Question & Answer

What policy prescriptions could be recommended for an economy experiencing a balance sheet recession?

1.      : Ignore the test. Cheryl has proved herself via work experience and deserves the job.

Thinken Technology recently merged with College Electronix (CE), a computer graphics manufacturing firm. In performing a comprehensive audit of CE’s accounting system, Gerald Ott, internal audit manager for Thinken Technology, discovered that the new subsidiary did not record pension assets and liabilities, subject to GAAP. The net present value of CE’s pension assets was $15.5 million, the vested benefit obligation was $12.9 million, and the projected benefit obligation was $17.4 million. Ott reported this audit finding to Julie Habbe, the newly appointed controller of CE. A few days later, Habbe called Ott for his advice on what to do. Habbe started her conversation by asking, “Can’t we eliminate the negative income effect of our pension dilemma simply by terminating the employment of nonvested employees before the end of our fiscal year?” Instructions How should Ott respond to Habbe’s remark about firing nonvested employees?

Franklin Corp. has an investment that it has held for several years. When it purchased the investment, Franklin classified and accounted for it as available-for-sale. Can Franklin use the fair value option for this investment? Explain.

The trial balance of Blues Traveler Corporation does not balance.   An examination of the ledger shows these errors. 1. Cash received from a customer on account was recorded (both debit and credit) as $1,380 instead of $1,830. 2. The purchase on account of a computer costing $3,200 was recorded as a debit to Office Expense and a credit to Accounts Payable. 3. Services were performed on account for a client, $2,250, for which Accounts Receivable was debited $2,250 and Service Revenue was credited $225. 4. A payment of $95 for telephone charges was entered as a debit to Office Expense and a debit to Cash. 5. The Service Revenue account was totaled at $5,200 instead of $5,280. Instructions From this information prepare a corrected trial balance.

Assuming that Y rises each year as a result of increases in productivity, can money supply rise without causing inflation? Would this destroy the validity of the quantity theory?

Hamilton Construction Company uses the percentage-of-completion method of accounting. In 2014, Hamilton began work under contract #E2-D2, which provided for a contract price of $2,200,000. Other details follow: 2014 2015 Costs incurred during the year $640,000 $1,425,000 Estimated costs to complete, as of December 31 960,000 –0– Billings during the year 420,000 1,680,000 Collections during the year 350,000 1,500,000 Instructions (a) What portion of the total contract price would be recognized as revenue in 2014? In 2015? (b) Assuming the same facts as those above except that Hamilton uses the completed-contract method of accounting, what portion of the total contract price would be recognized as revenue in 2015? (c) Prepare a complete set of journal entries for 2014 (using the percentage-of-completion method).

The power source in a particular welding operation generates 125 Btu/min, which is transferred to the work surface with heat transfer factor = 0.8. The melting point for the metal to be welded = 1800°F and its melting factor = 0.5. A continuous fillet weld is to be made with a cross-sectional area = 0.04 in2. Determine the travel speed at which the welding operation can be accomplished.

On December 31, 2014, Mercantile Corp. had a $10,000,000, 8% fixed-rate note outstanding, payable in 2 years. It decides to enter into a 2-year swap with Chicago First Bank to convert the fixed-rate debt to variable-rate debt. The terms of the swap indicate that Mercantile will receive interest at a fixed rate of 8.0% and will pay a variable rate equal to the 6-month LIBOR rate, based on the $10,000,000 amount. The LIBOR rate on December 31, 2014, is 7%. The LIBOR rate will be reset every 6 months and will be used to determine the variable rate to be paid for the following 6-month period. Mercantile Corp. designates the swap as a fair value hedge. Assume that the hedging relationship meets all the conditions necessary for hedge accounting. The 6-month LIBOR rate and the swap and debt fair values are as follows. Date 6-Month LIBOR Rate Swap Fair Value Debt Fair Value December 31, 2014 7.0% — $10,000,000 June 30, 2015 7.5% (200,000) 9,800,000 December 31, 2015 6.0% 60,000 10,060,000 Instructions (a) Present the journal entries to record the following transactions. (1) The entry, if any, to record the swap on December 31, 2014. (2) The entry to record the semiannual debt interest payment on June 30, 2015. (3) The entry to record the settlement of the semiannual swap amount receivables at 8%, less amount payable at LIBOR, 7%. (4) The entry to record the change in the fair value of the debt on June 30, 2015. (5) The entry to record the change in the fair value of the swap at June 30, 2015. (b) Indicate the amount(s) reported on the balance sheet and income statement related to the debt and swap on December 31, 2014. (c) Indicate the amount(s) reported on the balance sheet and income statement related to the debt and swap on June 30, 2015. (d) Indicate the amount(s) reported on the balance sheet and income statement related to the debt and swap on December 31, 2015.

What would be the classical economists’ criticisms of this argument?

