BEC Flashcards
Define Market Risk
The risk that a sluggish economy will affect the value of a debt instrument
Define Sector Risk
The risk that an event in the investment’s business sector will harm the investment
For example- the banking sector is sluggish- so even stocks of healthy banks suffer
Define Credit/Default Risk
The risk that a debtor will be unable to make loan payments or pay back the principal
Define Interest Rate Risk
The risk that a change in interest rates will adversely affect the value of the note
Example: Bond is for 10% but prevailing market rate is now 12%. If bondholder wants to sell it- they will have to sell it at a discount.
What does Standard Deviation measure?
It measures the volatility of an investment.
What is Systematic Risk?
Risk that impacts the entire market and can’t be avoided or reduced through diversification
Example: Wars
What is Unsystematic Risk?
Relates to a particular industry or company
Example: You own stocks in ethanol plants and an untimely freeze kills all of the corn in the Midwest
What does Beta measure?
Beta measures how volatile the investment is relative to the rest of the market.
In other words- how quickly (and in what amount) does the value of the stock change when the market sways?
What is Variance?
It compares volatility of an investment to the market average.
Factors include both Systematic and Unsystematic Risk.
What is a Derivative?
An asset whose value is DERIVED from the value of another asset.
Derivatives are measured at Fair Value.
How is an Option used?
Gives the buyer the option to buy or sell a financial derivative at a certain price
Traders use them to speculate where they think the price will be at a certain point and make a profit
Hedgers use them to offset risk
What is a Future?
A Forward Contract with a future value.
They are sold and traded on the futures market.
What is an Interest Rate Swap?
Forward Contract to swap payment agreements
They are highly liquid and often valued using the Zero-Coupon method.
Example: Steve pays Sally a fixed payment with a fixed interest rate. Sally pays Steve a variable payment tied to a benchmark such as LIBOR
What is Legal Risk?
Risk that a law or regulation will void the derivative
What is a Fair Value Hedge?
Hedge that protects against the value of an asset or liability changing.
Changes in value are reported in earnings.
What is a Cash Flow Hedge?
A hedge that protects against a set of future cash flows changing.
Changes in value are reported in OCI.
What is a Foreign Currency Hedge?
A hedge that protects against the value of a foreign currency changing.
For example- a foreign currency hedge might be used to protect against the following: If you have receivables denominated in a foreign currency and that currency dips in value - your receivables are worth less than before.
What is a Static Budget?
Budget targeted for a specific segment of a company.
What is a Maser Budget?
Budget targeted for the company as a whole
Includes budgets for Operations and Cash Flows
Includes set of budgeted Financial Statements
How do Fixed Costs affect budgeting?
Costs independent of the level activity within the relevant range
Property Tax is the same whether you produce 100-000 units or zero units
However - Fixed Costs per unit vary given the amount of activity
If you produce fewer units- fixed costs per unit will be greater than if you produce more units - i.e. less units to spread the cost over
How do Variable Costs affect budgeting?
The more Direct Materials or Direct Labor used- the more Variable Costs per unit
However - Variable Costs per unit don’t change with the level of activity like Fixed Costs per unit
How are Material Variances calculated?
SAM:
Standard Material Costs
- Actual Material Costs
= Material Variance
How are Labor Variances calculated?
SAL
Standard Labor Costs
- Actual Labor Costs
= Labor Variance
How are Overhead Variances calculated?
OAT
Overhead Applied
- Actual Overhead Cost
= Total Overhead Variance
How does Absorption Costing compare to Variable Costing?
Absorption Costing - External Use- Cost of Sales- Gross Profit- SG&A
Variable Costing - Internal Use- Variable Costs- Contribution Margin- Fixed Costs
How is Contribution Margin calculated?
Sales Price (per unit)
- Variable Cost (per unit)
= Contribution Margin (per unit)
How is Break-even Point (per unit) calculated?
Total Fixed Costs / Contribution Margin (per unit)
= Break-even Point Per Unit
Assumption: Total Costs & Total Revenues are LINEAR
What is the focus in a Cost Center?
Management is concerned only with costs
What is the focus in a Profit Center?
Management is concerned with both costs and profits
What is the focus in an Investment Center?
Management is concerned with costs- profits- and assets
What is the Delphi technique?
Forecasting technique where Data is collected and analyzed
Requires judgement/consensus
What is Regression Analysis?
A forecasting technique where Sales is the dependent variable.
Simple Regression - One independent variable
Multiple Regression - Multiple independent variables
What are Econometric Models?
Forecast sales using Economic Data
What are Naive Forecasting Models?
Very Simplistic
- Eyeball past trends and make an estimate
How does a Moving Average compare to Exponential Smoothing?
Both project estimates using average trends from recent periods
Difference: Exponential Smoothing weighs recent data more heavily
What are the characteristics of Short-term Cost Analysis?
Uses Relevant Costs Only
Ignore Sunk Costs
Opportunity Cost is a Must
Which IT personnel roles should always be segregated?
Operators
Programmers
Librarians
What are the duties of a systems analyst?
