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CHAPTER 1
The Demand For and Supply of Financial
Accounting Information
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CHAPTER 14
Financing Liabilities: Bonds and
Long-Term Notes Payable
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C H A P T E R
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THE DEMAND FOR AND
SUPPLY OF FINANCIAL
ACCOUNTING
INFORMATION
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1
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By taking a positive, business-focused approach, Intermediate Accounting provides a
context that better motivates students and enables them to gain a deeper understanding of accounting. Opening vignettes show students how understanding accounting
information creates value and contributes to the success of a company.
Your Future Is Bright!
As the world of business becomes increasingly international and technologically
advanced, you might wonder what the future has in store for the accounting profession. More importantly, as you consider accounting as a major, you might ask
•
•
1 Understand the forces that
create the demand for financial accounting information
in the world economy.
2 Understand the forces that
determine the supply of
accounting information,
particularly the role of the
Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC).
•
3 Explain the role of the
Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB) for
establishing U.S. generally
accepted accounting
principles (U.S. GAAP).
•
•
Accounting is a profession devoted to helping people by creating and reporting the financial information they need to make good business decisions. Investors
and creditors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and global, demanding
more relevant and reliable information from companies all over the world. All indications are that future years will present great opportunities for the accounting
profession to continue to create tremendous value in the world economy. In addition, accountants have great opportunities to create tremendous value in local
economies. In one recent survey of small business owners, accountants were
viewed as among the most trusted business advisers. In addition, many companies
are placing increasing importance on accounting skills in their executive training
programs, while other companies emphasize the certified public accountant (CPA)
credential in their executive searches.
The trend toward hiring of individuals possessing accounting skills is expected
to continue and perhaps accelerate, despite the current difficult economic conditions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics1,
4 Explain and use the FASB
‘‘Accountants and auditors are expected to experience much faster than aver-
Accounting Standards
Codification system.
age employment growth through 2018, and CPAs should have the best prospects. Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow by 22%
by 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This occu-
5 Explain the role of the
International Accounting
Standards Board (IASB) in
establishing International
Financial Reporting Standards
(IFRS) and the ongoing
convergence of accounting
standards between the FASB
and the IASB.
•
6 Understand the output of
the financial reporting
process and the four primary
financial statements, as well
as the important information
reported with financial
statements.
•
7 Understand that, because
financial accounting
information triggers
important economic
consequences, ethics and
the ability to resolve ethical
dilemmas is essential to the
accounting profession.
1-2
pation will have a very large number of new jobs arise, about 279,400 over
the decade. An increase in the number of businesses, changing financial laws
and corporate governance regulations, and increased accountability for protecting an organization’s stakeholders will drive job growth.’’
To further support this exciting potential, a recent survey by the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)2 noted that hiring of accounting
graduates by public accounting firms increased by approximately 61,600 new jobs
in 2007 and 2008 alone. When asked about projections of hiring trends, 74% of all
of the firms surveyed expect to hire the same number or more accounting graduates. Further, 97% of the firms surveyed expected to need the same number or
more CPAs on staff. As these firms hire more accountants, those accountants are
going to have to have skills to understand business and accounting in a global
context, with expertise in U.S. and international accounting methods.
1
2
See http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm#outlook.
See http://www.aicpa.org/InterestAreas/AccountingEducation/NewsAndPublications/Documents/2009_Trends
Report.pdf.
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After reading this chapter,
you will be able to:
what the future holds for you upon graduation. Recent evidence suggests a very
exciting future awaits!
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Various surveys commonly rank public accounting
among the top five careers for people who want more
part because accounting is a service profession devoted
to helping people. By all indications, accounting skills are
pay, more upside career growth potential, and more control over where they are going. Finally, accounting is tradi-
very valuable and in high demand, and your future professional career in accounting appears bright!
tionally one of the top majors on college campuses, in
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INTRODUCTION
The accounting profession creates one of the most valuable and essential resources in the
world economy—relevant and reliable financial information that people use to make
informed decisions about companies. The world economy, which allocates scarce resources and enables productive investments, creates the standard of living that people enjoy.
The world economy cannot function effectively or efficiently without useful and credible
financial information. Corporations, governments, the capital markets, investors, creditors, banks, suppliers, customers, employees, labor unions, pension funds, regulatory
authorities, academic institutions, individuals, and many others rely on financial information to make important economic decisions. The role of financial accounting is to
identify, measure, record, and report relevant and reliable financial information
about companies to present and potential future stakeholders. As such, accounting
is the ‘‘language of business.’’ The objective of this text is to prepare you to be a successful professional accountant with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce this valuable information.
The prior paragraph may sound like it is overstating the importance of accounting—
but that is not the case. Every day, around the world, investors, bankers and other lenders, financial analysts, corporate managers, and many others pore through financial
accounting information to analyze the profitability, risk, and growth of companies and
make informed investing, financing, operating, strategic, and other decisions. The financial media (print, broadcast, and online media) covers daily news about companies based
on newly released financial accounting information such as quarterly or annual earnings
announcements. Corporate boards and investors commonly use financial accounting information to evaluate the performance of their company, its strategy, and the executive
management team’s success (or lack thereof) in executing this strategy. The bonuses of
company executives and managers often depend on whether the firm achieves certain
target objectives measured with accounting information (such as sales growth and earnings targets). Companies regularly evaluate accounting information to assess the strategies and performance of competitors, to evaluate potential acquisitions of other
companies, to evaluate opportunities for investments in other countries, and to assess
prospective suppliers, customers, or partners. Individuals use financial accounting information to evaluate companies as potential employers or potential investments. For these
important decisions and many more in the world economy, accounting information plays
an essential role.
This text will help you learn the principles, concepts, and methods that the accounting profession uses to produce financial accounting information that is relevant to decision makers and faithfully represents companies.3 The text will help you understand the
conceptual framework of financial reporting, the financial reporting process, and the financial statements—balance sheets, income statements, statements of cash flows, and
statements of shareholders’ equity. The text will also help you understand the key elements of financial statements as well as the methods and practices for measuring and
reporting these elements. The text also prepares you to account for a wide array of very
different business activities using U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S.
GAAP) as well as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which are used in
over 120 countries. This text will illustrate these methods and principles for you using a
3
In describing desirable characteristics of accounting information, the accounting profession typically focuses on information that is relevant and reliable. However, the profession is shifting from the more general term ‘‘reliable’’ to the
more specific ‘‘faithful representation.’’ Faithful representation simply means that an account’s description and amount
faithfully represent the underlying economic construct they purport to represent. Chapter 2 describes the two terms,
and the subtle differences between them, in more detail. Because the differences are subtle, we use ‘‘reliable’’ and
‘‘representationally faithful’’ synonymously.
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Chapter 1
Real company names are set in
bold, violet type. Recognizable
companies, such as Starbucks,
are used throughout to help
students better grasp the context
of the material presented.
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
variety of real company examples from around the world. In particular, each chapter of the
text uses the financial statements of Starbucks as an illustrative case to help you understand
financial statement information and accounting principles and methods under U.S. GAAP.
In addition, the text also uses the financial statements of Nestlé, LVMH, and other companies to help you understand similarities and differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP. The
text will deepen your understanding of why accounting information is relevant and representationally faithful to many different stakeholders by illustrating how financial statement users
use the information you will produce as an accountant. The text will also make you aware of
the types of ethical issues you may face as a professional accountant.
The first chapter in the text describes and motivates what we do as accountants, why
we do what we do, the financial statement information we produce, and who cares about
that information. This chapter gives you an important frame of reference as we work together through all the later chapters of the book. Specifically, this chapter will help you:
• Understand the forces that drive the demand for accounting information. Why does
the world need accounting information?
• Introduce the supply of accounting information. How do accountants produce useful
information for decision makers?
• Review the information content of the financial statements. What is the output of
the accounting production process?
• Appreciate the economic consequences of financial reporting. In what ways does
accounting information make a positive difference in the world?
OBJECTIVE 1
Understand the forces that create the
demand for financial accounting
information in the world economy.
WHY DOES THE WORLD NEED FINANCIAL
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION?
Companies compete for a wide variety of resources—financial capital, physical and natural resources, intellectual property and technology, new product and service ideas, skilled
employees and executives, customers and new channels and markets to reach more customers, suppliers that can provide essential production resources, and many others. To
compete successfully, companies first develop a business plan, with broad strategic objectives as well as specific tactics. To be profitable, a company’s business model should
guide its strategy and business activities to be different from that of its rivals, utilizing
whatever competitive advantages it might have.
Business Activities
After formulating a strategic plan, the company will typically engage in three sets of
activities: financing, investing, and operating. Companies will engage in these activities
regularly, some of them daily, throughout the life of the firm.
Financing Activities The first activities involve raising the capital needed to run the
company. The first step in financing is to raise equity capital by attracting investments
from business owners, such as common shareholders. These owners invest capital, with
no guarantee of repayment or return on their investment. If the company is not profitable, the common shareholders could lose their entire investment. However, if the company is profitable, the common shareholders enjoy dividends and increases in the value
of their shares. As owners, common shareholders also typically have control of the company. With votes associated with each common equity share, the shareholders can vote
to determine the direction and actions the company will take.
