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Chapter 16: Q33PGB (page 898)

Applying ethical standards

Ava Borzi is the new controller for Halo Software, Inc. which develops and sells education software. Shortly before the December 31 fiscal year-end, Jeremy Busch, the company president, asks Borzi how things look for the year-end numbers. He is not happy to learn that earnings growth may be below 9% for the first time in the company’s five-year history. Busch explains that financial analysts have again predicted a 9% earnings growth for the company and that he does not intend to disappoint them. He suggests that Borzi talk to the assistant controller, who can explain how the previous controller dealt with such situations. The assistant controller suggests the following strategies:

a. Persuade suppliers to postpone billing \(18,000 in invoices until January 1.

b. Record as sales \)120,000 in certain software awaiting sale that is held in a public warehouse.

c. Delay the year-end closing a few days into January of the next year so that some of the next year’s sales are included in this year’s sales.

d. Reduce the estimated Bad Debts Expense from 3% of Sales Revenue to 2%, given the company’s continued strong performance.

e. Postpone routine monthly maintenance expenditures from December to January.

Requirements

1. Which of these suggested strategies are inconsistent with IMA standards?

2. How might these inconsistencies affect the company’s creditors and stockholders?

3. What should Borzi do if Busch insists that she follow all of these suggestions?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The strategies which are inconsistent are a, b and c. Creditors and stockholders are affected as they have wrong financial information. Borzi should look for the company who works ethically.

Step by step solution

01

Step-by-Step SolutionStep 1: Strategies which are inconsistent

A The goods are already received but postponing the recording the purchase will understate the liabilities of the company. This makes the strategy unethical and inconsistent.

B Software has not been sold, but recording the sales would be the unethical and inconsistent.

C Delay in the year end closing is also unethical and inconsistent

D The appropriate allowance for bad debts is very difficult judgement. So, the reduction of estimated bad debts expense strategy is not clear whether it is inconsistent with IMA standards.

E The postponement of monthly maintenance expenditure is not unethical or inconsistent.

02

Creditors and Stockholders affected by the inconsistencies

The inconsistencies will impact the financial statement of the business which will affect the external users such as creditors and stockholders of the financial statements of the business.

Stockholders believe the profitability of the company is good. This will result investors to hold back the stock which they might sell if they have the correct information.

Creditors may also grant the credit to the company which they might grant to the company when they have a correct information.

03

Borzi Should do

The controller of the company should resist the attempt to implement a, b and c and should gather more information about D. In some case, if the president declines to consider, then she should reconsider if she wants to work in this company or not.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Identifying product costs and period costs Classify each cost of a paper manufacturer as either a product cost or a period cost:

d. Salaries of the company’s top executives.

Becky Knauer recently resigned from her position as controller for Shamalay Automotive, a small, struggling foreign car dealer in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Becky has just started a new job as controller for Mueller Imports, a much larger dealer for the same car manufacturer. Demand for this particular make of car is exploding, and the manufacturer cannot produce enough to satisfy demand. The manufacturer’s regional sales managers are each given a certain number of cars. Each sales manager then decides how to divide the cars among the independently owned dealerships in the region. Because of high demand for these cars, dealerships all want to receive as many cars as they can from the regional sales manager.

Becky’s former employer, Shamalay Automotive, receives only about 25 cars each month. Consequently, Shamalay is not very profitable.

Becky is surprised to learn that her new employer, Mueller Imports, receives more than 200 cars each month. Becky soon gets another surprise. Every couple of months, a local jeweler bills the dealer $5,000 for “miscellaneous services.” Franz Mueller, the owner of the dealership, personally approves payment of these invoices, noting that each invoice is a “selling expense.” From casual conversations with a salesperson, Becky learns that Mueller frequently gives Rolex watches to the manufacturer’s regional sales manager and other sales executives. Before talking to anyone about this, Becky decides to work through her ethical dilemma. Put yourself in Becky’s place.

Requirements

1. What is the ethical issue?

2. What are your options?

3. What are the possible consequences?

4. What should you do?

Identify the following characteristics as primarily related to financial accounting (FA) or managerial accounting (MA):

2. Helps in planning and controlling operations.

Comparing managerial accounting and financial accounting

Match the following terms to the appropriate statement. Some terms may be used more than once, and some terms may not be used at all.

Directing Managerial

Creditors Managers

Controlling Planning

Financial Stockholders

a. Accounting systems that must follow GAAP.

b. External parties for whom financial accounting reports are prepared.

c. The role managers play when they are monitoring day-to-day operations and keeping the company on track.

d. Internal decision makers.

e. Accounting system that provides information on a company’s past performance.

f. Accounting system not restricted by GAAP.

g. The management function that involves choosing goals and deciding how to achieve them

Winnebago Industries, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles (RVs), including motorized and towable products. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and markets RVs as well as supporting products and services. The RVs are sold to consumers through a dealer network. On the August 29, 2015, balance sheet, Winnebago reported inventory of approximately \(112 million. Of this amount, approximately \)12 million, about 11%, was Finished Goods Inventory (Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 3). Suppose Winnebago motor homes have an average sales price of $96,000 and cost of goods sold is 89% of sales. Thor Industries, Inc., a major competitor, has an average cost of goods sold of 86% of sales. For year ending August 29, 2015, Winnebago sold 9,097 motor homes (Form 10-K, Item 1 Business).

Requirements

1. Why would the Finished Goods Inventory be such a relatively small portion of total inventory?

2. What is the average cost of goods sold (in dollars) for a Winnebago motor home? What is the average gross profit?

3. If Winnebago could reduce production costs so that the average cost of goods sold is equal to their competitor’s average cost of goods sold, how much more profit would Winnebago earn on each motor home sold?

4. Based on 2015 sales, how much would operating income increase if the company reduced the average cost of goods sold to equal their competitor’s average cost of goods sold?

5. How could managers at Winnebago use managerial accounting to reduce costs and increase profits?
See all solutions

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