Wednesday 17 January 2018

AN ASSESSMENT OF CAPITAL BUDGETING IN A PRIVATE SECTOR

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Every business firm normally will like to know how it performed over a period of times, thus leading to the preparation of profit and loss statement. They also ask about their position at a particular point in time which leads them to prepare balance sheet. Finally, they will like to know where they are heading, which has led to the preparation of budgets.
Budget is term used locally by a lay man. Lay man confuses budgeting with planning. A budget is part of a plan. A plan can be expressed in monetary and non-monetary term. Any plan that is qualified in monetary term is a budget. A budget, therefore, can be succulently defined as a statement of intention qualified in monetary term.
In budgeting there are types of budget prepared by firms. Such budget includes capital budgets, cash budgets, sales budget and so on.     
The process of preparing capital budget is called capital budgeting. Capital budgets are long term budgets made for acquisition and expansion of fixed assets. Capital budgets are prepared by many firms today. It was originated in the United States of America (USA). In America it was applied by firms before the Second World War.  
After the Second World War many firms saw the need to plan for capital expenditure, hence it is prevalence today.  Nigerian breweries limited, Monarch larger beer and other beverages, are not left out in the train of firms which prepare budgets for its capital expenditure. This is, however, not easy as it is fraught with a lot of problems.
1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
The main purpose of setting up a private firm is to achieve enough sales revenue that will cover fixed and variable costs as well as leave out enough profit to justify its existence. Brewers all over Nigeria witness heavy returns on their investments due to export of their products to neighboring African countries as well as the high consumption rate of beer in the country. This was before the year 2003.
Ø The uncertainty surrounding the continuance and rate of which demand for beer decrease has become one of the problems encountered in capital budgeting, especially by Nigerian breweries limited.
Ø The problem of tariff or import restrictions on the importation of fixed assets and spare parts. This singular problem has helped in no small measure in fuelling the amber of problems encountered by these firms.
Ø Also, human encounters problem in the organization which is a function of the state of mind of the individual in charge of the capital budgeting.   
Ø Due to the dynamic nature of the economy and consequent effect on interest rate, it is a problem making cost benefit analysis necessary in capital budgeting.
Ø There is problem of obtaining foreign exchange necessary to remit to exporters exchange rates are never stable. The uncertainty include in this makes it a problem in capital budgeting.
In view of the above problems the researcher intends to
1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study were to find out the following:-
a)                 Factors responsible for the demand for beer and the effect demand has on capital budgeting, other operations of the company and its existence.
b)                The capital budgeting process in Nigerian breweries limited
c)                 Why external sources of finance is used instead of floating stock of shares given its financial constraints and high interest rate on external financing.     
d)                Ways in which purchased capital assets are paid for (example, through letters of credit, documentary bills for collection, open transfers etc).
e)                 The effects delaying arrival of ordered assets or pays for them have on the production of beer.
f)                  The effects over or under – investment have on the firm.
g)                 How they forecast sales or demand given its fluctuation as a result of general rise in prices.
In connection with the above objectives was the necessity to formulate hypothesis.
1.4     RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The following hypotheses were formulated with respect to this study (Ho) is the Null hypothesis while (Hi) is alternative hypothesis.
i.        Ho: Change in demand has no effect on capital budgeting of Nigerian Breweries Limited
H1: Change in demand has effect on capital budgeting of Nigerian Breweries limited.
ii.       Ho: It is not true that the method of company used in paying for capital assets are letter of credit and documentary bill for collection of imported plants and machinery.
H1: It is true that the method of company used in paying for capital assets are letter of credit and documentary bill for collection of imported plants and machinery.
iii.      Ho: Capital which should have been invested in profit yielding ventures are not suppose to tied up in fixed assets when over investment is made on them.
H1: Capital which should have been invested in profit yielding ventures are often tied up in fixed assets when over investment is made on them.  