Once equity capital is in place, companies sometimes seek additional financial capital
from lenders by issuing bonds in the capital market or taking loans from banks or other
credit institutions. Credit capital obligates the company to repay the borrowed funds at
some future date and to pay periodic interest payments as a return on the borrowed
funds. As such, creditors take less downside risk but enjoy less upside potential than
common shareholders. On the upside, profitable companies will simply pay interest and
principal as required by the lending agreement. On the downside, an unsuccessful company may default on the loan and perhaps declare bankruptcy. In that unfortunate
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Why Does the World Need Financial Accounting Information?
outcome, the creditors might receive only a partial (or zero) repayment of the loans,
depending on the liquidation value (if any) of the company’s assets.
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Investing Activities Once a company has financial capital, it typically invests that capital
in productive resources that are necessary to operate the business. These resources can
include property, plant, and equipment, technology (software and information systems), intellectual property (such as patents or copyrights), legal rights (such as licenses, franchises, or
other legal rights), and operating agreements (such as leases, distributorships, partnerships).
Operating Activities With necessary resources in place, the company can commence
day-to-day operating activities, producing goods and/or services and selling them to
customers. The company will likely hire employees and managers to run the business. It
will also likely have to acquire raw materials, supplies, and inventory to produce goods
for customers. It may need to establish agreements with suppliers of key materials for
production. The company will also need to establish a customer base, sales channels, and
markets. The company will have to comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing the business, including paying payroll taxes, property taxes, sales or value-added
taxes, import or export duties, and, of course, income taxes.
Who Are the Stakeholders? What Do They Need to
Know?
Most companies have many different stakeholders (parties with some type of interest in
the company): common equity shareholders, banks, creditors, managers and employees,
suppliers, customers, government authorities (tax, regulatory, and legal), local communities, and others. In fact, it is helpful to think of the firm as a legal entity (such as a corporation) that engages in a wide array of explicit and implicit contracts, agreements,
arrangements, and transactions with various stakeholders, as illustrated in Exhibit 1.1.
Company Stakeholders
Many
Others
1.1
Equity
Investors
Creditors
Local
Communities
Banks
Tax
Authorities
Suppliers
The Company
Government
Regulatory
Authorities
Customers
Pension
Funds
Employees
Labor
Unions
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Executives
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
What information does each type of stakeholders need about the company?
Investors Equity investors enjoy the upside profits if the company is successful, but they
also bear the bottom-line risk if the company is not successful. As a potential equity investor, what would you like to know about the company in order to make an informed investment decision (for example, whether or not to invest, how many shares of stock to
purchase, and what price to pay)? In addition to knowing about the business model, strategies, and competitive advantages of the company, you would likely be interested to know
what resources the company owns and uses in conducting its operations, right? You would
also be very interested to know if the company is generating a profit and positive cash flows,
and whether profits and cash flows are growing over time. You should also find out how
much debt the company owes, so you have some idea about the riskiness of the business.
Creditors Creditors face less risk of loss of their investments because they have superior claim in bankruptcy over equity investors, but creditors do not share in the same
upside potential as equity investors. If you are a potential creditor, you will need to know
a lot of information about the company before you can make an informed decision about
whether or not to lend to this company. For example, you will probably want to know
how much equity capital the company has in place, so you know how much capital the
owners are willing to risk before you will be willing to risk any of your own capital, right?
You will also be interested in the resources the company owns to conduct business, as
well as any outstanding loans the company may already have. Finally, you will be especially interested in the company’s cash flows and its ability to meet interest and principal
payments when they become due.
While the information needs of equity investors and creditors overlap, they also differ in important respects. For example, equity investors are interested in profits (the
source of future dividends and share value appreciation), whereas creditors are interested
in cash flows (the source of interest and principal repayments). Other potential stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, employees, managers, labor unions, pension funds, regulatory and government authorities, local communities, and others face differing
decisions, so will have overlapping but differing needs for information in order to engage
in informed contracting with the company.
What Drives Stakeholders’ Demand for Accounting
Information?
If you were a prospective equity investor or creditor, and you were not provided any information about the company’s profits, cash flows, resources, existing debt obligations, risks,
and growth, what would you do? Most people are risk averse, so for a given level of expected
profit or return, they prefer less risk rather than more risk. Therefore, if you are risk averse,
you will likely refuse to invest or lend any of your hard-earned capital in this company, being
unwilling to take risks that you cannot assess for profits and returns you cannot evaluate.
Prospective customers, suppliers, employees, and other potential stakeholders will respond in
a similar, risk averse manner when faced with a lack of necessary information.
The company trying to raise financial capital, make investments, and conduct operations cannot do so without supplying stakeholders with the relevant and reliable information they need. Thus, a natural demand for accounting information arises from
the information needs of equity shareholders, creditors, and various other stakeholders to make resource allocation decisions. This demand arises because companies
have to compete for and attract scarce economic resources, such as equity and debt capital, productive capital, employees, supplier and customer relationships, technology, and
intellectual property. To compete for these valuable resources, companies must provide
relevant and reliable information to those who can provide them. Financial reporting is
the process of communicating financial accounting information to existing and
potential future investors, creditors, lenders, and other external decision makers.
The Separation of Ownership and Control The demand for financial reporting
and accounting information is further driven by the need to avoid potential problems
that can arise because of the separation of ownership and control of a company’s
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Why Does the World Need Financial Accounting Information?
resources. In a typical corporation, for example, common equity shareholders and creditors (the principals) provide financial resources by investing in and lending to the company. The company executives, managers, and employees (the agents) have been hired
to invest those financial resources and run the company’s daily business activities on
behalf of the investors and creditors. Problems can arise because of the separation of ownership and control. The investors and creditors (the principals) who have provided financial capital own the resources but are separate from the executives, managers, and
employees (the agents) who have day-to-day control of those resources. Exhibit 1.2 illustrates the separation of ownership and control.
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The Separation of Ownership and Control
1.2
The Separation of
Ownership and
Control
Principals
Separation
Ownership:
Supply and Own
Resources
Common Equity Shareholders,
Creditors, Other Resource
Providers
Agents
Control: Manage
and Control
Resources
Information
Asymmetry
Executives,
Managers,
Employees
The separation of ownership and control gives rise to information asymmetry
problems, which simply means problems arising from unequal information. A company’s managers usually have a wealth of inside information about the company—what
resources the company has invested in, how the sales, profits, and cash flows are shaping
up for the year, how the company is spending cash, strategic directions, new products,
and so forth. The investors and creditors need but might not have the detailed information the managers have. If investors and creditors do not have the information they
need, they might refuse to provide the financial capital the company requires.
How do you bridge the information gap that can arise from the separation of ownership and control? The need to bridge the information gap created by the separation
of ownership and control also creates the demand for financial accounting information. Periodic reporting of relevant and representationally faithful financial statement information helps mitigate information asymmetry problems. Financial reporting enables
company managers to provide investors and creditors with necessary information to
value the company, monitor the company’s actions, and enter contracts with many other
potential stakeholders. Quarterly and annual reporting of sales and profits, cash flows, financial position, and other relevant financial information provides periodic reports that
investors and creditors can use to make resource allocation decisions.
Periodic reporting of financial statements also helps inform investors and creditors
about the stewardship of the managers. They reveal how the managers are using company resources, spending cash, creating revenue growth, controlling expenses, and generating profits. Not surprisingly, company managers are often given bonuses based on
meeting certain goals, such as revenue growth targets or earnings targets, in order to
align managers’ incentives and actions with those preferred by the investors and
creditors.
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Integrated throughout the
text, Quick Checks allow
students to get a brief recap
of the concepts covered so
far before moving on.
Investors’ and creditors’ demands for information will not be entirely satisfied, and problems arising from the separation of ownership and control will not be completely eliminated, based solely on a system of companies self-reporting financial information. If
managers self-report their performance, measuring sales and profits and recognizing
assets and liabilities as they wish, the demand for reliable information will not be met
because the managers will have incentives to provide biased reports of their performance,
showing their actions in the most favorable light.
To solve the self-reporting problem, a natural demand arises for accounting
standards that managers can use to measure and report financial statements that are relevant and representationally faithful to investors and creditors. Generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP) in the U.S. and International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS) in many other countries are the principles, concepts, guidelines,
methods, and practices that regulated companies are required to use in reporting the
accounting information in financial statements. We discuss the accounting standards,
the standard-setting bodies, and the standard-setting process later in this chapter and
the next.
Professional standards for accounting, however, are also not sufficient to fully meet
investors’ and creditors’ demand for relevant and reliable accounting information.
Accounting standards require managers to make many choices, judgments, and estimates
so that they can report their private information about the company.4 Managers can
make these choices, judgments and estimates to faithfully represent their company’s performance and financial position. Or, managers can make biased estimates and judgments,
in order to unfairly represent company performance in a very favorable light.
This gives rise to a demand for independent audits of financial statements. Auditors are typically external, independent experts in accounting who can carefully evaluate
a company’s accounting records and verify whether the company has applied the
accounting standards and principles fairly and consistently. The auditors provide a statement of their opinion, attesting to whether a set of financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP or IFRS and whether the statements fairly
represent the company. To be useful, auditors must be independent of the company,
they must be experts in accounting and auditing methods, and they must tell the truth.
