Projects: Insurance Contracts and Revenue Recognition

An entity recognizes revenue when goods or services that are transferred to customers for the amount the entity is expected to be entitled to receive in exchange for goods or services and there are five steps used to apply the principle. (FASB ASC 606-1-SUMMARY-2).

The core principle of this revised proposed standard is the same as that of the 2010 exposure draft: that an entity would recognize revenue from contracts with customers when it transfers promised goods or services to the customer. The proposed guidance would also provide a model for the measurement and timing of recognition of gains and losses on the sale

The issue of revenue recognition practices is an area that has received a lot of attention from regulators. Whenever there is a report of financial restatements or negative earnings, regulators pay extra attention to review the financial statements in order to verify that that there are not any indications of financial fraud or that the organization overstepped their boundaries in the area of managed earnings. The reason that regulators have taken a special interest in financial accounting and potential fraud is due to the collapses of companies such as Enron, WorldCom and Tyco. Regulators and those in the accounting profession are focusing their efforts on the causes of fraud as well as the steps that can be taken to effectively detect

Background. Revenue is a financial statement item. Accounting for revenue contains standards and principles for revenue recognition. Revenue recognition rules and statutory requirements significantly evolved over the years. It became more detailed for the purpose so financial statement users can understand true company performance and projections.

As CPA of this company, I have completed research to define and evaluate some of the key accounting and reporting requirements of the FASB (including GAAP), the impact these requirements may have on our company and how the investment community feels about the imposed FASB standards. Research will prove that by implementing FASB standards and adhering to GAAP, will lead to a positive company reputation and ultimately growth as we gain new investors.

NOTE: As part of your two case research assignments, you need to search the online Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) for authoritative support for the positions you are taking in your solution. Your solution should contain specific references to the ASC standard numbers you are relying upon. The ASC can be located at http://aaahq.org/ascLogin.cfm and the userID and password are AAA51268 and LGU9z3k, respectively. They are case sensitive.

After over a decade of extensive deliberation, the IASB and FASB officially released their joint revenue recognition standard to be applied under both GAAP and IFRS. The FASB and IASB which they have been in collaboration for a converged revenue recognition principle since 2008. The new revenue recognition standard represents a milestone in the convergence process, as it is the first fully integrated joint standard. The purpose of the new revenue recognition principle is to standardize across the board how companies should recognize revenue recorded in financial statements.

Revenue is the largest item in financial statements, and issues involving revenue recognition are among the most important and difficult that standard setters and accountants face. Revenue

In section 5, the author hypothesizes that the accounts receivable accruals map into the cash flow realizations to a lesser extent than those under SOP 91-1. The author points out that the earlier the recognition, the more likely the customer is to not pay. Circumstances such as acceptance, commitment to pay and/or needs for customization may change prior to or upon delivery of the software or rendering of the service that may not be foreseen at the time of contract signing or earlier than as specified in SOP 91-1.

Revenue from the provision of goods and all services is only recognized when the amounts to be recognized are fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured (Elliot B., Elliot J., 2007)

The Big Eight firm partners had called on their offices around the world to draft chapters that included sections on the organized accountancy profession, auditing standards, and accounting principles and practices. It was the first such volume to be produced by a professional accountancy body. In its Introduction, the committee referred to the demands for 'improvement and greater uniformity in international accounting and professional standards ... which were voiced by many participants in the Eighth International Congress held in New York in September 1962'.?

The revenue recognition principle is a foundation of accrual accounting and one of the main principles of GAAP. The revenue recognition principle is a set of guidelines that helps accountants to identify when a revenue event has taken place and how to appropriately record cash exchanges before, during, and after the revenue event. According to the revenue recognition principal, revenue must (1) be realized or realizable and (2) earned, in order to be recognized. According to the SEC revenue is realized when (1) Persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) Delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (3) The seller’s price to the buyer is fixed or determinable, and (4) Collectability is reasonably assured. It is essential

In the global business arena, there are two main institutions whose accounting standards are used for financial reporting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The IFRS, whose rules are established and maintained by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), is the most widely used of the two institutions but the primary choice for the United States continues to be GAAP, whose standards are established and maintained by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Although both systems have many similarities, there are a variety of significant differences that have a great impact on how reporting amounts are calculated and reported to the general public.

With the number of countries that have switched to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for their financial reporting, as well as the continued efforts made between the IFRS and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP), it is evident that international convergence is an overall appealing idea for global reporting. With that said, US GAAP has worked with IFRS to create a universal standard; and while progress has been made to diminish variances between the standards, there are still large, if not unattainable, efforts ahead of us. The hype over a proposed uniform set of global accounting standards appears to be stunted by the lost efforts in the convergence project between the US GAAP and IFRS. As the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) moves forward with its standards setting, there must be a reevaluation of the goal for reporting standards and efforts with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

The accounting world is shaped by stringent and clear rules, principles, standards and guidelines. These are all meant to define accounting operations and reporting discipline. With the emergence of International Accounting Standards (IAS), which was later replaced by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the accounting concepts, analysis, disclosures, reporting and presentation became easier and practical. Currently, accountants, managers and related parties find it concrete and consistent in protecting professional boundaries.