Designs or purchases IT system
Responsible for flowcharts
Liaison between Users and Programmers
Note: Think IT Manager
What is the primary duty of a Systems Administrator?
A Systems Administrator controls database access.
What are the duties of a Systems Programmer?
Writes- Updates- Maintains- & Tests software- systems- and compilers
Which duties should a Systems Programmer NOT have?
In order to maximize internal control- a Systems Programmer should NOT have application programming duties/abilities or be an Operator on the system.
What are the duties of a Systems Operator?
Schedules and Monitors Jobs
Runs IT Help Desk
What duties should a System Operator NOT have?
For internal control purposes- they should not be a Programmer on the system.
If it is not possible to segregate duties in an IT System- what actions should be taken to compensate for internal control purposes?
Include Computer Logs.
Control Group should review the logs.
What is the purpose of a Management Information System (MIS)?
To assist with decision making.
What is an Accounting Information System (AIS)?
A type of Management Information System (MIS) that processes accounting transactions.
What are the characteristics of an Executive Information System (EIS)?
Specialized for Company Executive needs
Assists with Strategy Only
No Decision-Making Capabilities
What are the characteristics of an Expert System (ES)?
Computer uses reasoning
Structured
No human interpretation needed
What are the characteristics of a Decision Support System (DSS)?
Computer provides data
Gives Interactive Support
Human interpretation needed
What are the characteristics of an Ad Hoc computer report?
User initiates the report.
The report is created upon demand.
When are Exception reports generated?
Exception reports are produced when Edit Tests- Check Digits- or Self-Checking Digits identify a problem
What is a query?
A type of Ad Hoc report- initiated by a user.
What is End-User Computing?
The User develops and executes their own application.
What is the primary benefit of E-commerce?
E-commerce makes business transactions easier.
What are the risks of E-commerce?
Compromised data or theft.
Less paper trail for auditors.
What are the benefits of Electronic Data Interchange?
Uses globally-accepted standards
Efficient
What is a File Server?
A file server stores shared programs and documents.
What is the purpose of a Database?
Located on a File Server- a Database allows users to share documents.
What is the purpose of a LAN (Local Area Network)?
It connects computers in close proximity.
What is the purpose of a WAN (Wide Area Network)?
It connects computers that are far apart.
What are the characteristics of a VAN (Value-Added Network)?
Privately-owned Network
Serves as 3rd Party Between 2 Companies
Routes EDI Transactions
Accepts wide range of Protocols
Very Costly
What is the purpose of a Firewall?
Prevents unauthorized access to a network.
What are the characteristics of a virus?
Takes over a computer
Needs a host program to run
What are the characteristics of a computer worm?
Takes over multiple computers
Doesn’t need a host program to run
What is the purpose of Automated Equipment Controls?
They prevent and detect hardware errors.
What is RAM?
Random Access Memory.
Internal memory in the computer used during immediate processing.
What is a CPU?
Computer Processing Unit
It processes commands within a computer.
What is Job Control Language?
It schedules and allocates system resources.
What are examples of input devices?
Keyboard
Mouse
Scanner
Magnetic Ink Reader
Magnetic Tape Reader
EDI
Point of Sale Scanner
What are examples of Output Devices?
Speakers
Monitors
Printers
What are the characteristics of Magnetic Tape storage?
Sequential Access - Sorts data in order
Slower data retrieval
Header Label prevents Operator error by loading wrong tape
External Labels prevent accidental destruction by operator
What are the characteristics of Magnetic Disks?
Random Access - Finds data in random spots
Faster data retrieval
Uses Boundary Protection for data
What is a Gateway?
Connects one network to another
Note: the Internet is connected by Gateways
What are Parity Checks?
A control that detects internal data errors.
A bit is added to each character- it checks to see if a bit was lost.
What is an Echo Check?
Transmitted data is returned to the sender for verification (it echoes back to the sender)
What is a Change Control?
It authorizes program changes and approves program test results.
What is security software?
Software that controls access to IT systems.
Note: Don’t confuse this with anti-virus software
What is the purpose of a Digital Signature?
It confirms a message has not been altered.
List the types of computers from smallest to largest
PDA/Smartphone/Tablet
Microcomputer - PC- Laptop (cost-effective)
Minicomputer - Like a Mainframe- but smaller
Mainframe - Large computer with terminals attached
Supercomputer - Very powerful and very big
What are the units of computer data from smallest to largest?
Bit - 1 (on) and 0 (off)
Byte - 8 bits to a byte/character
Field - group of related characters/bytes (i.e. Name- Zip Code- Serial #)
Record - Group of related fields (i.e. Member name- address- phone number)
File - Group of related records (i.e. Membership directory)
What is the duty of a design engineer?
Determine language used for a specific computer- on a computer-to-computer basis
What are object programs?
Programs written in base computer language- not similar to English.
How can source programs be recognized?
They are written in a language close to English.
What is the purpose of a Compiler?
Takes Source language (English) and converts to Object (Computer) Language
How does Online Analytical Processing work?
It uses a Data Warehouse to support management decision making.
What is Data Mining?
