Mondrian plc is a newly formed company which aims to maximise the wealth of its shareholders. The board of directors of the company is currently trying to decide upon the most appropriate dividend policy to adopt for the company's shareholders. However, there is strong disagreement between three of the directors concerning the benefits of declaring cash dividends:
Director A argues that cash dividends would be welcomed by investors, and that as high a dividend payout ratio as possible would reflect positively on the market value of the company's shares.
Director B argues that whether a cash dividend is paid or not is irrelevant in the context of shareholder wealth maximisation.
Director C takes an opposite view to Director A and argues that dividend payments should be avoided as they would lead to a decrease in shareholder wealth.
Required
(a) Discuss the arguments for and against the position taken by each of the three directors.
(b) Assuming the board of directors decides to pay a dividend to shareholders, what factors should be taken into account when determining the level of dividend payment?