Although the company did manage to make a small profi t in its fi rst year of trading, it was never a great success and in its second year of trading it made a loss of £10,000.
At that time Fran said he thought the company should cease trading and be wound up. Gram and Hen, however,were insistent that the company would be profi table in the long-term so they agreed to carry on the business, with Fran taking less of a part in the day-to-day management of the business, although retaining his position as a company director.
In the course of the next three years Gram and Hen falsifi ed Ire Ltd’s accounts to disguise the fact that the company had continued to suffer losses, until it became obvious that they could no longer hide the company’s debts and that it would have to go into insolvent liquidation, with debts of £100,000.
Required:
Advise Fran, Gram and Hen as to any potential liability they might face as regards:
(a) fraudulent trading, under both criminal and civil law; (5 marks)
(b) wrongful trading under s.214 of the Insolvency Act 1986. (5 marks)
New Ideas Company (NIC) was launched early this year as a result of a scientific breakthrough at a university. The company was located in a relatively small regional city, some distance from the main centres of population. Because the initial capital needed was large, the scientists behind the company decided to float the company on the stock exchange and the take up of shares was very good. This meant that the initial capital needs were fully funded. The business itself was highly technical, with many shareholders only weakly understanding the science behind the company. Upon reading the share prospectus, some analysts believed that NIC was a relatively risky business and that it could fail within two years unless a very good management team, including suitable non-executive directors (ideally locally based), was in place.
None of the scientists involved in NIC had any experience of business before and had to learn about the roles of a board and how to effectively run a company. Dr Ranjana Foo, the lead scientist who made the scientific discovery, was thought to be the logical person to become chief executive but she herself questioned her suitability for the role. She said she was happiest working alone and in the quiet environment of her laboratory, and was not inclined to invest valuable time learning about running a business as she was not good at relating to a wide range of people.
Colleagues said of Ranjana that, being a good scientist, she was excellent at detail but sometimes struggled to see the bigger picture on a project. Always popular, however, Ranjana liked to think that all of her colleagues liked her and she tended to avoid confrontation and conflict wherever possible.
One potential director of NIC was an experienced local businessman, Dr Idris. Upon being approached about the position, he said that he may have a conflict of interest because he was a major shareholder in one of the potential suppliers of the capital equipment which NIC would be purchasing.
Required:
(a) Assess Ranjana Foo’s suitability to become chief executive officer (CEO) of New Ideas Company (NIC). Your answer should include an explanation of the roles and personal qualities of a CEO. (10 marks)
(b) Explain the benefits, specifically to NIC, of the appointment of ‘suitable non-executive directors’ and discuss the difficulties which the company may encounter in non-executive recruitment. (9 marks)
(c) Explain ‘conflict of interest’ and briefly discuss how a major shareholding in a potential supplier could be a conflict of interest to Dr Idris were he to become a director of NIC. (6 marks)
A.coming
B.getting
C.reaching
D.arriving
A.Dr. Anderson
B.Everyone does
C.On the next floor
D.Yes, they do
A、out
B、on
C、down
D、in
The company’s main contract was with Dank plc a large industrial conglomerate.
In the course of its research activity, Clean Ltd’s scientists developed a new super glue. Des was very keen to pursue the manufacture of the glue but the board of directors overruled him and decided that the company should stick to its core business.
The managing director of Dank plc is a friend of Des’s and has told him that Dank plc will not be renewing its contract with Clean Ltd as he is not happy with its performance. He also told Des that he would be happy to continue to deal with him, if only he was not linked to Clean Ltd.
Following that discussion Des resigned from his position as managing director of Clean Ltd and set up his own company, Flush Ltd which later entered into a contract with Dank plc to replace Clean Ltd. Flush Ltd also manufactures the new glue discovered by Clean Ltd’s scientists, which has proved to be very profitable.
Required:
In the context of company law, advise the board of Clean Ltd as to whether they can take any action against Des or Flush Ltd.(10 marks)
A.have solved
B.have been solving
C.have to solve
D.have to be solved