Financial Accounting and Reporting

Financial Accounting and Reporting
(EN)
Kieso, Weygandt & Warfield (2018), Intermediate Accounting: IFRS Edition, 3rd edition
2022-2023
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Content
Chapter 1 – Financial Reporting and Accounting Standards ................................................. 3
Chapter 2 – Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting ................................................ 5
Chapter 3 – The Accounting Information System................................................................... 8
Chapter 4 – Income statement and related information....................................................... 9
Chapter 5 – Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Cash Flows ...................... 12
Chapter 7 – Cash and receivables.......................................................................................... 16
Chapter 8 – Valuation of inventories: A Cost-Basis Approach ............................................. 19
Chapter 10 – Acquisition and Disposition of Property, Plant and Equipment ................... 21
Chapter 11 – Depreciation, Impairments, and Depletion .................................................... 24
Chapter 12 – Intangible assets ............................................................................................... 27
Chapter 13 – Current liabilities, provisions, and contingencies .......................................... 29
Chapter 14 – Non-current liabilities ...................................................................................... 32
Chapter 15 – Equity ................................................................................................................. 33
Chapter 17 – Investments ...................................................................................................... 37
Chapter 19 – Accounting for Income Taxes .......................................................................... 38
Chapter 21 – Accounting for Leases ...................................................................................... 40
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Chapter 1 – Financial Reporting and Accounting Standards
A single, widely accepted set of high-quality accounting standards is a necessity to ensure
adequate comparability. Globalization demands a single set of high-quality international
accounting standards. But how is this to be achieved? Here are some elements:
1. Single set of high-quality accounting standards established by a single standard-setting body
2. Consistency in application and interpretation
3. Common disclosures
4. Common high-quality auditing standards and practices
5. Common approach to regulatory review and enforcement
6. Education and training of market participants
7. Common delivery systems
8. Common approach to corporate governance and legal frameworks around the world
The objective of general-purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the
reporting entity that is useful to present and potential equity investors, lenders, and other
creditors in making decisions about providing resources to the entity.
General-purpose financial statements provide financial reporting information to a wide variety of
users. In other words, general-purpose financial statements provide at the least cost the most
useful information possible.
The objective of financial reporting identifies investors and creditors as the primary user group
for general-purpose financial statements.
As part of the objective of general-purpose financial reporting, an entity perspective is adopted.
Companies are viewed as separate and distinct from their owners (present shareholders) using
this perspective.
Investors are interested in financial reporting because it provides information that is useful for
making decisions (referred to as the decision-usefulness approach) as indicated earlier, when
making these decisions, investors are interested in assessing (1) the company’s ability to generate
net cash inflows and (2) management’s ability to protect and enhance the capital providers’
investments. The objective of accrual-basis accounting: It ensures that a company records events
that change its financial statements in the periods in which the events occur, rather than only in
the periods in which it receives or pays cash.
The main international standard-setting organization is based in London, United Kingdom, and is
called the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The IASB issues International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which are used on most foreign exchanges.
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is an association of
organizations that regulate the world’s securities and futures markets.
The standard-setting structure internationally is composed of the following four organizations:
1. The IFRS Foundation provides oversight to the IASB, IFRS Advisory Council, and IFRS
Interpretations committee.
2. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) develops, in the public interest, a single
set of high-quality, enforceable, and global international financial reporting standards for
general-purpose financial statements.
3. The IFRS Advisory Council provides advice and counsel to the IASB on major policies and
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technical issues.
4. The IFRS Interpretations Committee assists the IASB through the timely identification,
discussion, and resolution of financial reporting issues within the framework of IFRS.
In addition, as part of the governance structure, a Monitoring Board was created. The purpose of
this board is to establish a link between accounting standard-setters and those public authorities
that generally oversee them.
The IASB due process has the following elements: (1) an independent standard-setting board
overseen by a geographically and professionally diverse body of trustees; (2) a thorough and
systematic process for developing standards; (3) engagement with investors, regulators, business
leaders, and the global accountancy profession at every stage of the process; and (4)
collaborative efforts with the worldwide standard-setting community.
The characteristics of the IASB, reinforce the importance of an open, transparent, and
independent due process:
- Membership. The board consist of 16 members.
- Autonomy. The IASB is not part of any other professional organization.
- Independence. Full-time IASB members must sever all ties from their past employer.
- Voting. Nine of 16 votes are needed to issue a new IFRS.
The IASB issues three major types of pronouncements:
1. International Financial Reporting Standards → Financial accounting standards issued by the
IASB are referred to as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
2. Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting → This Conceptual Framework for Financial
Reporting sets forth the fundamental objective and concepts that the Board uses in developing
future standards of financial reporting. The intent of the document is to form a cohesive set of
interrelated concepts – a conceptual framework – that will serve as tools for solving existing and
emerging problems in a consistent manner.
3. International Financial Reporting Standards Interpretations → Interpretations issued by the
IFRS Interpretations Committee are also considered authoritative and must be followed. These
interpretations cover (1) newly identified financial reporting issues not specifically dealt with in
IFRS and (2) issues where unsatisfactory or conflicting interpretations have developed, or seem
likely to develop, in the absence of authoritative guidance. The IASB will work on more pervasive
long-term problems, while the IFRS Interpretations Committee deals with short-term emerging
issues.
Any company indicating that it is preparing its financial statements in conformity with IFRS must
use all of the standards and interpretations. The following hierarchy is used to determine what
recognition, valuation, and disclosure requirements should be used. Companies first look to:
1. International Financial Reporting Standards, International Accounting Standards, and IFRS
interpretations originated by the IFRS.
2. The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting; and
3. Pronouncements of other standard-setting bodies that use a similar conceptual framework.
User groups are possibly the most powerful force influencing the development of IFRS. User
groups consist of those most interested in or affected by accounting rules. They know that the
most effective way to influence IFRS is to participate in the formulation of these rules or to try to
influence or persuade the formulators of them. These user groups often target the IASB, to
pressure it to change the existing rules and develop new ones.
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Considering the economic consequences of many accounting rules, special interest groups are
expected to vocalize their reactions to proposed rules.
The expectations gap – what the public thinks accountants should do and what accountants think
they can do – is difficult to close.
While our reporting model has worked well in capturing and organizing financial information in a
useful and reliable fashion, much still need to be done:
- Non-financial measurement
- Forward-looking information
- Soft assets
- Timeliness
In accounting, as in other areas of business, we frequently encounter ethical dilemmas. Some of
these dilemmas are simple and easy to resolve. However, many are not, requiring difficult
choices among allowable alternatives. Technical competence is not enough when encountering
ethical decisions.
Chapter 2 – Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting
A conceptual framework establishes the concepts that underlie financial reporting. A conceptual
framework is a coherent system of concepts that flow from an objective. The objective identifies
the purpose of financial reporting.
why do we need a conceptual framework? First, to be useful, rule-making should build on and
relate to an established body of concepts. A soundly developed conceptual framework thus
enables the IASB to issue more useful and consistent pronouncements over time, and a coherent
set of standards should result. Second, as a result of a soundly developed conceptual framework,
the profession should be able to more quickly solve new and emerging practical problems by
referring to an existing framework of basic theory.
The first level identifies the objective of financial reporting – that is, the purpose of financial
reporting. The second level provides the qualitative characteristics make accounting information
useful and the elements of financial statements. The third level identifies the recognition,
measurement, and disclosure concepts used in establishing and applying accounting standards
and the specific concepts to implement the objective.
The objective of financial reporting is the foundation of the Conceptual Framework.
The objective of general-purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the
reporting entity that is useful to present and potential equity investors, lenders, and other
creditors in making decisions about providing resources to the entity.
General-purpose financial reporting helps users who lack the ability to demand all the financial
information they need from an entity and therefore must rely, at least partly, on the information
provided in financial reports.
The second level provides conceptual building blocks that explain the qualitative characteristics
of accounting information and define the elements of financial statements.
How does a company choose an acceptable accounting method, the amount and types of
information to disclosure, and the format in which to present it? The answer: by determining
which alternative provides the most useful information for decision-making purposes (decisionusefulness).
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Relevance is one of the two fundamental qualities that make accounting information useful for
decision-making. To be relevant, accounting information must be capable of making a difference
in a decision. Financial information has predictive value if it has value as an input to predictive
processes used by investors to form their own expectations about the future. Relevant
information also helps users confirm or correct prior expectations; it has confirmatory value.
Materiality is a company-specific aspect of relevance. Information is material if omitting it or
misstating it could influence decisions that users make on the basis of the reported financial
information. Information is immaterial, and therefore irrelevant, if it would have no impact on a
decision-maker. In short, it must make a difference or a company need not disclose it. Assessing
materiality is one of the more challenging aspects of accounting because it requires evaluating
both the relative size and importance of an item. Companies must consider both quantitative and
qualitative factors in determining whether an item is material.
Faithful representation is the second fundamental quality that makes accounting information
useful for decision-making. Faithful representation means that the numbers and descriptions
match what really existed or happened.
Completeness means that all the information that is necessary for faithful representation is
provided. Neutrality means that a company cannot select information to favour one set of
interested parties over another. An information item that is free from error will be a more
accurate representation of a financial item.
Enhancing qualitative characteristics are complementary to the fundamental qualitative
characteristics. These characteristics distinguish more-useful information from less-useful
information.
Information that is measured and reported in a similar manner for different companies is
considered comparable. Comparability enables users to identify the real similarities and
differences in economic events between companies. Another type of comparability, consistency,
is present when a company applies the same accounting treatment to similar events, rom period
to period. Verifiability occurs when independent measures, using the same methods, obtain
similar results. Timeliness means having information available to decision-makers before it loses
its capacity to influence decisions. For information to be useful, there must be a connection
between these users and the decisions they make. This link, understandability, is the quality of
information that lets reasonably informed users see its significance.
The first three elements – assets, liabilities and equity – describes amounts of resources and
claims to resources at a moment in time. The second group of two elements describes
transactions, events, and circumstances that affect a company during a period of time.
The economic entity assumption means that economic activity can be identified with a particular
unit of accountability. In other words, a company keeps its activity separate and distinct from its
owners and any other business unit. Thus, the entity concept does not necessarily refer to a legal
entity. A parent and its subsidiaries are separate legal entities, but merging their activities for
accounting and reporting purposes does not violate the economic entity assumption.
Most accounting methods rely on the going concern assumption – that the company will have a
long life. Depreciation and amortization policies are justifiable and appropriate only if we assume
some permanence to the company.
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The monetary unit assumption means that money is the common denominator of economic
activity and provides an appropriate basis for accounting measurement and analysis.
The periodicity (or time period) assumption implies that a company can divide its economic
activities into artificial time periods.
Accrual-basis accounting means that transactions that change a company’s financial statements
are recorded in the periods in which the events occur.
We generally use four basic principles of accounting to record and report transactions: (1)
measurement, (2) revenue recognition, (3) expense recognition, and (4) full disclosure.
IFRS requires that companies account for and report many assets and liabilities on the basis of
acquisition price. This is often referred to as the historical cost principle. Cost has an important
advantage over other valuations: it is generally thought to be a faithful representation of the
amount paid for a given item. Many users prefer historical cost because it provides them with a
verifiable benchmark for measuring historical trends.
Fair value is defined as ‘’the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a
liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.’’
When a company agrees to perform a service or sell a product to a customer, it has a
performance obligation. When the company satisfies this performance obligation, it recognizes
revenue. The revenue cognition principle therefore requires that companies recognize revenue in
the accounting period in which the performance obligation is satisfied.
The approach for recognizing expenses is, ‘’Let the expense follow the revenues.’’ This approach
is the expense recognition principle. To illustrate, companies recognize expenses not when they
pay wages or make a product, but when the work (service) or the product actually contributes to
revenue. That is, by matching efforts (expenses) with accomplishment (revenues), the expense
recognition principle is implemented in accordance with the definition of expense. Cost are
generally classified into two groups: product costs and period costs. Product costs, such as
material, labour, and overhead, attach to the product. Period costs, such as officers’ salaries and
other administrative expenses, attach to the period.
Often referred to as the full disclosure principle, it recognizes that the nature and amount of
information included in financial reports reflects a series of judgmental trade-offs. These tradeoffs
strive for (1) sufficient detail to disclose matters that make a difference to users, yet (2)
sufficient condensation to make the information understandable, keeping in mind costs of
preparing and using it.
The notes to financial statements generally amplify or explain the items presented in the main
body of the statements. Supplementary information may include details or amounts that present
a different perspective from that adopted in the financial statements.
Cost constraint → companies must weigh the costs of providing the information against the
benefits that can be derived from using it.
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Chapter 3 – The Accounting Information System
An accounting information system collects and processes transaction data and then disseminates
the financial information to interested parties. Basic terminology → page 67.
