a. How much should Mauna Loa borrow in yen?
Mauna Loa receives cash collections of one hundred million yen per month. This is the source of repayment of any
b. What should be the terms of payment on the loan?
The loan should be repaid out of the monthly cash flow, with payments on principal only. The interest payment one
Problem 12.1 Mauna Loa Macadamia
Mauna Loa, a macadamia nut subsidiary of Hershey’s with planations on the slopes of its namesake volcano in Hilo, Hawaii,
exports Macadamia nuts worldwide. The Japanese market is its biggest export market, with average annual sales invoiced in yen
to Japanese customers of ¥1,200,000,000. At the present exchange rate of ¥125/$ this is equivalent to $9,600,000. Sales are
relatively equally distributed during the year. They show up as a ¥250,00,000 account receivable on Mauna Loa’s balance sheet.
Credit terms to each customer allow for 60 days before payment is due. Monthly cash collections are typically ¥100,000,000.
Mauna Loa would like to hedge its yen receipts, but it has too many customers and transactions to make it practical to sell each
receivable forward. It does not want to use options because they are considered to be too expensive for this particular purpose.
Therefore, they have decided to use a “matching” hedge by borrowing yen.
a. How much should Mauna Loa borrow in yen?
b. What should be the terms of payment on the yen loan?
Bottom Top
The allowable range of exchange rates is (Ps/$) 3.50 4.50
b. At Ps6.00/$, what will be the peso export sales in Acuña to DeMagistris?
Problem 12.2 Acuña Leather Goods
a. If the exchange rate changes immediately to Ps6.00/$, what will be the dollar cost of 6 months of imports to
Pucini?
a. If the exchange rate changes immediately to Ps6.00/$, what will be the dollar cost of 6 months of imports to
b. At Ps6.00/$, what will be the peso export sales in Acuña Leather Goods to DeMagistris Fashion Company?
DeMagistris Fashion Company, based in New York City, imports leather coats from Acuña Leather Goods, a reliable and
longtime supplier, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payment is in Argentine pesos. When the peso lost its parity with the
U.S. dollar in January 2002 it collapsed in value to Ps 4.0/$ by October 2002. The outlook was for a further decline in the
peso’s value. Since both DeMagistris and Acuña wanted to continue their longtime relationship they agreed on a risk-
sharing arrangement. As long as the spot rate on the date of an invoice is between Ps3.5/$ and Ps4.5/$ DeMagistris will
pay based on the spot rate. If the exchange rate falls outside this range they will share the difference equally with Acuña
Leather Goods. The risk-sharing agreement will last for six months, at which time the exchange rate limits will be
reevaluated. DeMagistris contracts to import leather coats from Acuña for Ps8,000,000 or $2,000,000 at the current spot
rate of Ps4.0/$ during the next six months.
Assumptions Values
Sales volume per year 10,000
Case 1 Case 2
Sales to China Same Yuan Price Same US$ Price
US dollar price per unit $21,391.30 $24,000.00
Unit volume 10,000 9,000
Problem 12.3 Manitowoc Crane (A)
Manitowoc Crane (U.S.) exports heavy crane equipment to several Chinese dock facilities. Sales are currently
10,000 units per year at the yuan equivalent of $24,000 each. The Chinese yuan (renminbi) has been trading at
Yuan8.20/$, but a Hong Kong advisory service predicts the renminbi will drop in value next week to Yuan9.00/$,
after which it will remain unchanged for at least a decade. Accepting this forecast as given, Manitowoc Crane faces
a pricing decision in the face of the impending devaluation. It may either (1) maintain the same yuan price and in
effect sell for fewer dollars, in which case Chinese volume will not change; or (2) maintain the same dollar price,
raise the yuan price in China to offset the devaluation, and experience a 10% drop in unit volume. Direct costs are
75% of the U.S. sales price.
a. What would be the short-run (one year) impact of each pricing strategy?
b. Which do you recommend?
Assumptions Values
Sales to New Zealand Distributors Lower Band Upper Band
a. What are the outside ranges? 1.7220 1.5580
b. Cost to the Kiwi distributor for 10 cars
New current spot rate (N$/£) 1.7000
c. Cost to the Kiwi distributor for 10 cars
New current spot rate (N$/£) 1.6500
Problem 12.5 MacLoren Automotive
MacLoren Automtive manufactures British sports cars, a number of which are exported to New Zealand for payment in
pounds sterling. The distributor sells the sports cars in New Zealand for New Zealand dollars. The New Zealand
distributor is unable to carry all of the foreign exchange risk, and would not sell MacLoren models unless MacLoren
could share some of the foreign exchange risk. MacLoren has agreed that sales for a given model year will initially be
priced at a “base” spot rate between the New Zealand dollar and pound sterling set to be the spot mid-rate at the
beginning of that model year. As long as the actual exchange rate is within ±5% of that base rate, payment will be made
in pounds sterling. I.e., the New Zealand distributor assumes all foreign exchange risk. However if the spot rate at time
of shipment falls outside of this ±5% range, MacLoren will share equally (i.e., 50/50) the difference between the actual
spot rate and the base rate. For the current model year the base rate is NZ$1.6400/£.
a. What are the outside ranges within which the New Zealand importer must pay at the then current spot rate?
b. If MacLoren ships 10 sports cars to the New Zealand distributor at a time when the spot exchange rate is
NZ$1.7000/£, and each car has an invoice cost £32,000, what will be the cost to the distributor in New Zealand dollars?
