Financial management - introduction, sources of finance national and international, time value of money, risk and return, cost of capital, capital structure, leverages, dividend policy - Question Bank

1. A company with a higher proportion of debt in its capital structure is said to have:
A) Lower financial risk
B) Higher financial risk
C) Lower operating risk
D) Higher operating risk
2. Which theory of dividends suggests that dividend policy is irrelevant to firm value?
A) Residual Dividend Theory
B) Bird-in-the-Hand Theory
C) Dividend Irrelevance Theory
D) Clientele Effect
3. The Net Present Value (NPV) method of capital budgeting relies heavily on the concept of:
A) Future Value
B) Time Value of Money
C) Depreciation
D) Inflation
4. Which of the following is a short-term source of finance?
A) Debentures
B) Preference shares
C) Trade credit
D) Venture capital
5. What is the main implication of the concept of 'risk premium' in finance?
A) Investors require compensation for bearing risk
B) Higher risk assets always yield higher returns
C) Risk can be completely eliminated
D) The risk-free rate is always negative
6. The Modigliani-Miller theorem's assumptions of perfect capital markets include:
A) Information asymmetry and transaction costs
B) Taxes, bankruptcy costs, and agency costs
C) No taxes, no transaction costs, and perfect information
D) Market imperfections and government regulations
7. Which component of capital structure typically has the lowest cost?
A) Equity
B) Preferred stock
C) Debt
D) Retained earnings
8. What is the primary purpose of calculating the Cost of Capital?
A) To determine the selling price of products
B) To set a minimum acceptable rate of return for new investments
C) To calculate the company's tax liability
D) To measure the efficiency of operations
9. Which of the following is a disadvantage of a high dividend payout ratio?
A) Attracts income-seeking investors
B) Reduces the amount of retained earnings available for reinvestment
C) Can lead to higher stock prices
D) Signals financial health
10. The payment of dividends from retained earnings is a key aspect of:
A) Capital budgeting
B) Working capital management
C) Dividend policy
D) Capital structure decisions
11. Which of the following is a measure of a company's operating leverage?
A) Degree of Financial Leverage (DFL)
B) Degree of Combined Leverage (DCL)
C) Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL)
D) Cost of Equity
12. The risk-free rate of return is typically represented by the yield on:
A) Corporate bonds
B) Common stocks
C) Government securities
D) Preferred stocks
13. Which financial concept is crucial for evaluating long-term investment projects?
A) Working capital management
B) Time Value of Money
C) Inventory turnover ratio
D) Accounts receivable turnover
14. Eurobonds are bonds denominated in a currency other than that of the country in which they are issued. This is an example of:
A) National finance
B) Internal finance
C) International finance
D) Corporate finance
15. Which of the following is an advantage of equity financing?
A) No repayment obligation
B) High cost of capital
C) Increased financial risk
D) Dilution of ownership
16. Which of the following is a disadvantage of debt financing?
A) Tax deductibility of interest payments
B) Increased financial risk
C) No dilution of ownership
D) Lower cost of capital
17. The Clientele Effect suggests that:
A) Investors prefer companies that retain all earnings
B) Investors prefer companies with high dividend payouts
C) Different groups of investors prefer different dividend policies, and companies attract investors based on their policy
D) Dividend policy is irrelevant to investors
18. The Dividend Irrelevance Theory, proposed by Modigliani and Miller, states that:
A) Dividend policy significantly affects firm value
B) Dividend policy has no effect on firm value in perfect markets
C) Companies should always retain earnings
D) Companies should always pay out all earnings
19. Which type of leverage magnifies both gains and losses to shareholders?
A) Operating leverage
B) Financial leverage
C) Combined leverage
D) Total leverage
20. The Pecking Order Theory of capital structure suggests that firms prefer to finance using:
A) Debt first, then equity
B) Equity first, then debt
C) Internal financing first, then debt, then equity
D) External financing only
21. The Trade-off Theory of capital structure suggests that firms balance the benefits of debt financing (like tax shields) against the costs of:
