Cooper Training Services (CTS) provides instruction on the use of computer software for the employees of its corporate clients

Problem 11-25 Effects of operating leverage on profitability

Cooper Training Services (CTS) provides instruction on the use of computer software for the employees of its corporate clients. It offers courses in the clients’ offices on the clients’ equipment. The only major expense CTS incurs is instructor salaries; it pays instructors $3,600 per course taught. CTS recently agreed to offer a course of instruction to the employees of Akers Incorporated at a price of $340 per student. Akers estimated that 20 students would attend the course.

Base your answer on the preceding information.

Part 1:
Required
a. Relative to the number of students in a single course, is the cost of instruction a fixed or a variable cost?
b. Determine the profit, assuming that 20 students attend the course.
c. Determine the profit, assuming a 20 percent increase in enrollment (i.e., enrollment increases to 24 students). What is the percentage change in profitability?
d. Determine the profit, assuming a 20 percent decrease in enrollment (i.e., enrollment decreases to 16 students). What is the percentage change in profitability?
e. Explain why a 20 percent shift in enrollment produces more than a 20 percent shift in profitability. Use the term that identifies this phenomenon.

Click here for the solution: Cooper Training Services (CTS) provides instruction on the use of computer software for the employees of its corporate clients

Glesen Company sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for its employees

Glesen Company sponsors a defined benefit pension plan for its employees. The following data relate to the operation of the plan for the years 2008 and 2009.

AND SO ON

Instructions
(a) Prepare a pension worksheet presenting both years 2008 and 2009 and accompanying computations including the computation of the minimum liability (2008 and 2009) and amortization of the unrecognized loss (2009) using the corridor approach.
(b) Prepare the journal entries (from the worksheet) to reflect all pension plan transactions and events at December 31 of each year.
(c) At December 31, 2009, prepare a schedule reconciling the funded status of the pension plan with the pension amounts reported in the financial statements.

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In order to encourage employee ownership of the company's $1 par common shares, Washington Distribution permits any of its employees

E 19-9 Employee share purchase plan

In order to encourage employee ownership of the company's $1 par common shares, Washington Distribution permits any of its employees to buy shares directly from the company through payroll deduction. There are no brokerage fees and shares can be purchased at a 15% discount. During March, employees purchased 50,000 shares at a time when the market price of the shares on the New York Stock Exchange was $12 per share.

Required:
Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the March purchases of shares under the employee share purchase plan.

Click here for the solution: In order to encourage employee ownership of the company's $1 par common shares, Washington Distribution permits any of its employees

American Optical Corporation provides a variety of share-based compensation plans to its employees

E 19-5 Stock options

American Optical Corporation provides a variety of share-based compensation plans to its employees. Under its executive stock option plan, the company granted options on January 1, 2011, that permit executives to acquire 4 million of the company's $1 par common shares within the next five years, but not before December 31, 2012 (the vesting date). The exercise price is the market price of the shares on the date of grant, $14 per share. The fair value of the 4 million options, estimated by an appropriate option pricing model, is $3 per option. No forfeitures are anticipated. Ignore taxes.

Required:
1. Determine the total compensation cost pertaining to the options.
2. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the award of options on January 1, 2011.
3. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record compensation expense on December 31, 2011.
4. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record compensation expense on December 31, 2012.

Click here for the solution: American Optical Corporation provides a variety of share-based compensation plans to its employees

Magnetic-Optical Corporation offers a variety of share-based compensation plans to employees

E 19-4 Restricted stock award plan; forfeitures anticipated

Magnetic-Optical Corporation offers a variety of share-based compensation plans to employees. Under its restricted stock award plan, the company on January 1, 2011, granted 4 million of its $1 par common shares to various division managers. The shares are subject to forfeiture if employment is terminated within three years. The common shares have a market price of $22.50 per share on the grant date.

Required:
1. Determine the total compensation cost pertaining to the restricted shares.
2. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the award of restricted shares on January 1, 2011.
3. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record compensation expense on December 31, 2011.
4. Suppose Magnetic-Optical expected a 10% forfeiture rate on the restricted shares prior to vesting. Determine the total compensation cost.

