Question

Instruction: Suppose that, as a financial analyst, you are tasked with evaluating Blades, a U.S. manufacturer of roller blades. In the assignment, you provide the chief financial officer (CFO) of Blades a better understanding of the process of government intervention and its impact on Blades’ international business. The company generates most of its revenue and incurs most of its expenses in the United States. However, it has recently begun exporting roller blades to Thailand. You will provide a report that includes your assessment of the Thai government intervention and its impact on the exchange rate of baht. You are asked to analyze the following issues and provide solutions to Blades. Blades, Inc.: Blades has an agreement with Entertainment Products, Inc., a Thai importer, for a 3-year period. According to the terms of the agreement, Entertainment Products will purchase 180,000 pairs of “Speedos,” Blades’ primary product, annually at a fixed price of 4,594 Thai baht per pair. Due to quality and cost

considerations, Blades is also importing certain rubber and plastic components from a Thai exporter. The cost of these components is approximately 2,871 Thai baht per pair of Speedos. No contractual agreement exists between Blades, Inc., and the Thai exporter. Consequently, the cost of the rubber and plastic components imported from Thailand is subject not only to exchange rate considerations but to economic conditions (such as inflation) in Thailand as well. Shortly after Blades began exporting to and importing from Thailand, Asia experienced weak economic conditions. Consequently, foreign investors in Thailand feared the baht’s potential weakness and withdrew their investments, resulting in an excess supply of Thai baht for sale. Because of the resulting downward pressure on the baht’s value, the Thai government attempted to stabilize the baht’s exchange rate. To maintain the baht’s value, the Thai government intervened in the foreign exchange market. Specifically, it swapped its baht reserves for dollar reserves at other central banks and then used its dollar reserves to purchase the baht in the foreign exchange market. However, this agreement required Thailand to reverse this transaction by exchanging dollars for baht at a future date. Unfortunately, the Thai government’s intervention was unsuccessful, as it was overwhelmed by market forces. Consequently, the Thai government ceased its intervention efforts, and the value of the Thai baht declined substantially against the dollar over a 3-month period. When the Thai government stopped intervening in the foreign exchange market, Ben Holt, Blades’ CFO, was concerned that the value of the Thai baht would continue to decline indefinitely. Since Blades generates net inflow in Thai baht, this would seriously affect the company’s profit margin. Furthermore, one of the reasons Blades had expanded into Thailand was to appease the company’s shareholders. At last year’s annual shareholder meeting, they had demanded that senior management take action to improve the firm’s low profit margins. Expanding into Thailand had been Holt’s suggestion, and he is now afraid that his career might be at stake. For these reasons, Holt feels that the Asian crisis and its impact on Blades demand his serious attention. One of the factors Holt thinks he should consider is the issue of government intervention and how it could affect Blades in particular. Specifically, he wonders whether the decision to enter into a fixed agreement with Entertainment Products was a good idea under the circumstances. Another issue is how the future completion of the swap agreement initiated by the Thai government will affect Blades. To address these issues and to gain a little more understanding of the process of government intervention, Holt has prepared the following list of questions for you, Blades’ financial analyst, since he knows that you understand international financial management.

1) Do you have any other suggestions to Mr. Holt with regard to Blades’ business in this circumstance?

Answer 1

My suggestion to Mr. Holt with regards to Blades’ business in this circumstance is that Mr. Holt should consider diversifying the business risk by entering new markets in other countries. Entering new markets will give the company the benefit of diversification and its overall level of business risk will reduce as it enters new markets.

Secondly with regards to its Thailand business Mr. Holt can reduce the risk exposure by making use of options, forwards and futures to reduce the risk exposure on one hand and to optimize the wealth of the company on the other hand.