Question 1

R is a company running gas-fired power stations in Western Europe. The Risk Committee hasjust received a reportthata power station built to the same design and specification in a developing country has recently collapsed. The causes of the collapse are unclear,but if something similiar were to happen in Europe the consequencesfor Rcould be catastrophic.

Which of the following actions being considered by the Risk Committee are ethical?

Options :

A : Commission a reputable firm of structural engineers to carry out a review of all power stations owned by R.

B : Decide that the information available to date is too uncertain to take any action for now.

C : Send experts employed by R to the site of the collapse so that they can gather information first hand on what happened.

D : Issue a press release confirming that all R-s power stations are 'entirely safe'.

E : Attempt to increase the level of insurance cover against this type of eventuality.

F : Draw up contingency plans in case some ofR-s power stations need to be shut down.

Answer: A,C

Question 2

An electricity company owns and operates a nuclear power station located ten miles from a large city. A recent and very extensive engineering examination of the power station concludes with the estimate that the probability of a major nuclear disaster within the next 20 years is 0.2%.

Which of the following best explains the relevance of quantifying the risk in that way?

Options :

A : There is no acceptable level of risk for a major nuclear accident and so the probability has little information value in itself.

B : The probability is so low as to be ignored.

C : The directors will be able to argue that they were not negligent in the event of a major disaster within the 20 year period.

D : The calculation of a precise probability demonstrates that the engineers who conducted the inspection are experts in their field.

Answer: A

Question 3

Company W produces mobile phone components and has recently tendered for a substantial contract. The results of the tendering process will not become available until three months from now. If the company is successful it will require 2,000 units of a commodity which is currently traded in an open commodity market for $740 per unit. However, there has been speculation that this commodity could increase substantially in price over the next three months and so the company is considering purchasing the commodity now and storing it for three months.

The funds to buy the commodity would be borrowed at an annual interest rate of 7% and the storage cost of the product would be $5.40 per unit per month. The storage costs would be paid at the end of the three month storage period.

Which of the following represents the gain or loss (to the nearest thousand dollars) that will accrue to Company W assuming that the price of the commodity rises to $800 in three months' time?

Options :

A : $62,000 gain

B : $95,000 gain

C : $88,000 gain

D : $16,000 loss

Answer: A

Question 4

James owns a small company which sometimes suffers from credit risk.

Which of the following measures should he put in place to help reduce this risk?

Options :

A : Introduce credit checks for new customers.

B : Reduce the company bank loans.

C : Pay suppliers' invoices quicker.

D : Look for a loan with a lower interest rate.

Answer: A

Question 5

B, a construction company, has a policy of carrying out a post completion audit on every construction project undertaken where the value exceeds $1 million.

What is the role of the post completion audit?

Options :

A : To reward staff and celebrate success.

B : To signify the end of the project.

C : To highlight what can be done to improve similar future projects.

D : To apportion blame for things not done well.

Answer: C