Under the universally used double-entry accounting system, a company records the dual effect of
each transaction in appropriate accounts.
Increases to all asset and expense accounts occur on the left (or debit side) and decreases on the
right (or credit side). Conversely, increases to all liability and revenue accounts occur on the right
(or credit side) and decreases on the left (or debit side).
The first step in the accounting cycle is analysis of transactions and selected other events. The
first problem is to determine what to record. Transactions recorded may be an exchange
between two entities where each receives and sacrifices value, such as purchases and sales of
goods or services. In short, a company records as many transactions as possible that affect its
financial position.
In its simplest form, a general journal chronologically lists transactions and other events,
expressed in terms of debits and credits to accounts. Each general journal entry consists of four
parts: (1) a date, (2) the accounts and amounts to be debited, (3) the accounts and amounts to be
credited, and (4) an explanation. The procedure of transferring journal entries to the ledger
accounts is called posting.
A trial balance lists accounts and their balances at a given time. The procedures for preparing a
trial balance consist of:
1. Listing the account titles and their balances
2. Totalling the debit and credit columns
3. Proving the equality of the two columns
A trial balance does not prove that a company recorded all transactions or that the ledger is
correct.
Deferrals are expenses or revenues that are recognized at a date later than the point when cash
was originally exchanged. If a company does not make an adjustment for these deferrals, the
asset and liability are overstated, and the related expense and revenue are understated.
Assets paid for and recorded before a company uses them are called prepaid expenses.
Examples of common prepayments are insurance, supplies, advertising, and rent. Prepaid
expenses are costs that expire either with the passage of time or through use and consumption.
An adjusting entry for prepaid expenses results in a debit to an expense account and a credit to
an asset account.
Depreciation is the process of allocating the cost of an asset to expense over its useful life in a
rational and systematic manner.
A contra asset account offsets an asset account on the statement of financial position. This
means that the Accumulated Depreciation – Equipment account offsets the Equipment account
on the statement of financial position. The book value (or carrying value) of any depreciable asset
is the difference between its cost and its related accumulated depreciation.
When companies receive cash before services are performed, they record a liability by increasing
(crediting) a liability account called unearned revenues. The adjusting entry for unearned
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evenues results in a debit (decrease) to a liability account and a credit (increase) to a revenue
account.
The adjusting entry for accruals will increase both a statement of financial position and an
income statement account.
Revenues for services performed but not yet recorded at the statement date are accrued
revenues. An adjusting entry for accrued revenues results in a debit (increase) to an asset
account and a credit (increase) to a revenue account. Without an adjusting entry, assets and
equity on the statement of financial position, and revenues and net income on the income
statement, are understated.
Expenses incurred but not yet paid or recorded at the statement date are called accrued
expenses, such as interest, rent, taxes, and salaries. The adjusting entry for accrued expenses
results in a debit (increase) to an expense account and a credit (increase) to a liability account.
Without the adjusting entry, both liabilities and interest expense are understated, and both net
income and equity are overstated.
The purpose of an adjusted trial balance is to prove the equality of the total debit balances and
the total credit balances in the ledger after all adjustments. Because the accounts contain all data
needed for financial statements, the adjusted trial balance is the primary basis for the
preparation of financial statements.
The closing process reduces the balance of nominal (temporary) accounts to zero in order to
prepare the accounts for the next period’s transactions. The purpose of the post-closing trial
balance is to prove the equality of the permanent account balances that the company carries
forward into the next accounting period.
A summary of the steps in the accounting cycle shows a logical sequence of the accounting
procedures used during a fiscal period:
1. Enter the transactions of the period in appropriate journals
2. Post from the journals to the ledger(s)
3. Prepare an unadjusted trial balance
4. Prepare adjusting journal entries and post to the ledger(s)
5. Prepare a trial balance after adjusting
6. Prepare the financial statements from the adjusted trial balance
7. Prepare closing journal entries and post to the ledger(s)
8. Prepare a trial balance after closing
9. Prepare reversing entries (optional) and post to the ledger(s)
Chapter 4 – Income statement and related information
The income statement is the report that measures the success of company operations for a given
period of time. The business and investment community uses the income statement to
determine profitability, investment value, and creditworthiness. It provides investors and
creditors with information that helps them predict the amounts, timing, and uncertainty of future
cash flows.
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The income statement helps users of financial statements predict future cash flows in a number
of ways:
1. Evaluate the past performance of the company
2. Provide a basis for predicting future performance
3. Helps assess the risk or uncertainty of achieving future cash flows
Because net income is an estimate and reflects a number of assumptions, income statement
users need to be aware of certain limitations associated with its information. Some of the
limitations include:
1. Companies omit items from the income statement they cannot measure reliably
2. Income numbers are affected by the accounting methods employed
3. Income measurement involves judgment
What is earning management? It is often defined as the planned timing of revenues, expenses,
gains, and losses to smooth out bumps in earnings. In most cases, companies use earnings
management to increase income in the current year at the expense of income in future years.
Companies also use earnings management to decrease current earnings in order to increase
income in the future. Such earnings management negatively affects the quality of earnings if it
distorts the information in a way that is less useful for predicting future earnings and cash flows.
Net income results from revenue, expense, gain, and loss transactions. The income statement
summarizes these transactions. This method of income measurement, the transaction approach,
focuses on the income-related activities that have occurred during the period. The two major
elements of the income statement are as follows.
Income → increases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of inflows or
enhancements of assets or decreases of liabilities that result in increases in equity, other than
those relating to contributions from shareholders.
Expenses → decreases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of outflows
or depletions of assets or incurrences of liabilities that result in decreases in equity, other than
those relating to distributions to shareholders.
The definition of income includes both revenues and gains. Revenues arise from the ordinary
activities of a company and take many forms, such as sales, fees, interest, dividends, and rents.
Gains represent other items that meet the definition of income and may or may not arise in the
ordinary activities of a company. Gains include for example, gains on the sale of long-term assets
or unrealized gains on trading securities. The definition of expenses includes both expenses and
losses. Expenses generally arise from the ordinary activities of a company and take many forms,
such as cost of goods sold, depreciation, rent, salaries and wages, and taxes. Losses represent
other items that meet the definition of expenses and may or may not arise in the ordinary
activities of a company. Losses include losses on restructuring charges, losses related to sale of
long-term assets, or unrealized losses on trading securities.
Boc Hong Company’s gross profit is computed by deducting cost of goods sold from net sales.
The reporting of gross profit provides a useful number for evaluating performance and
predicting future earnings. Boc Hong Company determines income from operations by deducting
selling and administrative expenses as well as other income and expense from gross profit.
Companies are required to present an analysis of expenses classified either by their nature or
their function. An advantage of the nature-of-expense method is that it is simple to apply
because allocations of expense to different functions are not necessary. The function-of-expense
method is often viewed as more relevant because this method identifies the major cost drivers of
the company and therefore helps users assess whether these amounts are appropriate for the
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evenue generated. As indicated, a disadvantage of this method is that the allocation of costs to
the varying functions may be arbitrary and therefore the expense classification becomes
misleading.
In general, the IASB takes the position that both revenues and expenses and other income and
expense should be reported as part of income from operations. However, companies can
provide additional line items, headings, and subtotals when such presentation is relevant to an
understanding of the entity’s financial performance.
Boc Hong computes income before income tax by deducting interest expense (often referred to
as financing costs) from income from operations. Under IFRS, companies must report their
financing costs on the income statement. In most cases, the financing costs involve interest
expense. Boc Hong deducts income tax from income before income tax to arrive at net income.
Net income represents the income after all revenues and expenses for the period are
considered.
Earnings per share is net income minus preference dividends, divided by the weighted average of
ordinary shares outstanding.
The IASB defines a discontinued operation as a component of an entity that either has been
disposed of, or is classified as held-for-sale, and:
1. Represents a major line of business or geographical area of operations; or
2. Is part of a single, co-coordinated plan to dispose of a major line of business or geographical
area of operations; or
3. Is a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to resell.
Companies report as discontinued operations the gain or loss from disposal of a component of a
business. In addition, companies report the results of operations of a component that has been
or will be disposed of separately from continuing operations. Companies use the phrase ‘’Income
from continuing operations’’ only when gains or losses on discontinued operation occur.
Companies report discontinued operations on the income statement net of tax. The allocation of
tax to this item is called intraperiod tax allocation, that is, allocation within a period. It relates the
income tax expense of the fiscal period to the specific items that give rise to the amount of the
income tax provision. Companies use intraperiod tax allocation on the income statement for the
following items: (1) income from continuing operations and (2) discontinued operations. The
general concept is ‘’let the tax follow the income’’.
In this section, we discuss reporting issues related to (1) accounting changes and errors, (2)
retained earnings statement, (3) comprehensive income, and (4) statement of changes in equity.
Changes in accounting occur frequently in practice because important events or conditions may
be in dispute or uncertain at the statement date. One type of accounting change results when a
company adopts a different accounting principle. Changes in accounting principle include a
change in the method of inventory pricing from FIFO to average-cost, or a change in accounting
for construction contracts from the percentage-of-completion to the completed-contract method.
Changes in accounting estimates are inherent in the accounting process. A company accounts for
such changes in the period of change if they affect only that period, or in the period of change
and future periods if the change affects both. Companies do not handle changes in estimate
retrospectively. That is, such changes are not carried back to adjust prior years. Changes in
estimate are not considered errors.
Errors occurs as a result of mathematical mistakes, mistakes in the application of accounting
principles, or oversight or misuse of facts that existed at the time financial statements were
prepared. Companies correct errors by making proper entries in the accounts and reporting the
corrections in the financial statements. Corrections of errors are treated as prior period
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adjustments, similar to changes in accounting principles. Companies record a correction of an
error in the year in which it is discovered.
Net income increases retained earnings. A net loss decreases retained earnings. Both cash and
share dividends decrease retained earnings.
In some cases, companies transfer the amount of retained earnings restricted to an account
titled Appropriated Retained Earnings. The retained earnings section may therefore report two
separate amounts: (1) retained earnings free and (2) retained earnings appropriated. The total of
these two amounts equals the total retained earnings.
Comprehensive income includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting
from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Comprehensive income, therefore,
includes the following: all revenues and gains, expenses and losses reported in net income, and
all gains and losses that bypass net income but affect equity. These items – non-owner changes
in equity that bypass the income statement – are referred to as other comprehensive income.
Companies must display the components of other comprehensive income in one of two ways: (1)
a single continuous statement (one statement approach) or (2) two separate but consecutive
statements of net income and other comprehensive income (two statement approach). The one
statement approach is often referred to as the statement of comprehensive income. The two
statement approach uses the traditional term income statement for the first statement and the
comprehensive income statement for the second statement.
In addition to a statement of comprehensive income, companies are also required to present a
statement of changes in equity. The statement reports the change in each equity account and in
total equity for the period. The following items are disclosed in the statement:
1. Accumulated other comprehensive income for the period
2. Contributions and distributions to owners
3. Reconciliation of the carrying amount of each component of equity from the beginning to the
end of the period.
This statement is useful for understanding how equity changed during the period.
Chapter 5 – Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Cash Flows
The statement of financial position, also referred to as the balance sheet, reports the assets,
liabilities and equity of a business enterprise at a specific date. This financial statement provides
information about the nature and amounts of investments in enterprise resources, obligations to
creditors, and the equity in net resources. It therefore helps in predicting the amounts, timing,
and uncertainty of future cash flows.
Analysts use the statement of financial position to assess the company’s liquidity, solvency, and
financial flexibility. Liquidity describes the amount of time that is expected to elapse until an
asset is realized or otherwise converted into cash or until a liability has to be paid. Solvency refers
to the ability of a company to pay its debts as they mature. Liquidity and solvency affect a
company’s financial flexibility, which measures the ability of a company to take effective actions
to alter the amounts and timing of cash flows so it can respond to unexpected needs and
opportunities. Generally, the greater an enterprise’s financial flexibility, the lower its risk of
failure.
Some of the major limitations of the statement of financial positions are:
1. Most assets and liabilities are reported at historical cost
2. Companies use judgments and estimates to determine many of the items reported in the
statement of financial position
3. The statement of financial position necessarily omits many items that are of financial value but
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that a company cannot record objectively.
Statement of financial position accounts are classified. That is, a statement of financial position
groups together similar items to arrive at significant subtotals. To classify items in financial
statements, companies group those items with similar characteristics and separate items with
different characteristics. For example, companies should report separately:
1. Assets and liabilities with different general liquidity characteristics
2. Assets that differ in their expected function in the company’s central operations or other
activities
3. Liabilities that differ in their amounts, nature, and timing.
Currents assets are cash and other assets a company expects to convert to cash, sell, or consume
either in one year or the operating cycle, whichever is longer. Non-current assets are those not
meeting the definition of current assets.
