Archive for August 24th, 2017

Discussion: Cash Flows

For this week’s eActivity, research one (1) publicly traded company in which you are interested using the Internet. Review its most recent statement of cash flows and income statement on the company Website. Be prepared to discuss.

Outline a strategy for companies to spend excess cash and maximize the value of that spend. Provide a rationale for your response.

Compare and contrast the selected company’s statement of cash flows to its income statement. Suggest at least two (2) items from each statement that investors should analyze when deciding whether or not to purchase the company’s stock. Justify your response.

Discussion: Sustainable Income and Ratio Analysis

Describe sustainable income and the importance of sustainable income in the evaluation of the income statement. Choose at least two (2) items or events that will affect sustainable income of a company.

Propose the manner in which you would disclose these items or events to investors. Justify your response.

Off-Balance Sheet Financing and Bonds

Company XYZ is considering using off-balance-sheet financing in order to obtain a loan from a local bank, but the company is unsure of the various forms of off-balance-sheet financing. For management, compare and contrast the various forms of off-balance-sheet financing. Give your opinion on whether or not Company XYZ should engage in off-balance-sheet financing. Provide a rationale with your response.
Explain the primary advantages and disadvantages of issuing bonds with call features to potential buyers. Suggest two (2) improvements that a company could implement in order to make bonds with call features more attractive to potential buyers.

ACCT1046 Accounting for Organisations and Society Individual Assignment

This assignment is based on the consolidated financial statements of David Jones Limited (DJS), a retailer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. You will need to access the 2012 and 2011 annual reports for DJS, which contain financial information pertaining to 2011-2012 (2012 annual report) and 2010-2011 (2011 annual report), and are available at ‘Assessment’ on the course Blackboard site. Additional data relating to DJS’s market performance are contained within this document (at the relevant question). This assignment is worth 20% of the total assessment for this course.
NOTE: You must adhere to the following requirements in completing this assignment:
For the ratio analysis required in Question 16 of this assignment, you must provide full supporting calculations – if supporting calculations are not provided, the corresponding analysis will not be marked and you will be awarded zero for this question.
· Ratios should be calculated according to the formulae provided in your textbook and rounded to one decimal place.
Your assignment must be appropriately referenced using the Harvard Style referencing system – please refer to guidelines provided at https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/bus/public/referencing/index.html
Penalties for inadequate or incorrect referencing will apply.
· Note this assignment is to be completed as an individual assignment. All submitted assignments will be automatically forwarded to Turnitin and subjected to an assessment of authenticity/originality, so please ensure your submission is your own individual work – severe penalties will apply for work that is not original/individual. Please refer to the Academic Integrity presentation available at ‘Assessment’ on the course Blackboard site.
· Do not include the wording of the assignment questions in your submission – if you do so, Turnitin will recognise this as plagiarism.
Your assignment must be submitted electronically by the due date.Late submissions will be marked as if submitted on time, then the mark awarded will be reduced by 10% (of total available marks) for each day or part-day that the assignment is late. For example, if your assignment is one day late then you will be penalised 10% of 20 marks which is 2 marks. Assignments that are late by 7 days or more will not be marked and will be awarded zero unless a formal extension of time has been granted.
Extensions of time will only be granted in cases of exceptional and genuine hardship (which does not include inconvenience, poor planning, pressure from work or work commitments), and all applications must be accompanied by appropriate documentation. Applications for extensions of 7 calendar days or less (from the original due date) should be made via the Application for Extension of Time for Submission of Assessable Work form and forwarded to the Course Convenor (at [email protected]) at least one working day before the due date for submission. Applications for extensions of more than 7 days should be made (on-line) at least 2 working days prior to the due date using the Special Consideration process. For information and relevant forms please refer to
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Current%20students%2FAdministration%2FForms%2FAssessment/
Individual Assignment – David Jones Limited (DJS)
Note: This assignment is scored out of 100 marks and will be scaled to a mark out of 20.

Introduction:

The annual report provides a company’s directors and senior executives with a means of communicating to shareholders (and other interested parties, such as financial analysts, investment fund managers, potential shareholders, banks, customers, the media, etc.) a vast array of information relating to the company’s activities over the past year. Like most company annual reports, David Jones Ltd’s annual report contains much more than just the company’s financial statements. As well as the statement of comprehensive income, statement of financial position, statement of changes in equity and cash flow statement, David Jones Ltd’s annual report includes a Corporate Sustainability Report and a Corporate Governance Statement, as well as the Chairman’s and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director’s Report, the Directors’ Report, the Independent Audit Report, and much more. The aim of this assignment is to introduce you to the structure and format of a typical Australian company annual report, and to encourage you to explore the report in order to appreciate the range of information presented, how some of this information has been prepared, and how it can be used in a decision making context.

