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Chapter 24: Q11CA_a (page 1457)

(Disclosure of Estimates) Nancy Tercek, the financial vice president, and Margaret Lilly, the controller, of Romine Manufacturing Company are reviewing the financial ratios of the company for the years 2017 and 2018. The financial vice president notes that the profit margin on sales ratio has increased from 6% to 12%, a hefty gain for the 2-year period. Tercek is in the process of issuing a media release that emphasizes the efficiency of Romine Manufacturing in controlling cost. Margaret Lilly knows that the difference in ratios is due primarily to an earlier company decision to reduce the estimates of warranty and bad debt expense for 2018. The controller, not sure of her supervisor’s motives, hesitates to suggest to Tercek that the company’s improvement is unrelated to efficiency in controlling cost. To complicate matters, the media release is scheduled in a few days.

Instructions

  1. What, if any, is the ethical dilemma in this situation?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The Financial vice president is manipulating the company’s financial condition.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Ethical Dilemma

An ethical dilemma arises when two sets of human ideals are conflicting, both of which are desirable but cannot be fully realized. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all ethical solution; instead, many approaches address the balance of values in different ways for different people.

02

Explaining the ethical dilemma in the above situation

The controller points out that the financial vice president is misrepresenting the company's financial situation by implying that it had grown more efficient when, in reality, the better ratio was achieved by estimate manipulation. The controller, on the other hand, is hesitant since estimating does not follow strict, well-defined criteria.

The problem arises when Lilly is required to evaluate the benefits to the firm if its profit margin on sales looks to be substantially higher against the accountant's typical responsibility to disclose financial data properly (that is, in a manner that is consistent with the previous reporting).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Carlton Company is involved in four separate industries. The following information is available for each of the four industries.

Operating Segment
Total Revenue
Operating Profit (Loss)
Identifiable Assets
W
 \( 60,000
15,000
\)167,000
X
 10,000
 3,000
 83,000
Y
 23,000
 (2,000)
 21,000
Z
 9,000
 1,000
 19,000

\(102,000
\)17,000
$290,000

Instructions

Determine which of the operating segments are reportable based on the:

c) Identifiable assets test.

Okay. Last fall, someone with a long memory and an even longer arm reached into that bureau drawer and came out with a moldy cheese sandwich and the equally moldy notion of corporate forecasts. We tried to find out what happened to the cheese sandwich—but, rats!, even recourse to the Freedom of Information Act didn’t help. However, the forecast proposal was dusted off, polished up and found quite serviceable. The SEC, indeed, lost no time in running it up the old flagpole—but no one was very eager to salute. Even after some of the more objectionable features—compulsory corrections and detailed explanations of why the estimates went awry—were peeled off the original proposal.

Seemingly, despite the Commission’s smiles and sweet talk, those craven corporations were still afraid that an honest mistake would lead them down the primrose path to consent decrees and class action suits. To lay to rest such qualms, the Commission last week approved a “Safe Harbor” rule that, providing the forecasts were made on a reasonable basis and in good faith, protected corporations from litigation should the projections prove wide of the mark (as only about 99% are apt to do).

Instructions

  1. Why are corporations concerned about presenting profit forecasts?

The following comment appeared in the financial press: “Inadequate financial disclosure, particularly with respect to how management views the future and its role in the marketplace, has always been a stone in the shoe. After all, if you don’t know how a company views the future, how can you judge the worth of its corporate strategy?” What are some arguments for reporting earnings forecasts?

As a loan analyst for Utrillo Bank, you have been presented with the following information.

Toulouse Co.

Lautrec Co.

Assets

Cash

\(120,000

\) 320,000

Receivables

220,000

302,000

Inventories

570,000

518,000

Total current assets

910,000

1,140,000

Other assets

500,000

612,000

Total assets

\(1,410,000

\)1,752,000

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

Current liabilities

\( 305,000

\) 350,000

Long-term liabilities

400,000

500,000

Capital stock and retained earnings

705,000

902,000

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

\(1,410,000

\)1,752,000

Annual sales

\(930,000

\)1,500,000

Rate of gross profit t on sales

30%

40%

Each of these companies has requested a loan of $50,000 for 6 months with no collateral offered. Because your bank has reached its quota for loans of this type, only one of these requests is to be granted.

Instructions

Which of the two companies, as judged by the information given above, would you recommend as the better risk and why? Assume that the ending account balances are representative of the entire year.

What is the difference between a CPA’s unqualified opinion or “clean” opinion and a qualified one?
See all solutions

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