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Chapter 24: Question 20Q (page 1452)

What is a performance obligation, and how is it used to determine when revenue should be recognized?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Performance obligations are a promise made by the seller of the good to its buyer to transfer goods or services at a particular time period.

Revenue should be recognized when it is realized or realizable and when it is earned.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of Performance Obligation

A promise containing obligations to act in accordance with the standards stated in the relevant agreement is known as a performance obligation.

02

Ways to determine when revenue should be recognized.

Companies recognize revenue when a performance obligation is fulfilled. The principle for recognizing revenue under certain generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) states that the company should recognize revenue under the following terms:

  • At the point of production.
  • At the time of sale, and
  • On delivery or receipt of cash.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The following statement is an excerpt from the FASB pronouncement related to interim reporting. Interim financial information is essential to provide investors and others with timely information as to the progress of the enterprise. The usefulness of such information rests on the relationship that it has to the annual results of operations. Accordingly, the Board has concluded that each interim period should be viewed primarily as an integral part of an annual period. In general, the results for each interim period should be based on the accounting principles and practices used by an enterprise in the preparation of its latest annual financial statements unless a change in an accounting practice or policy has been adopted in the current year. The Board has concluded, however, that certain accounting principles and practices followed for annual reporting purposes may require modification at interim reporting dates so that the reported results for the interim period may better relate to the results of operations for the annual period.

Instructions

The following six independent cases present how accounting facts might be reported on an individual company’s interim financial reports. For each of these cases, state whether the method proposed to be used for interim reporting would be acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles applicable to interim financial data. Support each answer with a brief explanation.

f) LaBrava Company was reasonably certain it would have an employee strike in the third quarter. As a result, it shipped heavily during the second quarter but plans to defer the recognition of the sales in excess of the normal sales volume. The deferred sales will be recognized as sales in the third quarter when the strike is in progress. LaBrava Company management thinks this is more representative of normal second- and third-quarter operations.

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

The following statement is an excerpt from the FASB pronouncement related to interim reporting. Interim financial information is essential to provide investors and others with timely information as to the progress of the enterprise. The usefulness of such information rests on the relationship that it has to the annual results of operations. Accordingly, the Board has concluded that each interim period should be viewed primarily as an integral part of an annual period. In general, the results for each interim period should be based on the accounting principles and practices used by an enterprise in the preparation of its latest annual financial statements unless a change in an accounting practice or policy has been adopted in the current year. The Board has concluded, however, that certain accounting principles and practices followed for annual reporting purposes may require modification at interim reporting dates so that the reported results for the interim period may better relate to the results of operations for the annual period.

Instructions

The following six independent cases present how accounting facts might be reported on an individual company’s interim financial reports. For each of these cases, state whether the method proposed to be used for interim reporting would be acceptable under generally accepted accounting principles applicable to interim financial data. Support each answer with a brief explanation.

a) J. D. Long Company takes a physical inventory at year-end for annual financial statement purposes. Inventory and cost of sales reported in the interim quarterly statements are based on estimated gross profit rates, because a physical inventory would result in a cessation of operations. Long Company does have reliable perpetual inventory records.

What are the major types of subsequent events? Indicate how each of the following “subsequent events” would be reported.

  1. Collection of a note written off in a prior period.
  2. Issuance of a large preference share offering.
  3. Acquisition of a company in a different industry.
  4. Destruction of a major plant in a flood.
  5. Death of the company’s chief executive officer (CEO).
  6. Additional wage costs are associated with the settlement of a four-week strike.
  7. Settlement of an income tax case at considerably more tax than anticipated at year-end.
  8. Change in the product mix from consumer goods to industrial goods.

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?
See all solutions

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