Intermediate Accounting: Reporting And Analysis
Intermediate Accounting: Reporting And Analysis
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9781337788281
Author: James M. Wahlen, Jefferson P. Jones, Donald Pagach
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Chapter 6, Problem 9C

Ethics and Sales Returns

At the end of 2019, the accounting firm for which you work is auditing the books of Debitus Publishing Inc. for the first time. Debitus, a calendar year company, publishes textbooks that are used in colleges and universities across the country. These textbooks are purchased by students through their campus bookstores. Debitus normally makes its biggest sales at the beginning of the fall semester. In the past, Debitus has always recorded sales returns in the spring semester when the campus bookstores return any unsold textbooks. This has been satisfactory because the returns have been immaterial in amount.

In 2018, as a promotional strategy to stimulate sales, Debitus began offering bookstores a reduced price if they ordered more textbooks. There is no penalty for returns of these textbooks if the bookstores cannot sell them to customers. This strategy worked; sales increased by 10% during 2018. In early 2019, however, a substantial amount of unsold textbooks were returned by bookstores to Debitus. Continuing the promotional strategy, sales increased by 15% during 2019.

While reviewing the sales returns account for 2019, you notice that the only entry was for the textbooks returned earlier in the year. You note that these returns amounted to about 5% of the sales for the fall semester of 2018. Because this pattern of returns seems to you to be a trend that will continue, you raise the issue with the company controller as to whether all of the “sales” for the fall semester of 2019 are actually revenue. The controller responds, “Of course tiiey are revenue; we sold the textbooks. Just because there will some returns doesn’t mean we haven’t made sales. Besides, we don’t know what percentage the returns will be. They might be as much as 5%, but definitely not more. Furthermore, we have already recorded all those returns at the beginning of 2019 that really applied to 2018. So we already have recorded our fair share of returns for 2019. As long as we record returns consistently, it will all work out. We don’t want a drop in earnings for 2019 because of a change in customer returns, our shareholders wouldn’t like that. Let’s just leave this issue alone.”

Required:

From financial reporting and ethical perspectives, what do you think about Debitus’s policy in regard to sales returns?

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Chapter 6 Solutions

Intermediate Accounting: Reporting And Analysis

Ch. 6 - Discuss the differences between the allowance...Ch. 6 - Prob. 12GICh. 6 - Prob. 13GICh. 6 - What method of bad debt estimation categorizes...Ch. 6 - Why does the write-off of uncollectible accounts...Ch. 6 - Discuss the difference between a secured borrowing...Ch. 6 - When does a company record the transfer of...Ch. 6 - Prob. 18GICh. 6 - What is a non-interest-bearing note? How does...Ch. 6 - Prob. 20GICh. 6 - How are the cash proceeds determined when a note...Ch. 6 - Under IFRS, what criteria must be satisfied in...Ch. 6 - Prob. 23GICh. 6 - (Appendix 6. 1) What is the purpose of a petty...Ch. 6 - (Appendix 6. 7) Why are actual expenses, rather...Ch. 6 - Prob. 26GICh. 6 - Prob. 27GICh. 6 - Prob. 1MCCh. 6 - Greenfield Company had the following cash balances...Ch. 6 - A company is in its first year of operations and...Ch. 6 - Marmol Corporation uses the allowance method for...Ch. 6 - On January 1, 2019, King Companys Allowance for...Ch. 6 - Prior to adjustments, Barrett Companys account...Ch. 6 - A method of estimating bad debts that focuses on...Ch. 6 - When the accounts receivable of a company are sold...Ch. 6 - Prob. 9MCCh. 6 - Prob. 10MCCh. 6 - Prob. 11MCCh. 6 - On December 31, Harrison Company reports the...Ch. 6 - Lindley Enterprises sells hand woven rugs. Paige...Ch. 6 - Long Corporation is a fabric manufacturing...Ch. 6 - Refer to RE6-3. Assume Long records accounts...Ch. 6 - Longmire Sons nude sales un credit to Alderman...Ch. 6 - Refer to RE6-5. Assume Longmire uses a perpetual...Ch. 6 - McKinney Co. estimates its uncollectible accounts...Ch. 6 - Refer to RE6-7. At the end of the first quarter of...Ch. 6 - Refer to RE6-8. On April 23, 2020, McKinncy Co....Ch. 6 - On December 1 of the current year, Jordan Inc....Ch. 6 - On December 1 of the current year, Jordan Inc....Ch. 6 - On December 1, Newton Enterprises sells 100,000 of...Ch. 6 - Kaseys Cake Shop made 20,000 in sales of wedding...Ch. 6 - On June 1, Phillips Corporation sold, with...Ch. 6 - Prob. 15RECh. 6 - Prob. 16RECh. 6 - Computing; the Cash Balance Listed below are ten...Ch. 6 - Prob. 2ECh. 6 - Journal Entry to Separate Receivables An...Ch. 6 - Prob. 4ECh. 6 - Prob. 5ECh. 6 - Prob. 6ECh. 6 - Accounts Receivable Calculations The following...Ch. 6 - Estimation versus Direct Write-Off of Bad Debts...Ch. 6 - Estimating Bad Debts from Receivables Balances The...Ch. 6 - Aging Analysis of Accounts Receivable Cowens, a...Ch. 6 - Comparison of Bad Debt Estimation Methods Bradford...Ch. 6 - Inferring Accounts Receivable Amounts At the end...Ch. 6 - ReceivablesBad Debts At January 1, 2019, the...Ch. 6 - Transferring Accounts Receivable White Corporation...Ch. 6 - Transfer of Accounts Receivable Inder Corporation...Ch. 6 - Generating Cash from Receivables Guide Company...Ch. 6 - Interest-Bearing and Non-Interest-Bearing Notes On...Ch. 6 - Computing the Proceeds from the Sale of Notes...Ch. 6 - Recording the Sale of Notes Receivable Singer...Ch. 6 - Prob. 20ECh. 6 - Prob. 21ECh. 6 - Prob. 22ECh. 6 - Prob. 23ECh. 6 - Prob. 24ECh. 6 - Prob. 1PCh. 6 - Prob. 2PCh. 6 - Estimating Bad Debts Keegan Corporations...Ch. 6 - Allowance for Bad Accounts Installment Jewelry...Ch. 6 - Allowance for Doubtful Accounts From inception of...Ch. 6 - Prob. 6PCh. 6 - Aging Accounts Receivable On September 30. 2019...Ch. 6 - Prob. 8PCh. 6 - Prob. 9PCh. 6 - Prob. 10PCh. 6 - Factoring and Assignment of Accounts Receivable...Ch. 6 - Recording Note Transactions The following...Ch. 6 - Notes Receivable Transactions The following notes...Ch. 6 - Analyzing Accounts Receivable Upham Companys June...Ch. 6 - Comprehensive Receivables Problem Blackmon...Ch. 6 - Prob. 16PCh. 6 - Unknown Book Balance (Appendix 6.1) The following...Ch. 6 - Prob. 18PCh. 6 - Prob. 19PCh. 6 - Prob. 1CCh. 6 - Prob. 2CCh. 6 - Bad Debt Expense When a company has a policy of...Ch. 6 - Prob. 4CCh. 6 - Receivables Issues Magrath Company has an...Ch. 6 - Components of Cash Cash is an important asset of a...Ch. 6 - Prob. 7CCh. 6 - Transfer of Accounts and Notes Receivable Tidal...Ch. 6 - Ethics and Sales Returns At the end of 2019, the...Ch. 6 - Analyzing Starbuckss Cash and Receivables...Ch. 6 - Researching GAAP Situation Hamilton Company...
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