As such, if the auditor provides an opinion that the financial statements are fairly presented in accordance with professional standards, then it is a good indication that users
can rely on those financial statements. Only then can financial statements meet the
demands for useful financial information.
QUICK CHECK 1-1
•
•
•
The objective of financial reporting and financial
accounting is to provide relevant and representationally faithful information to a variety of stakeholders
(equity investors, creditors, managers, suppliers, customers, employees, and many others) so they can
make rational and intelligent resource allocation decisions about companies.
The demand for accounting information arises from the
needs of companies to compete for scarce resources.
The demand for accounting information also arises to
bridge the information gap between company manag-
4
•
ers (agents) and investors, creditors, and other stakeholders (principals) that provide scarce resources. This
demand for information arises because the investors
and creditors who own resources are separate from the
managers who manage and control those resources.
The demand for accounting information also drives
the demand for professionally established accounting
standards (U.S. GAAP and IFRS) that provide authoritative guidance on how to measure and report economic activities in financial statements, as well as the
demand for independent auditing.
For example, company managers are required to determine what resources (assets) and obligations (liabilities) the company has. Managers must also estimate the useful lives of property and equipment, the collectible value of receivables
from customers, the present value of future pension obligations, and many other accounting amounts. Accounting freedom allows managers to share their private information about these elements of the company.
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What Drives the Demand for Accounting Standards and
Independent Audits?
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The Supply of Financial Accounting Information
THE SUPPLY OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
INFORMATION
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What factors determine the supply of accounting information that companies provide to
investors, creditors, and other stakeholders? How do companies choose what to report
in their financial statements, how to measure their operating, investing, and financing
activities, and what information stakeholders need? The supply of accounting information that companies report is determined primarily by the interactions between two
forces:
OBJECTIVE 2
Understand the forces that determine
the supply of accounting information,
particularly the role of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC).
• authoritative professional accounting standards, such as U.S. GAAP or IFRS, that
govern in the company’s country of incorporation
• choices, methods, estimates, and judgments that the company must make in order to
apply those accounting standards to measure and report their financial statements
In this chapter, we consider the first of these two forces—the accounting standards companies must follow in supplying accounting information to external stakeholders. The
remaining chapters present the latter force by describing and demonstrating the many
choices, methods, estimates, and judgments that companies must use to apply U.S.
GAAP or IFRS to prepare and report financial statements.
As we examine the supply of accounting information, we first describe the role of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, the body within the U.S. government with
the authority and responsibility to determine acceptable accounting standards. We then
describe the FASB as the standard-setting body for U.S. companies and the IASB for
non-U.S. companies. We also discuss U.S. GAAP and IFRS, the ongoing efforts to converge the two sets of standards, and the important influence of social and political forces.
The Role of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC)
In most countries, the formal authority to regulate financial reporting and to establish
and enforce accounting standards usually rests with the government body responsible for
the capital markets and securities trading. The capital markets regulator has governmental authority over accounting standards and financial reporting because of the essential
importance of financial accounting information to the protection of investors and the
effective and efficient functioning of capital markets. In the United States, this authority
rests with the Securities and Exchange Commission.5 The stated mission of the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission is to ‘‘protect investors, maintain fair,
orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.’’
The U.S. Congress created the SEC to administer the Securities Act of 1933 and
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under these Acts, the SEC has the legal authority to prescribe accounting principles and reporting practices for all corporations
issuing publicly traded securities within the U.S. capital markets. Roughly 17,000
corporations are subject to the SEC’s authority. This authority is very broad, encompassing all companies that publicly issue and list their securities (such as stocks or bonds)
on the U.S. capital markets, whether the companies are U.S. corporations (such as
Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Google) or corporations of other countries
(such as Nestlé and Toyota).
The U.S. capital markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the
NASDAQ exchange, comprise the largest, most active, and most efficient markets for financial securities in the world. As such, these markets enable companies from around
the world to raise capital at a relatively low cost. Therefore, the U.S. capital markets
attract investors and creditors from the United States, Europe, Asia, and all over the
globe. Literally, millions of trades occur and trillions of dollars of capital change hands
through these markets each day. Therefore, the SEC’s authority and impact within the
global capital markets is huge, extending far beyond the U.S. borders. The SEC has, by
5
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See http://www.sec.gov for more information about the SEC.
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
far, the largest regulatory authority and responsibility for companies, investors, creditors,
and capital markets in the world.
The SEC has mandated that the information communicated to external users in
financial reporting must be based on professionally established accounting principles,
such as GAAP for U.S companies and IFRS for non-U.S. companies. Professionally
established accounting principles, such as U.S. GAAP and IFRS, establish the
rules, guidelines, procedures, and practices that listed companies are required to
use in recording and reporting the accounting information in audited financial
statements.
The SEC’s Reporting Requirements The Securities Act of 1933 requires each
company offering securities (shares of stock, bonds, or other securities) for sale to the
public in the primary and secondary markets to file a registration statement.6 The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 established extensive reporting requirements for listed companies.7 Among the most commonly required reports are:
Form S-1. A registration statement
Form 10-K. An extensive annual report, including financial statements
Form 10-Q. An extensive quarterly report, including financial statements
Form 20-F. An extensive annual report, including financial statements, from nonU.S. companies
• Form 8-K. A report used to describe significant events that may affect the company
• Proxy Statement. A report used when management requests the right to vote through
proxies for shareholders at shareholders’ meetings
•
•
•
•
The SEC requires registered companies to file these forms electronically. These forms
can be downloaded from the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval
System (commonly known as EDGAR).8
The SEC’s Authority over Accounting Standards and Financial Reporting
Although the SEC frequently enforces its regulations on companies, exchanges, and
investors, the SEC seldom uses its authority to establish accounting standards.
Instead, the SEC delegates that authority to private standard-setting bodies within
the accounting profession, such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) for establishing GAAP for U.S. companies and the International Accounting
Standards Board (IASB) for establishing IFRS for companies from other countries.
The SEC monitors closely and oversees the standards being developed by these standard
setters.
The SEC exercises its most direct impact on accounting standards through its input
and informal approval (or rejection) of standards that have been proposed but not yet
issued. While the SEC has the authority to decide what constitutes ‘‘generally accepted
accounting principles,’’ it commonly exercises this authority through persuasion rather
than edict. The SEC has endorsed the concept of ‘‘substantial authoritative support’’ by
asserting that ‘‘principles, standards, and practices promulgated by the FASB will be considered by the Commission as having substantial authoritative support, and those contrary to such FASB promulgations will be considered to have no such support.’’ The
result of this position has been to allow accounting principles to be formulated in the private sector rather than by the government.
6
Corporations can raise capital by issuing common stock or bonds, either through ‘‘public offerings’’ or through ‘‘private
placements.’’ Public offerings involve the sale of securities to the general public through capital markets such as the
NYSE. Private placements involve the direct sale of securities to a few private investors. After the initial public offering
of securities in the capital markets, these corporations are called publicly held (or publicly traded or listed) companies.
7
The SEC establishes the specific requirements for the information contained within these required reports. It issues
reporting guidelines in its Regulation S-X, Financial Reporting Releases, and Staff Accounting Bulletins for companies
that file with the SEC.
8
See http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
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The FASB
OBJECTIVE 3
THE FASB
Accounting standard setting began in the United States in 1938 when the AICPA
formed the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP), which issued Accounting
Research Bulletins (ARBs) to establish acceptable accounting procedures. In 1959,
the AICPA replaced the CAP by forming the Accounting Principles Board (APB),
which issued pronouncements called Opinions of the Accounting Principles Board.
In 1973, the AICPA phased out the APB and replaced it with the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB). However, the ARBs and APB Opinions remain sources of
GAAP unless they have been specifically superseded or amended by the FASB.
Explain the role of the Financial
Accounting Standards Board (FASB) for
establishing U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles (U.S. GAAP).
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The Structure of the FASB
There are seven members of the FASB. Board members are full-time employees with no
other organizational ties. They represent a wide cross-section of interests (financial statement preparers, auditors, users, and academics). Each Board member is required to have
a knowledge of and experience in accounting, finance, business, and accounting education and research; high intelligence, integrity, and discipline; and a concern for the public
interest regarding investing, financial accounting, and financial reporting. The FASB is
responsible for identifying financial accounting issues, conducting research to address
these issues, and resolving them by issuing new accounting standards. The FASB is supported by a full-time professional research and technical staff that conducts research,
communicates with constituents, and drafts preliminary findings. The full-time administrative staff assists the FASB by handling library, publications, personnel, and other
activities. Exhibit 1.3 shows the current structure of the FASB.
Structure of FASB
1.3
Financial Accounting
Foundation
(14–18 member board of trustees)
Appoint and
Oversee
Financial Accounting
Standards Advisory
Council
(approximately
33 members)
Advise
Appoint
Financial
Accounting
Standards Board
(7 members)
Consult
Task Forces
(including Emerging
Issues Task Force)
Support
Administrative
Staff
Research and
Technical Staff
Consult
The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) is the parent organization of the
FASB. It is governed by a 14- to 18-member Board of Trustees appointed from the
memberships of eight organizations interested in the establishment of accounting principles.9 The primary responsibilities of the FAF are to oversee the effectiveness and efficiency of the standard setting process and to appoint the members of the FASB.
