals.

· 10.5: Develop operating forecasts and budgets and apply managerial accounting techniques to support strategic decisions.

Step 1: Make Cost of Capital Decisions

MCS provides consulting services for clients to help them identify areas of improvement in their financial structure and apply industry best practices in future business decisions. McCormick needs the expertise of MCS consultants to better understand the financial implications of pursuing a new project that requires an initial investment to build a new plant and purchase equipment. To provide these services, a junior partner must first understand the cost of capital by exploring weighted average cost of capital (WACC), capital asset pricing model (CAPM), and market value ratios.

Working in this Project 5 McCormick Workbook Elisa has provided, complete the Cost of Capital worksheet. The Cost of Capital worksheet contains information about weight of equity and debt, cost of equity and debt, and the weighted average cost of capital, as well as questions that will help the client in selecting the best financing decision.

When you have completed the Cost of Capital worksheet, submit it to the submission folder located in the final step of this project. You should aim to complete this step during Week 10.

Now that you have completed Step 1, proceed to Step 2, where you will make capital budgeting decisions.

Step 2: Make Capital Budgeting Decisions

McCormick & Company will also need assistance in understanding how their anticipated growth, debt, market return, and marginal tax rate will affect their bottom line if they choose to pursue this new project.

Recalling what you have learned in the previous project about the time value of money and present value, you will also need to be knowledgeable about the ROE, ROA, and the DuPont Equation, as well as capital structure and valuation of multiple cash flows to help McCormick make the decision on the project.

Working with the same Project 5 Excel Workbook you used in Step 1, complete the Capital Budgeting worksheet. This worksheet contains additional information on the data that will drive McCormick’s investment decision—whether or not to build a new plant and purchase equipment.

When you have completed the Capital Budgeting worksheet, submit the Project 5 Excel Workbook to the folder located in the final step of this project. As you enter Week 11, proceed to Step 3, in which you will discuss capital budgeting with the finance team.

 

Step 3: Discuss Capital Budgeting

Calendar Invite

Event: Capital Budgeting Discussion

Location: Compass Room

Meeting Organizer: Elisa Izuki, MCS Managing Senior Director Partnerships

 

Elisa has asked the finance team to meet and discuss how capital budgeting will influence McCormick’s investment decision. Complete the following tasks within your group:

· Discuss whether McCormick & Company should invest in a new factory in Largo, Maryland. Give credit to any sources you use to support your statements.

· Discuss how understanding capital budgeting will impact this decision. Give credit to any sources you use to support your statements.

· Later in the week, after you are back in your office, you have a follow-up discussion with your MCS colleagues in an effort to summarize the key lessons from your discussion on capital budgeting at the meeting. Respond to your colleagues' original discussion posts and give credit to any sources you use to support your statements. 

During Week 11, submit one original posting of at least 250 words in the Capital Budgeting Discussion by Saturday and post two responses of at least 50 words each to other discussion participants by Tuesday. See MBA discussion guidelines.

When you have completed Step 3, proceed to Step 4, where you will prepare an executive summary and PowerPoint presentation about the work you have completed.

Step 4: Prepare Executive Summary and PowerPoint Presentation

INBOX (1 NEW EMAIL)

From: Frank Marinara, Director of Finance

To: You

Hope all is going well.

Now that you’re concluding your project for McCormick & Company, please prepare an executive summary based on your analysis and recommendations from the previous steps. This executive summary, along with citations for any sources you use, should be about one page in length.

Within your executive summary, you may also want to reflect on what you could have done better on this project and how you plan to improve on future projects. The reflection is optional, but I think you’ll find it beneficial to your personal growth. In addition, I’d like you to prepare a brief PowerPoint presentation highlighting your analysis and recommendations to help McCormick & Company identify areas of improvement in their operations and explore options to make cost of capital decisions based on capital budgeting.

Can’t wait to see the summary and presentation.

Best,

Frank

Error! Filename not specified.

Post your executive summary and PowerPoint presentation in the submission folder located in the final step of this project.

The executive summary and PowerPoint presentation should demonstrate your ability to think critically. This is your chance to be recognized for your knowledge in the accounting and finance field.

Complete your PowerPoint presentation in Week 11 using this Project 5 PowerPoint template.

When you have completed Step 4, proceed to Step 5, where you will complete and submit your skills gap analysis to MCS’ Human Resources office.

Step 5: Complete Skills Gap Analysis

INBOX (1 NEW EMAIL)

From: Jennifer Craylin, Human Resources Generalist

To: You

Good morning,

At MCS, LLC our Human Resources department conducts a 10 week post-project self-evaluation of your skills. Using the same skills gap analysis file that was sent to you when you began with us, self-evaluate your project-related knowledge and skills accounting for your growth as you have worked on the other projects within MCS.

The skills gap analysis will help you identify the skill areas you have enhanced by completing the previous five projects. This self-evaluation measures the gains in competencies you have developed.

Complete your preliminary skills gap analysis by the end of Week 11. Carefully follow the instructions below:

· Use the same skills gap analysis file you used at the beginning of the course to self-evaluate the knowledge and skills you gained from working with MCS. Use the Project 5 worksheet within the file to complete this step.

· Identify the skill gaps you worked to reduce over the past 10 weeks and ascertain whether and how much you improved those skills. Take a moment to reflect on the activities you pursed to help you hone those skills. Include your reflection of no more than 200 words in the space provided in the skills gap analysis file.

· Submit your updated skills gap analysis to the submission folder located in the final step of this project.

Please complete as soon as possible and submit. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with your progress.

Best,

Jennifer

When you have completed Step 4, move onto Step 5 where you will submit all work for Project 5.

Step 6: Submit Your Work

Take note of the recommended delivery dates in the table below.

Recommended Project Delivery

	Submission week	Deliverable	File-naming protocol
Step 1	Week 10	Cost of Capital worksheet	lastname_firstname_cost_of_capital.docx
Step 2	Week 10	Capital Budgeting worksheet	lastname_firstname_capital_budgeting.docx
Step 3	Week 11	Discuss capital budgeting	Submit discussion posts and responses in the Capital Budgeting Discussion section in Step 3.
Step 4	Week 11	· Executive summary · PowerPoint presentation	· lastname_firstname_executive_summary · lastname_firstname_PowerPoint.docx
Step 5	Week 11	Skills gap analysis	lastname_firstname_skills_gap_analysis.docx

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST @ MCS

When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.

· 1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer’s ideas.  

· 1.6: Follow conventions of Standard Written English.  

· 1.7: Create neat and professional looking documents appropriate for the project or presentation.    

· 3.1: Identify numerical or mathematical information that is relevant in a problem or situation.

· 3.2: Employ mathematical or statistical operations and data analysis techniques to arrive at a correct or optimal solution.

· 3.3: Analyze mathematical or statistical information, or the results of quantitative inquiry and manipulation of data.

· 3.4: Employ software applications and analytic tools to analyze, visualize, and present data to inform decision-making.

· 5.3: Create, implement, and evaluate a personal leadership development plan.

· 10.4: Make strategic managerial decisions for obtaining capital required for achieving organizational goals.

· 10.5: Develop operating forecasts and budgets and apply managerial accounting techniques to support strategic decisions.