1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The significance of this study is that, in most cases and situations the success or failure of any organization depends largely upon their capital budgeting, thus Nigerian Brewery limited Kaduna is not left out.
The study will highlight the urgent need to evolve a new approach in the capital budgeting in private organizations such as to come out with comprehensive result that will benefit the management of Nigerian Breweries Limited, private companies and other bodies in the country. 
v The study will enlighten readers on the viability of capital budgeting as an important aspect of strategic decision involving financial management, efficiency and effectiveness of activities.
v The study still motivates management in private sector to consider adopting capital budgeting for asset expansion in that, it involve a substantial outlay of funds. This makes it necessary for a firm to plan how to raise the needed funds as they are not always automatically available.
v The study will encourage management to take  interest in the work of their capital budgeting so as to assign to them adequate independence to do their work and above all, to always endeavour to note accountants’ observation and implement the recommendations that usually go with them whenever it is been made. 
v This study will be beneficial to other private firms in such a way that, when they pick this research work and apply the techniques to their businesses.  
1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY     
This study is determined on management of Private Sector budgeting by using the capital budget of the Nigerian Brewery limited Kaduna, using the information collected from Accounting department of  the company which will be evaluated, analyzed and interpreted to answer part of the research questions. In addition, the study is to find out the capital Budgeting in a private sector of Nigerian breweries, how breweries in Nigeria prepare their capital budgets, and find out the effort being made to address the problems of capital budgeting in the breweries.
1.7     HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CASE STUDY
First bottle of star lager beer rolls off the bottling line in June, 1949, 1951 Nigerian breweries introduces the catoon character, ‘Sammy Sparkle’ then work commences on the Aba Brewery in May, 1955. The first bottle of Star lager rolls off the Aba plant in May, 1957, the Nigerian brewery limited becomes Nigerian breweries limited. Expansion work on Lagos Brewery is completed in the year 1960.
Nigerian Breweries voluntarily offers 10 per cent of its shares to Nigerian in the year 1962 then obtains a franchise from Scheppes International to bottle its wide range of products; which lead to the commission of Kaduna brewery in 1964. It also enters into a franchise agreement with Heineken and Co. to brew the Heineken lager locally in Nigeria in the year 1965, another franchise was obtained from L. Rose and Co. Limited to produce a range of squash drinks in Nigeria. The company registered the sales of Green Sands Shandy in 1981, in 1982 Ibadan brewery was commissioned. Nigerian breweries also enters into an agreement with Guinness (Nigeria) to promote the search for the cultivation of barley around lake Chad basin. The company introduced Rex Beer in the year 1985 while in 1990 Star news and NBL News, both company magazines are changed respectively to Nibrew News after the company becomes Nigerian Breweries Plc. Legend Extra Stout was born in June, 1992 and in November 1994 Amstel Malta was introduced and the company established a N100 million Education trust fund for active participation in the funding of education. The lunch of Maltina variants (Strawberry and Exotic Fruits) took place in 1996 and yet enters into another franchise with Cadbury Beverages International of UK to re-introduce the Schweppes range.
Nigerian Breweries wins the Diamond Award for excellence in recognition of the outstanding performance in the bottling and marketing of the Schweppes range of carbonated soft drinks in Nigeria in 1998. 
1.8     DEFINITION OF TERMS
Capital Budgeting:       This is a long-term plan made for expenditures necessary to buy fixed assets for production of goods.
Finance:     This is a term used to denote the acquisition and expending of funds to meet an economic units objectives.
Cash-inflow:        It is used to means flow of cash into a firm such as revenue from sales.
Capital Assets:     They are assets of long term nature used in the production of goods.
Outlay of Funds: Expending of money, Terms were defined in order to make readers understand the subject under discussion.
Knowledge is cumulative and text books already write on the subject serve as a precedent for the work. It was in purist of more knowledge in capital budgeting that the researcher reviewed literatures written by several authors on the subject.