Question & Answer

What is meant by the term “underlying” as it relates to derivative financial instruments?

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

Under what circumstances does a corporate shareholder receive tax deferral in a complete liquidation?

What are some aspects of business that require knowledge of taxation?  What are some aspects of personal finance that require knowledge of taxation?

What will determine the size of the shift in the BP curve in each case?

Pat Delaney Company leases an automobile with a fair value of $8,725 from John Simon Motors, Inc., on the following terms: 1. Noncancelable term of 50 months. 2. Rental of $200 per month (at end of each month). (The present value at 1% per month is $7,840.) 3. Estimated residual value after 50 months is $1,180. (The present value at 1% per month is $715.) Delaney Company guarantees the residual value of $1,180. 4. Estimated economic life of the automobile is 60 months. 5. Delaney Company’s incremental borrowing rate is 12% a year (1% a month). Simon’s implicit rate is unknown. Instructions (a) What is the nature of this lease to Delaney Company? (b) What is the present value of the minimum lease payments? (c) Record the lease on Delaney Company’s books at the date of inception. (d) Record the first month’s depreciation on Delaney Company’s books (assume straight-line). (e) Record the first month’s lease payment.

Teri Hatcher Inc., in its first year of operations, has the following differences between the book basis and tax basis of its assets and liabilities at the end of 2013. Book Basis Tax Basis Equipment (net) $400,000 $340,000 Estimated warranty liability $200,000 $ –0– It is estimated that the warranty liability will be settled in 2014. The difference in equipment (net) will result in taxable amounts of $20,000 in 2014, $30,000 in 2015, and $10,000 in 2016. The company has taxable income of $520,000 in 2013. As of the beginning of 2013, the enacted tax rate is 34% for 2013–2015, and 30% for 2016. Hatcher expects to report taxable income through 2016. Instructions (a) Prepare the journal entry to record income tax expense, deferred income taxes, and income taxes payable for 2013. (b) Indicate how deferred income taxes will be reported on the balance sheet at the end of 2013.

A 5-mm-diameter bolt is to be tightened to produce a preload = 250 N. If the torque coefficient = 0.23, determine the torque that should be applied.

Janice Traylor is single. She has an 18-year-old son named Marty. Marty is Janice’s only child. Marty has lived with Janice his entire life. However, Marty recently joined the Marines and was sent on a special assignment to Australia. During the current year, Marty spent nine months in Australia. Marty was extremely homesick while in Australia because he had never lived away from home. However, Marty knew this assignment was only temporary, and he couldn’t wait to come home and find his room just the way he left it. Janice has always filed as head of household, and Marty has always been considered a qualifying child (and he continues to meet all the tests with the possible exception of the residence test due to his stay in Australia). However, this year Janice is unsure whether she qualifies as head of household due to Marty’s nine-month absence during the year. Janice has come to you for advice on whether she qualifies for head of household filing status. How would you advise her?

Reed Pentak, a finance major, has been following globalization and made the following observation concerning accounting convergence: “I do not see many obstacles concerning development of a single accounting standard for inventories.” Prepare a response to Reed to explain the main obstacle to achieving convergence in the area of inventory accounting.

Summarize the six steps used in managerial decision making.

1.    : The MBO technique has been criticized for putting too much emphasis on achieving goals (ends) and not enough on the methods that people use to achieve them (means). Do you think this is a flaw in the technique or in the way managers apply it? How might you achieve a balanced emphasis on ends and means?

One of the more closely watched ratios by investors is the price/earnings (P/E) ratio. By dividing price per share by earnings per share, analysts get insight into the value the market attaches to a company’s earnings. More specifically, a high P/E ratio (in comparison to companies in the same industry) may suggest the stock is overpriced. Also, there is some evidence that companies with low P/E ratios are underpriced and tend to outperform the market. However, the ratio can be misleading. P/E ratios are sometimes misleading because the E (earnings) is subject to a number of assumptions and estimates that could result in overstated earnings and a lower P/E. Some analysts conduct “revenue analysis” to evaluate the quality of an earnings number. Revenues are less subject to management estimates and all earnings must begin with revenues. These analysts also compute the price-to-sales ratio (PSR 5 price per share 4 sales per share) to assess whether a company is performing well compared to similar companies. If a company has a price-to-sales ratio significantly higher than its competitors, investors may be betting on a stock that has yet to prove itself. [Source: Janice Revell, “Beyond P/E,” Fortune (May 28, 2001), p. 174.] Instructions (a) Identify some of the estimates or assumptions that could result in overstated earnings. (b) Compute the P/E ratio and the PSR for Tootsie Roll and Hershey for 2011. (c) Use these data to compare the quality of each company’s earnings.