How many pounds will MacLoren receive, and how does this compare with McLaren’s expected sales receipt of
£32,000 per car?
c. If MacLoren Automotive ships the same 10 cars to New Zealand at a time when the spot exchange rate is
NZ$1.6500/£, how many New Zealand dollars will the distributor pay? How many pounds will MacLoren Automotive
receive?
d. Does a risk-sharing agreement such as this one shift the currency exposure from one party of the transaction to the
other?
e. Why is such a risk-sharing agreement of benefit to MacLoren? To the New Zealand distributor?
(Within the band MacLoren receives £12,000/car)
d. How does this shift the currency risk?
e. Who benefits from this risk-sharing agreement?
Both parties in practice. The manufacturer has predictable revenues within the range, while the distributor bears a
Assumptions 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sales volume (units) 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000
Income Statement 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sales revenue € 12,800,000 € 12,800,000 € 12,800,000 € 12,800,000 € 12,800,000
Direct cost of goods sold -9,600,000 -9,600,000 -9,600,000 -9,600,000 -9,600,000
Operating Cash Flows
Net income € 1,205,550 € 1,205,550 € 1,205,550 € 1,205,550 € 1,205,550
Add back depreciation 600,000 600,000 600,000 600,000 600,000
Net Working Capital Calculations
Day of sales € 35,068 € 35,068 € 35,068 € 35,068 € 35,068
Day of direct COGS € 26,301 € 26,301 € 26,301 € 26,301 € 26,301
Using the Ganado Germany analysis in Exhibit 12.5 and 12.6 where the euro depreciates, how would prices, costs, and volumes change if Ganado
Germany was operating in a nearly purely domestic, mature market, with major domestic competitors?
If all competitors were domestic, Ganado Germany could not change price to try and pass-through exchange rate changes. As a result, all of its
operating parameters would remain the same, but its value would fall when valued in U.S. dollars by its U.S. parent company. This is the same as
Case 1 in the chapter discussion.
Exhibit 12.6 Ganado Germany — All Domestic Competitors
Assumptions 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Income Statement 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sales revenue € 17,920,000 € 17,920,000 € 17,920,000 € 17,920,000 € 17,920,000
Net income € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950
Operating Cash Flows
Net income € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950 € 2,107,950
Add back depreciation 600,000 600,000 600,000 600,000 600,000
Net Working Capital Calculations
Day of sales € 49,096 € 49,096 € 49,096 € 49,096 € 49,096
Day of direct COGS € 36,822 € 36,822 € 36,822 € 36,822 € 36,822
Exhibit 12.7 Ganado Germany — All Foreign Competitors
Ganado Germany is now competing in a number of international (export) markets, growth markets, in which most of its competitors are foreign.
Now how would you expect Ganado Germany’s operating exposure to respond to the depreciation of the euro?
Ganado Germany would most likely try to profit from its now weak-currency home country (Germany), and would try and increase sales volumes
dramatically in a growth market by keeping the price in euros the same. The result is something like case 2 in the chapter discussion, where volume
could jump dramatically (thinking positive).
Exchange rate Prices in
Assumptions US dollar prices (R$/$) Brazilian reais
Existing sales price per unit $200.00 3.4000 680
If the reais falls in value, the new implied US$ price:
New dollar price if no reais price change $170.00 4.0000 680
New lower unit volume 40,000
Alternative #1: Maintain same price in reais:
Sales revenue (R$680 x 50,000 ) / (R$4.000/$) $8,500,000
Alternative #2: Raise price in reais (and accept lower volume):
Sales revenue (R$800 x 40,000 ) / (R$4.000/$) $8,000,000
Discussion
Problem 12.9 Hurte-Paroxysm Products, Inc. (A)
lower sales volume. The contribution margin if reais prices are raised is $3,200,000, whereas if the price in reais is left unchanged HP Product’s
contribution margin is only $2,500,000. This is a short-run solution, and does not consider possible longer-run effects that might come from
raising the local price and/or accepting a smaller market share.
Alternative #2 is preferable. In the short run (one year), HP Products would be better off to increase its sales price in reais in Brazil and accept the
Hurte-Paroxysm Products, Inc. (HP) of the United States exports computer printers to Brazil, whose currency, the reais (symbol R$) has been
trading at R$3.40/US$. Exports to Brazil are currently 50,000 printers per year at the reais equivalent of $200 each. A strong rumor exists that the
reais will be devalued to R$4.00/$ within two weeks by the Brazilian government. Should the devaluation take place, the reais is expected to
remain unchanged for another decade. Accepting this forecast as given, HP Products faces a pricing decision which must be made before any
actual devaluation: HP Products may either (1) maintain the same reais price and in effect sell for fewer dollars, in which case Brazilian volume
will not change, or (2) maintain the same dollar price, raise the reais price in Brazil to compensate for the devaluation, and experience a 20% drop
in volume. Direct costs in the U.S. are 60% of the U.S. sales price. What would be the short-run (one-year) implication of each pricing strategy?
Which do you recommend?