As the new staff person in your company’s treasury department, you have been asked to conduct research related to a proposed transfer of receivables. Your supervisor wants the authoritative sources for the following items that are discussed in the securitization agreement. Instructions If your school has a subscription to the FASB Codification, go to http://aaahq.org/asclogin.cfm to log in and prepare responses to the following. Provide Codification references for your responses. (a) Identify relevant Codification section that addresses transfers of receivables. (b) What are the objectives for reporting transfers of receivables? (c) Provide definitions for the following: (1) Transfer. (2) Recourse. (3) Collateral. (d) Provide other examples (besides recourse and collateral) that qualify as continuing involvement.

What is meant by hysteresis when applied to unemployment? How do you account for this phenomenon in the 1980s?

This year Lloyd, a single taxpayer, estimates that his tax liability will be $10,000.  Last year, his total tax liability was $15,000.  He estimates that his tax withholding from his employer will be $7,800.   a. Is Lloyd required to increase his withholding or make estimated tax payments this year to avoid the underpayment penalty?  If so, how much?

Suppose you asked your favorite AI query tool the following question: “What is the Kiddie Tax?”  The AI tool provided the following response:

Explain the meaning of the following terms: (a) commonsize analysis, (b) vertical analysis, (c) horizontal analysis, and (d) percentage analysis.

The stockholders’ equity section of Martino Inc. at the beginning of the current year appears below. Common stock, $10 par value, authorized 1,000,000 shares, 300,000 shares issued and outstanding $3,000,000 Paid-in capital in excess of par—common stock 600,000 Retained earnings 570,000 During the current year, the following transactions occurred. 1. The company issued to the stockholders 100,000 rights. Ten rights are needed to buy one share of stock at $32. The rights were void after 30 days. The market price of the stock at this time was $34 per share. 2. The company sold to the public a $200,000, 10% bond issue at 104. The company also issued with each $100 bond one detachable stock purchase warrant, which provided for the purchase of common stock at $30 per share. Shortly after issuance, similar bonds without warrants were selling at 96 and the warrants at $8. 3. All but 5,000 of the rights issued in (1) were exercised in 30 days. 4. At the end of the year, 80% of the warrants in (2) had been exercised, and the remaining were outstanding and in good standing. 5. During the current year, the company granted stock options for 10,000 shares of common stock to company executives. The company, using a fair value option-pricing model, determines that each option is worth $10. The option price is $30. The options were to expire at year-end and were considered compensation for the current year. 6. All but 1,000 shares related to the stock-option plan were exercised by year-end. The expiration resulted because one of the executives failed to fulfill an obligation related to the employment contract. Instructions (a) Prepare general journal entries for the current year to record the transactions listed above. (b) Prepare the stockholders’ equity section of the balance sheet at the end of the current year. Assume that retained earnings at the end of the current year is $750,000.

] Given the following tax structure, what tax would need to be assessed on Venita to make the tax horizontally equitable?

On a diagram similar to Figure 19.19, trace through the effects of (a) a fall in investment and (b) a fall in the money supply. On what does the size of the fall in national income depend?

Maddox Specialty Company, a division of Lost World Inc., manufactures three models of gear shift components for bicycles that are sold to bicycle manufacturers, retailers, and catalog outlets. Since beginning operations in 1990, Maddox has used normal absorption costing and has assumed a first-in, first-out cost flow in its perpetual inventory system. The balances of the inventory accounts at the end of Maddox’s fiscal year, November 30, 2014, are shown below. The inventories are stated at cost before any year-end adjustments. Finished goods $647,000 Work in process 112,500 Raw materials 264,000 Factory supplies 69,000 The following information relates to Maddox’s inventory and operations. 1. The finished goods inventory consists of the items analyzed below. 2. One-half of the head tube shifter finished goods inventory is held by catalog outlets on consignment. 3. Three-quarters of the bar end shifter finished goods inventory has been pledged as collateral for a bank loan. 4. One-half of the raw materials balance represents derailleurs acquired at a contracted price 20% above the current market price. The market value of the rest of the raw materials is $127,400. 5. The total market value of the work in process inventory is $108,700. 6. Included in the cost of factory supplies are obsolete items with an historical cost of $4,200. The market value of the remaining factory supplies is $65,900. 7. Maddox applies the lower-of-cost-or-market method to each of the three types of shifters in finished goods inventory. For each of the other three inventory accounts, Maddox applies the lower-of-costor- market method to the total of each inventory account. 8. Consider all amounts presented above to be material in relation to Maddox’s financial statements taken as a whole. Instructions (a) Prepare the inventory section of Maddox’s balance sheet as of November 30, 2014, including any required note(s). (b) Without prejudice to your answer to (a), assume that the market value of Maddox’s inventories is less than cost. Explain how this decline would be presented in Maddox’s income statement for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014. Cost Market Down tube shifter Standard model $ 67,500 $ 67,000 Click adjustment model 94,500 89,000 Deluxe model 108,000 110,000 Total down tube shifters 270,000 266,000 Bar end shifter Standard model 83,000 90,050 Click adjustment model 99,000 97,550 Total bar end shifters 182,000 187,600 Head tube shifter Standard model 78,000 77,650 Click adjustment model 117,000 119,300 Total head tube shifters 195,000 196,950 Total fi nished goods $647,000 $650,550 (c) Assume that Maddox has a firm purchase commitment for the same type of derailleur included in the raw materials inventory as of November 30, 2014, and that the purchase commitment is at a contracted price 15% greater than the current market price. These derailleurs are to be delivered to Maddox after November 30, 2014. Discuss the impact, if any, that this purchase commitment would have on Maddox’s financial statements prepared for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2014.

