Ocean Manufacturing

For the unit 6 assignment on case analysis, I will be conducting a case study on two clients.

The retail market for home décor is very competitive. There are a variety of stores and catalog retailers that offer similar merchandise. Major players in the industry include Bed, Bath & Beyond, Cost Plus, World Market, and Williams-Sonoma. Specialty sections of large department stores also provide competition. Opportunities in retail home décor include attracting viewers from television networks, specializing in home décor. Home & Garden (HGTV) and the Do it Yourself (DIY) network are two examples of networks that encourage interior home design by the novice. Retail home décor products are often featured on television networks which provide a way to market their merchandise to consumers. Threats to the industry include an increasing number of home décor retailers that provide competition. In addition, wholesale clubs contain home décor departments which have a tendency towards lower prices. The current energy crisis, sub-prime mortgage debacle, and increasing unemployment rates also pose a threat to the industry.

1. When clients are referred to your organization, what process or procedure is followed to assess your client (such as psychological, social, medical, et cetera)?

The home improvement sector of the economy is large with two major players in the industry and with many smaller local and regional competitors. These two major competitors are Home Depot and Lowe’s. These two companies account for over $110 billion in total sales each year. Even though sales have gone down over the past few years due to the downturn in the economy they have not gone down nearly as much as home sales and this is due to more people deciding to do more home improvements to their own home then buying a new home. Both of these companies have been able to keep up sales and increase them year over year by improving current

Internet sales are growing rapidly within the industry, and amongst all retail, eventually they might start to see Amazon as a major competitor. Stores like Home Depot and Lowe's have interactive websites, with the ability purchase items not seen in stores, how to guides, project ideas, and quotes for specific jobs. Trends in the industry are moving to more green products, private label and exclusive brands, more interactive retail experience with new payment options. This would utilize modern technology to increase sales. Demand which has been driven by home remodeling and building doesn’t fluctuate too much, typically minor shifts within the economic cycles.

Elder, A. A., Beasley, M., & Elder, R. J. (2014). Auditing and assurance services (15th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

(NSY) had been providing parts and services to the Mega-Yacht Industry since receiving their initial seed capital in 2000. The Mega-Yacht industry provided an attractive opportunity for NSY. Although the industry was small by comparison, serving only 10,000 vessels, it generated in excess of $1 billion in economic activity annually, divvied amongst the new build, and maintenance, refit and repair business sectors (Mark & Mitchell, 2003, p. 48). The industry’s supporting cast included captains and crews, owners, management companies, procurement agents, yacht builders and repair entities, brokers, and local husbanding agents. Although unknown to the firm at its inception, consultants in 2002 forecasted the mega-yacht industry would see annual growth of 6%, with the potential for even better numbers in the short-term (Mark & Mitchell, 2003, p. 48).

“Keystone Computers & Networks, Inc. (KCN) is a company that sells and installs computer workstations and networking software to business customers. The CPA firm of Adams, Barnes & Co. has audited the financial statements of KCN for the past three years. The case illustrates selective audit planning working papers that were prepared by the staff of Adams, Barnes & Co. for this year’s audit.” I will be listing the order in which I would perform this audit and I will decide if I should select the client and focus on the key audit objectives while applying the audit risk model.

This case analysis explores the possibility of Breezy, a leading supplier of carburators and air filters in North America, the possibility of developing offshore busines in countries where car manufacturing is growing. The report is structured as follows: First, there are five important questions that Breezy must consider and ask itself before developing a relationship with a new customer. After Breezy decides to go offshore, it will have to go through the negotiating process, which involves five steps. Breezy then, must have capabilities of how an offshore business is organized, consider the many different costs and risks involved in the implementation and decide how it will finance the project. The report also talks

4) What factors in the auditor-client relationship create a power imbalance in favor of the client? Discuss measures that the profession could take to minimize the negative consequences of this power imbalance.

Whirlpool is the world’s largest producer and marketer of small and large home appliances such as mixers, food processors, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. Whirlpool also has a long standing relationship with Sears, which sells Whirlpool products under the brand name Kenmore. In addition to its North American presence (both manufacturing and sales), Whirlpool also has a strong presence in Mexico, and Europe. Being the largest producer in the world has helped Whirlpool to compete on lower costs through economies of scale and through its Global Procurement Organization (GPO). In addition, its large networks also help in

b. Assess acceptable audit risk as high, medium, or low considering the items you identified in requirement a. (A risky client will be assessed as a low acceptable audit risk.)

The client is an expert about himself or herself. Furthermore, it is of critical importance that the

Ocean Carriers Inc. was approached in January of 2001 with a contract proposal for the leasing of one of their ships for a term of 3 years beginning in 2003. Ocean Carriers currently has no ship to accommodate the customer. To commission the construction of a new vessel would take 2 years from start to completion. The average rate in the spot market is $22,000 per day. Ocean Carriers deployed a younger fleet than average carriers and generally earned a 15% premium over the average daily rate placing them in position to capitalize in strong economies. However, the industry is volatile and suseptable to extremes both low and high. Many ship owners sought to sign contracts with time charters in order to shield themselves from the swings

4. Assess the relevant areas competence-and of missing knowledge, skills, experience, or expertise-in regard to the relevant aspects of the situation.