9
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These organizations are the AICPA, Financial Executives International, Institute of Management Accountants, CFA Institute, American Accounting Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Government Finance
Officers Association, and National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers.
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
FASB Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF)
• to identify significant emerging accounting issues (i.e., unique transactions and
accounting problems) that it feels the FASB should address
• to develop consensus positions on the implementation issues involving the application
of standards. In some cases, these consensus positions may be viewed as the ‘‘best
available guidance’’ on GAAP, particularly as they relate to new accounting issues.
OBJECTIVE 4
Explain and use the FASB Accounting
Standards Codification system.
FASB ACCOUNTING STANDARDS CODIFICATION
GAAP has been formed over many years and contains standards developed by many different accounting policy-making bodies, particularly the FASB and the SEC. Until mid2009, the accounting standards issued by these organizations were located in hundreds
of different documents (called ‘‘pronouncements’’) issued by the FASB, APB, CAP,
EITF, AICPA, and SEC.
FASB Pronouncements
Prior to 2009, the FASB issued several types of pronouncements which had different levels of authority. Exhibit 1.4 provides a list of the types of pronouncements by the FASB
that comprised GAAP.10 The types of pronouncements are listed in descending order of
the relative weight of authority they had within GAAP. For example, Statements of Financial Accounting Standards had the highest-level authority, followed by Interpretations, and so on. Although the FASB no longer issues these types of pronouncements, it
is important that you are familiar with them because they are still cited in accounting literature and many companies still refer to them to explain how they applied GAAP.
1.4
Historical Types of FASB Pronouncements
1. Statements of Financial Accounting Standards. These pronouncements carried
the highest authority within GAAP, establishing the methods and procedures
required on specific accounting issues.
2. Interpretations. These pronouncements refined GAAP by clarifying conflicting or
unclear issues relating to previously issued standards.
3. Staff Positions. FASB staff issued pronouncements to provide more timely and
consistent application guidance and to make narrow and limited revisions of
standards.
4. Technical Bulletins. FASB staff issued these pronouncements to clarify, explain,
or elaborate on accounting and reporting problems related to specific standards.
5. Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts. These pronouncements establish
a theoretical foundation for financial accounting and reporting standards. They
are the output of the FASB’s ‘‘Conceptual Framework’’ project (discussed in
Chapter 2). They are fundamental principles that guide the development of
GAAP.
6. Other Pronouncements. On a major topic, the FASB staff also may issue a Guide
for Implementation, in the form of questions and answers.
10
‘‘The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles,’’ FASB Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 162
(Norwalk, CT: FASB, 2008).
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
The FASB established the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) in 1984 as a response to
the need for timely guidance on new, specific accounting issues. Members of the EITF
include technical experts from all the major CPA firms and representatives from smaller
CPA firms and from industry. These individuals are knowledgeable in accounting and financial reporting and are in positions to be aware of emerging problems. The Chief
Accountant of the SEC also participates in EITF meetings. The primary objectives of the
EITF are:
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FASB Accounting Standards Codification
The FASB pronouncements contained over 2,000 standards, which were lengthy,
hard to use, and sometimes conflicting. Even though the FASB established an authoritative hierarchy to specify which types of standards had the greatest authority, accountants
sometimes found that the standards lacked a consistent and logical structure, which
made it difficult and time-consuming for them to determine the ‘‘right’’ answer to an
accounting issue. To rectify these problems, the FASB conducted a major project that
resulted in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification.
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
Codification
The FASB Accounting Standards Codification (or, simply, the Codification) is an
electronic database that integrates and topically organizes U.S. GAAP into one coherent
body of literature.11 Over 200 people worked on the project team from 2004 through
mid-2009 to incorporate the more than 2,000 standards from the original pronouncements into this database. The Codification became effective on July 1, 2009. The FASB
developed the Codification to achieve three goals:
• Simplify user access by codifying all authoritative U.S. GAAP in one database.
• Ensure the codified content accurately represented all authoritative U.S. GAAP.
• Create a codification research system that is up to date, including the most recently
released standards.
The FASB’S Accounting
Standards Codification:
A User-Friendly Guide,
automatically included
with every new copy of
the textbook, provides
step-by-step guidance for
how to use the Codification.
The FASB Accounting Standards Codification is now the only source of authoritative GAAP for U.S. companies to determine how to record their transactions, events, or
circumstances, and how to report the results in their financial statements.12 The Codification does not change GAAP. However, in contrast to the hierarchy of GAAP that preceded the Codification, all GAAP in the Codification has an equal level of authority.
The framework of the Codification contains six components or levels, which are
increasingly more specific: (1) Areas, (2) Topics, (3) Subtopics, (4) Sections, (5) Subsections, and (6) Paragraphs.13 The Areas component is located on the left side of the
home page and contains links to nine broad and general accounting subjects: General
Principles, Presentation, Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Revenue, Expenses, Broad Transactions, and Industry, along with a Master Glossary link and a ‘‘Go To’’ box for users familiar with the Codification numbering system, as shown in Exhibit 1.5. The home page
also has a ‘‘Search’’ box at the top.
The Topics, Subtopics, Sections, Subsections, and Paragraphs are descending
‘‘levels’’ within the Codification, and each item in each level is numbered for reference
and search purposes.14
• Topics involve a collection of related guidance on a particular subject area (for example, Cash and Cash Equivalents, Receivables, Investments, Inventory, and various
others within the Assets area).
• Subtopics are subsets of a Topic and generally are distinguished by type or by scope
(for example, under the Investments Topic, there are Subtopics for different types of
investments).
• Sections characterize the nature of the content in a Subtopic (for example, Scope,
Recognition, Measurement, and Disclosure).
11
The Codification is at http://asc.fasb.org. You may also access the Codification at http://aaahq.org/ascLogin.cfm if your
institution participates in the American Accounting Association’s academic access initiative. Many FASB documents
may be downloaded for free from the FASB web site (http://www.fasb.org) or may be purchased individually from the
FASB.
12
ASC 105-10-05: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles: Overall: Overview and Background. Exceptions are the
rules and interpretive releases of the SEC, which are sources of authoritative GAAP for publicly traded companies that
are required to file their financial statements with the SEC. For convenience, the Codification includes selected portions of GAAP issued by the SEC for publicly traded companies. The Codification does not contain all the SEC’s rules
and regulations that constitute GAAP.
13
This section assumes that users have access to the professional version. Users of the basic version will note some differences in functionality and presentation.
14
The following discussion is a summary of that presented in the Codification’s Notice to Constituents (v4.1), April 30,
2010.
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Chapter 1
1.5
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Accounting Standards Codification Web Page
Source: http://asc.fasb.org. Last accessed 1.26.2011.
• Subsections, if necessary, refine and break down Sections into narrower and more
specific items. If a Subsection is necessary, it is not numbered but does include the
Paragraphs that contain the guidance that constitutes GAAP.
• Paragraphs contain the specific guidance that constitutes GAAP.
Exhibit 1.6 illustrates the hierarchical relationships between Topics, Subtopics, Sections,
and Subsections.
1.6
Hierarchical Relationships within Codification Topics
Topic
Subtopic
Section
Subsection
Subsection
Subtopic
Section
Subsection
Section
Subsection
Subsection
Section
Subsection
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FASB Accounting Standards Codification
Using the Codification Suppose you need to determine how a company should record a purchase of inventory. Exhibit 1.7 shows the steps to find the answer according
to U.S. GAAP in the Codification, as well as the reference numbers. You may want to
go to the Codification web site and complete the steps as we discuss them.
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
Example of Codification Search Process for GAAP
Component/Level
Steps (Click on)
Area
Assets
Topic
Inventory
Subtopic
Overall
Section
Initial Measurement
1.7
ASC Number
Home Page
330
330-10
330-10-30
*
Cost
Paragraph
330-10-30-1
* Subsection, if necessary
After logging in, go to the Area links in the left column of the home page and click
on Assets. This brings you to a menu of seven Topics of assets. Click on Inventory (note
that its Codification number is 330). This brings you to a menu containing one Subtopic, Overall (note that it is number 10, so that the combined Topic/Subtopic Codification number is 330-10), along with numerous links relating to various industries.
Click on Overall, for a menu containing more than a dozen Sections. Here, you decide
which Section is most likely to contain the answer to your question. In this case, click on
Initial Measurement (note that it is number 30), which brings you to the paragraphs
containing the answer (GAAP) to your question. Note that paragraph 30-1 indicates
that ‘‘The primary basis of accounting for inventories is cost, which has been defined
generally as the price paid or consideration given to acquire an asset ….’’ This completes
your search. If you want to reference this answer, you would refer to ‘‘ASC 330-10-30-1’’.
Now, suppose you left this screen and then wanted to return to this paragraph. To save
time, enter 330-10-30-1 in the ‘‘Go To’’ box on the home page, and it takes you directly
to the paragraph. Alternatively, instead of the search process we discussed above, you could
find the same guidance by entering ‘‘inventory initial measurement’’ in the ‘‘Search’’ box.