Click here for the solution: Magnetic-Optical Corporation offers a variety of share-based compensation plans to employees

Gorky-Park Corporation provides postretirement health care benefits to employees who provide at least 12 years of service and reach age 62 while in service

Gorky-Park Corporation provides postretirement health care benefits to employees who provide at least 12 years of service and reach age 62 while in service. On January 1, 2011, following plan-related data were available

Accumulated postretirement benefit obligation 130
Fair value of plan assets none
Average remaining service period to retirement 25 years (same in previous 10 yrs)
Average remaining service period to full eligibility 20 years (same in previous 10 yrs)

On January 1, 2011, Gorky-Park amends the plan to provide certain dental benefits in addition to previously provided medical benefits. The actuary determines that the cost of making the amendment retroactive increases service cost for 2011 is $34 million. The interest rate is 8%.

Requirements
1. Calculate the postretirement benefit expense for 2011.
2. Prepare the journal entry to record the expense.


Click here for the solution: Gorky-Park Corporation provides postretirement health care benefits to employees who provide at least 12 years of service and reach age 62 while in service

The City of Sweetwater maintains an Employees’ Retirement Fund, a single-employer, defined benefit plan that provides annuity and disability benefits

7-13 The City of Sweetwater maintains an Employees’ Retirement Fund, a single-employer, defined benefit plan that provides annuity and disability benefits. The fund is financed by actuarially determined contributions from the city’s General Fund and by contributions from employees. Administration of the retirement fund is handled by General Fund employees, and the retirement fund does not bear any administrative expenses. The Statement of Net Assets for the Employees’ Retirement Fund as of July 1, 2011, is shown here:

CITY OF SWEETWATER
Employees' Retirement Fund
Statement of Net Assets
As of July 1, 2011

Assets
Cash $ 50,000
Accrued interest receivable 135,000
Investments, at fair value:
Bonds 4,500,000
Common stocks 1,300,000
Total assets 5,985,000

Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 350,000
Net assets held in trust for preparation for benefits $5,635,000

During the year ended June 30, 2012, the following transaction occurred:

The interest receivable on investments was collected in cash.
Member contributions in the amount of $400,000 were received in cash. The city’s General Fund also contributed $600,000 in cash.
Annuity benefits of $700,000 and disability benefits of $150,000 were recorded as liabilities.
Accounts payable and accrued expenses in the amount of $900,000 were paid in cash.
Interest income of $240,000 and dividends in the amount of $40,000 were received in cash. In addition, bond interest income of $140,000 was accrued at year-end.
Refunds of $130,000 were made in cash to terminated, nonvested participants.
Common stocks, carried at a fair value of $500,000, were sold for $480,000. That $480,000, plus an additional $300,000, was invested in stocks.
At year-end, it was determined that the fair value of stocks held by the pension plan had decreased by $50,000; the fair value of bonds had increased by $30,000.
Nominal accounts for the year were closed.

a.) Record the transactions on the books of the Employees’ Retirement Fund.
b.) Prepared a Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the Employees’ Retirement Fund for the Year Ended June 30, 2012.
c.) Prepare a Statement of Net Assets for the Employees’ Retirement Fund as of June 30, 2012.


Click here for the solution: The City of Sweetwater maintains an Employees’ Retirement Fund, a single-employer, defined benefit plan that provides annuity and disability benefits

Sometimes compensation packages include bonuses designed to provide performance incentives to employees

P 13-5 Bonus compensation; algebra

Sometimes compensation packages include bonuses designed to provide performance incentives to employees. The difficulty a bonus can cause accountants is not an accounting problem, but a math problem. The complication is that the bonus formula sometimes specifies that the calculation of the bonus is based in part on the bonus itself. This occurs anytime the bonus is a percentage of income because expenses are components of income, and the bonus is an expense.

Regalia Fashions has an incentive compensation plan through which a division manager receives a bonus equal to 10% of the division’s net income. Division income in 2011 before the bonus and income tax was $150,000. The tax rate is 30%.


