Reference no: EM131231182
1. Analyze the five national accounting practice systems summarized in the chapter.
Required:
a. For each of the five countries treated in the chapter, select the most important financial accounting practice or principle at variance with international norms.
b. For each selection you make, briefly state your reasons for including it on your list.
c. How does this variance affect reported earnings and the debt-to-asset ratio?
d. How likely is it that an analyst could adjust for this variance to achieve an "apples to apples" comparison with companies from other countries?
2. Refer to Exhibit 4-5.
Required: Which country's GAAP appears to be the most oriented toward equity investors? Which country's GAAP appears to be the least
oriented toward equity investors? Why do you say so?
3. The following are financial ratios used by analysts:
• Liquidity: current ratio; cash flow from operations to current liabilities
• Solvency: debt to equity; debt to assets
• Profitability: return on assets; return on equity
Required: Assume that you are comparing the financial ratios of companies from two countries discussed in this chapter. Discuss how the accounting practices identified in Exhibit 4-5 would affect your comparisons for each of the six ratios listed.
EXHIBIT 4-5 Summary of Significant Accounting Practices
|
|
United States
|
Mexico
|
Japan
|
China
|
India
|
1. Business combinations: purchase or pooling
|
Purchase
|
Purchase
|
Purchase
|
Purchase
|
Both
|
2. Goodwill
|
Capitalize and impairments test
|
Capitalize and impairments test
|
Capitalize and amortize; and impairments test
|
Capitalize and impairments test
|
Capitalize and amortize; and impairments test
|
3. Associates
|
Equity method
|
Equity method
|
Equity method
|
Equity method
|
Equity method
|
4. Asset valuation
|
Historical cost
|
Historical costa
|
Historical cost
|
Historical cost
|
Historical cost and fair value
|
5. Depreciation charges
|
Economic based
|
Economic based
|
Tax influenced
|
Economic based
|
Economic based
|
6. LIFO inventory valuation
|
Permitted
|
Not used
|
Permittedb
|
Not permitted
|
Not permitted
|
7. Probable losses
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
8. Finance leases
|
Capitalized
|
Capitalized
|
Capitalized
|
Capitalized
|
Capitalized
|
9. Deferred taxes
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
Accrued
|
10. Reserves for smoothing income
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Some
|
aPrice-larl adjusted accounting is used whenever the cumulative three-year inflation rate equals or exceeds 26 parent.
bUntil 2010.
Construct appropriate thermal circuits for attached sunspace
: Referring to the thermal circuit diagram of Figure 9.7 for the thermal storage (Trombe) wall building, construct appropriate thermal circuits for (a) attached sunspace, (b) thermal storage, and (c) direct gain buildings.
|
Entire set of human resource management activities
: A recent trend that more and more companies are embracing is to outsource all or most their human resource management activities. Do you agree or disagree with this trend? What risks is a company taking when it decides to outsource its entire set of ..
|
Identification of organizational components such as mission
: In part one of this discussion, you will consider means that organizations and their leaders use to adapt to the environment around them. Discuss how leaders use assumptions about and identification of organizational components such as mission, strat..
|
Calculating the cost of savings life cycle economics
: Write an equation for calculating the cost of savings life cycle economics of a proposed passive solar system. Explain why it is important to be able to determine the auxiliary energy required for any given passive (or active) system design.
|
How does the variance affect reported earnings
: For each selection you make, briefly state your reasons for including it on your list. How does this variance affect reported earnings and the debt-to-asset ratio?
|
Earned value management and contract automation tools
: Write a memo responsive to some (hypothetical) executive of your organization who has asked you: What is Earned Value Management (EVM) and what is the Contracting Officer’s role in it? Bearing in mind the experience and labor of drafting your own con..
|
How window placement in a building could be defined
: Explain how window placement in a building could be defined as
|
Dealing with intentional and unintentional injuries
: HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT: Select one of the age groups discussed in this unit (adolescents, adult, or elderly) and create a community health strategy for dealing with intentional and unintentional injuries
|
Given the current public attitude toward criminals
: Given the current public attitude toward criminals, what do you see as the likely future of parole release? What are some aggravating and mitigating factors both criminal and non-criminal that affect these decisions?
|