Using the Codification should help you to:
• Reduce the amount of time and effort needed to solve an accounting research issue.
• Improve your ability to use the accounting literature and comply with GAAP.
Throughout this book, we discuss the U.S. GAAP related to a particular issue and
provide footnote reference to the relevant paragraph(s) of the original pronouncements.
To help you understand the Codification numbering structure, the footnotes also provide you the Codification reference (topic, subtopic, and section number) that contains
the paragraphs from the original pronouncement (e.g., ASC 850-10-50). The FASB’s
Accounting Standards Codification: A User-Friendly Guide supplement packaged with
this textbook will provide you with step-by-step instructions for how to use the Codification to determine how to properly record and report particular transactions, events, and
commercial arrangements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The guide includes brief
assignments so students can
work to become more
familiar with using the
Codification. The text itself
includes separate, more
comprehensive Codification
assignments that allow
students to independently
research and apply what
they learn.
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
FASB Operating Procedures
When the FASB issues a new standard it is referred to as an Accounting Standards
Update. Before issuing a new standard, the FASB generally completes a multistage process as outlined in Exhibit 1.8. Initially, a topic or project is identified and placed on the
FASB’s agenda. On major issues, a Task Force may be appointed to advise and consult
with the FASB’s Research and Technical Staff. The Staff conducts any research specifically related to the project.
FASB Operating Procedures
Identify
Topic
Hold Public
Hearings
OBJECTIVE 5
Explain the role of the
International Accounting
Standards Board (IASB) in establishing
International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS) and the ongoing
convergence of accounting standards
between the FASB and the IASB.
Appoint
Task Force
Conduct
Research
Issue Preliminary
Views or Invitation
to Comment
Hold Public
Hearings
Deliberate on
Findings
Issue
Exposure Draft
Modify
Exposure Draft
Vote (supermajority)
Issue
Accounting
Standards Update
Then the FASB usually publishes a Preliminary Views document or Invitation to
Comment (which outlines the research related to the issues) and sets a public comment
period. During this period, the FASB holds public hearings similar to those conducted
by Congress. Many interested parties submit written comment letters and position
papers or make oral presentations. These parties include preparers and auditors of corporate financial statements, security analysts, members of professional accounting associations, and academics. After deliberating on the views expressed and the information
collected, the FASB issues an Exposure Draft of the proposed Accounting Standards
Update. Interested parties generally have 30 to 90 days to provide written comments.
On major issues, the FASB may hold more public hearings or conduct ‘‘field tests’’ of
the proposed standards. Once the FASB has concluded the public comment and research
process, it will draft the proposed standard for a final vote. The FASB will issue an
Accounting Standards Update only if it passes with a super-majority (five of seven Board
members vote in favor). An Accounting Standards Update typically contains a section
entitled ‘‘Basis for Conclusions’’ which explains the Board’s reasoning and motivation
for the new accounting standard. In addition, if certain Board members dissent and vote
(in the minority) against an Accounting Standards Update, that Update will include a
section in which those Board members explain why they dissented.15
THE IASB AND IFRS
Virtually all large companies, and the majority of medium and small companies, conduct
international operations by producing, selling, and buying products and services in other
countries. In addition, many investors and creditors search for attractive investments in
the world’s major capital markets. The globalization of operating, investing, and financing activities has led to increased demand for accounting information and financial
15
The time to complete steps in the standard-setting process varies depending on the complexity of the topic and the
magnitude of the impact of the new standard. For complex topics, it takes several years; for less complex topics the
process may take only a few months.
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1.8
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The IASB and IFRS
statements from companies all over the world. Companies, securities regulators, investors, and creditors in international markets, in turn, prefer that the financial statement information they use for business and investment decisions be comparable from company
to company across countries. The IASB is the international accounting standard setter,
establishing IFRS which are required or permitted in roughly 120 countries. As noted
earlier, the SEC accepts reports filed by non-U.S. companies with financial statements
prepared according to IFRS.
The structure of the IASB is similar to that of the FASB. The IFRS Foundation is
the parent organization of the IASB. The IFRS Foundation consists of a group of Trustees that is responsible for fund-raising, appointing IASB members, and overseeing the
effectiveness of the IASB. The IASB, which issues International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS), includes 16 members from various countries.16 In addition, the IFRS
Interpretations Committee provides authoritative interpretive guidance (IFRICs) on how
to apply IFRS to various accounting issues. In setting new IFRSs, the IASB follows a
thorough, open, and transparent due process. The process is similar to that of the FASB
and includes studying the topic, issuing a discussion paper, issuing an Exposure Draft,
evaluating comments, and drafting the proposed standard. If approved by at least 10 of
the 16 members of the IASB (or 9 if there are fewer than 16 members), the proposed
standard becomes an International Financial Reporting Standard. To date, the IASB
has issued 9 IFRSs, in addition to the 41 International Accounting Standards (IASs) that
were issued by its predecessor the International Accounting Standards Committee, and
that are still applicable unless they have been amended or withdrawn. In addition, the
IFRS Interpretations Committee has issued 19 IFRICs to date. All of these documents
can be viewed online and downloaded from the IFRS Foundation web site.17
Convergence of FASB and IASB Accounting Standards
The ongoing globalization of business activities creates an increasing demand for consistent and comparable financial statements from companies from different countries.
Because of the increasing importance of international operating, investing, and financing
activities, professional accountants must be bilingual—able to speak U.S. GAAP and
IFRS. Even though they are headquartered in the United States, companies like The
Coca-Cola Company and McDonald’s Corporation make more than 70% and 65%
of their sales, respectively, in countries other than the United States. Similarly, Toyota
Corporation makes more than 64% of its sales in countries other than Japan. Companies that are large or small, whether headquartered in major cities or in small towns, conduct business with companies from other countries. Hundreds of companies from
outside the United States list their securities on U.S. capital markets like the NYSE, and
hundreds of U.S. companies list their securities on capital markets outside the United
States, including the London Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Currently, for companies that list their securities on U.S. capital markets, the SEC
mandates that U.S. corporations are subject to the accounting standards established by
the FASB, while foreign corporations are subject to IFRS or accounting standards set by
their national accounting standards boards. These differences in accounting standards
have led to differences among U.S. and non-U.S. corporations’ financial statements.
These differences, in turn, have made it difficult for investors and creditors to make valid
comparisons across corporations and to make effective investment and credit decisions in
the U.S. and foreign capital markets. There is demand for international convergence of
accounting standards driven by investors’ and creditors’ needs for high-quality, internationally comparable financial information that is useful for decision-making in our
increasingly global capital markets.
16
The IFRS Foundation Constitution stipulates that the IASB should be comprised of 4 members each from Asia/Oceania, Europe, and North America; 1 member each from Africa and South America; and two members from any other
area. At the time of this writing, the IASB has only 15 members.
17
See http://www.ifrs.org.
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
International convergence of accounting standards refers to both a goal and the path
taken to reach it. The FASB states:18
‘‘The FASB believes that the ultimate goal of convergence is a single set of
high-quality, international accounting standards that companies worldwide
would use for both domestic and cross-border financial reporting. Today, the
path toward that goal is the collaborative efforts of the FASB and the IASB to
both improve U.S. GAAP and IFRS and eliminate the differences between them.’’
The FASB and the IASB have been working together toward convergence since 2002. At
that time the two Boards entered into the ‘‘Norwalk Agreement’’ for the development of
high-quality, compatible accounting standards that could be used for both domestic and crossborder financial reporting. More recently, the two Boards entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), originally issued in 2006 and updated in 2008. The two Boards collaborate through joint projects to develop common standards. Reaffirming their commitment to
convergence, the Boards in 2009 and 2010 identified a number of major projects they are
undertaking jointly as well as short-term projects (in which convergence can occur fairly
quickly). Because the short-term convergence projects are less complex than the major projects,
the two Boards have already made substantial progress in converging a number of standards.
The Boards have intensified their joint efforts to achieve major project milestones by
the end of 2011. Major projects on the agenda for joint efforts reflect an ambitious and
substantial work plan, including convergence of accounting standards for:
•
•
•
•
•
•
consolidated financial statements
fair value measurement
financial statement presentation
leases
financial instruments
revenue recognition
To achieve convergence, the Boards are working closely together to prioritize the
major projects on their agendas, the work plan to address those projects, and target milestones for completing major projects. The two Boards now meet jointly for consecutive
days every month, either in person or by video-conferencing, and schedule special joint
meetings to address important issues. Both Boards also provide quarterly progress
reports which can be downloaded from their web sites.19
The SEC and International Convergence
Because the FASB and IASB are progressing toward convergence, in 2007 the SEC
decided to allow foreign companies to use IFRS rather than U.S. GAAP to prepare the
financial statements that those companies report in their Forms 20-F.20 Many countries,
including all member countries in the European Union, Canada, China, Japan, India,
Brazil, and Australia, have adopted IFRS (or are in the process of transitioning to IFRS)
as the required accounting standards for companies that are publicly traded.21 The SEC
agreed to accept IFRS-based filings from non-U.S. companies, and it decided that these
companies do not need to reconcile how differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP
affect their reported financial statements.22
18
See http://www.fasb.org/jsp/FASB/Page/SectionPage&cid¼1176156245663&pf¼true.
