Where's the cash? (Ethics Case 21-7)

Ethics Case 21-7 Where's the cash?

After graduating near the top of his class, Ben Naegle was hired by the local office of a Big 4 CPA firm in his hometown. Two years later, impressed with his technical skills and experience, Park Electronics, a large regional consumer electronics chain, hired Ben as assistant controller. This was last week. Now Ben's initial excitement has turned to distress.

The cause of Ben's distress is the set of financial statements he's stared at for the last four hours. For some time prior to his recruitment, he had been aware of the long trend of moderate profitability of his new employer. The reports on his desk confirm the slight, but steady, improvements in net income in recent years. The trend he was just now becoming aware of, though, was the decline in cash flows from operations.

Ben had sketched out the following comparison ($ in millions):
2011 2010 2009 2008
Income from Operations $140.0 $132.0 $127.5 $127.0
Net Income 38.5 35.0 34.5 29.5
Cash Flow from Operations 1.6 17.0 12.0 15.5

Profits? Yes. Increasing profits? Yes. The cause of his distress? The ominous trend in cash flow which is consistently lower than net income.

Upon closer review, Ben noticed three events in the last two years that, unfortunately, seemed related:

a. Park's credit policy had been loosened; credit terms were relaxed and payment periods were lengthened.
b. Accounts receivable balances had increased dramatically.
c. Several of the company's compensation arrangements, including that of the controller and the company president, were based on reported net income.

Required:
1. What is so ominous about the combination of events Ben sees?
2. What course of action, if any, should Ben take?

Click here for the solution: Ethics Case 21-7 Where's the cash?

Stacy Cummins, the newly hired controller at Merced Home Products, Inc., was disturbed by what she had discovered about the standard costs at the Home Security Division

Case 11-22 (Ethics and the Manager; Rigging Standards) Stacy Cummins, the newly hired controller at Merced Home Products, Inc., was disturbed by what she had discovered about the standard costs at the Home Security Division. In looking over the past several years of quarterly income statements at the Home Security Division, she noticed that the first-quarter profits were always poor, the second-quarter profits were slightly better, the third-quarter profits were again slightly better, and the fourth quarter always ended with a spectacular performance in which the Home Security Division managed to meet or exceed its target profit for the year. She also was concerned to find letters from the company’s external auditors to top management warning about an unusual use of standard costs at the Home Security Division.

When Ms. Cummins ran across these letters, she asked the assistant controller, Gary barber, if he knew what was going on at the Home Security Division. Gary said that it was common knowledge in the company that the vice president in charge of the Home Security Division, Preston Lansing, had rigged the standards at his division in order to produce the same quarterly income pattern every year. According to the company policy, variances are taken directly to the income statement as an adjustment to cost of goods sold.

Favorable variances have the effect of increasing net operating income, and unfavorable variances have the effect of decreasing net operating income. Lansing had rigged the standards so that there were always large favorable variances. Company policy was a little vague about when these variances have to be reported on the divisional income statements. While the intent was clearly to recognize variances on the income statement in the period in which they arise, nothing in the company’s accounting manuals actually explicitly required this. So for many years Lansing had followed a practice of saving up the favorable variances and using them to create a nice smooth pattern of growing profits in the first three quarters, followed by a big “Christmas present” of an extremely good fourth quarter. (Financial reporting regulations forbid carrying variances forward from one year to the next on the annual audited financial statements, so all of the variances must appear on the divisional income statement by the end of the year.)

Ms. Cummins was concerned about these revalations and attempted to bring up the subject with the president of Merced Home Products, but was told that “we all know what Landing’s doing, but as long as he continues to turn in such good reports, don’t bother him.” When Ms. Cummins asked if the board of directors was aware of the situation, the president somewhat testily replied, “Of course they are aware.”

Required:
1. How did Preston Lansing probably “rig” the standard costs – are the standards set too high or too low? Explain.
2. Should Preston Lansing be permitted to continue his practice of managing reported profits?
3. What should Stacy Cummins do in this situation?

