For what reasons are plant assets retired? Define inadequacy, supersession, and obsolescence.

Short Answer

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Answer

Assets are retired for one of two reasons: physical factors or economic factors—or a combination of both.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Depletion

The loss of natural resources as a result of access to them on a regular basis is called depletion.Hence, a company uses it when any kind of registered asset is involved, such as oil, coal, or gravel deposits.

02

Explaining reasons why plant assets are retired. Define inadequacy, supersession, and obsolescence.

Physical or economic factors—or a combination of both—are the causes of asset retirement. Wear and tear, decay, and casualty factors are all physical elements that prevent an item from working indefinitely. Economic considerations might be viewed as any additional limitation that arises to reduce an asset's service life.

Inadequacy, supersession, and obsolescence are three categories that some accountants try to classify economic issues into. Inadequacy is described as a circumstance in which an asset is no longer helpful to a company due to changes in the company's expectations.

A circumstance in which one asset is replaced because another asset is more efficient and cost-effective is known as supersession. When economic concerns are addressed, obsolescence is the catchall phrase that incorporates all other scenarios and is frequently referred to as the primary notion.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The plant manager of a manufacturing firm suggested in a conference of the company’s executives that accountants should speed up depreciation on the machinery in the finishing department because improvements were rapidly making those machines obsolete, and a depreciation fund big enough to cover their replacement is needed. Discuss the accounting concept of depreciation and the effect on a business concern of the depreciation recorded for plant assets, paying particular attention to the issues raised by the plant manager.

(Impairment) The management of Petro Garcia Inc. was discussing whether certain equipment should be written off as a charge to current operations because of obsolescence. This equipment has a cost of \(900,000 with depreciation to date of \)400,000 as of December 31, 2017. On December 31, 2017, management projected its future net cash flows from this equipment to be \(300,000 and its fair value to be \)230,000. The company intends to use this equipment in the future.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the journal entry (if any) to record the impairment at December 31, 2017.
  2. Where should the gain or loss (if any) on the write-down be reported in the income statement?
  3. At December 31, 2018, the equipment’s fair value increased to $260,000. Prepare the journal entry (if any) to record this increase in fair value.
  4. What accounting issues did management face in accounting for this impairment?

(Depreciation Computations—Five Methods, Partial Periods) Muggsy Bogues Company purchased equipment for \(212,000 on October 1, 2017. It is estimated that the equipment will have a useful life of 8 years and a salvage value of \)12,000. Estimated production is 40,000 units and estimated working hours are 20,000. During 2017, Bogues uses the equipment for 525 hours and the equipment produces 1,000 units.

Instructions

Compute depreciation expense under each of the following methods. Bogues is on a calendar-year basis ending December 31.

  1. Straight-line method for 2017.
  2. Activity method (units of output) for 2017.
  3. Activity method (working hours) for 2017.
  4. Sum-of-the-years’-digits method for 2019.
  5. Double-declining-balance method for 2018.

Explain how gains or losses on impaired assets should be reported in income.

Under what conditions is it appropriate for a business to use the composite method of depreciation for its plant assets? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this method?

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