MGT565: GBA (Group-based Assignment) SUSS- Accounting for Business Decisions, Singapore

Question 1

Sally, a friend at work overhead that you are doing a Master of Management and asked you for advice. She has just received a lump sum payout from an insurance policy her parents bought for her many years ago. However, she currently has no immediate use for the cash and thought she might want to invest some of it in equities.

After looking through dozens of companies, one of the companies she is seriously considering in investing is Daily Harvest Holdings Limited (DHH). DHH is a regional retailer of food and health and beauty products, operating outlets under various brands, including Daily Harvest (supermarkets), Peak Harvest (high-end supermarkets) Quick Harvest (convenience stores), and Daily Care (health and beauty).

She asked for your opinion if the fundamentals of the business is solid and if there are any concerns in investing in the company.

Extracted from the financial statements of DHH are the following:

Income Statement for the years ending 31 December:

Balance Sheet as at 31 December:

Financial ratios industry averages for 2023 and the 5-year average 2019-2023:

ROI                                      6.0%                          6.7%
ROA                                     2.10%                       2.05%
Profit margin                  0.60%                     0.63%
Gross margin                 16.40%                    17%
Current ratio                 1.47                             1.48
Quick ratio                    0.61                              0.63
Long-term debt / Equity ratio 2.49          2.48
Interest coverage ratio 2.68                        2.7
Asset turnover                3.26                      3.15
Days’ sales outstanding 17                        17
Inventory turnover     14.6                         14.5

Dividend Yield        3.4%                         3.1%
P/E ratio             17.28                                 17.3

Summary

The company shows signs of weakening profitability and liquidity over the analyzed period, with ratios generally underperforming compared to industry averages. The company might need to focus on improving operational efficiency and liquidity to maintain competitiveness in the industry

Required:

(a) Independently verify the accuracy of the financial ratios calculations and highlight if there are any errors in the calculation or if you would have done any of them differently.

(b) Critique the analysis and comparisons done by ChatGPT highlighting areas that you do not agree with and/or areas you think can be improved or were missing.

(c) How would you modify the prompt used or what follow-up prompt would you use to improve the output by ChatGPT to help Sally?

(d) Discuss if there are any additional information that would help improve your analysis.

Question 2

Financial literacy can be described as the skills and knowledge required to make informed decisions about the management of money. The Institute of Financial Literacy listed the 4 core pillars of financial literacy as:

• Money management
• Insurance
•  Investing
• Retirement planning