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Chapter 8: Question 11Q (page 421)

Specific identification is sometimes said to be the ideal method of assigning a cost to inventory and to the cost of goods sold. Briefly indicate the arguments for and againstthis method of inventory valuation.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Special identification is a method of valuing inventory at a specific cost for each specific item. This is an ideal method with several difficulties.

Step by step solution

01

Arguments for the special identification method

The major argument for the special identification method is that it is the ideal method of valuing inventory. This is because it is the only method through which the actual cot can match with actual revenue. Thus under this method, the physical flow of goods matches the cost flow of goods.

02

Arguments against special identification method

One of the arguments against the special identification method is that the reported income can be manipulated by showing higher costs or lower costs. This may lead to tax evasion or other malpractices.

Another problem with this method is the arbitrary issue. This arbitrary issue is due to the difficulty of allocating indirect expenses to inventory.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Arruza Co. is considering switching from the specific-goods LIFO approach to the dollar-value LIFO approach. Because the financial personnel at Arruza know very little about dollar-value LIFO, they ask youto answer the following questions.

(a) What is a LIFO pool?

(b) Is it possible to use a LIFO pool concept and not use dollar-value LIFO? Explain.

(c) What is a LIFO liquidation?

(d) How are price indexes used in the dollar-value LIFO method?

(e) What are the advantages of dollar-value LIFO over specific-goods LIFO?

The net income per books of Linda Patrick Company was determined without knowledge of the errors indicated.

Net Income Error in Ending

Year per Books Inventory

2012 \(50,000 Overstated \) 3,000

2013 52,000 Overstated 9,000

2014 54,000 Understated 11,000

2015 56,000 No error

2016 58,000 Understated 2,000

2017 60,000 Overstated 8,000

Instructions

Prepare a worksheet to show the adjusted net income figure for each of the 6 years after taking into account the inventoryerrors.

Question:Data for Amsterdam Company are presented in BE8-4. Compute the April 30 inventory and the April cost of

goods sold using the FIFO method.

The board of directors of Ichiro Corporation is considering whether or not it should instruct the accounting department to shift from a first-in, first out (FIFO) basis of pricing inventories to a last-in, first-out (LIFO) basis. The following information is available.

Sales 21,000 units @ \(50

Inventory, January 1 6,000 units @ 20

Purchases 6,000 units @ 22

10,000 units @ 25

7,000 units @ 30

Inventory, December 31 8,000 units @ ?

Operating expenses \)200,000

Instructions

Prepare a condensed income statement for the year on both bases for comparative purposes.

Question: In January 2017, Susquehanna Inc. requested and secured permission from the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service to compute inventories under the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method and elected to determine inventory cost under the dollar-value LIFO method. Susquehanna Inc. satisfied the commissioner that cost could be accurately determined by use of an index number computed from a representative sample selected from the company’s single inventory pool.

Instructions

(a) Why should inventories be included in (1) a balance sheet and (2) the computation of net income?

(b) The Internal Revenue Code allows some accountable events to be considered differently for income tax reporting purposes and financial accounting purposes, while other accountable events must be reported the same for both purposes. Discuss why it might be desirable to report some accountable events differently for financial accounting purposes than for income tax reporting purposes.

(c) Discuss the ways and conditions under which the FIFO and LIFO inventory costing methods produce different inventory valuations. Do not discuss procedures for computing inventory cost.
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