Long-term investments, often referred to simply as investments, normally consist of one of four
types:
1. Investments in securities, such as bonds, ordinary shares, or long-term notes
2. Investments in tangible assets not currently used in operations, such as land held for
speculation
3. Investments set aside in special funds
4. Investments in non-consolidated subsidiaries or associated companies
Companies group investments in debt and equity securities into three separate portfolios for
valuation and reporting purposes:
- Held-for-collection: debt securities that a company manages to collect contractual principal and
investment payments
- Trading: Debt and equity securities bought and held primarily for sale in the near term to
generate income on short-term price changes
- Non-trading equity: Certain equity securities held for purposes other than trading
Property, plant and equipment are tangible long-lived assets used in the regular operations of
the business. These assets consist of physical property such as land, buildings, machinery,
furniture, tools, and wasting resources.
Intangible assets lack physical substance and are not financial instruments. They include patents,
copyrights, franchises, goodwill, trademarks, trade names, and customer lists.
Current assets are cash and other assets a company expects to convert into cash, sell, or
consume either in one year or in the operating cycle, whichever is longer. The five major items
found in the current assets section → inventories, prepaid expenses, receivables, short-term
investments and cash and cash equivalents. Generally, if a company expects to convert an asset
into cash or to use it to pay a current liability within a year or the operating cycle, whichever is
longer, it classifies the asset as current.
A company includes prepaid expenses in current assets if it will receive benefits (usually services)
within one year or the operating cycle, whichever is longer. Cash equivalents are short-term,
highly liquid investments that will mature within three months or less.
The equity (also referred to as shareholders’ equity) section is one of the most difficult sections to
prepare and understand:
1. Share capital → the par or stated value of shares issued. It includes ordinary shares and
preference shares
2. Share premium → the excess of amounts paid-in over the par or stated value
3. Retained earnings → the corporation’s undistributed earnings
4. Accumulated other comprehensive income → the aggregate amount of the other
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comprehensive income items
5. Treasury shares → generally, the amount of ordinary shares repurchased
6. Non-controlling interest (minority interest) → a portion of the equity of subsidiaries not owned
by the reporting company.
Non-current liabilities are obligations that a company does not reasonably expect to liquidate
within the longer of one year or the normal operating cycle. Companies classify non-current
liabilities that mature within the current operating cycle or one year as current liabilities if
payment of the obligation requires the use of current assets. Generally, non-current liabilities are
of three types:
1. Obligations arising from specific financing situations
2. Obligations arising from the ordinary operations of the company
3. Obligations that depend on the occurrence or non-occurrence of one or more future events to
confirm the amount payable, or the payee, or the date payable.
Current liabilities are the obligations that a company generally expects to settle in its normal
operating cycle or one year, whichever is longer. This concept includes:
1. Payables resulting from the acquisition of goods and services
2. Collections received in advance for the delivery of goods or performance of services
3. Other liabilities whose liquidation will take place within the operating cycle or one year.
The excess of total current assets over total current liabilities is referred to as working capital.
Working capital represents the net amount of a company’s relatively liquid resources. That is, it is
the liquidity buffer available to meet the financial demands of the operating cycle.
The account form lists assets, by sections, on the left side, and equity and liabilities, by sections,
on the right side. The main disadvantage is the need for a sufficiently wide space in which to
present the items side by side. Often, the account form requires two facing pages. To avoid this
disadvantage, the report form lists the section one above the other, on the same page.
The primary purpose of the statement of cash flows is to provide relevant information about the
cash receipts and cash payments of an enterprise during a period. To achieve this purpose, the
statement of cash flows reports the following: (1) the cash effects of operations during a period,
(2) investing transactions, (3) financing transactions, and (4) the net increase or decrease in cash
during the period.
Companies classify cash receipts and cash payments during a period into three different activities
in the statement of cash flows:
1. Operating activities involve the cash effects of transactions that enter into the determination of
net income
2. Investing activities include making and collecting loans and acquiring and disposing of
investments and property, plant and equipment
3. Financing activities involve liability and equity items. They include (a) obtaining resources from
owners and providing them with a return on their investment, and (b) borrowing money from
creditors and repaying the amount borrowed.
The statement’s value is that it helps users evaluate liquidity, solvency, and financial flexibility. As
stated earlier, liquidity refers to the ‘’nearness to cash’’ of assets and liabilities. Solvency is the
firm’s ability to pay its debts as they mature. Financial flexibility is a company’s ability to respond
and adapt to financial adversity and unexpected needs and opportunities.
Companies obtain the information to prepare the statement of cash flow from several sources:
(1) comparative statements of financial position, (2) the current income statement, and (3)
selected transaction data.
Preparing the statement of cash flows from the sources involves four steps:
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1. Determine the net cash provided by operating activities
2. Determine the net cash provided by investing and financing activities
3. Determine the change in cash during the period
4. Reconcile the change in cash with the beginning and the ending cash balances
Net cash provided by operating activities is the excess of cash receipts over cash payments from
operating activities.
Not all of a company’s significant activities involve cash. Examples of significant non-cash
activities are: issuance of ordinary shares to purchase assets, conversion of bonds into ordinary
shares, issuance of debt to purchase assets, and exchanges of long-lived assets.
Readers of financial statements often assess liquidity by using the current cash debt coverage. It
indicates whether the company can pay off its current liabilities from its operations in a given
year. The higher the current cash debt coverage, the less likely a company will have liquidity
problems. For example, a ratio near 1:1 is good. It indicates that the company can meet all of its
current obligations from internally generated cash flow.
The cash debt coverage provides information on financial flexibility. It indicates a company’s
ability to repay its liabilities from net cash provided by operating activities, without having to
liquidate the assets employed in its operations. The higher this ratio, the less likely the company
will experience difficulty in meeting its obligations as they come due. It signals whether the
company can pay its debts and survive if external sources of funds become limited or too
expensive.
A more sophisticated way to examine a company’s financial flexibility is to develop a free cash
flow analysis. Free cash flow is the amount of discretionary cash flow a company has. It can use
this cash flow to purchase additional investments, retire its debt, purchase treasury shares, or
simply add to its liquidity.
IFRS requires that a complete set of financial statements be presented annually. Along with the
current year’s financial statements, companies must also provide comparative information from
the previous period. In other words, two complete sets of financial statements and related notes
must be reported. A complete set of financial statements comprise the following.
1. A statement of financial position at the end of the period
2. A statement of comprehensive income for the period to be presented either as:
(a) One single statement of comprehensive income
(b) A separate income statement and statement of comprehensive income
3. A statement of changes in equity
4. A statement of cash flows
5. Notes, comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory
information
Accounting policies are the specific principles, bases, conventions, rules, and practices applied by
a company in preparing and presenting financial information.
Companies should disclose as completely as possible the effect of various uncertainties on
financial condition, the methods of valuing assets and liabilities, and the company’s contracts and
agreements. To disclose this pertinent information, companies may use parenthetical
explanations and cross-reference and contra items.
Companies often provide additional information by parenthetical explanations following the
item. It has an advantage over a note because it brings the additional information into the body
of the statement where readers will less likely overlook it. Companies ‘’cross-reference’’ a direct
relationship between an asset and a liability on the statement of financial position. Another
common procedure is to establish contra or adjunct accounts. A contra account on a statement
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of financial position reduces either an asset, liability or equity account. Contra accounts provide
some flexibility in presenting the financial information. An adjunct account increases either an
asset, liability or equity account.
IAS No.1 indicates that it is important that assets and liabilities, and income and expenses be
reported separately.
As part of comparability, the Conceptual Framework indicates that companies should follow
consistent principles and methods from one period to the next. As a result, accounting policies
must be consistently applied for similar transactions and events unless an IFRS requires a
different policy.
Companies must present fairly the financial position, financial performance, and cash flows of
the company. Fair presentation means the faithful representation of transactions and events
using the definitions and recognition criteria in the Conceptual Framework.
Chapter 7 – Cash and receivables
Cash is a financial asset – it is also a financial instrument. A financial instrument is defined as any
contract that gives rise to a financial asset of one entity and financial liability or equity interest of
another entity. Examples of financial and non-financial assets are shown in Illustration 7-1.
Cash, the most liquid of assets, is the standard medium of exchange and the basis for measuring
and accounting for all other items.
Although the reporting of cash is relatively straightforward, a number of issues merit special
attention. These issues relate to the reporting of:
1. Cash equivalents → Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are both (a)
readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and (b) so near their maturity that they present
insignificant risk of changes in value due to changes in interest rates. Generally, only investments
with original maturities of three months or less qualify under these definitions.
2. Restricted cash → Petty cash, payroll, and dividend funds are examples of cash set aside for a
particular purpose. when material in amount, companies segregate restricted cash from regular
cash for reporting purposes. Companies classify restricted cash either in the current assets or in
the non-current assets section, depending on the date of availability or disbursement.
Classification in the current section is appropriate if using the cash for payment of existing or
maturing obligations. On the other hand, companies show the restricted cash in the non-current
section of the statement of financial position if holding the cash for a longer period of time.
Banks and other lending institutions often require customers to maintain minimum cash
balances in checking or saving accounts. These minimum balances, called compensating
balances, are that portion of any demand deposit maintained by a corporation which constitutes
support of existing borrowing arrangements of the corporation with a lending institution.
3. Bank overdrafts → Bank overdrafts occur when a company writes a check for more than the
amount in its cash account. Companies should report bank overdrafts in the current liabilities
section, adding them to the amount reported as accounts payable.
Receivables are also financial assets – they are also a financial instrument. Receivables are claims
held against customers and others for money, goods, or services. For financial statement
purposes, companies classify receivables as either current or non-current. Companies expect to
collect current receivables within a year or during the current operating cycle, whichever is
longer. They classify all other receivables as non-current. Customers often owe a company
amounts for goods bought or services rendered. A company may subclassify these trade
receivables, usually the most significant item in its current assets, into accounts receivable and
notes receivable. Accounts receivable are oral promises of the purchaser to pay for goods and
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services sold. Notes receivable are written promises to pay a certain sum of money on a specified
future date. Non-trade receivables arise from a variety of transactions. Some examples of nontrade
receivables are:
1. Advances to officers and employees
2. Advances to subsidiaries
3. Deposits paid to cover potential damages or losses
4. Deposits paid as a guarantee of performance or payment
5. Dividends and interest receivable
6. Claims
The basic issues in accounting for accounts and notes receivable are the same: recognition and
valuation.
In most receivables transactions, the amount to be recognized is the exchange price between the
two parties. The exchange price is the amount due from the debtor (a customer or a borrower).
Two factors may complicate the measurement of the exchange price: (1) the availability of
discounts (trade and cash discounts), and (2) the length of time between the sale and the due
date of payments (the interest element).
Companies use such trade discounts to avoid frequent changes in catalogues, to alter prices for
different quantities purchased, or to hide the true invoice price from competitors. Companies
offer cash discounts to induce prompt payment. Cash discounts generally presented in terms
such as 2/10, n/30 (2 percent if paid within 10 days, gross amount due in 30 days).
Reporting of receivables involves (1) classification and (2) valuation on the statement of financial
position. Classification involves determining the length of time each receivable will be
outstanding. Companies classify receivables intended to be collected within a year or the
operating cycle, whichever is longer, as current. All other receivables are classified as noncurrent.
Companies value and report short-term receivables at cash realizable value – the net
amount they expect to receive in cash.
Two methods are used in accounting for uncollectible accounts: (1) the direct write-off method
and (2) the allowance method. Under the direct write-off method, when a company determines a
particular account to be uncollectible, it charges the loss to Bad Debt Expense. Supporters of the
direct write-off method contend that it records facts, not estimates. As a result, using the direct
write-off method is not considered appropriate, except when the amount uncollectible is
immaterial. The allowance method of accounting for bad debts involves estimating uncollectible
accounts at the end of each period. This provides a better measure of income. This method
reduces receivables in the statement of financial position by the amount of estimated
uncollectible receivables. IFRS requires the allowance method for financial reporting purposes
when bad debts are material in amount. This method has three essential features:
1. Companies estimate uncollectible accounts receivable
2. Companies debit estimated uncollectible to Bad Debt Expense and credit them to Allowance
for Doubtful Accounts through an adjusting entry at the end of each period
3. When companies write off a specific account, they debit actual uncollectibles to Allowance for
Doubtful Accounts and credit that amount to Accounts Receivable.
In the percentage-of-sales approach, management estimates what percentage of credit sales will
be uncollectible. This percentage is based on past experience and anticipated credit policy. This
method is frequently referred to as the income statement approach.
The percentage-of-receivables approach → companies may apply this method using one
composite rate that reflects an estimate of the uncollectible receivables.