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Cleaner’s, Inc., is switching to paying employees every 2 weeks rather than weekly and will therefore “skip” 1 week’s pay

E16–2 Cleaner’s, Inc., is switching to paying employees every 2 weeks rather than weekly and will therefore “skip” 1 week’s pay. The firm has 25 employees who work a 60-hour week and earn an average wage of $12.50 per hour. Using a 10% rate of interest, how much will this change save the firm annually?

Click here for the solution: Cleaner’s, Inc., is switching to paying employees every 2 weeks rather than weekly and will therefore “skip” 1 week’s pay

If Halley Industries reimburses employees who earn master’s degrees and who agree to remain with the firm for an additional 3 years

E11–1 If Halley Industries reimburses employees who earn master’s degrees and who agree to remain with the firm for an additional 3 years, should the expense of the tuition reimbursement be categorized as a capital expenditure or an operating expenditure?

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Del Hardware has four employees who are paid on an hourly basis plus time-and-a half for all hours worked in excess of 40 a week

Problem 11-3A (P11-3A) Del Hardware has four employees who are paid on an hourly basis plus time-and-a half for all hours worked in excess of 40 a week. Payroll data for the week ended March 15, 2010, are presented below.

Employee Hours Hourly Rate Federal Income Tax Withholdings United Fund
Joe Devena 40 $ 15 $ 5
Mary Keener 42 $ 15 $ 5
Andy Dye 44 $ 13 $ 60 $ 8
Kim Shen 46 $ 13 $ 61 $ 5

Devena and Keener are married. They claim 0 and 4 withholding allowances, respectively. The following tax rates are applicable: FICA 8%, state income taxes 3%, state unemployment taxes 5.4%, and federal unemployment 0.8%. The first three employees are sales clerks (store wages expense). The fourth employee performs administrative duties (office wages expense).

Instructions
a. Prepare a payroll register for the weekly payroll. (Use the wage-bracket withholding table in the text for federal income tax withholdings.)
b. Journalize the payroll on March 15, 2010, and the accrual of employer payroll taxes.
c. Journalize the payment of the payroll on March 16, 2010.
d. Journalize the deposit in a Federal Reserve bank on March 31, 2010, of the FICA and federal income taxes payable to the government.

Click here for the solution: Del Hardware has four employees who are paid on an hourly basis plus time-and-a half for all hours worked in excess of 40 a week

4-4A Eaton Enterprises uses the wage-bracket method to determine federal income tax withholding on its employees

4-4A Eaton Enterprises uses the wage-bracket method to determine federal income tax withholding on its employees. Find the amount to withhold from the wages paid each employee.
Employee
Marital Status
No. of Withholding Allowances
Payroll Period
W = Weekly
S = Semimonthly
M = Monthly
D = Daily
Wage
Amount to Be Withheld
Hal Bower M 1 W $1,350
Ruth Cramden S 1 W 590
Gil Jones S 3 W 675
Teresa Kern M 6 M 4,090
Ruby Long M 2 M 2,730
Katie Luis M 8 S 955
Susan Martin S 1 D 96
Jim Singer S 4 S 2,610*
Martin Torres M 4 M 3,215

* Must use percentage method.

Click here for the solution: 4-4A Eaton Enterprises uses the wage-bracket method to determine federal income tax withholding on its employees

1-20 (Role of financial information for continuous improvement) Consider an organization that has empowered its employees, asking them to improve the quality, productivity, and responsiveness of their processes that involve repetitive work

1-20 (Role of financial information for continuous improvement) Consider an organization that has empowered its employees, asking them to improve the quality, productivity, and responsiveness of their processes that involve repetitive work. This work could arise in a manufacturing setting, such as assembling cars or producing chemicals, or in a service setting, such as processing invoices or responding to customers’ orders and requests. Clearly the workers would benefit from feedback on the quality (defect, yields) and process times. Be specific about the types of financial information that would be helpful and the specific decisions or actions that could be made better by supplementing physical and operational information with financial information.

Click here for the solution: 1-20 (Role of financial information for continuous improvement) Consider an organization that has empowered its employees, asking them to improve the quality, productivity, and responsiveness of their processes that involve repetitive work