Before commencing this assignment, it is recommended that you read the article at:
http://www.reportwatch.net/report-essentials/the-annual-report-a-reputation-management-vehicle/14/
which attributes another role to the corporate annual report – that of a corporate “reputation management device”.

REQUIRED:
Refer to the 2012 annual report for David Jones Ltd (DJS) and answer the following questions. (To answer some questions, you will need to also refer to the 2011 DJS annual report.)

Question 1 (4 marks)
(a) What type of business structure is DJS? (Sole proprietor, partnership, private company or public company?) (1 mark)

(b) Indicate 3 features of DJS’s financial statements that support your choice. (3 marks)

Question 2 (2 mark)

(a) Refer to DJS’s statement of financial position and identify the 2 items that have the same dollar value. (1 mark)

(b) Use the accounting equation (Assets – Liabilities = Equity) to explain why these 2 items have the same dollar value. (1 mark)

Question 3 (2 marks)

Why are DJS’s financial statements referred to as “consolidated” statements?

Question 4 (2 marks)

On DJS’s statement of financial position, why are ‘Interest bearing liabilities’ reported as both current liabilities and non-current liabilities?

Question 5 (7 marks)

(a) Name the 3 components of Equity shown on DJS’s statement of financial position and explain how each has arisen. (3 marks)

(b) What was the dollar amount of DJS’s total equity in 2011 and in 2012? (1 mark)

(c) Which financial statement explains the change in total equity between 2011 and 2012? (1 mark)

(d) Explain this change in your own words. (2 marks)

Question 6 (3 marks)

(a) What is the dollar amount shown on DJS’s statement of financial position for ‘Inventories’? (1 mark)

(b) Refer to Note 1 (para. 1.1 and para. 1.17) and explain the valuation method used by DJS for inventories of finished goods. (2 marks)

Question 7 (8 marks)

(a) What is the dollar amount shown on DJS’s statement of financial position for ‘Property, plant and equipment’ (PPE)? (1 mark)

(b) Refer to Note 1 (para. 1.18.1) and identify the valuation method used by DJS for its PPE. (2 marks)

(c) Now refer to Note 13 and list the 6 different classes of PPE carried by DJS. (2 marks)

(d) How much depreciation expense was recorded for ‘Computer equipment’ in 2012? (1 mark)

(e) What is the total amount of depreciation that has been recorded for this equipment since it was acquired? (1 mark)

(f) What is the difference between ‘depreciation’ and ‘amortisation’? (1 mark)

Question 8 (4 marks)

(a) What is the dollar amount shown on DJS’s statement of financial position for ‘Receivables’? (1 mark)

(b) Now refer to Note 9 and identify: (i) the total amount owed by suppliers; (ii) the allowance for doubtful debts; (iii) the amount David Jones expects to receive from suppliers. (3 marks)

Question 9 (3 marks)

(a) Refer to Note 14 to DJS’s financial statements and explain (in one sentence) how the amount recorded as ‘Goodwill’ arose. (1 mark)

(b) In general terms (that is, not with reference to DJS) explain what ‘goodwill’ represents and how it is calculated. (2 marks)

Question 10 (4 marks)

(a) In general terms, what are ‘provisions’? (2 marks)

(b) What types of provisions has David Jones recorded (see Note 18)? (2 marks)

 

Question 11 (4 marks)

(a) In general terms, what is a ‘contingent liability’? (2 marks)

(b) Why are DJS’s contingent liabilities (see Note 25) not shown on its statement of financial position? (2 marks)

Question 12 (4 marks)

Refer to Note 21:

(a) What is the total number of shares that have been issued by DJS? (1 mark)

(b) What is the total dollar amount that has been contributed by DJS’s shareholders? (1 mark)

(c) How much profit was earned by DJS’s shareholders, on a per share basis, in 2012? (1 mark)

(d) How much of this profit did the shareholders actually receive, on a per share basis, in 2012? (1 mark)

Question 13 (2 marks)

Refer to DJS’s cash flow statement:

(a) What was the dollar amount of DJS’s ‘Cash and cash equivalents’ at the end of the financial year? (1 mark)

(b) Why does this figure differ from the amount of cash and cash equivalents shown on DJS’s statement of financial position? (1 mark)

Question 14 (4 marks)

(a) What is the reported dollar amount for DJS’s ‘Net cash flows from operating activities’? (1 mark)

(b) Suggest 3 possible reasons why this figure is so much higher than DJS’s net profit after tax. (3 marks)

Question 15 (3 marks)

Observe that DJS has reported negative net cash flows for 2 of the 3 types of activities reported in its cash flow statement. Explain whether, in your opinion, these negative net cash flows represent a potential problem for DJS.