The IASB provides detailed guidelines to be used to assess whether receivables should be
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considered uncollectible (often referred to as impaired). Companies asses their receivables for
impairment each reporting period and start the impairment assessment by considering whether
objective evidence indicates that one or more loss events have occurred. Examples of possible
loss events are:
1. Significant financial problems of the customer
2. Payment defaults
3. Renegotiation of terms of the receivable due to financial difficulty of the customer
4. Measurable decrease in estimated future cash flows from a group of receivables since initial
recognition
A receivable is considered impaired when a loss event indicates a negative impact on the
estimated future cash flows to be received from the customer. The IASB requires that the
impairment assessment should be performed as follows:
1. Receivables that are individually significant should be considered for impairment separately
2. Any receivable individually assessed that is not considered impaired should be included with a
group of assets with similar credit-risk characteristics and collectively assessed for impairment
3. Any receivables not individually assessed should be collectively assessed for impairment
A note receivable is supported by a formal promissory note, a written promise to pay a certain
sum of money at a specific future date. Interest-bearing notes have a stated rate of interest.
Zero-interest-bearing notes include interest as part of their face amount. Notes receivable are
considered fairly liquid, even if long-term, because companies may easily convert them to cash.
Companies generally record short-term notes at face value, ignoring the interest implicit in the
maturity value. However, companies should record and report long-term notes receivable on a
discounted basis.
If a company receives a zero-interest-bearing note, its present value is the cash paid to the issuer.
This rate is often referred to as the implicit interest rate.
Companies generally follow the recognition and valuation principles discussed in the previous
section of this chapter. Additional issues related to receivables are:
1. Use of fair value option → The IASB believes that fair value measurement for financial
instruments provides more relevant and understandable information than historical cost. It
considers fair value to be more relevant because it reflects the current cash equivalent value of
financial instruments.
If companies choose the fair value option, receivables are recorded at fair value, with unrealized
holding gains or losses reported as part of net income. An unrealized holding gain or loss is the
net change in the fair value of the receivable from one period to another, exclusive of interest
revenue recognized but not recorded.
2. Derecognition of receivables → There are various reasons for the transfer of receivables to
another party. For example, in order to accelerate the receipt of cash from receivables,
companies may transfer receivables to other companies, for cash. Second, the holder may sell
receivables because money is tight and access to normal credit is unavailable or too expensive.
Also, a firm may sell its receivables, instead of borrowing, to avoid violating existing lending
agreements. Finally, billing and collection of receivables are often time-consuming and costly.
Credit card companies take over the collection process and provide merchants with immediate
cash. The transfer of receivables to a third party for cash happens in one of two ways:
1. Secured borrowing → A company often uses receivables as collateral in a borrowing
transaction.
2. Sales of receivables → Sales of receivables have increased substantially in recent years. A
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common type is a sale to a factor. Factors are finance companies or banks that buy receivables
from businesses for a fee and then collect the remittances directly from the customers. Factoring
receivables is traditionally associated with the textile, apparel, footwear, furniture, and home
furnishing industries.
When buying receivables, the purchaser generally assumes the risk of collectability and absorbs
any credit losses. A sale of this type is often referred to as a sale without guarantee against credit
loss. The transfer of receivables in this case is an outright sale of the receivables both in form and
substance.
The IASB uses the term derecognition when referring to the accounting for transfers of
receivables. Illustration 7-22 summarizes the accounting guidelines for transfers of receivables.
3. Presentation and analysis → Analysts frequently compute financial ratios to evaluate the
liquidity of a company’s accounts receivable. To assess the liquidity of the receivables, they use
the accounts receivable turnover. This ratio measures the number of times, on average, a
company collects receivables during the period. The ratio is computed by dividing net sales by
average (net) receivables outstanding during the year. This information shows how successful the
company is in collecting its outstanding receivables.
Chapter 8 – Valuation of inventories: A Cost-Basis Approach
Inventories are asset items that a company holds for sale in the ordinary course of business, or
goods that it will use or consume in the production of goods to be sold. A merchandising concern
reports the cost assigned to unsold units left on hand as merchandise inventory. Manufacturing
concerns produce goods to sell to merchandising firms. A company reports the cost assigned to
goods and materials on hand but not yet placed into production as raw materials inventory. At
any point in a continuous production process, some units are only partially processed. The cost
of the raw material for these unfinished units, plus the direct labour cost applied specifically to
this material and a ratable share of manufacturing overhead costs, constitute the work in process
inventory. Companies report the costs identified with the completed but unsold units on hand at
the end of the fiscal period as finished goods inventory.
A perpetual inventory system continuously track changes in the inventory account. That is, a
company records all purchases and sales of goods directly in the inventory account as they occur.
The accounting features of a perpetual inventory system are as follows:
1. Purchases of merchandise for resale or raw materials for production are debited to inventory
rather than to purchases
2. Freight-in is debited to inventory, not purchases
3. Cost of goods sold is recorded at the time of each sale by debiting cost of goods sold and
crediting inventory
4. A subsidiary ledger of individual inventory records is maintained as a control measure
The perpetual inventory system provides a continuous record of the balances in both the
inventory account and the cost of goods sold account.
Under a periodic inventory system, a company determines the quantity of inventory on hand
only periodically, as the name implies. Companies that use the periodic system take a physical
inventory at least once a year.
Many companies cannot afford a complete perpetual system. But, most of these companies need
current information regarding their inventory levels, to protect against stockouts or
overpurchasing and to aid in preparation of monthly or quarterly financial data. As a result, these
companies use a modified perpetual inventory system. This system provides detailed inventory
records of increases and decreases in quantities only – not currency amounts.
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The cost of goods available for sale or use is the sum of (1) the cost of the goods on hand at the
beginning of the period, and (2) the cost of goods acquired or produced during the period. The
cost of goods sold is the difference between (1) the cost of goods available for sale during the
period, and (2) the cost of goods on hand at the end of the period.
Valuing inventories can be complex. It requires determining the following:
1. The physical goods to include in inventory
2. The costs to include in inventory
3. The cost flow assumption to adopt
A general rule is that a company should record inventory when it obtains legal title to the goods.
If a supplier ships good to LG f.o.b. shipping point, title passes to LG when the supplier delivers
the goods to the common carrier, who acts as an agent for LG. if the supplier ships the goods
f.o.b. destination, title passes to LG only when it receives the goods from the common carrier.
Companies market certain products through a consignment shipment. Under this arrangement,
a company like Williams Art Gallery (the consignor) ships various art merchandise to another
company (the consignee), who acts as Williams’ agent in selling the consigned goods. Goods out
on consignment remain the property of the consignor.
Sometimes an enterprise finances its inventory without reporting either the liability or the
inventory on its statement of financial position. This approach, often referred to as a product
financing arrangement, usually involves a sale with either an implicit or explicit buyback
agreement.
In industries such as publishing, music, and retail, formal or informal agreements often exist that
permit purchasers to return inventory for a full or partial refund.
One of the most important problems in dealing with inventories concerns the dollar amount at
which to carry the inventory in the accounts. Companies generally account for the acquisition of
inventories, like other assets, on a cost basis.
Products costs are those costs that attach to the inventory. These costs are directly connected
with bringing the goods to the buyer’s place of business and converting such goods to a saleable
condition. Such charges generally include (1) costs of purchase, (2) costs of conversion and (3)
other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to the point of sale and in saleable condition.
Cost of purchase includes all of:
1. The purchase price
2. Import duties and other taxes
3. Transportation costs
4. Handling costs directly related to the acquisition of the goods
Conversion costs for a manufacturing company include direct materials, direct labour, and
manufacturing overhead costs. Other costs include costs incurred to bring the inventory to its
present location and condition ready to sell.
Period costs are those costs that are indirectly related to the acquisition or production of goods.
Interest is a period cost.
Purchase or trade discounts are reductions in the selling prices granted to customers. With
respect to the bookkeeping related to purchase discounts, the use of a purchase discounts
account in a periodic inventory system indicates that the company is reporting its purchases and
accounts payable at the gross amount. If a company uses this gross method, it reports purchase
discounts as a deduction from purchases on the income statement. Another approach is to
record the purchases and accounts payable at an amount net of the cash discount. In this
approach, the company records failure to take a purchase discount within the discount period in
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a purchase discount lost account. If a company uses this net method, it considers purchase
discounts lost as a financial expense and reports it in the ‘’other income and expense’’ section of
the income statement. This treatment is considered better for two reasons. (1) It provides a
correct reporting of the cost of the asset and related liability. (2) It can measure management
inefficiency by holding management responsible for discounts not taken.
The cost of inventory should be measured using one of two cost flow assumptions: (1) first-in,
first-out (FIFO) or (2) average-cost.
Specific identification calls for identifying each item sold and each item in inventory. A company
includes in cost of goods sold the costs of the specific items sold. Under specific identification the
cost flow matches the physical flow of the goods. Some argue that specific identification allows a
company to manipulate net income. Another problem relates to the arbitrary allocation of costs
that sometimes occurs with specific inventory items.
The average-cost method prices items in the inventory on the basis of the average cost of all
similar goods available during the period. Call-Mart computes the ending inventory and cost of
sold using a weighted-average method. Companies use the moving-average method with
perpetual inventory records. Companies often use average-cost methods for practical rather
than conceptual reasons. These methods are simple to apply and objective. They are not as
subject to income manipulation as some of the other inventory pricing methods.
The first-in, first-out (FIFO) method assumes that a company uses goods in the order in which it
purchases them. In other words, the FIFO method assumes that the first goods purchased are
the first used or the first sold. In all cases where FIFO is used, the inventory and cost of goods
sold would be the same at the end of the month whether a perpetual or periodic system is used.
One objective of FIFO is to approximate the physical flow of goods. Another advantage of the
FIFO method is that the ending inventory is close to current cost. However, the FIFO method fails
to match current costs against current revenues on the income statement.
Chapter 10 – Acquisition and Disposition of Property, Plant and Equipment
Companies use assets of a durable nature. Such assets are called property, plant and equipment.
Other terms commonly used are plant assets and fixed assets. Property, plant and equipment is
defined as tangible assets that are held or use in production or supply of goods and services, for
rentals to others, or for administrative purposes. The major characteristics of property, plant and
equipment are as follows.
1. They are acquired for use in operations and not for resale
2. They are long-term in nature and usually depreciated
3. They possess physical substance
Most companies use historical cost as the basis for valuing property, plant and equipment.
Historical cost measures the cash or cash equivalent price of obtaining the asset and bringing it
to the location and condition necessary for its intended use. Companies recognize property, plant
and equipment when the cost of the asset can be measured reliably and it is probable that the
company will obtain future economic benefits. In general, companies report the following costs
as part of property, plant and equipment.
1. Purchase price, including import duties and non-refundable purchase taxes, less trade
discounts and rebates
2. Costs attributable to bringing the asset to the location and condition necessary for it to be
used in a manner intended by the company.
Companies value property, plant and equipment in subsequent periods using either the cost
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method or fair value method.
Removal of old building – clearing, grading and filling – is a land cost because this activity is
necessary to get the land in condition for its intended purpose.
Generally, land is part of property, plant and equipment. However, if the major purpose of
acquiring and holding land is speculative, a company more appropriately classifies the land as an
investment. If a real estate concern holds the land for resale, it should classify the land as
inventory.
The cost of buildings should include all expenditures related directly to their acquisition or
construction. These costs include (1) materials, labour, and overhead costs incurred during
construction, and (2) professional fees and building permits. If a company purchases land with an
old building on it, then the cost of demolition less its residual value is a cost of getting the land
ready for its intended use and related to the land rather than to the new building.
The term equipment in accounting includes delivery equipment, office equipment, machinery,
furniture and fixtures, furnishings, factory equipment, and similar fixed assets. Costs thus include
all expenditures incurred in acquiring the equipment and preparing it for use.
Occasionally, companies construct their own assets. Determining the cost of such machinery and
other fixed assets can be a problem. Without a purchase price or contract price, the company
must allocate costs and expenses to arrive at the cost of the self-constructed asset. Materials and
direct labour used in construction pose no problem. However, the assignment of indirect costs of
manufacturing creates special problems. Companies can handle overhead in one of two ways:
1. Assign no fixed overhead to the cost of the constructed asset
2. Assign a portion of all overhead to the construction process
The proper accounting for interest costs has been a long-standing controversy. Three approaches
have been suggested to account for the interest incurred in financing the construction of
property, plant and equipment:
1. Capitalize no interest charges during construction
2. Charge construction with all costs of funds employed, whether identifiable or not
3. Capitalize only the actual interest costs incurred during construction
IFRS requires the third approach – capitalizing actual interest. This method follows the concept
that the historical cost of acquiring an asset includes all costs incurred to bring the asset to the
condition and location necessary for its intended use. To implement this general approach,
companies consider three items:
1. Qualifying assets → To qualify for interest capitalization, assets must require a substantial
period of time to get them ready for their intended use or sale. Assets that qualify for interest
cost capitalization include assets under construction for a company’s own use and assets
intended for sale or lease that are constructed or otherwise produces as discrete projects.