See FASB at http://www.fasb.org or IASB at http://www.ifrs.org.
20
For more discussion, see ‘‘Concept Release on Allowing U.S. Issuers to Prepare Financial Statements in Accordance
with International Financial Reporting Standards,’’ SEC Concepts Release 33-8831 (August 7, 2007). For more details,
see the Concepts Release link at http://sec.gov/. See also, ‘‘FASB/FAF Response to the SEC Concept Release on
Allowing U.S. Registrants to Use IFRS and the Proposing Release to Eliminate the Requirement for Certain Foreign Filers to Reconcile to U.S. GAAP’’ (November 7, 2007), pp. 2–3, http://www.fasb.org/.
21
Many countries adopt IFRS as the required accounting principles for listed companies but still maintain their own
country-specific accounting standards for non-listed companies.
22
At the time of this writing, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries have their own accounting standards apart from
U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The SEC accepts filings from companies with financial statements prepared with home-country
standards; however, the SEC requires the companies to reconcile their financial statements to U.S. GAAP. Therefore,
such companies must file Form 20-F to show how critical accounting amounts such as net income, total assets, and
total common shareholders’ equity differ between the amounts reported using home-country standards and the
amounts that would be reported under U.S. GAAP.
19
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1-18
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The IASB and IFRS
Professional accountants must be fluent in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Therefore, in this
book we will discuss U.S. GAAP and IFRS. For each major topic where there are differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS, we will describe those differences in an International Dimension feature as well as Appendix D at the end of the book. We also will
indicate how accounting by U.S. companies would have to change to be in compliance
with IFRS and potential consequences. Under this approach, you will be well informed
about both U.S. GAAP and IFRS when you enter the accounting profession.23
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In 2010, the SEC issued its Work Plan to determine by the end of 2011 whether the SEC
will allow U.S. firms to file financial statements based on IFRS rather than U.S. GAAP. The
Work Plan will address the following critical elements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
sufficient development and application of IFRS for the U.S. domestic reporting system
independence of standard setting for the benefit of investors
investor understanding and education regarding IFRS
examination of the U.S. regulatory environment that would be affected by a change in
accounting standards
impact on companies, large and small, including changes to accounting systems,
changes to contractual arrangements, corporate governance considerations, and litigation contingencies
human capital readiness
This feature provides
students with exposure to
a number of significant
changes on the horizon,
including those resulting
from the ongoing
convergence between
U.S. GAAP and IFRS.
If the results of the Work Plan indicate that the SEC is willing to accept IFRS-based filings
from U.S. companies, the transition would likely begin in 2015 or 2016 at the earliest and
would start with the largest publicly-held firms.
Potential Problems with International Convergence
The use of IFRS by non-U.S. companies filing with the SEC has created two potential
problems for U.S. companies that use U.S. GAAP. First, their financial statements are likely
to be different from those of the foreign companies they compete with for capital,
creating difficulties for investors and creditors in comparing companies. Second, if U.S.
companies have subsidiaries operating in foreign countries, they may be required to
prepare their subsidiaries’ financial statements according to IFRS for local filings. Because
these companies still have to prepare their financial statements using U.S. GAAP to file
with the SEC, this creates costly inefficiencies.
Other potential issues include the following:24
•
•
•
•
Many U.S. companies (particularly smaller ones) filing with the SEC do not operate
globally so they would obtain little benefit from using IFRS rather than U.S. GAAP.
Most U.S. corporations are small companies and do not issue publicly traded securities and therefore are not regulated by the SEC. These corporations would likely continue to use U.S. GAAP in preparing their financial statements. A switch to IFRS for
regulated U.S. companies would create a ‘‘dual-GAAP’’ system in the United States.
Accountants, auditors, and financial statement users would have to be trained to
understand the impact of IFRS on the preparation of financial statements of companies using IFRS.
Many companies have entered into contracts based on U.S. GAAP. (For example, companies may have borrowed money with debt covenants based on U.S. GAAP that restrict
their financing activities.) A shift to IFRS may require renegotiating these contracts.
The SEC must consider these and many other issues as it studies whether it should
continue to require the use of U.S. GAAP or whether it should require the use of IFRS.
23
The AICPA as well as the ‘‘Big 4’’ accounting firms also have portions of their web sites devoted to IFRS issues. For
more information about IFRS, visit the AICPA web site http://www.ifrs.com, as well as the accounting firm web sites
http://www.deloitte.com, http://www.ey.com, http://www.kpmg.com, and http://www.pwc.com.
24
The following discussion is a summary of the key issues identified in ‘‘Concept Release on Allowing U.S. Issues to Prepare Financial Statements in Accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards,’’ SEC Concepts Release 338831 (August 7, 2007). For more details, see the Concepts Release link at http://sec.gov/.
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
The accounting standards established by the FASB and IASB have significant economic
consequences because they determine the information companies provide to external
stakeholders, and that information, of course, influences stakeholders’ decisions and
wealth. Because of the importance of accounting standards, the FASB and the IASB operate so that they develop new accounting standards in a thorough, thoughtful, and efficient manner, with due process, and in open public forums. Both Boards consider all
related research on a particular topic, as well as the (often conflicting) views and opinions
of all interested parties, before coming to a logical conclusion about the appropriate
accounting standard that will provide users with useful information.
However, because of the substantial economic consequences, key constituents often
disagree about the objectives for new standards. Because the Boards hold public hearings
and open meetings, various external user groups (e.g., investors and creditors) and other
interested parties (e.g., affected corporations and CPA firms) exert pressure to influence
the new standards, continue existing standards, or change existing standards in their
own best interests. In addition, research results about the likely effects of new standards
are sometimes conflicting, and only ‘‘best guesses’’ can be made of the future consequences of current standards.
A contentious example occurred in the 1990s when the FASB proposed a new
accounting standard for measuring and expensing stock options granted to employees as
compensation. The FASB’s proposal received strong opposition from certain companies
(particularly high-tech firms) and received pressure from the U.S. Congress to rescind
the proposal. Therefore, it issued in 1995 a standard that effectively allowed companies
to choose whether or not to recognize stock option expenses. In 2004, after the IASB
adopted a standard that required expensing stock options, the FASB revised its standard
and required expensing of share-based compensation payments, including stock options.
More recently, during the financial crisis, both the FASB and the IASB came under significant political pressure from governments and banking regulators in the U.S. and
Europe to relax the accounting standards requiring recognition of fair value losses on
loans and investment securities.
Because of the important economic and political consequences associated with
accounting information, the FASB and the IASB often make decisions about new
accounting standards that require compromise between conflicting views and interests.
Compromise is inevitable as the FASB and the IASB respond to the globalization of
capital markets.
QUICK CHECK 1-2
•
•
•
•
The government body with the responsibility and
authority over financial reporting in the United States
is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
U.S. GAAP is established in the private sector by the
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) for U.S.
companies, and IFRS are established by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) for non-U.S.
companies.
The FASB organized and categorized U.S. GAAP into
one structured, comprehensive body of literature known
as the FASB Accounting Standards Codification system.
Before the FASB or the IASB issue an accounting
standard update, a proposed topic undergoes an
OBJECTIVE 6
Understand the output of the financial
reporting process and the four primary
financial statements, as well as the
important information reported with
financial statements.
•
•
extensive due process that includes considerable
research, numerous public hearings, and frequent
deliberations.
The FASB and the IASB are continuing to work closely
together to converge U.S. GAAP and IFRS into a
harmonized, consistent set of accounting principles.
While accounting standards are intended to provide
users with relevant and representationally faithful
information for their decision-making needs, the
FASB and IASB face social and political pressures,
leading to final standards that can be a result of
compromise.
THE PRODUCT: FINANCIAL REPORTING AND
THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
We have described the demand for accounting information, which is driven by competition for scarce economic resources, particularly financial capital. We have also described
the supply of accounting information, in which generally accepted accounting principles
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Standard Setting in a Sociopolitical Environment
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The Product: Financial Reporting and the Financial Statements
Brief Introduction: Starbucks’s Business
Starbucks grew from a single coffee shop near Pike’s Place Market in Seattle to a multinational chain and a worldwide brand name through what it refers to as the ‘‘Starbucks
Experience.’’ The Starbucks Experience is how Starbucks differentiates its customers’
experiences in their coffee shops from other chains and fast food restaurants such as
McDonald’s. The Starbucks Experience involves many things, including high quality
products, friendly and competent service enabling customers to specify their beverages
exactly to their tastes, relaxed and inviting shop environments, and convenient locations.
At the end of fiscal 2010, Starbucks had 16,858 coffee shops worldwide. Of that
total, Starbucks owns and operates 8,833 shops (52.4%) and licensees own and operate
8,025 shops (47.6%). Licensees are individuals or companies that pay Starbucks a license
fee and a royalty (a percentage of their coffee shop sales) in exchange for the rights to
use Starbucks’s name, trademarks, logos, products, and methods. Although 11,131
(66.0%) of Starbucks owned and licensed shops are located in the United States, 5,727
(34.0%) are in other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, China, and Japan. In addition to operating coffee shops, Starbucks also sells coffee
beans and instant coffee to foodservice distributors who provide coffee to institutional
food servers (such as dormitory cafeterias). In addition, Starbucks sells packaged coffee
and tea in grocery stores and warehouse club chains. Starbucks is also a partner in several joint ventures to develop and sell coffee-based products, such as the North American Coffee Partnership with PepsiCo to make and sell ready-to-drink beverages such
as the Frappuccino (a creamy iced-coffee beverage).
