Question & Answer

The following article appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Bond Markets Giant Commonwealth Edison Issue Hits Resale Market With $70 Million Left Over new york—Commonwealth Edison Co.’s slow-selling new 9¼% bonds were tossed onto the resale market at a reduced price with about $70 million still available from the $200 million offered Thursday, dealers said. The Chicago utility’s bonds, rated double-A by Moody’s and double-A-minus by Standard & Poor’s, originally had been priced at 99.803, to yield 9.3% in 5 years. They were marked down yesterday the equivalent of about $5.50 for each $1,000 face amount, to about 99.25, where their yield jumped to 9.45%. Instructions (a) How will the development above affect the accounting for Commonwealth Edison’s bond issue? (b) Provide several possible explanations for the markdown and the slow sale of Commonwealth Edison’s bonds.

There are various types of patterns used in sand casting. What is the difference between a split pattern and a match-plate pattern?

The controller for Clint Eastwood Co. is attempting to determine the amount of cash to be reported on its December 31, 2014, balance sheet. The following information is provided. 1. Commercial savings account of $600,000 and a commercial checking account balance of $900,000 are held at First National Bank of Yojimbo. 2. Money market fund account held at Volonte Co. (a mutual fund organization) permits Eastwood to write checks on this balance, $5,000,000. 3. Travel advances of $180,000 for executive travel for the first quarter of next year (employee to reimburse through salary reduction). 4. A separate cash fund in the amount of $1,500,000 is restricted for the retirement of long-term debt. 5. Petty cash fund of $1,000. 6. An I.O.U. from Marianne Koch, a company customer, in the amount of $190,000. 7. A bank overdraft of $110,000 has occurred at one of the banks the company uses to deposit its cash receipts. At the present time, the company has no deposits at this bank. 8. The company has two certificates of deposit, each totaling $500,000. These CDs have a maturity of 120 days. 9. Eastwood has received a check that is dated January 12, 2015, in the amount of $125,000. 10. Eastwood has agreed to maintain a cash balance of $500,000 at all times at First National Bank of Yojimbo to ensure future credit availability. 11. Eastwood has purchased $2,100,000 of commercial paper of Sergio Leone Co. which is due in 60 days. 12. Currency and coin on hand amounted to $7,700. Instructions (a) Compute the amount of cash to be reported on Eastwood Co.’s balance sheet at December 31, 2014. (b) Indicate the proper reporting for items that are not reported as cash on the December 31, 2014, balance sheet.

Table 6.4 illustrates five different short-run production functions: i.e. where the number of machines remains constant at one, two, three, four or five. In each case explain if there are diminishing or increasing marginal returns

What is the difference between a live center and a dead center, when these terms are used in the context of workholding in a lathe?

A motor vehicle assembly plant closes every August to retool for the next year’s model. How should August’s cost data be used in estimating the overhead cost function?

A comparative balance sheet for Shabbona Corporation is presented below.   Additional information: 1. Net income for 2014 was $125,000. No gains or losses were recorded in 2014. 2. Cash dividends of $60,000 were declared and paid. 3. Bonds payable amounting to $50,000 were retired through issuance of common stock. Instructions (a) Prepare a statement of cash flows for 2014 for Shabbona Corporation. (b) Determine Shabbona Corporation’s current cash debt coverage, cash debt coverage, and free cash flow. Comment on its liquidity and financial flexibility.

On December 31, 2012, Ed Abbey Co. performed environmental consulting services for Hayduke Co. Hayduke was short of cash, and Abbey Co. agreed to accept a $200,000 zero-interest-bearing note due December 31, 2014, as payment in full. Hayduke is somewhat of a credit risk and typically borrows funds at a rate of 10%. Abbey is much more creditworthy and has various lines of credit at 6%. Instructions (a) Prepare the journal entry to record the transaction of December 31, 2012, for the Ed Abbey Co. (b) Assuming Ed Abbey Co.’s fiscal year-end is December 31, prepare the journal entry for December 31, 2013. (c) Assuming Ed Abbey Co.’s fiscal year-end is December 31, prepare the journal entry for December 31, 2014.

Roxanne Carter Corporation reported the following for 2014: net sales $1,200,000; cost of goods sold $750,000; selling and administrative expenses $320,000; and an unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale securities $18,000. Instructions Prepare a statement of comprehensive income, using (a) the one statement format, and (b) the two statement format. (Ignore income taxes and earnings per share.)

In what case does the strength coefficient have the same value as the yield strength?

1.       During times of significant organizational change, such as downsizing or a pandemic, the grapevine becomes more active as anxious employees share organizational news and rumors. As a manager, what communication strategies would you employ during a time of uncertainty in the workplace? What are the advantages and disadvantages of gossip during a time of uncertainty?

1. If there was a growth in the total number of worker hours because people worked longer hours, what would happen to GDP per hour worked and GDP per capita? 2. If people worked longer hours how would you assess whether the country was better or worse off?

1.      : Place Farhad with a more sympathetic account manager who is open to finding ways to help him improve his English and has the time to help him develop his assertiveness and telephone skills. Send Hazel Putnam to diversity awareness training.

Outline the meaning of structural cost drivers.

Flexible budget variance analysis Cardinal Products hired a new marketing manager early this year. After an informal consumer survey, the marketing manager decided to lower the firm’s selling price by 10 per cent and increase television advertising. The operating results at year end were disappointing. The marketing manager prepared the following analysis for the president. He assumed that direct materials and direct labour were variable costs and that advertising was a fixed cost.       ‘As you can see’, the marketing manager reported, ‘the major problem is due to inefficiencies in production. My plan would have worked if production had kept its costs in line.’   Required (a) Prepare a flexible budget report. (b) What is the real source of the disappointing results? Explain.