Jane Yoakam, president of Estefan Co., recently read an article that claimed that at least 100 of the country’s largest 500 companies were either adopting or considering adopting the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method for valuing inventories. The article stated that the firms were switching to LIFO to (1) neutralize the effect of inflation in their financial statements, (2) eliminate inventory profits, and (3) reduce income taxes. Ms. Yoakam wonders if the switch would benefit her company. Estefan currently uses the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method of inventory valuation in its periodic inventory system. The company has a high inventory turnover rate, and inventories represent a significant proportion of the assets. Ms. Yoakam has been told that the LIFO system is more costly to operate and will provide little benefit to companies with high turnover. She intends to use the inventory method that is best for the company in the long run rather than selecting a method just because it is the current fad. Instructions (a) Explain to Ms. Yoakam what “inventory profits” are and how the LIFO method of inventory valuation could reduce them. (b) Explain to Ms. Yoakam the conditions that must exist for Estefan Co. to receive tax benefits from a switch to the LIFO method.

Arnold and Lilly have recently had a heated discussion about whether a sales tax is a proportional tax or a regressive tax.  Arnoldargues that a sales tax is regressive.  Lillycounters that the sales tax is a flat tax.  Who is correct?

In a surface grinding operation performed on hardened plain carbon steel, the grinding wheel has a diameter = 200 mm and width = 25 mm. The wheel rotates at 2400 rev/min, with a depth of cut (infeed) = 0.05 mm/pass and a crossfeed = 3.50 mm. The reciprocating speed of the work is 6 m/min, and the operation is performed dry. Determine (a) length of contact between the wheel and the work and (b) volume rate of metal removed. (c) If there are 64 active grits/cm2 of wheel surface, estimate the number of chips formed per unit time. (d) What is the average volume per chip? (e) If the tangential cutting force on the work = 25 N, compute the specific energy in this operation?

Distinguish between publicly provided goods, public goods and merit goods.

What are the basic differences between civil and criminal tax penalties?

Carow Corporation purchased, as a held-for-collection investment, $60,000 of the 8%, 5-year bonds of Harrison, Inc. for $65,118, which provides a 6% return. The bonds pay interest semiannually. Prepare Carow’s journal entries for (a) the purchase of the investment, and (b) the receipt of semiannual interest and premium amortization.

Charlie Brown, controller for Kelly Corporation, is preparing the company’s income statement at year-end. He notes that the company lost a considerable sum on the sale of some equipment it had decided to replace. Since the company has sold equipment routinely in the past, Brown knows the losses cannot be reported as extraordinary. He also does not want to highlight it as a material loss since he feels that will reflect poorly on him and the company. He reasons that if the company had recorded more depreciation during the assets’ lives, the losses would not be so great. Since depreciation is included among the company’s operating expenses, he wants to report the losses along with the company’s expenses, where he hopes it will not be noticed. Instructions (a) What are the ethical issues involved? (b) What should Brown do?

Explain how economic growth affects the valuation of a stock. (LO3)

Griseta & Dubel Inc. was formed early this year to sell merchandise credits to merchants who distribute the credits free to their customers. For example, customers can earn additional credits based on the dollars they spend with a merchant (e.g., airlines and hotels). Accounts for accumulating the credits and catalogs illustrating the merchandise for which the credits may be exchanged are maintained online. Centers with inventories of merchandise premiums have been established for redemption of the credits. Merchants may not return unused credits to Griseta & Dubel. The following schedule expresses Griseta & Dubel’s expectations as to percentages of a normal month’s activity that will be attained. For this purpose, a “normal month’s activity” is defined as the level of operations expected when expansion of activities ceases or tapers off to a stable rate. The company expects that this level will be attained in the third year and that sales of credits will average $6,000,000 per month throughout the third year. Actual Merchandise Credit Credit Sales Premium Purchases Redemptions Month Percent Percent Percent 6th 30% 40% 10% 12th 60 60 45 18th 80 80 70 24th 90 90 80 30th 100 100 95 Griseta & Dubel plans to adopt an annual closing date at the end of each 12 months of operation. Instructions (a) Discuss the factors to be considered in determining when revenue should be recognized in measuring the income of a business enterprise. (b) Discuss the accounting alternatives that should be considered by Griseta & Dubel Inc. for the recognition of its revenues and related expenses. (c) For each accounting alternative discussed in (b), give balance sheet accounts that should be used and indicate how each should be classified.

You are about to start a coffee shop business. What do you understand by ‘cost behaviour’? Explain how your accountants could help you in building an understanding of cost behaviour. Identify the likely key costs and classify each as fixed or variable.

Briefly describe some of the similarities and differences between GAAP and IFRS with respect to the accounting for leases.

In a tensile test a metal begins to neck at a true strain = 0.28 with a corresponding true stress = 345.0 MPa. Without knowing any more about the test, can you estimate the strength coefficient and the strain-hardening exponent in the flow curve equation?