Click here for the solution: Stacy Cummins, the newly hired controller at Merced Home Products, Inc., was disturbed by what she had discovered about the standard costs at the Home Security Division

You have just been hired as a new management trainee by Earrings Unlimited, a distributor of earrings to various retail outlets located in shopping malls across the country

Case 9-30 Master Budget with Supporting Schedules

EARRINGS UNLIMITED

Minimum ending cash balance $50,000
Selling price $10

Recent and forecast sales: January (actual) 20,000 February (actual) 26,000 March (actual) 40,000 April 65,000 May 100,000 June 50,000 July 30,000 August 28,000 September 25,000

Desired ending inventories (percentage 40% of next month's sales)
Cost of earrings 4

Purchases paid as follows: In month of purchase 50% In following month 50% Collection on sales: Sales collected current month 20% Sales collected following month 70% Sales collected 2nd month following 10% Variable monthly expenses: Sales commissions (% of sales) 4% Fixed monthly expenses:
Advertising 200,000
Rent 18,000
Salaries 106,000
Utilities 7,000
Insurance (12 months paid in November) 3,000
Depreciation 14,000
Equipment purchased in May 16,000
Equipment purchased in June 40,000
Dividends declared each quarter 15,000

Balance sheet at March 31:
Assets Cash $74,000
Accounts receivable 346,000
Inventory 104,000
Prepaid insurance 21,000
Property and equipment (net) 950,000
Total assets $1,495,000

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Accounts payable $100,000
Dividends payable 15,000
Capital stock 800,000
Retained earnings 580,000
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $1,495,000

Agreement with Bank:
Borrowing increments $1,000
Interest rate per month 1%
Repayment increments $1,000
Total of interest paid each quarter 100%
Required minimum cash balance $50,000

Required:
Prepare a master budget for the three-month period ending June 30. Include the following detailed budgets:
1. a. A sales budget, by month and in total.
b. A schedule of expected cash collections from sales, by month and in total.
c. A merchandise purchases budget in units and in dollars. Show the budget by month and in total.
d. A schedule of expected cash disbursements for merchandise purchase, by month and in total.
2. A cash budget. Show the budget by month and in total. Determine any borrowing that would be needed to maintain the minimum cash balance of $50,000.
3. A budgeted income statement for the three-month period ending June 30. Use the contribution approach.
4. A budgeted balance sheet as of June 30.XX

Click here for the solution: You have just been hired as a new management trainee by Earrings Unlimited, a distributor of earrings to various retail outlets located in shopping malls across the country

Cantu was hired as a special education teacher by the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District under a one-year contract for the 1990–91 school year

Cantu was hired as a special education teacher by the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District under a one-year contract for the 1990–91 school year. On August 18, 1990, shortly before the start of the school year, Cantu hand-delivered to her supervisor a letter of resignation, effective August 17, 1990. In this letter, Cantu requested that her final paycheck be forwarded to an address in McAllen, Texas, some 50 miles from the San Benito office where she tendered the resignation. The San Benito superintendent of schools, the only official authorized to accept resignations on behalf of the school district, received Cantu’s resignation on Monday, August 20. The superintendent wrote a letter accepting Cantu’s resignation the same day and deposited the letter, properly stamped and addressed, in the mail at approximately 5:15 PM that afternoon. At about 8:00 AM the next morning, August 21, Cantu hand-delivered to the superintendent’s office a letter withdrawing her resignation. This letter contained a San Benito return address. In response, the superintendent hand-delivered that same day a copy of his letter mailed the previous day to inform Cantu that her resignation had been accepted and could not be withdrawn. The dispute was taken to the state commissioner of education, who concluded that the school district’s refusal to honor Cantu’s contract was lawful, because the school district’s acceptance of Cantu’s resignation was effective when mailed, which resulted in the formation of an agreement to rescind Cantu’s employment contract. Cantu argued that the mailbox rule should not apply because her offer was made in person and the superintendent was not authorized to accept by using mail. Is this a good argument?

Click here for the solution: Cantu was hired as a special education teacher by the San Benito Consolidated Independent School District under a one-year contract for the 1990–91 school year