Using artificial intelligence and pattern recognition to analyze data stores within a Data Warehouse.
What is the purpose of online transaction processing?
To process a company’s routine transactions.
What are the characteristics of batch processing?
Data held- updates multiple files all at once
Leaves a better audit trail
Uses Grandfather-Father-Son backup (3 levels of backup kept in 3 locations)
What does an output control check for?
Checks to see if output data is valid- distributed and used in an authorized manner.
What does a processing control check?
Checks if data processing produced proper output
What is a hash total?
An input control number- a meaningless sum of values included in the input.
Example would be summing a list of SSNs to make sure the data is the same once entered as it was prior to input into the system.
What is a validity check?
Checks to see if data in existing tables or files belongs in the set
For example- is there a # in an alpha-only field or a letter in a numeric-only field
What is a limit check?
Checks to see if numbers surpass a certain limit- i.e. in an age field is the number greater than 110.
What is a check digit?
An input control that adds an identification number to a set of
digits - usually at the end
What is a field check?
An input check that prevents invalid characters- i.e. checks for alphabetic letters in a SSN field
What is a Hot Site?
A disaster recovery system where if the main system goes down- a Hot Site is ready to take over immediately.
What is a Cold Site?
If a main system goes down- a Cold Site will take time to get set up and running.
What is the most common database language?
SQL - Structured Query Language
What is a Data Definition Language?
Defines SQL Database
Controls SQL Tables
What is a Data Manipulation Language?
Queries SQL Database tables
What is a Data Control Language?
Controls Access to SQL Database
What are the characteristics of a Relational Database?
Logical structure
Uses rows and columns similar to spreadsheet
What are the characteristics of a Hierarchical Database?
Has various levels
Uses trees to store data
What are the advantages of a database?
Data is more accessible
Reduced redundancy
What are the disadvantages of a database?
Cost of installation
Skilled personnel required to maintain
What are the components of a database?
Desktop client
Application Server
Database Server
Think: Your desktop computer runs applications and saves to a database
What four perspectives are included in Balanced Scorecard?
Financial / Customer / Internal Business Processes / Learning and Growth
Why was Balanced Scorecard created?
To measure Performance.
What are Strategy Maps?
Diagrams of Strategic Cause and Effect Relationships.
What is a Strategic Initiative?
A plan to achieve goals.
What measures are used under Value-Based Management?
Return on Investment Residual Income Spread Economic Value Added Free Cash Flow
How is Return on Investment (ROI) calculated?
ROI : Return / Investment
Example: You Invest $100 to buy a machine that generates $60 in Operating Income
$60 / $100 : 60% ROI
How is Residual Income calculated?
Operating Income - (Required Rate of Return x Invested Capital) : Residual Income
What is another name for Required Rate of Return (RROR)?
RROR is also called ‘Cost of Capital’
What is Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)? How is it calculated?
Cost of Capital is the weighted average of the interest rates you pay for your Capital.
Includes Debt and the Rate of Return your Equity Shareholders expect
Example: 45% of your Capital is supported by debt and has an interest rate of 9%. 55% of your Capital is supported by equity and shareholders expect a ROR of 12%
Your Cost of Capital is: (.45 x .09) + (.55 x .12) : 10.65%
How is Spread calculated?
Spread : ROI - Cost of Capital
What is the primary point of Economic Value Added? How is it calculated?
Investments should exceed costs- with an emphasis on stockholder value.
Economic Value Added : Operating Income After Tax - (Net Assets x WACC)
How is Free Cash Flow calculated?
Operating Income After Tax \+ Depreciation & Amortization - Capital Expenditures - Change in Net Working Capital \: Free Cash Flow
What is measured by Six Sigma?
It measures a product versus its quality goal.
What is the Asset Turnover Ratio?
Sales / Average Assets
What does the Current Ratio tell us? How is it calculated?
Can the company pay their short-term liabilities?
Current Ratio : Current Assets / Current Liabilities
What does the Debt to Equity Ratio tell us? How is it calculated?
How is the company financing its capital?
Debt to Equity Ratio : Total Debt / Total Equity
What does the Debt to Total Assets ratio tell us? How is it calculated?
What proportions of the company’s assets are encumbered with debt?
Debt to Total Assets : Total Liabilities / Total Assets
What does Gross Margin % tell us? How is it calculated?
How profitable is the product after COGS?
Gross Margin : Gross Profit / Net Sales
What does Operating Profit Margin tell us? How is it calculated?
How profitable is the product after all expenses (except interest and taxes)?
Operating Profit Margin : Operating Profit / Net Sales
How is Times Interest Earned calculated and what does it mean?
Can the company make their interest payments?
Times Interest Earned : Earnings Before Tax & Interest / Interest Expense
What does Return on Assets tell us? How is it calculated?
What % return are the assets generating?
Return on Assets : Net Income (net of interest & taxes) / Average Total Assets
How is Market/Book ratio calculated?
Market Value of Common Stock / Book Value of Common Stock
What is Inventory Turnover and how is it calculated?
How quickly does inventory get sold?
Inventory Turnover : COGS / Average Inventory