You begin a new job at Cabrera Medical Supplies. The company is considering a new accounting system, with an initial investment of about half a million dollars for new software and hardware. You are excited for the opportunity to apply your
How would you react and what would you discuss with your boss?
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- Consider the following conversation between Leonard Bryner, president and manager of a firm engaged in job manufacturing, and Chuck Davis, certified management accountant, the firms controller. Leonard: Chuck, as you know, our firm has been losing market share over the past 3 years. We have been losing more and more bids, and I dont understand why. At first, I thought that other firms were undercutting simply to gain business, but after examining some of the public financial reports, I believe that they are making a reasonable rate of return. I am beginning to believe that our costs and costing methods are at fault. Chuck: I cant agree with that. We have good control over our costs. Like most firms in our industry, we use a normal job-costing system. I really dont see any significant waste in the plant. Leonard: After talking with some other managers at a recent industrial convention, Im not so sure that waste by itself is the issue. They talked about activity-based management, activity-based costing, and continuous improvement. They mentioned the use of something called activity drivers to assign overhead. They claimed that these new procedures can help to produce more efficiency in manufacturing, better control of overhead, and more accurate product costing. A big deal was made of eliminating activities that added no value. Maybe our bids are too high because these other firms have found ways to decrease their overhead costs and to increase the accuracy of their product costing. Chuck: I doubt it. For one thing, I dont see how we can increase product-costing accuracy. So many of our costs are indirect costs. Furthermore, everyone uses some measure of production activity to assign overhead costs. I imagine that what they are calling activity drivers is just some new buzzword for measures of production volume. Fads in costing come and go. I wouldnt worry about it. Ill bet that our problems with decreasing sales are temporary. You might recall that we experienced a similar problem about 12 years agoit was 2 years before it straightened out. Required: 1. Do you agree or disagree with Chuck Davis and the advice that he gave Leonard Bryner? Explain. 2. Was there anything wrong or unethical in the behavior that Chuck Davis displayed? Explain your reasoning. 3. Do you think that Chuck was well informedthat he was aware of the accounting implications of ABC and that he knew what was meant by cost drivers? Should he have been well informed? Review (in Chapter 1) the first category of the Statement of Ethical Professional Practice for management accountants. Do any of these standards apply in Chucks case?arrow_forwardConsider the following conversation between Gary Means, manager of a division that produces industrial machinery, and his controller, Donna Simpson, a certified management accountant and certified public accountant: Gary: Donna, we have a real problem. Our operating cash is too low, and we are in desperate need of a loan. As you know, our financial position is marginal, and we need to show as much income as possibleand our assets need bolstering as well. Donna: I understand the problem, but I dont see what can be done at this point. This is the last week of the fiscal year, and it looks like well report income just slightly above breakeven. Gary: I know all this. What we need is some creative accounting. I have an idea that might help us, and I wanted to see if you would go along with it. We have 200 partially finished machines in process, about 20% complete. That compares with the 1,000 units that we completed and sold during the year. When you computed the per-unit cost, you used 1,040 equivalent units, giving us a manufacturing cost of 1,500 per unit. That per-unit cost gives us cost of goods sold equal to 1.5 million and ending work in process worth 60,000. The presence of the work in process gives us a chance to improve our financial position. If we report the units in work in process as 80% complete, this will increase our equivalent units to 1,160. This, in turn, will decrease our unit cost to about 1,345 and cost of goods sold to 1.345 million. The value of our work in process will increase to 215,200. With those financial stats, the loan would be a cinch. Donna: Gary, I dont know. What youre suggesting is risky. It wouldnt take much auditing skill to catch this one. Gary: You dont have to worry about that. The auditors wont be here for at least 6 to 8 more weeks. By that time, we can have those partially completed units completed and sold. I can bury the labor cost by having some of our more loyal workers work overtime for some bonuses. The overtime will never be reported. And, as you know, bonuses come out of the corporate budget and are assigned to overheadnext years overhead. Donna, this will work. If we look good and get the loan to boot, corporate headquarters will treat us well. If we dont do this, we could lose our jobs. Required: 1. Should Donna agree to Garys proposal? Why or why not? To assist in deciding, review the corporate code of ethics standards described in Chapter 1. Do any apply? 