Problems (p. 662)

Question 4. Suppose Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is considering divesting one of its manufacturing plants. The plant is expected to generate free cash flows of $1.5 million per year, growing at a rate of 2.5% per year. Goodyear has an equity cost of capital of 8.5%, a debt cost of capital of 7%, a marginal corporate tax rate of 35%, and a debt-equity ratio of 2.6. If the plant has average risk and Goodyear plans to maintain a constant debt-equity ratio, what after-tax amount must it receive for the plant for the divestiture to be profitable?

Question 5. Suppose Alcatel-Lucent has an equity cost of capital of 10%, market capitalization of $10.8 billion, and an enterprise value of $14.4 billion. Suppose Alcatel-Lucent’s debt cost of capital is 6.1% and its marginal tax rate is 35%.

a. What is Alcatel-Lucent’s WACC?

b. If Alcatel-Lucent maintains a constant debt-equity ratio, what is the value of a project with average risk and the following expected free cash flows?

c. If Alcatel-Lucent maintains its debt-equity ratio, what is the debt capacity of the project in part b?

Problems (p. 983 and 984).

1.What inherent characteristic of corporations creates the need for a system of checks on manager behavior?

2. What are some examples of agency problems?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the corporate organizational structure?

10. Is it necessarily true that increasing managerial ownership stakes will improve firm performance?

11. How can proxy contests be used to overcome a captured board?

12. What is a say-on-pay vote?

13. What are a board’s options when confronted with dissident shareholders?