Reference no: EM132445703

FINM4000 - Finance - Kaplan Business School

Part A: Company Financing

1. According to Source 2 how did Amazon's Cash Conversion Cycle in 2013 compare to other retailers in that year? What does it say about Amazon's working capital management?

2. According to Source 2 why is having a negative Cash Conversion Cycle important for a company wanting to experiment with investing in new products that could fail or succeed?

3. If Amazon couldn't use cash to fund its new projects, what two financing options would they have available to them (see Source 2)? Discuss what advantages and disadvantages these financing options would have for Amazon.

4. Based on Source 1 (Annual Report) what is Amazon's Cash Conversion Cycle in 2018? How does this compare with the Cash Conversion Cycle in 2013 (Source 2) and what does it say about Amazon's supplier relationships?

5. Based on Pages 6-14 of Amazon's Annual Report (Source 1) what do you believe are the three most significant risks facing Amazon in 2018? Are these risks systematic or unsystematic? Why?

6. Imagine that in 2007 you purchased an Amazon $1000 face value bond with a fixed annual coupon rate of 4.5% which matures at the end of 2020. Currently it is the end of 2019 and the bond has a yield to maturity of 5%. What would be the price of the bond today in 2019?

7. Consider Source 3. If you bought Amazon shares at the beginning of June 2014 and sold them at the beginning of June 2019, what would be your approximate holding period return? (Assume no dividends.) What does this suggest about the investments that Amazon made from 2014 to 2019?

Part B: Capital Budgeting

Read the article below and answer the following questions:

Article - Amazon's cashierless Go stores could be a $4 billion business by 2021, new research suggests

1. Based on the above information and sources what are the free cash flows generated by Amazon's 3000 new stores over the 10 year period (refer to your excel spreadsheet)?

2. Calculate the NPV for the new AmazonGo Stores assuming the cost of capital is 12% and 5%. Which discount rate should Amazon use given that this is a speculative venture?

3. What is the discounted payback period for the project and how does it compare to what the company is hoping for? (Use a discount rate of 12%.) Do you believe their target is realistic?

4. What are the weaknesses about how cash flows are estimated in the article? Can we rely on them in our analysis?

5. Based on your analysis in parts 1-4 would you recommend Amazon undertake the project? Why or why not?

Part 3: Personal Reflection

Write a brief 200 to 300 words reflection on:

a) How Class Case Study 1 in Week 6 influenced your answers in Part A of this assignment.

b) The process you went through to complete Part B of this assignment.

c) What you will do differently when preparing for Case Study 2 in Week 12 to get the best mark possible (as compared to your preparation in Case Study 1).

Note: Do part 1 and 2 Only

Attachment:- Finance.rar