2. Assume that Donna refuses to cooperate and that Gary accepts this decision and drops the matter. Does Donna have any obligation to report the divisional managers behavior to a superior? Explain. 3. Assume that Donna refuses to cooperate; however, Gary insists that the changes be made. Now what should she do? What would you do? 4. Suppose that Donna is 63 and that the prospects for employment elsewhere are bleak. Assume again that Gary insists that the changes be made. Donna also knows that his supervisor, the owner of the company, is his father-in-law. Under these circumstances, would your recommendations for Donna differ?arrow_forwardConsider the following thoughts of a manager at the end of the companys third quarter: If I can increase my reported profit by 2 million, the actual earnings per share will exceed analysts expectations, and stock prices will increase. The stock options that I am holding will become more valuable. The extra income will also make me eligible to receive a significant bonus. With a son headed to college, it would be good if I could cash in some of these options to help pay his expenses. However, my vice president of finance indicates that such an increase is unlikely. The projected profit for the fourth quarter will just about meet the expected earnings per share. There may be ways, though, that I can achieve the desired outcome. First, I can instruct all divisional managers that their preventive maintenance budgets are reduced by 25 percent for the fourth quarter. That should reduce maintenance expenses by approximately 1 million. Second, I can increase the estimated life of the existing equipment, producing a reduction of depreciation by another 500,000. Third, I can reduce the salary increases for those being promoted by 50 percent. And that should easily put us over the needed increase of 2 million. Required: Comment on the ethical content of the earnings management being considered by the manager. Is there an ethical dilemma? What is the right choice for the manager to make? Is there any way to redesign the accounting reporting system to discourage the type of behavior the manager is contemplating?arrow_forward
- You should use a financial calculator and Excel to solve the problems. Discuss the differences between efficiency and effectiveness. Why is it important for small business owners to understand the difference between profit and profitability? What financial ratio is used to determine profitability? Sam quit a $30,000-a-year job with a local heating and air conditioning firm to go into business for himself. After his first year in business, his accountant showed him an income statement that indicated Sam’s firm had a profit of $40,000. During this year Sam had drawn a salary of $20,000. What was Sam’s accounting profit, his entrepreneurial profit, and his opportunity cost? Explain the difference between accounting and entrepreneurial profit. Discuss the differences between operating and financial leverage. You are going to open a business making custom cabinets. You can sell each cabinet for $80. It takes a cabinet-maker approximately 45 minutes to make one cabinet. Each…arrow_forwardChris is a financial manager for a small business. Right now, he's working on next year's budget. Money is tight, and each department has requested more money than Chris is able to budget for it. His best friend works in marketing and is pressuring Chris for an extra $5,000.00 for her advertising budget. Chris doesn't want to disappoint her but granting her the favor would mean taking money away from other departments. The decision is up to him, and his boss will trust his judgment. What should Chris do? Is it all right to let a personal relationship influence his budgeting decisions?arrow_forwardThe controller of a retail company has just had a $50,000 request to implement an ABC system quickly turned down. A senior vice president, in rejecting the request, noted, "Given a choice, I will always prefer a $50,000 investment in improving things a customer sees or experiences, such as our shelves or our store layout. How does a customer benefit by our spending $50,000 on a supposedly better accounting system?" Question: How should the controller respond?arrow_forward