2. Capitalization period → The capitalization period is the period of time during which a company
must capitalize interest. It begins with the presence of three conditions:
1. Expenditures for the asset are being incurred
2. Activities that are necessary to get the asset ready for its intended use or sale are in progress
3. Interest cost is being incurred
Interest capitalization continues as long as these three conditions are present. The capitalization
period ends when the asset is substantially complete and ready for its intended use.
3. Amount to capitalize → Avoidable interest is the amount of interest cost during the period that
a company could theoretically avoid if it had not made expenditures for the asset. To apply the
avoidable interest concept, a company determines the potential amount of interest that it may
capitalize during an accounting period by multiplying the appropriate interest rate by the
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weighted-average accumulated expenditures for qualifying assets during the period.
Companies follow these principles in selecting the appropriate interest rate to be applied to the
weighted-average accumulated expenditures:
1. Use the interest rate incurred on the specific borrowings
2. Use a weighted average of interest rates incurred on all other outstanding debt during the
period.
Capitalization rate → total interest / total principal
Two issues related to interest capitalization merit special attention:
1. Expenditures for land → Interest costs capitalized during the period of construction are part of
the cost of the plant, not the land
2. Interest revenue
Companies should record property, plant and equipment at the fair value of what they give up or
at the fair value of the asset received, whichever is more clearly evident.
To properly reflect cost, companies account for assets purchased on long-term credit contracts at
the present value of the consideration exchanged between the contracting parties at the date of
the transaction.
The company uses the cash exchange price of the asset acquired as the basis for recording the
asset and measuring the interest element.
A special problem of valuing fixed assets arises when a company purchases a group of assets at a
single lump-sum price. when this common situation occurs, the company allocates the total cost
among the various assets on the basis of their relative fair values.
Ordinarily, companies account for the exchange of non-monetary assets on the basis of the fair
value of the asset given up or the fair value of the asset received, whichever is clearly more
evident. Thus, companies should recognize immediately any gains or losses on the exchange. The
rationale for immediate recognition is that most transactions have commercial substance, and
therefore gains and losses should be recognized. An exchange has commercial substance if the
future cash flows change as a result of the transaction.
Many companies receive government grants. Government grants are assistance received from a
government in the form of transfers of resources to a company in return for past or future
compliance with certain conditions relating to the operating activities of the company. A
government grant is often some type of asset provided as a subsidy to a company.
In determining how costs should be allocated subsequent to acquisition, companies follow the
same criteria used to determine the initial cost of property, plant and equipment. That is, they
recognize costs subsequent to acquisition as an asset when the costs can be measured reliably
and it is probable that the company will obtain future economic benefits. Evidence of future
economic benefit would include increases in (1) useful life, (2) quantity of product produced, and
(3) quality of product produced. Generally, companies incur four types of major expenditures
relative to existing assets:
Additions → increase or extension of existing assets
Improvements and replacements → substitution of a better or similar asset for an existing one
Rearrangement and reorganization → movement of assets from one location to another
Repairs → expenditures that maintain assets in condition for operation
Additions should present no major accounting problems. By definition, companies capitalize any
addition to plants assets because a new asset is created.
Companies substitute one asset for another through improvements and replacements. What is
the difference between an improvement and a replacement? An improvement is the substitution
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of a better asset for the one currently used. A replacement is the substitution of a similar asset.
A company makes ordinary repairs to maintain plant assets in operating condition. If a major
repair occurs, several periods will benefit. A company should generally handle this cost as an
improvement or replacement.
Sometimes, an asset’s service is terminated through some type of involuntary conversion such as
fire, flood, theft, or condemnation. Companies report the difference between the amount
covered and the asset’s book value as a gain or loss.
Chapter 11 – Depreciation, Impairments, and Depletion
Depreciation is a means of cost allocation. Depreciation is the accounting process of allocating
the cost of tangible assets to expense in a systematic and rational manner to those periods
expected to benefit from the use of the asset. When companies write of the cost of a long-lived
assets over a number of periods, they typically use the term depreciation. They use the term
depletion to describe the reduction in the cost of mineral resources (such as oil, gas, and coal)
over a period of time. The expiration of intangible assets, such as patents or copyrights, is called
amortization.
Residual value (often referred to as salvage value) is the estimated amount that a company will
receive when it sells the asset or removes it from service. It is the amount to which a company
writes down or depreciates the asset during its useful life.
The service life of an asset often differs from its physical life. Companies retire assets for two
reasons: physical factors (such as casualty or expiration of physical life) and economic factors
(obsolescence). Physical factors are the wear and tear, decay, and casualties that make it difficult
for the asset to perform indefinitely. We can classify the economic or functional factors into three
categories:
1. Inadequacy results when an asset ceases to be useful to a company because the demands of
the firm have changed.
2. Supersession is the replacement of one asset with another more efficient and economical
asset.
3. Obsolescence is the catchall for situations not involving inadequacy and supersession.
The third factor involved in the depreciation process is the method of cost apportionment.
Companies may use a number of depreciation methods, as follows.
1. Activity method (units of use or production) → the activity method assumes that depreciation
is a function of use or productivity, instead of the passage of time. A company considers the life
of the asset in terms of either the output it provides or an input measure such as the number of
hours it works. The major limitation of this method is that it is inappropriate in situation in which
depreciation is a function of time instead of activity.
2. Straight-line method → The straight-line method considers depreciation as a function of time
rather than a function of usage. Companies widely use this method because of its simplicity. The
major objection to the straight-line method is that it rests on two tenuous assumptions: (1) the
asset’s economic usefulness is the same each year, and (2) the maintenance and repair expense
is essentially the same each period. One additional problem that occurs in using straight-line is
that distortions in the rate of return analysis (income/assets) develop.
3. Diminishing (accelerated)-charge methods → The diminishing-charge methods provide for a
higher depreciation cost in the earlier years and lower charges in later periods.
(a) sum-of-the-years’-digits → The sum-of-the-years’-digits method results in a decreasing
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depreciation charge based on a decreasing fraction of depreciable cost (original cost less residual
value). Each fraction uses the sum of the years as a denominator. The numerator is the number
of years of estimated life remaining as of the beginning of the year. In this method, the
numerator decreases year by year, and the denominator remains constant.
(b) declining-balance method → The declining-balance method utilizes a depreciation rate that is
some multiple of the straight-line method. Unlike other methods, the declining-balance method
does not deduct the residual value in computing the depreciation base. Companies use various
multiples in practice. The double-declining-balance method depreciates assets at twice (200
percent) the straight-line rate.
A common misconception about depreciation is that it provides funds for the replacement of
property, plant, and equipment. Depreciation is like other expenses in that it reduces net income.
It differs, though, in that it does not involve a current cash outflow. Depreciation provides in no
way funds for the replacement of assets. The funds for the replacement of the assets come from
the revenues (generated through use of the asset).
Charges for depreciation in subsequent periods (assuming use of the straight-line method) are
determined by dividing the remaining book value less any residual value by the remaining
estimated life.
Many companies are considering write-offs of some of their long-lived assets. These write-offs
are referred to as impairments. A long-lived tangible asset is impaired when a company is not
able to recover the asset’s carrying amount either through using it or by selling it. To determine
whether an asset is impaired, on an annual basis, companies review the asset for indicators of
impairments – that is, a decline in the asset’s cash-generating ability through use or sale. If
impairment indicators are present, then an impairment test must be conducted. This test
compares the asset’s recoverable amount with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount is
higher than the recoverable amount, the difference is an impairment loss. If the recoverable
amount is greater than the carrying amount, no impairment is recorded. Recoverable amount is
defined as the higher of fair value less costs to sell or value-in-use. Fair value less costs to sell
means what the asset could be sold for after deducting costs of disposal. Value-in-use is the
present value of cash flows expected from the future use and eventual sale of the asset at the
end of its useful life.
In some cases, it may not be possible to assess a single asset for impairment because the single
asset generates cash flows only in combination with other assets. In that case, companies should
identify the smallest group of assets that can be identified that generates cash flows
independently of the cash flows from other assets. Such a group is called a cash-generating unit
(CGU).
Natural resources, often called wasting assets, include petroleum, mineral, and timberlands.
Natural resources can be further subdivided into two categories: (1) biological assets such as
timberlands, and (2) mineral resources such as oil, gas, and mineral mining. Mineral resources
have two main features: (1) the complete removal (consumption) of the asset, and (2)
replacement of the asset only by an act of nature. Recall that the accounting profession uses the
term depletion for the process of allocating the cost of mineral resources. Computation of the
depletion base involves properly accounting for three types of expenditures:
1. Pre-exploratory costs → Pre-exploratory expenditures are costs incurred before the company
has obtained the legal rights to explore a specific area.
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2. Exploratory and evaluation costs → Examples of some types of exploratory and evaluation
(E&E) costs are as follows:
- acquisition of rights to explore
- topographical, geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies
- exploratory drilling
- sampling
- activities in relation to evaluating the technical feasibility and commercial viability of extracting a
mineral resource.
Those who hold the full-cost concept argue that the cost of drilling a dry hole is a cost needed to
find the commercially profitable wells. Others believe that companies should capitalize only the
costs of the successful wells. This is the successful-efforts concept.
3. Development costs → Companies divide development costs into two parts: (1) tangible
equipment costs and (2) intangible development costs. Tangible equipment costs include all of
the transportation and other heavy equipment needed to extract the resource and get it ready
for market. Because companies can move the heavy equipment from one extracting site to
another, companies do not normally include tangible equipment costs in the depletion base.
Intangible development costs are such items as drilling costs, tunnels, shafts, and wells.
Intangible development costs are considered part of the depletion base. Companies sometimes
incur substantial costs to restore property to its natural state after extraction has occurred. These
are restoration costs. Companies consider restoration costs part of the depletion base.
Once the company establishes the depletion base, the next problem is determining how to
allocate the cost of the mineral resource to accounting periods. Normally, companies compute
depletion on a units-of-production-method.
Sometimes companies need to change the estimate of recoverable reserves. This problem is the
same as accounting for changes in estimates for the useful lives of plant and equipment. The
procedure is to revise the depletion rate on a prospective basis: A company divides the remaining
cost by the new estimate of the recoverable reserves.
A company often owns as its only major asset a property from which it intends to extract mineral
resources. If the company does not expect to purchase additional properties, it may gradually
distribute to shareholders their capital investments by paying liquidating dividends, which are
dividends greater than the amount of accumulated net income.
When companies choose to fair value their long-lived tangible assets subsequent to acquisition,
they account for the change in the fair value by adjusting the appropriate asset account and
establishing an unrealized gain on the revalued long-lived tangible asset. This unrealized gain is
often referred to as revaluation surplus.
How efficiently a company uses its assets to generate sales is measured by the asset turnover.
This rate divides net sales by average total assets for the period. In comparing performance
among companies based on the asset turnover, you need to consider the ratio within the context
of the industry in which a company operates.
Another measure for analysing the use of property, plant and equipment is the profit margin on
sales (return on sales). Calculated as net income divided by net sales, this profitability ratio does
not, by itself, answer the question of how profitably a company uses its assets. But by relating the
profit margin on sales to the asset turnover during a period of time, we can ascertain how
profitably the company used assets during that period of time in a measure of the return on
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assets.
The rate of return a company achieves through use of its assets is the return on assets (ROA).
Rather than using the profit margin on sales, we can compute it directly by dividing net income
by average total assets. The return on assets measures profitability well because it combines the
effects of profit margin and asset turnover.
Chapter 12 – Intangible assets
Intangible assets have three main characteristics:
1. They are identifiable
2. They lack physical existence
3. They are not monetary assets
In most cases, intangible assets provide benefits over a period of years. Therefore, companies
normally classify them as non-current assets.
Economic viability indicates that the project is far enough along in the process such that the
economic benefits of the R&D project will flow to the company. Companies expense all research
phase costs and some development phase costs. Certain development costs are capitalized once
economic viability criteria are met.
The allocation of the cost of intangible assets in a systematic way is called amortization.
Intangibles have either a limited useful life or an indefinite useful life.
Companies amortize their limited-life intangibles by systematic charges to expense over their
useful life. The useful life should reflect the periods over which these assets will contribute to
cash flows. The amount of an intangible asset to be amortize should be its cost less residual
value. The residual value is assumed to be zero, unless at the end of its useful life the intangible
asset has value to another company.
