Assignment 4-2: Week 4 Analysis Write-Up
Kylie Keener
ACCT715-Q1WW
Financial Accounting Theory
Michael Miller
13 June 2012
1. Chapter 4: Problem 8 (GM)
The article “GM to Take Charge of $20.8-Billion” here reproduced from The Globe and Mail (February 2, 1993) describes the potential impact of SFAS 106, “Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions,” on General Motors and Ford. For example, it appears that General Motors will be required to record a liability of $20.8 billion, reducing its shareholders’ equity from $27.8 billion to $7 billion, about a 75% reduction. Describe and explain how you would expect the efficient securities market to react to this information.
SFAS 106, Accounting for Postretirement Benefits
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In applying accrual accounting to postretirement benefits, this Statement adopts three fundamental aspects of pension accounting: delayed recognition of certain events, reporting net cost, and offsetting liabilities and related assets.” (FASB, 2012) I would expect the efficient securities market to find this practice acceptable. “Accrual-based accounting is more effective than cash-based accounting. A few arguments to support this theory are: certain cash receipts and disbursements are “lumpy,” within operating cash flows receipts and payments can be lumpy, accrual-based accounting is a better predictor of a company’s long-term financial performance. Also all formal statements need to be set up using accrual-based accounting, and publicly traded companies need to use accrual-based accounting to conform to GAAP standards (Keener, 2012).”
2. Chapter 4: Problem 12 (Imax)
a. To what extent can revenue growth substitute for net income as a predictor of future earning power? Explain. Use efficient securities market concepts in your answer, and consider the requirement under GAAP for immediate writeoff of research and startup costs. “Both revenue growth and net income are useful in determining the financial strength of a company, but they are not interchangeable. Net income describes how efficient a company is with its spending and operating costs and how effectively it has been controlling total costs. Revenue, on the
Revenues are the monies that are brought in as a result of the business’ core functions in their respective industry. Revenues are different from gains in that revenues can be accounted for, while still taking a loss in the overall profitability. If an item were to be sold below cost, it brings revenue (selling price), but was sold at a loss.
If some research is undertaken that provides evidence that capital markets do not always behave in accordance with the Efficient Market Hypothesis, does this invalidate research that adopts an assumption that capital markets are efficient?
1.What are conversion factors? Why were conversion factors developed? How do they impact on which bond is cheapest to deliver? Under what conditions would there be no cheapest to deliver? Explain in detail.
Horizontal analysis allows side by side comparisons on a year to year basis to determine the performance from one year to the next. The company decides on standards to compare the results of the analysis. Standards are researched by checking competitors, internet research of general industry guidelines or standards created from past experience in the company.
Using the Internet or Strayer databases, go to the FASB Website, located at http://www.fasb.org, and other resources to research the Disclosure of Postretirement Health Care and Life Insurance Benefits.
The Report describes a proposal for the group of 20 of doctors with regard to the creating a hospital. Due to the 500,000 population of the city $100 million dollars would actually be a great start. Because the facility would be located 30 miles from the downtown area it would allow the facility to attract patients without being crowded. On the downside this affects its financial position and market condition because of distance. A lot of patients are not able to get to the doctor due to the high gas prices. Using various strategies, such as looking into ways to connect with public transportation to deal with this problem and gain
According to the fact of this case, Parent Co. (Parent) wholly owns Poor Son Co. (Poor Son) as a legal subsidiary, and both of them all nonpublic companies. However, in January 2007 Poor Son filed a voluntary bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code because of its inability of meet obligations as they became due. Then, Parent claimed the loss of control of Poor Son and deconsolidated Poor Son from its financial statement. Through the bidding process in May 2009, Poor Son and OtherCo, the winning sponsor, filed a joint plan of reorganization to the bankruptcy court, but the plan was rescinded by OtherCo later due to significant market value shrink of Poor Son. After that, the
Based upon my knowledge learned on financial reporting, I had compared to companies reporting statistics. The two companies in comparison are PepsiCo Incorperated and The Coca-Cola Company in which both have reported annual statistics for 2004 and 2005. During my comparison of net incomes, gross expenses, stock statistics, and assets accumulations, I have suggested some strategies for each business to take into consideration for better future results. As an accountant in training, I will be giving specific details of my analysis and recommendations, as these are my opinions for financial success.
Assess the degree to which the firm’s accounting reflects the underlying business reality. Identify accounting distortions and evaluate their impact on profits and the sustainability of profits.
Use this Excel spreadsheet to compute ratios; show your computations for all ratios on this tab and also include your commentary.
9. How did the pension plan changes affect Harnischfeger’s financial statements in 1984? Are these changes likely to affect future profits?
Accruals. This occurs when sales and expenses are recorded when they incur, not when they are paid out or the payment is received. In other words, the record should be made immediately no matter if the payment was received or not, paid out or not yet. Accruals can be called unpaid bills, sales on credit and other expenses over due.
To over view the knowledge we learnt from accounting theory and practice, the main thing I can conclude that is the tendency of accounting will shift away from technical way to people’s behaviour way. By understanding what should do, we should ask why and how we could improve and change it into a better way. This essay aims to explain how the theoretical material that we learn in lectures can be developed under a real practical manner.
Net income is total revenues minus total expenses incurred to generate those revenues all within the same reporting period. Net income is calculated by the accrual accounting methodology meaning that the expenses incurred to generate revenues are reported at the same time the related revenues are reported. Both revenue recognition and expenses paid may not coincide with actual cash transactions. Net cash from operating activities, on the other hand, is not determined by accrual but by
By: Charn Gek Cheng, Chiang Soo Ling, Kummar Sokali Muthu Mogan, Lee Siew Fen Samantha