Allowing students to see how
a wide variety of accounting
concepts apply to a single
company, real financial
information from Starbucks is
used in discussions and
examples throughout the text.
This brings the study of
accounting concepts full circle
for students so that they can
see how accounting is a truly
integrated system.
The Balance Sheet: Measuring Financial Position
According to the FASB and the IASB, the balance sheet is the cornerstone of financial
reporting. The balance sheet, or statement of financial position, presents a snapshot of
the resources of a firm (assets) and the claims on the firm (liabilities and shareholders’
equity) as of a specific date (usually the last day of the fiscal quarter or the fiscal year).
The balance sheet reports the following equality:
Assets ¼ Liabilities þ Shareholders’ Equity
That is, a firm’s assets are in balance with, or equal to, the claims on the company by
creditors (liabilities) and owners (shareholders’ equity). The balance sheet views resources from two perspectives:
• specific resources the firm holds (for example, cash, inventory, and equipment)
• the claims on the firm by the persons or entities that provided the resources (for example, investors, creditors, lenders, suppliers, employees, and other stakeholders)
Exhibit 1.9 presents Starbucks’s balance sheet as of fiscal year-end, October 3,
2010, which reports total assets of $6,385.9 million. The claims on the company
include total liabilities of $2,703.6 million and total shareholders’ equity of
$3,682.3 million.
25
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We provide more detailed discussions of these statements in Chapters 4 and 5.
ª Rob Crandall/Alamy
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are developed by standard setters like the FASB and the IASB and are then applied by
managers to measure, summarize, and report their company’s financial performance and
position. We next turn to the output of this production process: the financial reports and
financial statements that companies provide to external stakeholders. In the following
sections we describe the primary financial statements—balance sheet, income statement,
statement of cash flows, and statement of shareholders’ equity—as well as the notes and
other items that typically accompany these statements.25
In each chapter, we illustrate accounting information and methods using real company examples. In particular, we use Starbucks to illustrate numerous financial accounting issues. To begin, it is important to understand Starbucks’s business model and
strategy as a context for understanding its accounting.
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Chapter 1
1.9
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Starbucks’s 2010 Balance Sheet
Recent financial information from Starbucks, and other real companies,
is integrated throughout the text. The Real Reports examples allow
students to view real, unedited financial information and how it reflects
accounting decisions made at these real companies.
STARBUCKS CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in millions, except per share data)
Oct 3,
2010
Sep 27,
2009
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Short-term investments — available-for-sale securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Short-term investments — trading securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounts receivable, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inventories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prepaid expenses and other current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred income taxes, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$1,164.0
236.5
49.2
302.7
543.3
156.5
304.2
$ 599.8
21.5
44.8
271.0
664.9
147.2
286.6
Total current assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Long-term investments — available-for-sale securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Equity and cost investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Property, plant and equipment, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other intangible assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2,756.4
191.8
341.5
2,416.5
346.5
70.8
262.4
2,035.8
71.2
352.3
2,536.4
253.8
68.2
259.1
TOTAL ASSETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$6,385.9
$5,576.8
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued compensation and related costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued occupancy costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insurance reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other accrued liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
282.6
400.0
173.2
100.2
146.2
262.8
414.1
267.1
307.5
188.1
127.8
154.3
147.5
388.7
Total current liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Long-term debt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other long-term liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,779.1
549.4
375.1
1,581.0
549.3
389.6
Total liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock ($0.001 par value) — authorized, 1,200.0 shares; issued and outstanding,
742.6 and 742.9 shares, respectively (includes 3.4 common stock units in both
periods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additional paid-in capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other additional paid-in-capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Retained earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accumulated other comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2,703.6
2,519.9
0.7
106.2
39.4
3,471.2
57.2
0.7
147.0
39.4
2,793.2
65.4
Total shareholders’ equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3,674.7
7.6
3,045.7
11.2
Total equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3,682.3
3,056.9
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$6,385.9
$5,576.8
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The Product: Financial Reporting and the Financial Statements
Assets The assets portion of the balance sheet reports the effects of the following decisions:
• Operating decisions: Principally involving assets used in day-to-day activities to produce and deliver products and services to customers
• Investing decisions: Principally involving investments in long-lived tangible and intangible productive resources and financial assets to generate interest income, dividends, and other returns on investment
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For Starbucks, these decisions can be seen in the following assets:
Operating Activities
Investing Activities
Assets used in day-to-day activities to
produce and deliver products and services
to customers:
Long-lived tangible resources, intangible
resources, and financial resources
•
•
•
•
Cash and cash equivalents
Accounts receivable
Inventories
Prepaid expenses
•
•
•
•
•
Property, plant, and equipment
Goodwill and other assets
Short-term investment securities
Long-term investment securities
Investments in the equity securities of
noncontrolled affiliates (joint-venture
partnerships)
Starbucks’s largest assets (in dollar amounts) on the 2010 balance sheet are $2,416.5
million in property, plant, and equipment (furniture, equipment, and leasehold improvements in coffee shops, coffee roasting plants, and warehouses) as well as $1,164.0 million
in cash and cash equivalents.
Liabilities The liabilities portion of the balance sheet reports obligations that arise from
the following decisions:
• Operating decisions: Involving obligations to pay employees and suppliers as well as
obligations to deliver goods and services to customers
• Financing decisions: Raising financial capital from banks and other lenders
For Starbucks, these decisions can be seen in the following liabilities:
Operating Activities
Financing Activities
Obligations to pay employees and suppliers
of goods and services:
Financial capital from loans from banks and
other lenders:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accounts payable
Accrued compensation and related costs
Accrued occupancy costs
Other long-term liabilities
Commercial paper
Short-term borrowings
Long-term debt
Obligations to deliver products to customers:
•
Deferred revenues
As of the 2010 balance sheet date, Starbucks’s liabilities primarily arise from obligations
from operating activities. Of the total $2,703.6 million in liabilities, only $549.4 million
involves capital from long-term debt. Therefore, Starbucks owes employees, suppliers,
and other creditors related to operating activities a total of $2,154.2 million ($2,703.6
million – $549.4 million).
Shareholders’ Equity The shareholders’ equity in a firm is a residual interest claim.
That is, the owners have a claim on all assets not required to meet the claims of creditors.
Therefore, the valuation of assets minus the valuation of liabilities in the balance sheet
determines the valuation of total shareholders’ equity.
Balance sheets separate total shareholders’ equity into the following two general categories, both of which reflect financing and operating activities:
Not For Sale
• Contributed capital accounts: Amounts initially contributed by shareholders for an
ownership interest in a firm
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
• Earned capital accounts: Cumulative amounts of profits that have been earned by the
firm, net of the amounts of profits that have been paid out to shareholders through
dividends (or share repurchases)
For Starbucks, these accounts break down as follows:
Paid-In Capital Accounts
Earned Capital Accounts
Capital contributed by shareholders for
an ownership interest in a firm:
Cumulative amounts of profits that have been
earned by the firm, net of the amounts of
profits that have been paid out to shareholders:
•
•
•
Common stock
Additional paid-in capital
Other additional paid-in capital
•
•
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income
The 2010 balance sheet reports that Starbucks’s retained earnings represents the majority of its equity capital, comprising $3,471.2 million of a total of $3,674.7 million in
common shareholders’ equity capital.26
Chapter 4 describes the many principles and techniques under U.S. GAAP and IFRS
that accountants use to measure and report balance sheets, including how to define and
recognize assets, liabilities, and equity accounts; how they are measured and classified;
and how balance sheets are typically reported.
Income Statement: Measuring and Reporting
Performance
The income statement measures and reports the financial results of a firm’s performance for a period of time, usually a quarter or a year. The income statement provides
information about the profits or losses the company has generated during the period
by conducting operating, investing, and financing activities. We use the terms net
income and earnings interchangeably when referring to the bottom-line amount in
the income statement. Later in this chapter, we provide some striking evidence on
the relationship between changes in accounting earnings and changes in stock prices
in the capital markets.27 Exhibit 1.10 presents Starbucks’s income statements for
2008 through 2010.
Operating Activities The majority of a company’s income arises from the revenues generated minus expenses incurred in the operating activities of the business.
Revenues measure the inflows of assets and the settlements of obligations from selling goods and providing services to customers. Expenses measure the outflows of
assets that a company consumes and the obligations it incurs in the process of operating the business to generate revenues. As a measure of performance, revenues
report the resources generated by a company and expenses report the resources consumed.
Revenue and expense accounts associated with Starbucks’s operating activities
include the following:
Operating Revenues
Operating Expenses
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
26
27
Company-operated retail revenues
Licensing revenues
Foodservice and other revenues
Income from equity investees
Costs of sales and occupancy costs
Store operating expenses
Other operating expenses
Depreciation and amortization expenses
General and administrative expenses
Restructuring charges (costs associated
with store closings)
Starbucks also reports a small amount of equity capital from ‘‘noncontrolling interests.’’ Chapter 4 describes noncontrolling interests in more detail.