Define legal–political risk and give an example of how it can affect an international corporation.

The following statement was prepared by Maloney Corporation’s accountant. MALONEY CORPORATION STATEMENT OF SOURCES AND APPLICATION OF CASH FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 Sources of cash Net income $111,000 Depreciation and depletion 70,000 Increase in long-term debt 179,000 Changes in current receivables and inventories, less current liabilities (excluding current maturities of long-term debt) 14,000 $374,000 Application of cash Cash dividends $ 60,000 Expenditure for property, plant, and equipment 214,000 Investments and other uses 20,000 Change in cash 80,000 $374,000 The following additional information relating to Maloney Corporation is available for the year ended September 30, 2014. 1. Salaries and wages expense attributable to stock option plans was $25,000 for the year. 2. Expenditures for property, plant, and equipment $250,000 Proceeds from retirements of property, plant, and equipment 36,000 Net expenditures $214,000 3. A stock dividend of 10,000 shares of Maloney Corporation common stock was distributed to common stockholders on April 1, 2014, when the per share market price was $7 and par value was $1. 4. On July 1, 2014, when its market price was $6 per share, 16,000 shares of Maloney Corporation common stock were issued in exchange for 4,000 shares of preferred stock. 5. Depreciation expense $ 65,000 Depletion expense 5,000 $ 70,000 6. Increase in long-term debt $620,000 Less: Redemption of debt 441,000 Net increase $179,000 Instructions (a) In general, what are the objectives of a statement of the type shown above for Maloney Corporation? Explain. (b) Identify the weaknesses in the form and format of Maloney Corporation’s statement of cash flows without reference to the additional information. (Assume adoption of the indirect method.) (c) For each of the six items of additional information for the statement of cash flows, indicate the preferable treatment and explain why the suggested treatment is preferable.

Under what circumstances can a partner recognize both gain and loss on the sale of a partnership interest?

If two or more firms were charging similar prices, what types of evidence would you look for to prove that this was collusion rather than coincidence?

A close friend of yours, who is a history major and who has not had any college courses or any experience in business, is receiving the financial statements from companies in which he has minor investments (acquired for him by his now-deceased father). He asks you what he needs to know to interpret and to evaluate the financial statement data that he is receiving. What would you tell him?

You are compiling the consolidated financial statements for Winsor Corporation International. The corporation’s accountant, Anthony Reese, has provided you with the segment  shown on the next page. Major Segments of Business WCI conducts funeral service and cemetery operations in the United States and Canada. Substantially all revenues of WCI’s major segments of business are from unaffi liated customers. Segment information for fi scal 2015, 2014, and 2013 follows. (thousands) Funeral Floral Cemetery Real Estate Dried Whey Limousine Consolidated Revenues 2015 $302,000 $10,000 $ 73,000 $ 2,000 $7,000 $12,000 $406,000 2014 245,000 6,000 61,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 324,000 2013 208,000 3,000 42,000 3,000 1,000 3,000 260,000 Operating Income 2015 74,000 1,500 18,000 (36,000) 500 2,000 60,000 2014 64,000 200 12,000 (28,000) 200 400 48,800 2013 54,000 150 6,000 (21,000) 100 350 39,600 Capital Expenditures 2015 26,000 1,000 9,000 400 300 1,000 37,700 2014 28,000 2,000 60,000 1,500 100 700 92,300 2013 14,000 25 8,000 600 25 50 22,700 Depreciation and Amortization 2015 13,000 100 2,400 1,400 100 200 17,200 2014 10,000 50 1,400 700 50 100 12,300 2013 8,000 25 1,000 600 25 50 9,700 Identifi able Assets 2015 334,000 1,500 162,000 114,000 500 8,000 620,000 2014 322,000 1,000 144,000 52,000 1,000 6,000 526,000 2013 223,000 500 78,000 34,000 500 3,500 339,500 Instructions Determine which of the above segments must be reported separately and which can be combined under the category “Other.” Then, write a one-page memo to the company’s accountant, Anthony Reese, explaining the following. (a) What segments must be reported separately and what segments can be combined. (b) What criteria you used to determine reportable segments. (c) What major items for each must be disclosed.