Consider 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 possible—and our assets need bolstering as well.
Donna: I understand the problem, but I don’t see what can be done at this point. This is the last week of the fiscal year, and it looks like we’ll 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
Donna: Gary, I don’t know. What you’re suggesting is risky. It wouldn’t take much auditing skill to catch this one.
Gary: You don’t have to worry about that. The auditors won’t 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 overhead—next year’s overhead. Donna, this will work. If we look good and get the loan to boot, corporate headquarters will treat us well. If we don’t do this, we could lose our jobs.
Required:
- 1. Should Donna agree to Gary’s 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 manager’s 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?
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Chapter 6 Solutions
Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Business Decision-Making
- You are the management accountant at Xero Ltd and have been trying to persuade your boss, the finance director, that your role should change. You have read about Burns and Scapens' report 'Accounting Change Project' and think that it suggests an interesting change from your current roles of preparing and reviewing budgets and overseeing the production of management and financial accounts. Your boss is sceptical but is willing to listen to your arguments." a. “Explain the changes and what is driving these changes in the role of the management accountant based on Burns and Scapens work." "(Maximum word count: 500 words)"arrow_forwardConsider 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 dilemma you might someday face if you are the chief financial officer of a company that is struggling to maintain a positive cash flow, despite the fact that the company is reporting a substantial positive net income. Maybe the problem is so severe that there is often insufficient cash to pay ordinary business expenses, like utilities, salaries, and payments to suppliers. Assume that you have been asked to communicate to your board of directors about your companys year, in retrospect, as well as your vision for the companys future. Write a memo that expresses your insights about past experience and present prospects for the company. Note that the challenge of the assignment is to keep your integrity intact, while putting a positive spin on the situation, as much as is reasonably possible. How can you envision the situation turning into a success story?arrow_forward
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- You are an investor who is looking for a place to invest your money. Previous investments have led you to feel that you are only interested in public, unregulated companies. You must choose a company that has not been used in previous course work, where you will now invest your money. Based on publicly available information you are to do a complete strategic analysis of the company. Tips: Clothing companies do not make good choices because their reporting dates do not match standard reporting of economic data. The result of your research will be your opinion, backed by your analysis, and use of evidence (use 6th edition APA) and reasons why you would personally invest in this company as well as why people wish to be employed at this company. What makes it attractive to employees? You may think of this as an evaluation of the firm for investment purposes. Ensure that you select a company that has data available for conducting the needed analyses. Do due diligence right at the beginning…arrow_forwardIndicate whether each of the following statements is true or false. 1. When designing an accounting system, you need to think about the needs and knowledge of both the top managers and various other users. TrueFalse 2. When the environment changes as a result of technological advances, increased competition, or government regulation, an accounting system does not have to be sufficiently flexible to meet the changes in order to save money. TrueFalse 3. In developing an accounting system, cost is relevant. The benefits obtained from the information disseminated must outweigh the cost of providing it. TrueFalsearrow_forwardBansi Breken is a financial institution that provides loans to businesses. It rejects an iron ore company's request for a loan after it reviews the value of the company's assets, liabilities, and owners' equity and finds them to be unsatisfactory. In this scenario, Bansi Breken most likely analyzed the company's _____ to assess its financial condition. Group of answer choices balance sheet operating budget income statement statement of cash flowsarrow_forward
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- Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Busines...AccountingISBN:9781337115773Author:Maryanne M. Mowen, Don R. Hansen, Dan L. HeitgerPublisher:Cengage LearningPrinciples of Accounting Volume 1AccountingISBN:9781947172685Author:OpenStaxPublisher:OpenStax College