An indefinite life means that there is no foreseeable limit on the period of time over which the
intangible asset is expected to provide cash flows. A company does not amortize an intangible
asset with an indefinite life.
There are many different types of intangibles, often classified into the following six major
categories:
1. Marketing-related intangible assets → Companies primarily use marketing-related intangible
assets in the marketing or promotion of products or services. A trademark or trade name is a
word, phrase, or symbol that distinguishes or identifies a particular company or product.
2. Customer-related intangible assets → Customer-related intangible assets result from
interactions with outside parties.
3. Artistic-related intangible assets → Artistic-related intangible assets involve ownership rights to
plays, literary works, musical works, pictures, photographs, and video and audio-visual materials.
Copyrights protect these ownership rights. A copyright is a government-granted right that all
authors, painters, musicians, sculptors, and other artists have in their creations and expressions.
A copyright is granted for the life of the creator plus 70 years. It gives the owner or heirs the
exclusive right to reproduce and sell an artistic or published work.
4. Contract-related intangible assets → Contract-related intangible assets represent the value of
rights that arise from contractual arrangements. A franchise is a contractual arrangement under
which the franchisor grants the franchisee the right to sell certain products or services, to use
certain trademarks or trade names, or to perform certain functions, usually within a designated
geographical area. Another type of franchise arrangement, granted by a governmental body,
permits a business to use public property in performing its services. Such operating rights are
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eferred to as licenses or permits.
5. Technology-related intangible assets → Technology-related intangible assets relate to
innovations or technological advances. Examples are patented technology and trade secrets
granted by a governmental body. A patent gives the holder exclusive right to use, manufacture,
and sell a product or process for a period of 20 years without interference or infringement by
others. The two principal kinds of patents are product patents, which cover actual physical
products, and process patents, which govern the process of making products.
6. Goodwill → Goodwill is measured as the excess of the cost of the purchase over the fair value
of the identifiable net assets purchased. Goodwill generated internally should not be capitalized
in the accounts. Goodwill is recorded only when an entire business is purchased. To record
goodwill, a company compare the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets
with the purchase price of the acquired business. The master valuation approach assumes that
goodwill covers all the values that cannot be specifically identified with any identifiable tangible
or intangible asset. Companies that recognize goodwill in a business combination consider it to
have an indefinite life and therefore should not amortize it.
In a few cases, the purchaser in a business combination pays less than the fair value of the
identifiable net assets. Such a situation is referred to as a bargain purchase.
An intangible asset is impaired when a company is not able to recover the asset’s carrying
amount either through using it or by selling it. If the carrying amount is higher than the
recoverable amount, the difference is an impairment loss. If the recoverable amount is greater
than the carrying amount, no impairment is recorded.
If there is an indication that an intangible asset is impaired, the company performs an
impairment test: compare the carrying value of the intangible asset to the recoverable amount.
Recall that the recoverable amount is defined as the higher of fair value less costs to sell or valuein-use.
Fair value less costs to sell mean what the asset could be sold for after deducting costs of
disposal. Value-in-use is the present value of cash flows expected from the future use and
eventual sale of the asset less at the end of its useful life. The impairment loss is the carrying
amount of the asset less the recoverable amount of the impaired asset.
Research and development (R&D) costs are not in themselves intangible assets.
Research activities → original and planned investigation undertaken with the prospect of gaining
new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding. Examples: laboratory research aimed
at discovery of new knowledge: searching for applications of new research findings.
Development activities: application of research findings or other knowledge to a plan or design
for the production of new or substantially improved materials, devices, products, processes,
systems, or services before the start of commercial production or use. Examples: conceptual
formulation and design of possible product or process alternatives; construction of prototypes
and operation of pilot plants.
The costs associated with R&D activities and the accounting treatments accorded them are as
follows:
1. Materials, equipment and facilities. Expense the entire costs, unless the items have alternative
future uses.
2. Personnel
3. Purchased intangibles
4. Contract services
5. Indirect costs
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Many costs have characteristics similar to research and development costs. Examples are:
1. Start-up costs for the new operation → Start-up costs are incurred for one-time activities to
start a new operation. Start-up costs include organizational costs, such as legal and governmental
fees incurred to organize a new business entity. The accounting for start-up costs is
straightforward: expense start-up costs as incurred.
2. Initial operating losses → IFRS requires that operating losses during the early years should not
be capitalized. In short, the accounting and reporting standards should be no different for an
enterprise trying to establish a new business than they are for other enterprises.
3. Advertising costs
Chapter 13 – Current liabilities, provisions, and contingencies
A liability is a present obligation of a company arising from past events, the settlement of which is
expected to result in an outflow from the company of resources, embodying economic benefits.
In other words, a liability has three essential characteristics:
1. It is a present obligation
2. It arises from past events
3. It results in an outflow of resources (cash, goods, services)
A current liability is reported if one of two conditions exists:
1. The liability is expected to be settled within its normal operating cycle; or
2. The liability is expected to be settled within 12 months after the reporting date
The operating cycle is the period of time elapsing between the acquisition of goods and services
involved in the manufacturing process and the final cash realization resulting from sales and
subsequent collections. Here are some typical current liabilities:
- Accounts payable, or trade accounts payable, are balances owed to others for goods, supplies
or services purchased on open account.
- Notes payable are written promises to pay a certain sum of money on a specified future date.
- Companies exclude long-term debts maturing currently as current liabilities if they are to be:
1. Retired by assets accumulated for this purpose that properly have not been shown as current
assets;
2. Refinanced, or retired from the proceeds of a long-term debt issue; or
3. Converted into ordinary shares.
When only a part of a long-term debt is to be paid within the next 12 months, as in the case of
serial bonds that it retires through a series of annual instalments, the company reports the
maturing portion of long-term debt as a current liability and the remaining portion as a long-term
debt.
- Short-term obligations are debts scheduled to mature within one year after the date of a
company’s statement of financial position or within its normal operating cycle. Some short-term
obligations are expected to be refinanced on a long-term basis. These short-term obligations will
not require the use of working capital during the next year.
- A cash dividend payable is an amount owed by a corporation to its shareholders as a result of
board of directors’ authorization. Dividends payable in the form of additional shares are not
recognized as a liability. Such share dividends do not require future outlays of assets or services.
- Current liabilities may include returnable cash deposits received from customers and
employees. Companies may receive deposits from customers to guarantee performance of a
contract or service or as guarantees to cover payment of expected future obligations.
- How do these companies account for unearned revenues that they receive before providing
goods or performing services?
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1. When a company receives an advance payment, it debits Cash and credits a current liability
account identifying the source of the unearned revenue.
2. When a company recognizes revenue, it debits the unearned revenue account and credits a
revenue account.
- Most countries have a consumption tax. Consumption taxes are generally either a sales tax or a
value-added tax (VAT). The purpose of these taxes is to generate revenue for the government
similar to the corporate or personal income tax. Value-added tax is placed on a product or
service whenever value is added at a stage of production and at final sale. An advantage of a AT is
that it is easier to collect than a sales tax because it has a self-correcting mechanism built into the
tax system. A disadvantage of a VAT is the increased amount of record-keeping involved in
implementing the system.
- Companies also report as a current liability amounts owed to employees for salaries or wages at
the end of an accounting period. In addition, they often also report as current liabilities the
following items related to employee compensation.
1. Payroll deductions → The most common types of payroll deductions are taxes, insurance
premiums, employee savings, and union dues. To the extent that a company has not remitted the
amounts deducted to the proper authority at the end of the accounting period, it should
recognize them as current liabilities.
2. Compensated absences → Compensated absences are paid absences from employment –
such as vacation, illness, and maternity, paternity, and jury leaves. Vested rights exist when an
employer has an obligation to make payment to an employee even after terminating his or her
employment. Accumulated rights are those that employees can carry forward to future periods if
not used in the period in which earned. Non-accumulating rights do not carry forward; they lapse
if not used.
3. Bonuses → Many companies give a bonus to certain or all employees in addition to their
regular salaries or wages.
A provision is a liability of uncertain timing or amount. The difference between a provision and
other liabilities is that a provision has greater uncertainty about the timing or amount of the
future expenditure required to settle the obligation.
Companies accrue an expense and related liability for a provision only if the following three
conditions are met.
1. A company has a present obligation as a result of a past event
2. It is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to
settle the obligation; and
3. A reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation
A constructive obligation is an obligation that derives from a company’s action where:
1. By an established pattern of past practice, published policies, or a sufficiently specific current
statement, the company has indicated to other parties that it will accept certain responsibilities;
and
2. As a result, the company has created a valid expectation on the part of those other parties that
it will discharge those responsibilities.
Here are some common areas for which provisions may be recognized in the financial
statements:
1. Lawsuits → Companies must consider the following factors, among others, in determining
whether to record a liability with respect to pending or threatened litigation and actual or
possible claims and assessments.
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1. The time period in which the underlying cause of action occurred
2. The probability of an unfavourable outcome
3. The ability to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss
To report a loss and a liability in the financial statements, the cause for litigation must have
occurred on or before the date of the financial statements.
With respect to unfiled suits and unasserted claims and assessments, a company must
determine (1) the degree of probability that a suit may be filed or a claim or assessment may be
asserted, and (2) the probability of an unfavourable outcome.
2. Warranties → A warranty (product guarantee) is a promise made by a seller to a buyer to make
good on a deficiency of quantity, or performance in a product.
Companies often provide one of two types of warranties to customers:
1. Warranty that the product meets agreed-upon specifications in the contract at the time the
product is sold. This type of warranty is included in the sales price of a company’s product and is
often referred to as an assurance-warranty type.
2. Warranty that provides an additional service beyond the assurance-type warranty. This
warranty is not included in the sales price of the product and is referred to as a service-type
warranty.
3. Consideration payable → Companies often make payments to their customers as part of a
revenue arrangement. Consideration paid or payable may indicate discounts, volume rebates,
free products, or services. Numerous companies offer premiums to customers in return for box
tops, certificates, coupons, labels, or wrappers. The premium may be silverware, dishes, a small
appliance, a toy, or free transportation. Companies offer premiums, coupon offers, and rebates
to stimulate sales. Thus, companies should charge the costs of premiums and coupons to
expense in the period of the sale that benefits from the plan.
4. Environmental → A company must recognize an environmental liability when it has an existing
legal obligation associated with the retirement of a long-lived asset and when it can reasonably
estimate the amount of the liability.
5. Onerous contracts → Sometimes, companies have what are referred to as onerous contracts.
These contracts are ones in which ‘’the unavoidable costs of meeting the obligations exceed the
economic benefits expected to be received’’.
6. Restructuring → The accounting for restructuring provisions is controversial. Restructurings
are defined as a ‘’program that is planned and controlled by management and materially changes
either (1) the scope of a business undertaken by the company; or (2) the manner in which that
business is conducted.
Self-insurance is another item that is not recognized as a provision. Self-insurance is not
insurance but risk assumption.
Contingent liabilities are not recognized in the financial statements because they are (1) a
possible obligation, (2) a present obligation for which it is not probable that payment will be
made, or (3) a present obligation for which a reliable estimate of the obligation cannot be made.
A contingent asset is a possible asset that arises from past events and whose existence will be
confirmed by the occurrence or non-occurrence of uncertain future events not wholly within the
control of the company.
In practice, current liabilities are usually recorded and reported in financial statements at their
full maturity value.
The current ratio is the ratio of total current asset to total current liabilities. Sometimes it is called
the working capital ratio because working capital is the excess of current assets over current
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liabilities.
Many analysts favour an acid-test or quick ratio that relates total current liabilities to cash, shortterm
investments, and receivables.
Chapter 14 – Non-current liabilities
Non-current liabilities (sometimes referred to as long-term debt) consist of an expected outflow
of resources arising from present obligations that are not payable within a year or the operating
cycle of the company, whichever is longer. Bonds payable, long-term notes payable, mortgages
payable, pension liabilities, and lease liabilities are examples of non-current liabilities.
A bond arises from a contract known as a bond indenture. A bond represents a promise to pay
(1) a sum of money at a designated maturity date, plus (2) periodic interest at a specified rate on
the maturity amount. The main purpose of bonds is to borrow for the long term when the
amount of capital needed is too large for one lender to supply. Types of bonds → bladzijde 655.
The selling price of a bond issue is set by the supply and demand of buyers and sellers, relative
risk, market conditions, and the state of the economy. The investment community values a bond
at the present value of its expected future cash flows, which consist of (1) interest and (2)
principal. The interest rate written in the terms of the bond indenture is known as the stated,
coupon, or nominal rate. The stated rate is expressed as a percentage of the face value of the
bonds (also called the par value, principal amount, or maturity value).
The difference between the face value and the present value of the bonds determines the actual
price that buyers pay for the bonds. This difference is either a discount or premium.
