a) Debentures are a source of external long term (loan) finance for which interest is paid to the debenture holder. Debenture holders do not usually have voting or ownership rights in the organisation.
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b) Year 2
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Year 1
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250 ÷ 1,000
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250 ÷ 800
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= 25 %
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= 31.25 %
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Full working out compulsory for full marks
c) The gearing ratio is a long term liquidity ratio that calculates the percentage of a firm's capital employed that comes from long-term liabilities, such as debentures. JKL Ltd. has less than 50% gearing so is considered to be comparatively safe, given the limited information given.
The firm has lower gearing in Y2 meaning that it is less susceptible to any increases in interest rates, i.e. it represents less risk. However, there is a need to benchmark this ratio with the industry norm before any firm conclusions can be prepared about the organisation's liquidity position.
d) The costs and remuneration of high gearing should be considered. For example, having high gearing during times of rising interest rates is likely to be risky (even if the economy is doing well) as the higher loan repayments will obstruct the firm's working capital. However, high gearing might be essential for a firm that lacks internal funds to finance growth and evolution.
In the case of JKL Ltd. the fall in its gearing ratio is not essentially a good thing, e.g. can JKL Ltd. afford to have higher gearing to money expansion, particularly since it has higher net profit and retained profit in Y2.