Direct Foreign Investment
Tutorial 7: Management of Economic Exposure
QUESTIONS
1. How would you define economic exposure to exchange risk?
Answer: Economic exposure can be defined as the possibility that the firm’s cash flows and thus its market value may be affected by the unexpected exchange rate changes.
2. Explain the following statement: “Exposure is the regression coefficient.”
Answer: Exposure to currency risk can be appropriately measured by the sensitivity of the firm’s future cash flows and the market value to random changes in exchange rates. Statistically, this sensitivity can be estimated by the regression coefficient. Thus, exposure can be said to be the regression coefficient.
3. Explain the competitive and conversion effects of exchange rate changes on the firm’s operating cash flow.
Answer: The competitive effect: exchange rate changes may affect operating cash flows by altering the firm’s competitive position.
The conversion effect: A given operating cash flows in terms of a foreign currency will be converted into higher or lower dollar (home currency)amounts as the exchange rate changes.
4. Discuss the determinants of operating exposure.
Answer: The main determinants of a firm’s operating exposure are (i) the structure of the markets in which the firm sources its inputs, such as labor and materials, and sells its products, and (ii) the firm’s ability to mitigate the effect of exchange rate changes by adjusting its markets, product mix, and sourcing.
5. Discuss the implications of purchasing power parity for operating exposure.
Answer: If the exchange rate changes are matched by the inflation rate differential between countries, firms’ competitive positions will not be altered by exchange rate changes. Firms are not subject to operating exposure.
6. General Motors exports cars to Spain but the strong dollar against the euro hurts sales of GM cars in Spain. In the Spanish market, GM faces competition from the Italian and French car makers,
QUESTIONS
1. How would you define economic exposure to exchange risk?
Answer: Economic exposure can be defined as the possibility that the firm’s cash flows and thus its market value may be affected by the unexpected exchange rate changes.
2. Explain the following statement: “Exposure is the regression coefficient.”
Answer: Exposure to currency risk can be appropriately measured by the sensitivity of the firm’s future cash flows and the market value to random changes in exchange rates. Statistically, this sensitivity can be estimated by the regression coefficient. Thus, exposure can be said to be the regression coefficient.
3. Explain the competitive and conversion effects of exchange rate changes on the firm’s operating cash flow.
Answer: The competitive effect: exchange rate changes may affect operating cash flows by altering the firm’s competitive position.
The conversion effect: A given operating cash flows in terms of a foreign currency will be converted into higher or lower dollar (home currency)amounts as the exchange rate changes.
4. Discuss the determinants of operating exposure.
Answer: The main determinants of a firm’s operating exposure are (i) the structure of the markets in which the firm sources its inputs, such as labor and materials, and sells its products, and (ii) the firm’s ability to mitigate the effect of exchange rate changes by adjusting its markets, product mix, and sourcing.
5. Discuss the implications of purchasing power parity for operating exposure.
Answer: If the exchange rate changes are matched by the inflation rate differential between countries, firms’ competitive positions will not be altered by exchange rate changes. Firms are not subject to operating exposure.
6. General Motors exports cars to Spain but the strong dollar against the euro hurts sales of GM cars in Spain. In the Spanish market, GM faces competition from the Italian and French car makers,