- If the bonds sell for less than face value, they sell at a discount
- If the bonds sell for more than face value, they sell at a premium
The rate of interest actually earned by the bondholders is called the effective yield or market
rate. When bonds sell at less than face value, it means that investors demand a rate of interest
higher than the stated rate.
The company records adjustment to the cost as bond interest expense over the life of the bonds
through a process called amortization. Amortization of a discount increases bond interest
expense. Amortization of a premium decreases bond interest expense. The required procedure
for amortization of a discount or premium is the effective-interest method. Under the effectiveinterest
method, companies:
1. Compute bond interest expense first by multiplying the carrying value (book value) of the
bonds at the beginning of the period by the effective-interest rate
2. Determine the bond discount or premium amortization next by comparing the bond interest
expense with the interest to be paid.
The difference between current notes payable and long-term notes payable is the maturity date.
Accounting for notes and bonds is quite similar. Like a bond, a note is valued at the present value
of its future interest and principal cash flows. The company amortizes any discount or premium
over the life of the note.
A common form of long-term notes payable is a mortgage note payable. A mortgage note
payable is a promissory note secured by a document called a mortgage that pledges title to
property as security for the loan.
Reporting of non-current liabilities is one of the most controversial areas in financial reporting.
Four additional reporting issues related to non-current liabilities are addressed in this section:
1. Extinguishment of non-current liabilities → In some cases, a company extinguishes debt before
its maturity date. The amount paid on extinguishment or redemption before maturity, including
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any call premium and expense of reacquisition, is called the reacquisition price. On any specified
date, the carrying amount of the bonds is the amount payable at maturity, adjusted for
unamortized premium or discount. Any excess of the net carrying amount over the reacquisition
price is a gain from extinguishment. At the time of reacquisition, the unamortized premium or
discount must be amortized up to the reacquisition date. Note that it is often advantageous for
the issuer to acquire the entire outstanding bond issue and replace it with a new bond issue
bearing a lower rate of interest. The replacement of an existing issuance with a new one is called
refunding.
2. Fair value option → If companies choose the fair value option, non-current liabilities such as
bonds and notes payable are recorded at fair value, with unrealized holding gains or losses
reported as part of net income. An unrealized holding gain or loss is the net change in the fair
value of the liability from one period to another, exclusive of interest expense recognized but not
recorded.
3. Off-balance-sheet financing → Off-balance-sheet financing is an attempt to borrow monies in
such a way to prevent recording the obligations. Off-balance-sheet financing can take many
different forms:
1. Non-consolidated subsidiary: under IFRS, a parent company does not have to consolidate a
subsidiary company that is less than 50 percent owned.
2. Special purpose entity (SPE): A company creates a special purpose entity (SPE) to perform a
special project.
3. Operating leases: Another way that companies keep debt off the statement of financial
position is by leasing.
Why do companies engage in off-balance-sheet financing? A major reason is that many believe
that removing debt enhances the quality of the statement of financial position and permits
credits to be obtained more readily and at less cost. Second, loan covenants often limit the
amount of debt a company may have. As a result, the company uses off-balance-sheet financing
because these types of commitments might not be considered in computing debt limits. Third,
some argue that the asset side of the statement of financial position is severely understated.
4. Presentation and analysis
The debt to assets ratio measures the percentage of the total assets provided by creditors. To
compute it, divide total debt (both current and non-current liabilities) by total assets. The higher
the percentage of total liabilities to total assets, the greater the risk that the company may be
unable to meet its maturing obligations.
The times interest earned ratio indicate the company’s ability to meet interest payment as they
come due. It is computed by dividing income before interest expense and income taxes by
interest expense.
Chapter 15 – Equity
Of the three primary forms of business organization – the proprietorship, the partnership and
the corporation – the corporate form dominates. The special characteristics of the corporate
form that affect accounting include:
1. Influence of corporate law → Anyone who wishes to establish a corporation must generally
submit articles of incorporation to the appropriate governmental agency for the country in which
incorporation is desired.
2. Use of the share system → In absence of restrictive provisions, each share carries the following
rights:
1. To share proportionately in profits and losses
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2. To share proportionately in management (the right to vote for directors)
3. To share proportionately in corporate assets upon liquidation
4. To share proportionately in any new issues of shares of the same class – called the preemptive
right
The pre-emptive right protects an existing shareholder from involuntary dilution of ownership
interest.
The share system easily allows one individual to transfer an interest in a company to another
investor.
3. Development of a variety of ownership interests → In every corporation, one class of shares
must represent the basic ownership interest. That class of shares is called ordinary. Ordinary
shares represent the residual corporate interest that bears the ultimate risks of loss and receives
the benefits of success. By special contracts between the corporation and its shareholders,
however, the shareholder may sacrifice certain of these rights in return for other special rights or
privileges. Thus special classes of shares, usually called preference shares, are created. In return
for any special preference, the preference shareholder always sacrifices some of the inherent
rights of ordinary shareholders. A common type of preference is to give preference shareholders
a prior claim on earnings.
Equity is the residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all liabilities. Equity is
often subclassified on the statement of financial position into the following categories: share
capital, share premium, retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, treasury
shares and non-controlling interest (minority interest).
Companies often make a distinction between contributed capital and earned capital. Contributed
capital is the total amount paid in on capital shares – the amount provided by shareholders to
the corporation for use in the business. Earned capital is the capital that develops from profitable
operations. Retained earnings represents the earned capital of the company. Equity is a residual
interest and therefore its value is derived from the amount of the corporations’ assets and
liabilities.
The Share premium account indicates any excess over par value paid in by shareholders in return
for the shares issued to them. Once paid in, the excess over par becomes a part of the
corporation’s share premium.
Many countries permit the issuance of shares without par value, called no-par shares. The
reasons for issuance of no-par shares are twofold. First, issuance of no-par shares avoids the
contingent liability that might occur if the corporation issues par value shares at a discount.
Second, some confusion exists over the relationship between the par value and fair value. If
shares have no par value, the questionable treatment of using par value as a basis for fair value
never arises. A major disadvantage of no-par shares is that some countries levy a high tax on
these issues. Some countries require that no-par hares have a stated value. The stated value is a
minimum value below which a company cannot issue it.
A corporation issues two or more classes of securities for a single payment or lump sum, in the
acquisition of another company. The accounting problem in such lump-sum sales is how to
allocate the proceeds among the several classes of securities. Companies use one of two
methods of allocation: (1) the proportional method and (2) the incremental method.
Accounting for the issuance of shares for property or services involves an issue of valuation. The
general rule is companies should record shares issues for services or property other than cash at
the fair value of the goods or services received, unless that fair value cannot be measured
reliably. If the fair value of the goods or services cannot be measured reliably, use the fair value
of the shares issued.
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When a company issues shares, it should report direct costs incurred to sell shares, such as
underwriting costs, accounting and legal fees, printing costs, and taxes, as a reduction of the
amounts paid in. In effect, issue costs are a cost of financing.
Companies often buy back their own shares. Corporations purchase their outstanding shares for
several reasons:
1. To provide tax-efficient distributions of cash to shareholders
2. To increase earnings per share and return on equity
3. To provide shares for employee compensation contracts or to meet potential merger needs
4. To thwart takeover attempts or to reduce the number of shareholders
5. To make a market in the shares.
Some publicly held corporations have chosen to ‘’go private’’, that is, to eliminate public
ownership entirely by purchasing all of their outstanding shares. Companies often accomplish
such a procedure through a leveraged buyout (LBO), in which the company borrows money to
finance the share repurchases. After reacquiring shares, a company ay either retire them or hold
them in the treasury for reissue. If not retired, such shares are referred to as treasury shares.
Technically, treasury shares are a corporation’s own shares, reacquired after having been issued
and fully paid.
Companies use two general methods of handling treasury shares in the accounts:
- The cost method results in debiting the Treasury Shares account for the reacquisition cost and
in reporting this account as a deduction from equity on the statement of financial position
- The par value method records all transactions in treasury shares at their par value and reports
the treasury shares as a deduction from share capital only.
The term outstanding shares means the number of issued shares that shareholders own.
Preference shares are a special class of shares that possess certain preferences or features not
possessed by ordinary shares. The following features are those most often associated with
preference share issues: preference as to dividends, preference as to assets in the event of
liquidation, convertible into ordinary shares, callable at the option of the corporation, and nonvoting.
Cumulative preference shares require that if a corporation fails to pay a dividend in any year, it
must make it up in a later year before paying any dividends to ordinary shareholders. Any passed
dividend on cumulative preference shares constitutes a dividend in arrears. Holders of
participating preference shares share ratably with the ordinary shareholders in any profit
distributions beyond the prescribed rate. Convertible preference shares allow shareholders, at
their option, to exchange preference shares for ordinary shares at a predetermined ratio.
Callable preference shares permit the corporation at its option to call or redeem the outstanding
preference shares at specified future dates and at stipulated prices. Recently, more and more
issuances of preference shares have features that make the securities more like debt (legal
obligation to pay) than an equity instrument. For example, redeemable preference shares have a
mandatory redemption period or a redemption feature that the issuer cannot control.
Very few companies pay dividends in amounts equal to their legally available retained earnings.
The major reasons are as follows.
1. To maintain agreements with specific creditors, to retain all or a portion of the earnings, in the
form of assets, to build up additional protection against possible loss.
2. To meet corporation requirements, that earnings equivalent to the cost of treasury shares
purchased be restricted against dividend declarations.
3. To retain assets that would otherwise be paid out as dividends, to finance growth or
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expansion.
4. To smooth out dividend payments from year to year by accumulating earnings in good years
and using such accumulated earnings as a basis for dividends in bad years.
5. To build up a cushion or buffer against possible losses or errors in the calculation of profits.
Before declaring a dividend, management must consider availability of funds to pay the dividend.
Dividends are of the following types:
1. Cash dividends → The board of directors votes on the declaration of cash dividends. Upon
approval of the resolution, the board declares a dividend. A declared cash dividend is a liability.
Because payment is generally required very soon, it is usually a current liability. Companies do
not declare or pay cash dividends on treasury shares.
2. Property dividends → Dividends payable in assets of the corporation other than cash are called
property dividends or dividends in kind. Property dividends may be merchandise, real estate, or
investments, or whatever form of the board of directors designates. When declaring a property
dividend, the corporation should restate at fair value the property it will distribute, recognizing
any gain or loss as the difference between the property’s fair value and carrying value at date of
declaration.
3. Liquidating dividends → Some corporations use amounts paid in by shareholders as a basis for
dividends. Dividends based on other than retained earnings are sometimes described as
liquidating dividends. This term implies that such dividends are a return of the shareholder’s
investment rather than of profits. In other words, any dividend not based on earnings reduces
amounts paid-in by shareholders and to that extent, it is a liquidating dividend.
4. Share dividends → Companies sometimes issue a share dividend. In this case, the company
distributes no assets. A share dividend therefore is the issuance by a corporation of its own
shares to its shareholders on a pro rata basis, without receiving any consideration. In recording a
share dividend, some believe that the company should transfer the par value of the shares
issued as a dividend form retained earnings to share capital.
To reduce the market price of each share, companies use the common device of a share split.
A share split increases the number of shares outstanding and decreases the par or stated value
per share. A share dividend, although it increases the number of shares outstanding, does not
decrease the par value; thus, it increases the total par value of outstanding shares.
Companies are also required to present a statement of changes in equity. The statement of
changes in equity includes the following:
1. Total comprehensive income for the period
2. For each component of equity, the effects of retrospective application or retrospective
restatement
3. For each component of equity, a reconciliation between the carrying amount at the beginning
and the end of the period, separately disclosing changes resulting from:
(a) Profit or loss;
(b) Each item of other comprehensive income; and
(c) Transactions with owners in their capacity as owners, showing separately contributions by and
distributions to owners and changes in ownership interests in subsidiaries that do not result in a
loss of control.
Analysts use equity ratios to evaluate a company’s profitability and long-term solvency.
The return on ordinary share equity measures profitability from the ordinary shareholders’
viewpoint. This ratio shows how many dollars of net income the company earned for each dollar
invested by the owners. Return on equity equals net income less preference dividends, divided
by average ordinary shareholders’ equity. Trading on the equity describes the practice of using
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orrowed money or issuing preference shares in hopes of obtaining a higher rate of return on
the money used.
Another ratio of interest to investors, the pay-out ratio, is the ratio of cash dividends to net
income. If preference shares are outstanding, this ratio equals cash dividends paid to ordinary
shareholders, divided by net income available to ordinary shareholders.
Another basis for evaluating net worth is found in the book value or equity value per share. Book
value per share is the amount each share would receive if the company were liquidated on the
basis of amounts reported on the statement of financial position. Book value per share equals
ordinary shareholders’ equity divided by outstanding ordinary shared.
