(iii) A statement on the importance of confidentiality in the financing of the early stage

Question

(iii) A statement on the importance of confidentiality in the financing of the early stage working capital needs

and an explanation of how this conflicts with the duty of transparency in matters of corporate

governance. (6 marks)

Professional marks for layout, logical flow and persuasiveness of the statement. (4 marks)

Answer 1

正确答案：
(iii) Importance of confidentiality in the financing of the project and the normal duty of transparency.
I have been asked to include a statement in my remarks on the balance between our duty to be transparent whenever
possible and the need for discretion and confidentiality in some situations. In the case of our initial working capital needs
for the Giant Dam Project, the importance of confidentiality in financing is due to the potential for adverse publicity that
may arise for the lender. It is important that R&M have the project adequately financed, especially in the early stages
before the interim payments from the client become fully effective.
In general, of course, we at R&M attempt to observe the highest standards of corporate governance and this involves
adopting a default position of transparency rather than concealment wherever possible. We recognise that transparency
is important to underpin investor confidence and to provide investors with the information they need to make fund
allocation decisions.
Whilst it is normal to disclose the amount of debt we carry at any given point (on the balance sheet), it is rarely normal
practice to disclose the exact sources of those loans. In the case of the financing of initial working capital for the Giant
Dam Project, I’m sure you will realise that in this unique situation, disclosure of the lender’s identity could threaten the
progress of the project. For this reason we must resist any attempts to release this into the public domain. We are aware
of one pressure group that is actively seeking to discover this information in order to disrupt the project’s progress and
we shall be taking all internal measures necessary to ensure they do not obtain the information.
Thank you for listening.