Suppose an accountant discovers that the company holds substantial amounts of inventory that are now obsolete and worthless. Should the accountant report the truth, write off the inventory as an asset, and take a loss on obsolete inventory in earnings? Suppose the accountant also knows that the company is already in distress. Should the accountant seek ways to avoid or delay recognizing inventory losses that will cause the company to report lower earnings and thereby experience a drop in stock price and potential bankruptcy? What if the accountant knows the company is growing quickly and generating healthy profits?

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
10th Edition
ISBN:9781259964947
Author:Libby
Publisher:Libby
Chapter1: Financial Statements And Business Decisions
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1Q
icon
Related questions
Question

Suppose an accountant discovers that the company holds substantial amounts of inventory that are now obsolete and worthless. Should the accountant report the truth, write off the inventory as an asset, and take a loss on obsolete inventory in earnings? Suppose the accountant also knows that the company is already in distress. Should the accountant seek ways to avoid or delay recognizing inventory losses that will cause the company to report lower earnings and thereby experience a drop in stock price and potential bankruptcy? What if the accountant knows the company is growing quickly and generating healthy profits? 

Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 4 steps

Blurred answer
Knowledge Booster
Accounting Changes and Error Analysis
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, accounting and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
Recommended textbooks for you
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
Accounting
ISBN:
9781259964947
Author:
Libby
Publisher:
MCG
Accounting
Accounting
Accounting
ISBN:
9781337272094
Author:
WARREN, Carl S., Reeve, James M., Duchac, Jonathan E.
Publisher:
Cengage Learning,
Accounting Information Systems
Accounting Information Systems
Accounting
ISBN:
9781337619202
Author:
Hall, James A.
Publisher:
Cengage Learning,
Horngren's Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis…
Horngren's Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis…
Accounting
ISBN:
9780134475585
Author:
Srikant M. Datar, Madhav V. Rajan
Publisher:
PEARSON
Intermediate Accounting
Intermediate Accounting
Accounting
ISBN:
9781259722660
Author:
J. David Spiceland, Mark W. Nelson, Wayne M Thomas
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Financial and Managerial Accounting
Financial and Managerial Accounting
Accounting
ISBN:
9781259726705
Author:
John J Wild, Ken W. Shaw, Barbara Chiappetta Fundamental Accounting Principles
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education