Question 16 (28 marks)

(a) Use the formulae presented on pp. 376-377 of your textbook to calculate the following ratios for DJS for 2011 and 2012: (i) ROE; (ii) ROA; (iii) gross profit margin; (iv) net profit margin; (v) inventory turnover (days); (vi) debtors’ turnover (days); (vii) current ratio; (viii) quick asset ratio; (ix) debt-to-equity ratio; (x) interest coverage ratio. (20 marks)
(Note: you must show all calculations in full.)
(b) Refer to the changes in these ratios between 2011 and 2012 to explain whether you believe there has been an improvement or deterioration in the following aspects of DJS’s performance or situation: (i) profitability; (ii) asset efficiency; (iii) liquidity; (iv) long-term debt-paying ability. (8 marks)

 

Question 17 (8 marks)

(a) What is meant by the term ‘corporate sustainability’? (2 marks)

(b) Refer to DJS’s Corporate Sustainability Report (pp. 26-37 of the annual report) and identify the 4 categories of key performance indicators listed. (2 marks)

(c) Select 2 indicators from each category and comment on whether you believe DJS has improved its performance with respect to those indicators between 2011 and 2012. (4 marks)

Question 18 (2 marks)

With respect to its commitment to the environment, what are the 4 strategic objectives outlined by DJS in its Corporate Sustainability Report?

Question 19 (2 marks)

Refer to the section of DJS’s Corporate Sustainability Report titled ‘Environmental Management’ (p. 35 of the annual report) and identify the specific initiatives that have led to the reported 29.4% improvement in energy efficiency over the past 6 years.

Question 20 (4 marks)

In the section of DJS’s Corporate Sustainability Report titled ‘Environment Strategy’, para. 2.1 states: “To meet its aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, David Jones … invested $4.9 million in 34 capital projects …”:

(a) Can you identify whether this amount has been recognised by DJS as an asset or an expense? (2 marks)

(b) How do you believe it should have been recognised? (You must refer to the definition and recognition criteria for assets and expenses as contained in the IASB’s Framework when answering this question.) (2 marks)

Note: This assignment is scored out of 100 marks and will be scaled to a mark out of 20.

FBM

Are stereotyped depictions of groups of people in social media just a common part of our culture? Do videos, blogs, and news forums need to depict individuals of Middle Eastern, Asian, Black, White, or foreign one way? Does mental illness need to be depicted only as a vehicle for violent behavior?
This week’s activity is using personal social media to look at stereotypes, cultural issues and norms, and global norms. We’re going to do that by using your personal social media – Facebook. Look at what people are posting and see what stereotypes and cultural assumptions are there. Check out the ads along the sides as well.
Now try posting something on social media asking about cultural assumptions, stereotypes, race, etc. (see some possibilities below) and see how the responses go. Did people jump to tell things they notice or were people a little reticent to share? So people agree that stereotypes are rampant, or did they not notice them. Did you open anyone’s eyes? Did friends in different countries share similar beliefs? Why do you think?
Possible posts could be something like one or more of these:
I’m studying stereotypes and cultural norms on social media.
Have you seen stereotypes on social media?
Do your friends and contacts share some social norms that you notice?
What do your ads tell you – any stereotypes there?
Can you share your thoughts on any of these with me?
Be sure to do this early enough in the week so you can gauge the responses. We’ll use the discussion board and your assignment to further analyze this activity.

During this module, you were to do an experiment using your own social media (above). Looking back at your social media experiment from the week, how did your responses go? Did you notice any differences among groups or countries? What stereotypes did people comment on?
Write at least 3 pages answering these questions using your social media experiment, being sure to demonstrate with examples. Include a theory from last week if you see evidence of one. Also include your response to the experiment – were you surprised or did you find what you thought you would? Did that expectation affect what you found? How can you tell?

Careers in Accounting

Careers in Accounting
Due Week 8 and worth 160 points
Accounting is the study of how businesses track their income and assets over time. Accountants engage in a wide variety of activities in addition to preparing financial statements and recording business transactions. These activities include computing costs and efficiency gains from new technologies, participating in strategies for mergers and acquisitions, quality management, developing and using information systems to track financial performance, tax strategy, and health care benefits management.
Use the Internet or the Strayer Online database to research career options within the accounting field and accounting job postings in your local area to respond to the questions in the assignment.
Write a one to two (1-2) page paper in which you:
Describe at least two (2) career options someone with an accounting education can pursue. Be sure to reference sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Describe one (1) researched accounting position, and explain the essential skills that would make a candidate successful in the position. Articulate the primary manner in which the researched accounting positions could add value to the company seeking candidates.
Use at least two (2) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.