Chapter 17 – Investments
A financial asset is cash, an equity investment of another company, or a contractual right to
receive cash from another party.
The IASB noted that both fair value and a cost-based approach can provide useful information to
financial statement readers for particular types of financial assets in certain circumstances.
In general, IFRS requires that companies determine how to measure their financial assets based
on two criteria:
- The company’s business model for managing its financial assets; and
- The contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial asset.
Debt investments are characterized by contractual payments on specified dates of principal and
interest on the principal amount outstanding. Companies measure debt investments at
amortized cost if the objective of the company’s business model is to hold the financial asset to
collect the contractual cash flows (held-for-collection). Amortized cost is the initial recognition
amount of the investment minus repayments, plus or minus cumulative amortization and net of
any reduction for uncollectibility. Fair value is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged
between knowledgeable willing parties in an arm’s length transaction.
Some companies often hold debt investments with the intention of selling them in a short period
of time. These debt investments are often referred to as trading investments because companies
frequently buy and sell these investments to generate profits from short-term differences in
price. At each reporting date, companies adjust the amortized cost to fair value, with any
unrealized holding gain or loss reported as part of net income (fair value method). An unrealized
holding gain or loss is the net change in the fair value of a debt investment from one period to
another.
An equity investment represents ownership interest, such as ordinary, preference, or other
capital shares. The cost of equity investments is measured at the purchase price of the security.
The degree to which one corporation (investor) acquires an interest in the shares of another
corporation (investee) generally determines the accounting treatment for the investment
subsequent to acquisition. The classification of such investments depends on the percentage of
the investee voting shares that is held by the investor:
1. Holding of less than 20 percent (fair value method) – investor has passive interest
2. Holdings between 20 and 50 percent (equity method) – investor has significant influence
3. Holdings of more than 50 percent (consolidated statements) – investor has controlling interest
When an investor has an interest of less than 20 percent, it is presumed that the investor has
little or no influence over the investee. Non-trading equity investments are recorded at fair value
on the statement of financial position, with unrealized gains and losses reported in other
comprehensive income.
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Net income earned by the investee is not a proper basis for recognizing income from the
investment by the investor. The investor earns net income only when the investee declares cash
dividends.
Significant influence may be indicated in several ways. Examples include representation on the
board of directors, participation in policy-making processes, material intercompany transactions,
interchange of managerial personnel, or technological dependency. Another important
consideration is the extent of ownership by an investor in relation to the concentration of other
shareholdings.
Under the equity method, the investor and the investee acknowledge a substantive economic
relationship. The investor’s proportionate share o the earnings (losses) of the investee
periodically increases (decreases) the investment’s carrying amount. All dividends received by the
investor from the investee also decreases the investment’s carrying amount.
Using dividends as a basis for recognizing income fails to report properly the economics of the
situation.
When one corporation acquires a voting interest of more than 50 percent in another corporation,
it is said to have a controlling interest. In such a relationship, the investor corporation is referred
to as the parent and the investee corporation as the subsidiary. When the parent treats the
subsidiary as an investment, the parent generally prepares consolidated financial statements.
We have identified the basic issues involved in accounting for investments in debt and equity
securities. In addition, the following issues relate to the accounting for investments:
1. Impairment of value → A company should evaluate every held-for-collection investments, at
each reporting date, to determine if it has suffered impairment – a loss in value such that the fair
value of the investment is below its carrying value. If the company determines that an investment
is impaired, it writes down the amortized cost basis of the individual security to reflect this loss in
value. If an investment is impaired, the company should measure the loss due to the impairment.
This impairment loss is calculated as the difference between the carrying amount plus accrued
interest and the expected future cash flows discounted at the investment’s historical effectiveinterest
rate.
2. Transfers between categories
Chapter 19 – Accounting for Income Taxes
Pretax financial income is a financial reporting item. It also is often referred to as income before
taxes, income for financial reporting purposes, or income for book purposes. Taxable income is a
tax accounting term. It indicates the amount used to compute income taxes payable. Companies
determine taxable income according to the tax regulations. Income taxes provide money to
support government operations.
A temporary difference is the difference between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its
reported amount in the financial statements, which will result in taxable amounts or deductible
amounts in future years. Taxable amounts increase taxable income in future years. Deductible
amounts decrease taxable income in future years.
A deferred tax liability is the deferred tax consequences attributable to taxable temporary
differences. In other words, a deferred tax liability represents the increase in tax payable in
future years as a result of taxable temporary differences existing at the end of the current year.
Current tax expense → the amount of income taxes payable for the period. Deferred tax expense
is the increase in the deferred tax liability balance from the beginning to the end of the
accounting period.
One objective of accounting for income taxes is to recognize the amount of taxes payable or
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efundable for the current year. A second objective is to recognize deferred tax liabilities and
assets for the future tax consequences of events already recognized in the financial statements
or tax returns.
A deferred tax asset is the deferred tax consequence attributable to deductible temporary
differences. In other words, a deferred tax asset represents the increase in taxes refundable (or
saved) in future years as a result of deductible temporary differences existing at the end of the
current year.
The deferred tax benefit results from the increase in the deferred tax asset from the beginning to
the end of the accounting period.
Numerous items create differences between pre-tax financial income and taxable income. For
purposes of accounting recognition, these differences are of two types: (1) temporary, and (2)
permanent. Taxable temporary difference are temporary differences that will result in taxable
amounts in future years when the related assets are recovered. Deductible temporary
differences are temporary differences that will result in deductible amounts in future years, when
the related book liabilities are settled.
An originating temporary difference is the initial difference between the book basis and the tax
basis of an asset or liability, regardless of whether the tax basis of the asset or liability exceeds or
is exceeded by the book basis of the asset or liability. A reversing difference occurs when
eliminating a temporary difference that originated in prior periods and then removing the related
tax effect from the deferred tax account.
Some differences between taxable income and pre-tax financial income are permanent.
Permanent differences result from items that (1) enter into pre-tax financial income but never
into taxable income, or (2) enter into taxable income but never into pre-tax financial income.
Since permanent differences affect only the period in which they occur, they do not give rise to
future taxable or deductible amounts. As a result, companies recognize no deferred tax
consequences.
The effective tax rate → dividing total income tax expense for the period by pre-tax financial
income.
What happens if tax rates are expected to change in the future? In this case, a company should
use the substantially enacted tax rate expected to apply. Therefore, a company must consider
presently enacted changes in the tax rate that become effective for a particular future years
when determining the tax rate to apply to existing temporary differences.
A net operating loss (NOL) occurs for tax purposes in a year when tax-deductible expenses
exceed taxable revenues.
Companies accomplish this income-averaging provision through the carryback and carryforward
of net operating losses. Under this provision, a company pays no income taxes for a year in
which it incurs a net operating loss.
Through use of a loss carryback, a company may carry the net operating loss back two years and
receive refunds for income taxes paid in those years. The company must apply the loss to the
earlier year first and then to the second year. It may carry forward any loss remaining after the
two-year carryback up to 20 years to offset future taxable income. A company may forgo the loss
carryback and use only the loss carryforward option, offsetting future taxable income for up to
20 years.
The IASB believes that the asset-liability method is the most consistent method for accounting for
income taxes. One objective of this approach is to recognize the amount of taxes payable or
refundable for the current year. A second objective is to recognize deferred tax liabilities and
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assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the financial
statements or tax returns.
Key deferred income tax terms → bladzijde 981.
Chapter 21 – Accounting for Leases
A lease is a contractual agreement between a lessor and a lessee. This arrangement gives the
lessee the right to use specific property, owned by the lessor, for an agreed period of time. In
return for the use of the property, the lessee makes rental payments over the lease term to the
lessor. Who are the lessors that own this property? They generally fall into one of three
categories:
1. Banks → Banks are the largest players in the leasing business. They have low-cost funds, which
give them advantage of being able to purchase assets at less cost than their competitors.
2. Captive leasing companies → Captive leasing companies are subsidiaries whose primary
business is to perform leasing operations for the parent company.
3. Independents
The growth in leasing indicates that it often has some genuine advantages over owning property,
such as:
1. 100% financing at fixed rates → Lease payments often remain fixed, which protects the lessee
against inflation and increases in the cost of money.
2. Protection against obsolescence
3. Flexibility → Lease agreements may contain less restrictive provisions than other debt
agreements. Innovative lessors can tailor a lease agreement to the lessee’s special needs.
4. Less costly financing → Some companies find leasing cheaper than other forms of financing.
5. Tax advantages
6. Off-balance-sheet financing
The various views on capitalization of leases are as follows:
1. Do not capitalize any leased assets
2. Capitalize leases that are similar to instalment purchases → This view holds that companies
should report transactions in accordance with their economic substance.
3. Capitalize all long-term leases
4. Capitalize non-cancellable leases where the penalty for non-performance is substantial.
Non-cancellable means that Air France can cancel the lease contract only upon the outcome of
some remote contingency, or that the cancellation provisions and penalties of the contract are so
costly to Air France that cancellation probably will not occur.
A lease is classified as a finance lease if it transfers substantially all the risks and rewards
incidental to ownership. In order to record a lease as a finance lease, the lease must be noncancellable.
Air France classifies and accounts for leases that do not meet any of the four criteria
as operating lease (Illustration 21-3).
If the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee, it is a finance lease.
A bargain-purchase option allows the lessee to purchase the leased property for a price that is
significantly lower than the property’s expected fair value at the date the option becomes
exercisable.
If the lease period is for a major part of the asset’s economic life, the lessor transfers most of the
risks and rewards of ownership to the lessee. The lease term is generally considered to be the
fixed, non-cancellable term of the lease. However, a bargain-renewal option, if provided in the
lease agreement, can extend this period. A bargain-renewal option allows the lessee to renew the
lease for a rental that is lower than the expected fair rental at the date the option becomes
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exercisable.
Determining the present value of the minimum lease payments involve three important
concepts: (1) minimum lease payments, (2) executory costs, and (3) discount rate.
Air France is obligated to make, or expected to make, minimum lease payments in connection
with the leased property. These payments include the following:
1. Minimum rental payments → Minimum rental payments are those that Air France must make
to ILFC under the lease agreement.
2. Guaranteed residual value → The residual value is the estimated fair value of the leased
property at the end of the lease term. The guaranteed residual value is either (1) the certain or
determinable amount that Air France will pay ILFC at the end of the lease to purchase the aircraft
at the end of the lease, or (2) the amount Air France guarantees that ILFC will realize if the aircraft
is returned.
3. Penalty for failure to renew or extend the lease
4. Bargain-purchase option
The implicit interest rate is defined as the discount rate that, at the inception of the lease, causes
the aggregate present value of the minimum lease payments and the unguaranteed residual
value to be equal to the fair value of the leased asset. The incremental borrowing rate is the rate
of interest the lessee would have to pay on a similar lease or the rate that, at the inception of the
lease, the lessee would incur to borrow over a similar term the funds necessary to purchase the
asset. The implicit rate of ILFC is generally a more realistic rate to use in determining the amount
to report as the asset and related liability for Air France. In addition, use of the implicit rate
avoids use of an artificially high incremental borrowing rate that would cause the present value
of the minimum lease payments to be lower, supporting an argument that the lease does not
meet the recovery of investment test.
Three important benefits are available to the lessor:
1. Interest revenue
2. Tax incentives
3. Residual value profits → Another advantage to the lessor is the return of the property at the
end of the lease term.
The distinction for the lessor between a direct-financing lease and a sales-type lease is the
presence or absence of a manufacturer’s or dealer’s profit (or loss). Lessors classify and account
for all leases that do not qualify as direct-financing or sales-type leases as operating leases.
Direct-financing leases are in substance the financing of an asset purchase by the lessee. In this
type of lease, the lessor records a lease receivable instead of a leased asset.
The features of lease arrangements that cause unique accounting problems are:
1. Residual values → The residual value is the estimated fair value of the leased asset at the end
of the lease term.
2. Sales-type leases → In a sales-type lease, the lessor records the sales price of the asset, the
cost of goods sold and related inventory reduction, and the lease receivable. The information
necessary to record the sales-type lease is as follows:
Lease receivable → the present value of the minimum lease payments plus the present value of
any unguaranteed residual value. The lease receivable therefore includes the present value of
the residual value, whether guaranteed or not.
Sales price of the asset → the present value of the minimum lease payments
Cost of goods sold → the cost of the asset to the lessor, less the present value of any
unguaranteed residual value.
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3. Bargain-purchase options
4. Initial direct costs → Initial direct costs are of two types: incremental and internal. Incremental
direct costs are paid to independent third parties for originating a lease arrangement. Internal
direct costs are directly related to specified activities performed by the lessor on a given lease.
5. Current versus non-current classification
6. Disclosure
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