A) Increased profitability
B) Financial distress and agency costs
C) Lower interest rates
D) Higher stock prices
22. A beta greater than 1 indicates that the stock is:
A) Less volatile than the market
B) More volatile than the market
C) As volatile as the market
D) Risk-free
23. Beta (β) in CAPM measures the stock's volatility relative to:
A) The company's earnings
B) The overall stock market
C) The company's debt level
D) The industry average
24. The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is used to estimate:
A) The cost of debt
B) The cost of equity
C) The optimal capital structure
D) The dividend payout ratio
25. The future value of a lump sum is calculated by compounding the amount at the:
A) Discount rate
B) Interest rate
C) Inflation rate
D) Depreciation rate
26. The present value of an ordinary annuity is calculated by discounting each cash flow at the:
A) Future value interest rate
B) Discount rate
C) Coupon rate
D) Prime rate
27. Venture capital is typically provided to:
A) Mature, established companies
B) Start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential
C) Government-backed projects
D) Non-profit organizations
28. Factoring is a financial arrangement where a company sells its accounts receivable to:
A) Its customers
B) A factoring company
C) Its suppliers
D) The government
29. Which of the following is a national source of finance?
A) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
B) World Bank
C) Commercial banks
D) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
30. The Residual Dividend Theory suggests that dividends should be paid out of:
A) Any available cash
B) Profits after all investment opportunities have been funded
C) Debt financing
D) Shareholder contributions
31. Which dividend policy suggests that a company should pay out all its earnings as dividends?
A) Stable dividend policy
B) Constant payout ratio policy
C) Irregular dividend policy
D) Zero dividend policy
32. Dividend policy relates to:
A) How a company raises its capital
B) How a company invests its profits
C) How a company distributes its profits to shareholders
D) How a company manages its debt
33. A company with high operating leverage is more sensitive to changes in:
A) Interest rates
B) Sales volume
C) Tax rates
D) Exchange rates
34. Operating leverage measures the sensitivity of:
A) Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) to changes in sales
B) Net income to changes in EBIT
C) Total costs to changes in revenue
D) Gross profit to changes in operating expenses
35. Financial leverage measures the sensitivity of:
A) Net income to changes in sales
B) Sales to changes in profit
C) Total assets to changes in liabilities
D) Equity to changes in retained earnings
36. Leverage in finance refers to the use of:
A) Fixed assets to increase production
B) Debt financing to increase the potential return to equity holders
C) Equity financing to reduce risk
D) Retained earnings to fund operations
37. The Modigliani-Miller theorem, under perfect capital markets, posits that:
A) Capital structure has a significant impact on firm value
B) Capital structure is irrelevant to firm value
C) Debt financing always reduces firm value
D) Equity financing always increases firm value
38. Which capital structure theory suggests that there is an optimal capital structure that maximizes firm value?
A) Net Income (NI) approach
B) Net Operating Income (NOI) approach
C) Modigliani-Miller (M-M) theorem
D) Traditional approach
39. Capital Structure refers to the proportion of:
A) Fixed assets to current assets
B) Debt and equity in the firm's financing
C) Revenue and expenses
D) Assets and liabilities
40. A higher Cost of Capital generally implies:
A) Lower investment opportunities
B) Higher investment opportunities
C) No impact on investment decisions
D) Increased profitability
41. The Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) considers the cost of:
A) Only equity
B) Only debt
C) Equity, debt, and preferred stock
D) Only retained earnings
42. The Cost of Capital is:
A) The total expenses incurred by a company
B) The rate of return a company must earn to satisfy its investors
C) The profit margin of the company
D) The cost of raw materials
43. Unsystematic risk, also known as specific risk, can be reduced by:
A) Investing in government bonds
B) Diversifying the portfolio across different assets
C) Increasing leverage
D) Short selling
44. Systematic risk, also known as market risk, cannot be eliminated by:
A) Diversification
B) Hedging
C) Asset allocation
D) Portfolio management
45. Risk and return are generally:
A) Inversely related
B) Positively related
C) Unrelated
D) Negatively correlated
46. If the present value of a future cash flow is greater than its future value, it implies:
A) A negative discount rate
B) A positive interest rate
C) Zero interest rate
D) An annuity
47. The concept of 'Time Value of Money' (TVM) states that:
A) A rupee today is worth more than a rupee tomorrow
B) A rupee tomorrow is worth more than a rupee today
C) Money has no value over time
D) Inflation erodes the value of money over time
48. Which of the following is an example of an international source of finance?
A) Commercial paper
B) Eurobonds
C) Factoring
D) Leasing
49. Which of the following is considered a source of internal finance for a company?
A) Bank loans
B) Issue of debentures
C) Retained earnings
D) Venture capital
50. What is the primary objective of financial management in a business?
A) To minimize costs
B) To maximize shareholder wealth
C) To increase market share
D) To ensure operational efficiency