Financial-Management Exam Dumps - WGU Courses and Certificates Questions and Answers

Maintaining a cash reserve is a core element of prudent working capital management. Firms hold cash to meet transaction needs, precautionary needs, and sometimes speculative opportunities. The precautionary motive is particularly important, as it allows firms to handle unexpected expenses, revenue shortfalls, or economic disruptions without relying on costly external financing. Adequate liquidity reduces the risk of financial distress and enhances operational flexibility. Financial management theory emphasizes balancing the opportunity cost of holding cash against the benefits of liquidity. Option C accurately reflects this precautionary and liquidity-focused rationale.

The data show that Freedom Rock Bicycles has gross margins comparable to or slightly above the industry but significantly lower operating margins. This indicates that the problem is not production efficiency or cost of goods sold, but rather operating expenses such as selling, general, and administrative costs or fixed overhead. Additionally, asset turnover is roughly in line with industry averages, suggesting that asset utilization is not the primary issue. From a financial management perspective, when gross margin is healthy but operating margin lags, the logical focus is on controlling non-production costs and evaluating fixed cost structures. Reducing unnecessary overhead, improving operating efficiency, or restructuring fixed expenses can directly improve operating margin and overall profitability. Option C best reflects this targeted, ratio-driven recommendation. The other options either misdiagnose the problem or focus on areas already performing adequately relative to peers.

The quick ratio, also known as the acid-test ratio, measures a firm’s ability to meet short-term obligations using its most liquid assets. It is calculated as:

(Cash + Accounts Receivable + Marketable Securities) ÷ Current Liabilities.

For Whole Pine Inc., quick assets include cash of $2,000 and accounts receivable of $500, totaling $2,500. Inventory is excluded because it is less liquid and may not be easily converted into cash. Current liabilities consist of accounts payable of $1,000. Dividing $2,500 by $1,000 yields a quick ratio of 2.50. This indicates that the firm has $2.50 in highly liquid assets for every $1.00 of short-term obligations, suggesting strong short-term liquidity. Option C correctly reflects this calculation and interpretation.

Bond credit ratings assess the likelihood that a borrower will meet its interest and principal obligations. Rating agencies evaluate factors such as earnings stability, cash flow coverage, leverage, liquidity, and overall business risk. Companies with strong, consistent earnings and low leverage are viewed as less risky because they have greater capacity to service debt even during economic downturns. High liquidity further reduces default risk by ensuring near-term obligations can be met. Option C best matches these criteria. Firms with a history of default, excessive leverage, weak liquidity, or uncertain business models face higher perceived risk and therefore receive lower credit ratings. High credit ratings allow firms to borrow at lower interest rates, reducing financing costs and improving financial flexibility—key goals in long-term financial management.

Country risk refers to the possibility that political, economic, legal, or social conditions in a foreign country will negatively affect a firm’s operations and cash flows. In global financial management, this risk directly influences investment appraisal, financing choices, and risk management policies. For capital budgeting, higher country risk can lower expected cash flows (e.g., through capital controls, expropriation risk, supply disruptions, or taxation changes) and/or increase the discount rate applied to foreign projects. For financing, lenders and investors demand higher returns in riskier jurisdictions, affecting borrowing costs and feasible capital structures. Firms respond by using mitigation strategies such as diversification across countries, contractual protections, political risk insurance, careful partner selection, staging investments, and hedging currency exposures when relevant. Country risk also drives decisions about where to locate production, how to structure subsidiaries, and whether to denominate contracts and debt in local or hard currencies. Because country conditions can materially change expected outcomes, it is a core planning input rather than irrelevant or simplifying, making option A the correct statement.

The Gordon growth model values a stock assuming dividends grow at a constant rate indefinitely. The formula is:

Stock Value = D₁ ÷ (r − g),

where D₁ is the expected dividend next year, r is the required rate of return, and g is the growth rate. Substituting the values:

$2 ÷ (0.10 − 0.05) = $2 ÷ 0.05 = $40.

This model is widely used in valuation for mature companies with stable dividend growth. It highlights the sensitivity of stock value to growth expectations and required returns. Option C correctly applies the Gordon growth model formula.

Total asset turnover measures how efficiently a firm uses its assets to generate revenue. It is calculated as Sales ÷ Total Assets. For Whole Pine Inc., sales for 20X3 are $10,000 and total assets are $8,000. Dividing $10,000 by $8,000 yields a total asset turnover of 1.25. This means the company generates $1.25 in sales for every $1.00 invested in assets. From a financial management perspective, this ratio is a key indicator of operating efficiency and is commonly compared across firms within the same industry or across time. A higher turnover suggests more efficient use of assets, while a lower turnover may indicate underutilized capacity or inefficient asset deployment. Asset turnover is also a component of the DuPont analysis, linking operational efficiency to return on equity. Option B correctly reflects both the calculation and interpretation consistent with standard financial analysis practice.