Week 8 Discussion bus 302

Employee theft is a major problem in the U.S. retail industry. Information obtained from SecurityInfoWatch reported that twenty three (23) major retailers alone apprehended over 1.1 million shoplifters and dishonest employees, and recovered more than $189 million from these thieves in 2012.
Watch J. Farrell’s video titled “Prevent Employee Theft in Your Business”:

TRANSFER PRICING AND RESPONSIBILITY CENTERS

Case Assignment

Coffee Maker’s Incorporated (CMI)

Two divisions of a CMI are involved in a dispute. Division A purchases Part 101 and Division B purchases Part 201 from a third division, C. Both divisions need the parts for products that they assemble. The intercompany transactions have remained constant for several years.

Recently, outside suppliers have lowered their prices, but Division C is not lowering its prices. In addition, all division managers are feeling the pressure to increase profit. Managers of divisions A and B would like the flexibility to purchase the parts they need from external parties to lower cost and increase profitability.

The current pattern is that Division A purchases 3,000 units of product part 101 from Division C (the supplying division) and another 1,000 units from an external supplier. The market price for Part 101 is $900 per unit. Division B purchases 1,000 units of Part 201 from Division C and another 500 units from an external supplier. Note that both divisions A and B purchase the needed supplies from both the internal source and an external source at the same time.

The managers for divisions A and B are preparing a new proposal for consideration.

  • Division C will continue to produce Parts 101 and 201. All of its production will be sold to Divisions A and B. No other customers are likely to be found for these products in the short term, given that supply is greater than demand in the market.
  • Division C will manufacture 2,000 units of Part 101 for the Division A and 500 units of Part 201 for the Division B.
  • Division A will buy 2,000 units of Part 101 from Division C and 2,000 units from an external supplier at $900 per unit.
  • Division B will buy 500 units of Part 201 from Division C and 1,000 units from an external supplier at $1,900 per unit.

Division C Data 2014 Based on the Current Agreement

Part 101 201
Direct materials $200 $300
Direct labor $200 $300
Variable overhead $300 $600
Transfer price $1,000 $2,000
Annual volume 3,000 units 1,000 units

Required:

Computations (use Excel)

  • Set up a table similar the one below to compute the difference between the current situation and the proposal for Divisions A and B. Design a different table for Division C.
Division A
Current Situation Proposal
No. of Units Purchase Price Total Purchases No. of Units Purchase Price Total Purchases
Internal purchases 3,000 $ 2,000 $
External purchases 1,000 2,000
Total cost for part 101 $ $
Savings to Div. A $
  • Summarize the financial effects for the three divisions and the company as a whole in another table.

Memo (use Word)

Write a 4- or 5-paragraph memo to the division manager explaining the analysis performed. Start with an introduction and end with a recommendation. Each of the four or five paragraphs should have a heading.

Short Essay (use Word) Start with an introduction and end with a summary or conclusion. Use headings.

  • Evaluate and discuss the implications of the following transfer pricing policies:

Transfer price = cost plus a mark-up for the selling division

Transfer price = fair market value

Transfer price = price negotiated by the managers

Why is transfer pricing such a significant issue both from a financial and managerial perspective?

Assignment Expectations

Each submission should include two files: (1) An Excel file; and (2) A Word document. The Word document shows the  memo first and short essay last. Assume a  knowledgeable business audience and use required format and length. Individuals in business are busy and want information presented in an organized and concise manner.

Accounting Ethics

Review the following case study.

When the FASB issues new standards, the implementation date is often 12 months from date of issuance, and early implementation is encouraged. Becky Hoger, controller, discusses with her financial vice president the need for early implementation of a standard that would result in a fairer presentation of the company’s financial condition and earnings.

When the financial vice president determines that early implementation of the standard will adversely affect the reported net income for the year, he discourages Hoger from implementing the standard until it is required.

Write a response of 750 to 1,050 words in which you answer the following requirements:

  • Determine an ethical issue that is involved in this case if any.
  • Identify if the financial vice president acting improperly or immorally.
  • Explain what Hoger have to gain by advocacy of early implementation.
  • Identify who might be affected by the decision against early implementation.

Current Issue Summary

Write a 175- to 350-word summary.

Research a recent article on sampling as it relates to financial statement auditing.

Apply what you learn to your future or current job.

Value-Based Purchasing

Value-Based Purchasing
Find a recent article about value-based purchasing. Summarize and provide your personal thoughts.

Be sure to use APA format for your article citation.

 

Also, what is your opinion of value-based purchasing? Do you think it will turn our healthcare system around?

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