- Too little working capital had been a constant problem at Industrial Robotics (IR), a designer of automated manufacturing equipment. But, in 2010, with 47 employees and seven offices across North America, IR faced a cash shortage that threatened to hit $1 million. Founder Jack Miller wasn’t concerned. But his banker, Mario Sarducci, thought that amount was too much for a company barely doing $5 million in sales. Sarducci had worked on the IR file for the previous decade and wanted Miller to reduce his travelling expenses, shrink overhead, maximize profits, and give the bank good financial information. “You’re not running a profitable operation,” Sarducci lectured, “and your balance sheet doesn’t support your credit. My bank has gone as far as it will go.” Indeed, the bank had gone even further. At the end of 2010, IR had overdrawn its $800,000 line of credit by $300,000. If Sarducci had refused to honour those cheques, he would have forced the company to close. But Miller wasn’t…arrow_forwardYou are a manager at Percolated Fiber, which is considering expanding its operations in synthetic fiber manufacturing. Your boss comes into your office, drops a consultant's report on your desk, and complains, "We owe these consultants $ 1.1 million for this report, and I am not sure their analysis makes sense. Before we spend the $ 29 million on new equipment needed for this project, look it over and give me your opinion." You open the report and find the following estimates (in millions of dollars): Project Year Earnings Forecast ($ million) 1 2 . . . 9 10 Sales revenue 28.00028.000 28.00028.000 28.00028.000 28.00028.000 minus−Cost of goods sold 16.80016.800 16.80016.800 16.80016.800 16.80016.800 equals=Gross profit 11.20011.200 11.20011.200 11.20011.200 11.20011.200 minus−Selling, general, and administrative expenses 2.3202.320 2.3202.320 2.3202.320 2.3202.320…arrow_forwardSteve Osbourne is considering opening a business, but the major decision faced is how to organize the business. Steve anticipates generating a massive profit during the first year and that the following years should be relatively profitable. Although he has enough to start the business now as a partnership, he believes cash flow may be an issue as the company grows. Steve believes that the corporate form of operation will be his best option and have hired you as a consultant and seek your advice. The company is desirous of comparing serval financial transactions and possible outcomes to assist in guiding its decision-making process. It is assumed that the company will be formed on January 1, 2021 and registered as Osbourne Corporation. The company’s charter will authorize 1,000,000 shares of common stock and 400,000, $100 par value, 5% cumulative preferred stock. Issued 45,500 shares of common stock. Stock has par value of 0.30 per share and was issued at $30.00 per share. Issued…arrow_forward
- Reed Kohler is in his final year of employment as controller for Quality Sales Corporation: he hopes to retire next year. As a member of top management, Kohler participates in an attractive company bonus plan. The overall size of the bonus is a function of the firm's net income before bonus and income taxes - the larger the net income, the larger the bonus. Due to a slowdown in the economy due to Coronavirus, the company has encountered difficulty in managing its cash flow. The company auditors have recommended that the company change its inventory method from FIFO to LIFO . The change would cause a significant increase in the cost of goods sold for the year. Kohler thinks the company shouldn't switch to LIFO b/c its inventory quantities are too large. After expressing this opinion to the firm's treasurer, Kohler is stunned at the treasurer's reply "Reed, I can't believe that after all these years with the company, you put your personal interests ahead of the companies…arrow_forwardJames Kirk is a financial executive with McDowell Enterprises. Although James Kirk has not had any formal training in finance or accounting, he has a “good sense” for numbers and has helped the company grow from a very small company ($500,000 sales) to a large operation ($45 million in sales). With the business growing steadily, however, the company needs to make a number of difficult financial decisions in which James Kirk feels a little “over his head.” He therefore has decided to hire a new employee with “numbers” expertise to help him. As a basis for determining whom to employ, he has decided to ask each prospective employee to prepare answers to questions relating to the following situations he has encountered recently. Here are the questions. a. In 2019, McDowell Enterprises negotiated and closed a long-term lease contract for newly constructed truck terminals and freight storage facilities. The buildings were constructed on land owned by the company. On January 1, 2020,…arrow_forwardBernice Mountaindog was glad to be back at Sea Shore Salt. Employees were treated well. When she had asked a year ago for a leave of absence to complete her degree in finance, top management promptly agreed. When she returned with a honors degree, she was promoted form administrative assistant (she had been secretary to Joe-Bob Brinepool, the president) to treasury analyst.Bernice thought the company’s prospect were good. Sure, table salt was a mature business, but Sea Shore Salt had grown steadily at the expense of its less well known competitors. The company’s brand name was an important advantage, despite the difficulty most customers had in pronouncing it rapidly.Bernice started work on January 2, 2009. The first 2 weeks went smoothly. Then Mr. Brinepool’s cost of capital to other managers. The memo came as a surprise to Bernice, so she stayed late to prepare for the questions that would surely come the next day. The company’s bank charged interest at current market rates, and the…arrow_forward
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