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Chapter 16: Q16-2CA (page 885)

CA16-2 ETHICS (Ethical Issues—Compensation Plan) The executive officers of Rouse Corporation have a performance-based compensation plan. The performance criteria of this plan is linked to growth in earnings per share. When annual EPS growth is 12%, the Rouse executives earn 100% of the shares; if growth is 16%, they earn 125%. If EPS growth is lower than 8%, the executives receive no additional compensation.

In 2014, Joan Devers, the controller of Rouse, reviews year-end estimates of bad debt expense and warranty expense. She calculates the EPS growth at 15%. Kurt Adkins, a member of the executive group, remarks over lunch one day that the estimate of bad debt expense might be decreased, increasing EPS growth to 16.1%. Devers is not sure she should do this because she believes that the current estimate of bad debts is sound. On the other hand, she recognizes that a great deal of subjectivity is involved in the computation.

Instructions

Answer the following questions.

(a) What, if any, is the ethical dilemma for Devers?

(b) Should Devers’s knowledge of the compensation plan be a factor that influences her estimate?

(c) How should Devers respond to Adkins’s request?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer

  1. Ethical dilemma for Devers includes benefits generated by Adkins and executives working in the business entity.
  2. Compensation plans must not influence the decisions of the accountant.
  3. Adkins’s request for alteration of estimates must be denied.

Step by step solution

01

Step-by-Step SolutionStep 1: Definition of Ethical Activities

Activities that prove to be fair from the point of view of moral principles are known as ethical activities. Such activities respect each type of individual and group.

02

Ethical dilemma for Devers

Alteration of the bad debt estimates will benefit Adkins and the other executives of the business entity. Such alteration will not be ethical because current estimates are sound, according to Devers’s judgment.

03

Factor influencing estimate

Decisions of the accountant must not be affected by the compensation plans of the business entity. Instead, it must be independent and fair.

04

Devers response to Adkins

Devers must deny the request of Adkins because altering the estimate is unethical, and the current estimates are fair and sound.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Financial Statement Analysis Case

Ragatz, Inc.

Ragatz, Inc., a drug company, reported the following information. The company prepares its financial statements in accordance with GAAP.

2017 (000)

Current liabilities

\(554,114

Convertible subordinated debts

648,020

Total liabilities

1,228,313

Stockholder’s equity

176,413

Net income

58,333

Analysts attempting to compare Ragatz to drug companies that issue debt with detachable warrants may face a challenge due to differences in accounting for convertible debt.

Instructions

(a) Compute the following ratios for Ragatz, Inc. (Assume that year-end balances approximate annual averages.)

(1) Return on assets.

(2) Return on common stock equity.

(3) Debt to assets ratio.

(b) Briefly discuss the operating performance and financial position of Ragatz. Industry averages for these ratios in 2017 were ROA 3.5%; return on equity 16%; and debt to assets 75%. Based on this analysis, would you make an investment in the company’s 5% convertible bonds? Explain.

(c) Assume you want to compare Ragatz to an IFRS company like Merck (which issues nonconvertible debt with detachable warrants). Assuming that the fair value of the equity component of Ragatz’s convertible bonds is \)150,000, how would you adjust the analysis above to make valid comparisons between Ragatz and Merck?

Archer Inc. issued $4,000,000 par value, 7% convertible bonds at 99 for cash. If the bonds had not included the conversion feature, they would have sold for 95. Prepare the journal entry to record the issuance of the bonds.

How is antidilution determined when multiple securities are involved?

(Stock-Based Compensation) Assume that Amazon.com has a stock-option plan for top management. Each

stock option represents the right to purchase a share of Amazon \(1 par value common stock in the future at a price equal to the

fair value of the stock at the date of the grant. Amazon has 5,000 stock options outstanding, which were granted at the beginning

of 2017. The following data relate to the option grant.

Exercise price for options \)40

Market price at grant date (January 1, 2017) \(40

Fair value of options at grant date (January 1, 2017) \)6

Service period 5 years

Instructions

(a) Prepare the journal entry(ies) for the first year of the stock-option plan.

(b) Prepare the journal entry(ies) for the first year of the plan assuming that, rather than options, 700 shares of restricted

stock were granted at the beginning of 2017.

(c) Now assume that the market price of Amazon stock on the grant date was $45 per share. Repeat the requirements for

(a) and (b).

(d) Amazon would like to implement an employee stock-purchase plan for rank-and-file employees, but it would like to

avoid recording expense related to this plan. Which of the following provisions must be in place for the plan to avoid

recording compensation expense?

(1) Substantially all employees may participate.

(2) The discount from market is small (less than 5%).

(3) The plan offers no substantive option feature.

(4) There is no preferred stock outstanding

What are the computational guidelines for determining whether a convertible security is to be reported as part of diluted earnings per share?
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