Paul Howard, the new plant manager of Garden Scapes Manufacturing Plant Number 7, has just reviewed a draft of his year-end financial statements. Howard receives a year-end bonus of 11.5% of the plant’s operating income before tax. The year-end income statement provided by the plant’s controller was disappointing to say the least. After reviewing the numbers, Howard demanded that his controller go back and “work the numbers” again. Howard insisted that if he didn’t see a better operating income number the next time around he would be forced to look for a new controller. Garden Scapes Manufacturing classifies all costs directly related to the manufacturing of its product as product costs. These costs are inventoried and later expensed as costs of goods sold when the product is sold. All other expenses, including finished-goods warehousing costs of $3,640,000, are classified as period expenses. Howard had suggested that warehousing costs be included as product costs because they are…

Tonya Latirno is a staff accountant for Cannally and Kennedy, a local CPA firm. For the past 10 years, the firm has given employees a year-end bonus equal to two weeks' salary. On November 15, the firm's management team announced that there would be no annual bonus this year. Because of the firm's long history of giving a year-end bonus, Tonya and her coworkers had come to expect the bonus and believed that Cannally and Kennedy had breached an implicit agreement by discontinuing the bonus. As a result, Tonya decided that she would make up for the lost bonus by working an extra six hours of overtime per week for the rest of the year. Cannally and Kennedy's policy is to pay overtime at 150% of straight time. Tonya's supervisor was surprised to see overtime being reported, because there is generally very little additional or unusual client service demands at the end of the calendar year. However, the overtime was not questioned, because employees are on the "honor system" in reporting…

Tonya Latirno is a staff accountant for Cannally and Kennedy, a local CPA firm. For the past 10 years, the firm has given employees a year-end bonus equal to two weeks’ salary.On November 15, the firm’s management team announced that there would be no annual bonus this year. Because of the firm’s long history of giving a year-end bonus, Tonya and her coworkers had come to expect the bonus and believed that Cannally and Kennedy had breached an implicit agreement by discontinuing the bonus. As a result, Tonya decided thatshe would make up for the lost bonus by working an extra six hours of overtime per week for the rest of the year. Cannally and Kennedy’s policy is to pay overtime at 150% of straight time.Tonya’s supervisor was surprised to see overtime being reported, because there is generally very little additional or unusual client service demands at the end of the calendar year. However, the overtime was not questioned, because employees are on the “honor system” in reporting their…

Over the past two years, Kermit Stone, The comptroller of Hilton Company, Has been concerned that the company has been paying a large amount of money for state unemployment taxes. On reviewing the "unemployment file" with the head accountant, Deborah Martha, he learns that the companies tax rate is near the top of the range of the states experience-rating system. After calling the local unemployment office, stone realizes that the turnover of employees at Hilton company has had an adverse effect on the companies tax rates. In addition, after consulting with Murtha, he discovers that the eligibility reports that come from the state unemployment office or just signed and sent back to the state without any review. The eligibility reports or notices that an ex employee has filed a claim for unemployment benefits. By signing these reports "blindly", The company, in effect, tells the state that the employee is eligible for the benefits. Any benefits paid or charged by the state against…

Terry House, the controller for MicroTech Software Company, is responsible for preparing the company’s financial statements.  He learns that sales for the first quarter of the year have dropped so dramatically that the company is in danger of bankruptcy.  As a result, he applies for an accounting position with another software company that competes with MicroTech.  During his job interview, Terry is asked why he wants to leave MicroTech.  He replies truthfully, “The company’s sales are down another 10% this quarter.  I fear they will go out of business.”  At that time, MicroTech had not released its sales results to the public. Discuss the ethics of this situation.

You have recently been hired as the assistant controller for Stanton Temperton Corporation, which rents building space in major metropolitan areas. Customers are required to pay six months of rent in advance. At the end of 2021, the company’s president, Jim Temperton, notices that net income has fallen compared to last year. In 2020, the company reported pretax profit of $330,000, but in 2021 the pretax profit is only $280,000. This concerns Jim for two reasons. First, his year-end bonus is tied directly to pretax profits. Second, shareholders may see a decline in profitability as a weakness in the company and begin to sell their stock. With the sell-off of stock, Jim’s personal investment in the company’s stock, as well as his companyoperated retirement plan, will be in jeopardy of severe losses. After close inspection of the financial statements, Jim notices that the balance of the Deferred Revenue account is $120,000. This amount represents payments in advance from long-term…

onya Latirno is a staff accountant for Cannally and Kennedy, a local CPA firm. For the past 10 years, the firm has given employees a year-end bonus equal to two weeks’ salary. On November 15, the firm’s management team announced that there would be no annual bonus this year. Because of the firm’s long history of giving a year-end bonus, Tonya and her co-workers had come to expect the bonus and felt that Cannally and Kennedy had breached an implicit agreement by discontinuing the bonus. As a result, Tonya decided that she would make up for the lost bonus by working an extra six hours of overtime per week for the rest of the year. Cannally and Kennedy’s policy is to pay overtime at 150% of straight time. Tonya’s supervisor was surprised to see overtime being reported, because there are generally very little additional or unusual client service demands at the end of the calendar year. However, the overtime was not questioned, because employees are on the “honor system” in reporting their…

Flo Choi owns a small business and manages its accounting. Her company just finished a year in which a large amount of borrowed funds was invested in a new building addition as well as in equipment and fixture additions. Choi’s banker requires her to submit semiannual financial statements so he can monitor the financial health of her business. He has warned her that if profit margins erode, he might raise the interest rate on the borrowed funds to reflect the increased loan risk from the bank’s point of view. Choi knows profit margin is likely to decline this year. As she prepares year-end adjusting entries, she decides to apply the following depreciation rule: All asset additions are considered to be in use on the first day of the following quarter. (The previous rule assumed assets are in use on the first day of the month nearest to the purchase date.) Discuss the following: Identify decisions that managers like Choi must make in applying depreciation methods. Is Choi’s rule an…

Flo Choi owns a small business and manages its accounting. Her company just finished a year in which a large amount of borrowed funds was invested in a new building addition as well as in equipment and fixture additions. Choi’s banker requires her to submit semiannual financial statements so he can monitor the financial health of her business. He has warned her that if profit margins erode, he might raise the interest rate on the borrowed funds to reflect the increased loan risk from the bank’s point of view. Choi knows profit margin is likely to decline this year. As she prepares year-end adjusting entries, she decides to apply the following depreciation rule: All asset additions are considered to be in use on the first day of the following month. (The previous rule assumed assets are in use on the first day of the month nearest to the purchase date.) Required 1. Identify decisions that managers like Choi must make in applying depreciation methods. 2. Is Choi’s rule an ethical…