Amy Dyken, controller at Fitzgerald Pharmaceutical Industries, a public company, is currently preparing the calculation for basic and diluted earnings per share and the related disclosure for Fitzgerald’s financial statements. Below is selected financial information for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014.   The following transactions have also occurred at Fitzgerald. 1. Options were granted on July 1, 2013, to purchase 200,000 shares at $15 per share. Although no options were exercised during fiscal year 2014, the average price per common share during fiscal year 2014 was $20 per share. 2. Each bond was issued at face value. The 8% convertible bonds will convert into common stock at 50 shares per $1,000 bond. The bonds are exercisable after 5 years and were issued in fiscal year 2013. 3. The preferred stock was issued in 2013. 4. There are no preferred dividends in arrears; however, preferred dividends were not declared in fiscal year 2014. 5. The 1,000,000 shares of common stock were outstanding for the entire 2014 fiscal year. 6. Net income for fiscal year 2014 was $1,500,000, and the average income tax rate is 40%. Instructions For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, calculate the following for Fitzgerald Pharmaceutical Industries. (a) Basic earnings per share. (b) Diluted earnings per share.

1.      : Create a new position at the firm that will allow Farhad to do the reports and reconciliations for several account managers, freeing the account assistants to concentrate on public contact work. Make it clear that he will have little chance of future promotion unless his English improves markedly.

List two examples of non-linear cost functions and describe a method of developing a cost function for each one.

During 2014, Pretenders Furniture Company purchases a carload of wicker chairs. The manufacturer sells the chairs to Pretenders for a lump sum of $59,850 because it is discontinuing manufacturing operations and wishes to dispose of its entire stock. Three types of chairs are included in the carload. The three types and the estimated selling price for each are listed below. Type No. of Chairs Estimated Selling Price Each Lounge chairs 400 $90 Armchairs 300 80 Straight chairs 700 50 During 2014, Pretenders sells 200 lounge chairs, 100 armchairs, and 120 straight chairs. Instructions What is the amount of gross profit realized during 2014? What is the amount of inventory of unsold straight chairs on December 31, 2014?

Explain how information from a scatter plot helps in categorising a cost as fixed, variable, or mixed.

Solve Problem 22.17 except that the workpiece is 5.0 in wide and the cutter is offset to one side so that the swath cut by the cutter = 1.0 in wide. This is called partial face milling, Figure 22.20(b).

1.       : If you were the leader of a special-purpose team developing a new computer game and conflicts arose related to power and status differences among team members, what would you do? Of the conflict-handling styles described in this chapter, which do you think might be most effective? Explain your answer.

O’Malley Corporation was incorporated and began business on January 1, 2014. It has been successful and now requires a bank loan for additional working capital to finance expansion. The bank has requested an audited income statement for the year 2014. The accountant for O’Malley Corporation provides you with the following income statement which O’Malley plans to submit to the bank.   Instructions Indicate the deficiencies in the income statement presented above. Assume that the corporation desires a single-step income statement.

Leppard Corporation sells DVD players. The corporation also offers its customers a 2-year warranty contract. During 2014, Leppard sold 20,000 warranty contracts at $99 each. The corporation spent $180,000 servicing warranties during 2014, and it estimates that an additional $900,000 will be spent in the future to service the warranties. Prepare Leppard’s journal entries for (a) the sale of contracts, (b) the cost of servicing the warranties, and (c) the recognition of warranty revenue. Assume the service costs are inventory costs.

Aston Corporation performs year-end planning in November of each year before its calendar year ends in December. The preliminary estimated net income is $3 million. The CFO, Rita Warren, meets with the company president, J. B. Aston, to review the projected numbers. She presents the following projected information. Pretax Income Percentage-of-Completion Completed-Contract Prior to 2014 $150,000 $105,000 2014 60,000 20,000 ASTON CORPORATION PROJECTED INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 Sales $29,000,000 Cost of goods sold $14,000,000 Depreciation 2,600,000 Operating expenses 6,400,000 23,000,000 Income before income tax 6,000,000 Income tax 3,000,000 Net income $ 3,000,000 ASTON CORPORATION SELECTED BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION AT DECEMBER 31, 2014 Estimated cash balance $ 5,000,000 Available-for-sale securities (at cost) 10,000,000 Fair value adjustment (1/1/14) —0— Estimated fair value at December 31, 2014: Security Cost Estimated Fair Value A $ 2,000,000 $ 2,200,000 B 4,000,000 3,900,000 C 3,000,000 3,100,000 D 1,000,000 1,800,000 Total $10,000,000 $11,000,000 Other information at December 31, 2014: Equipment $3,000,000 Accumulated depreciation (5-year SL) 1,200,000 New robotic equipment (purchased 1/1/14) 5,000,000 Accumulated depreciation (5-year DDB) 2,000,000 The corporation has never used robotic equipment before, and Warren assumed an accelerated method because of the rapidly changing technology in robotic equipment. The company normally uses straightline depreciation for production equipment. Aston explains to Warren that it is important for the corporation to show a $7,000,000 income before taxes because Aston receives a $1,000,000 bonus if the income before taxes and bonus reaches $7,000,000. Aston also does not want the company to pay more than $3,000,000 in income taxes to the government. Instructions (a) What can Warren do within GAAP to accommodate the president’s wishes to achieve $7,000,000 in income before taxes and bonus? Present the revised income statement based on your decision. (b) Are the actions ethical? Who are the stakeholders in this decision, and what effect do Warren’s actions have on their interests?