Chapter 5 describes revenue recognition, expense measurement, and income measurement. Later chapters describe
the techniques for accounting for various revenues, expenses, gains, and losses on income statements.
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1-25
The Product: Financial Reporting and the Financial Statements
1.10
Starbucks’s Consolidated Income Statements
STARBUCKS CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
(in millions, except per share data)
Oct 3,
2010
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Fiscal Year Ended
Net revenues:
Company-operated retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 8,963.5
Specialty:
Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,340.9
Foodservice and other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
403.0
Sep 27,
2009
Sep 28,
2008
$8,180.1
$ 8,771.9
1,222.3
372.2
1,171.6
439.5
Total specialty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,743.9
1,594.5
1,611.1
Total net revenues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cost of sales including occupancy costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Store operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Depreciation and amortization expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General and administrative expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Restructuring charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10,707.4
4,458.6
3,551.4
293.2
510.4
569.5
53.0
9,774.6
4,324.9
3,425.1
264.4
534.7
453.0
332.4
10,383.0
4,645.3
3,745.1
330.1
549.3
456.0
266.9
Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income from equity investees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9,436.1
148.1
9,334.5
121.9
9,992.7
113.6
Operating income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest income and other, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,419.4
50.3
(32.7)
562.0
37.0
(39.1)
503.9
5.2
(53.4)
Earnings before income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,437.0
488.7
559.9
168.4
455.7
144.0
Net earnings including noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net earnings (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . .
948.3
2.7
391.5
0.7
311.7
(3.8)
$
945.6
$ 390.8
$
315.5
Earnings per share — basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $
Earnings per share — diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cash dividends declared per share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $
1.27
1.24
$
$
$
$
0.43
0.43
$
731.5
741.7
0.00
Net earnings attributable to Starbucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
744.4
764.2
0.36
Starbucks generates revenues primarily from owning and operating coffee shops. Revenues from company-operated retail stores amounted to $8,963.5 million, which
accounted for roughly 83.7% of its total revenues of $10,707.4 million in fiscal 2010.
Not surprisingly, expenses associated with operating activities represent the primary costs
0.53
0.52
738.7
745.9
$ 0.00
Not For Sale
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
of Starbucks’s operating activities. Overall, 2010 was a very profitable year for Starbucks
operations, generating operating income of $1,419.4 million.28
Investing and Financing Activities Companies also generate income and incur
expenses arising from the investing and financing activities of the business. Investing activities, such as holding stock or bonds in an investment portfolio, will generate interest and
dividend income and gains or losses from the sales of investment securities. Investing activities can also generate income if companies hold partial ownership interests in other companies through joint ventures or partnerships. Financing activities generally incur expenses,
such as interest expense, for the costs associated with borrowed capital.
Income statement accounts associated with Starbucks’s investing and financing
activities include the following:
Investing Activities
Financing Activities
•
•
Interest income
Interest expense
Starbucks’s income from investing activities primarily arises in the form of interest
income that it earns on the cash, short-term, and long-term investment securities it
holds. Starbucks’s financing activities triggered interest expenses on the long-term debt
it had outstanding in 2010. For 2010, interest income amounted to $50.3 million and
interest expense amounted to $32.7 million.
Net Income Net income (or net loss) measures the bottom-line profit (or loss) of a
company for the period. Net income (or loss) represents the wealth gained (or lost) by
the company for the common shareholders during the period:
Net Income ¼ Revenues Expenses þ Gains Losses
Income statements commonly report gains and losses that arise from selling assets or settling
liabilities for more or less than their book values. Such gains and losses are normally reported
separately on income statements to distinguish them from the results of normal, ongoing,
and recurring activities. Income statements also report the effects of income taxes, as firms
commonly have to pay income taxes on their profits. In 2010, Starbucks recognized a provision for income taxes amounting to $488.7 million. During fiscal 2010, Starbucks generated record high earnings of $945.6 million for its common equity shareholders.29
Statement of Cash Flows
The statement of cash flows reports for a period of time the net cash flows (inflows
minus outflows) from operating, investing, and financing activities. The purpose of the
statement of cash flows is simple but important: to provide useful information about
how a firm is generating and using cash. The statement of cash flows provides information to complement the income statement, demonstrating how cash flows differ from
accrual-based income. It is particularly useful to creditors and other stakeholders to
help them evaluate the company’s cash-generating ability and to give them information
about the likelihood of future cash flows for future payments of obligations.30 Exhibit
1.11 presents the statement of cash flows for Starbucks for the years 2008 through
2010.
28
Note that Starbucks also includes $148.1 million in income from equity investees in operating income. Equity investees
are joint ventures and partnerships in which Starbucks generally holds a 50% ownership stake. This amount of income
represents Starbucks’s proportionate share of the income of those joint ventures and partnerships. Starbucks could
classify these investments as either operating activities or as investing activities, depending on whether it has an active
role or a passive role (primarily as an investor) in managing them. Starbucks has chosen to report income from equity
investees as part of income from operating activities rather than as an investing activity which indicates that it takes a
more active role.
29
Starbucks also reports net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests. Chapter 5 discusses noncontrolling interests in detail.
30
Chapter 5 provides an introduction to preparing a statement of cash flows. Chapter 21 provides a more detailed demonstration of techniques for preparing statements of cash flows.
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1-27
The Product: Financial Reporting and the Financial Statements
1.11
Starbucks’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
STARBUCKS CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in millions)
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
Fiscal Year Ended
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net earnings including noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision for impairments and asset disposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred income taxes, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Equity in income of investees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distributions of income from equity investees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stock-based compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Excess tax benefit from exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cash provided/(used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Inventories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounts payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accrued taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deferred revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other operating assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other operating liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oct 3,
2010
$ 948.3
Sep 27,
2009
$
391.5
Sep 28,
2008
$
311.7
540.8
67.7
(42.0)
(108.6)
91.4
113.6
13.5
(36.9)
(15.3)
563.3
224.4
(69.6)
(78.4)
53.0
83.2
2.0
(15.9)
5.4
604.5
325.0
(117.1)
(61.3)
52.6
75.0
3.8
(14.7)
(0.1)
123.2
(3.6)
(12.9)
24.2
(16.1)
17.6
28.5
(53.0)
57.2
16.3
120.5
60.6
(0.6)
(63.9)
7.3
72.4
(11.2)
75.3
Net cash provided by operating activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of available-for-sale securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maturities and calls of available-for-sale securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sales of available-for-sale securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net purchases of equity, other investments and other assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Additions to property, plant and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,704.9
1,389.0
(549.0)
209.9
1.1
(12.0)
1.2
(440.7)
0.0
(129.2)
111.0
5.0
0.0
(4.8)
(445.6)
42.5
(71.8)
20.0
75.9
(74.2)
(52.0)
(984.5)
0.0
Net cash used by investing activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from issuance of commercial paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Repayments of commercial paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proceeds from short-term borrowings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Repayments of short-term borrowings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Purchase of noncontrolling interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proceeds from issuance of common stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Excess tax benefit from exercise of stock options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Principal payments on long-term debt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cash dividends paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Repurchase of common stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(789.5)
(421.1)
(1,086.6)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(45.8)
127.9
36.9
(6.6)
(171.0)
(285.6)
(1.8)
20,965.4
(21,378.5)
1,338.0
(1,638.0)
0.0
57.3
15.9
(0.7)
0.0
0.0
(1.6)
65,770.8
(66,068.0)
528.2
(228.8)
0.0
112.3
14.7
(0.6)
0.0
(311.4)
(1.7)
Net cash used by financing activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(346.0)
(5.2)
(642.2)
4.3
(184.5)
0.9
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS:
Beginning of period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
564.2
330.0
(11.5)
End of period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$1,164.0
$
599.8
$
269.8
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest, net of capitalized interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$ 32.0
$ 527.0
$
$
39.8
162.0
$
$
52.7
259.5
599.8
1,258.7
269.8
Not For Sale
281.3
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Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Operating Activities Selling goods and providing services are among the most important ways a financially healthy company generates cash. Companies generate operating cash flows by collecting revenues in cash from customers, and they use operating
cash flows to pay expenses, pay obligations to suppliers, and acquire operating assets such
as inventory. Assessing cash flow from operations over several years indicates the extent
to which operating activities have provided the necessary cash to maintain operating
capabilities. Starbucks’s statement of cash flows reveals that cash flow from operating
activities were substantial during this period, generating nearly $1.3 billion in 2008,
nearly $1.4 billion in 2009, and more than $1.7 billion in 2010.
Investing Activities The acquisition of long-lived productive assets, particularly
property, plant, and equipment, usually represents major ongoing uses of cash. If companies want to sustain operations, they must replace such long-lived assets as they wear
out. If companies are to grow and increase the scale of their operations, they must acquire additional long-lived productive assets. Sometimes companies obtain cash from
sales of existing assets. Starbucks’s statement of cash flows reveals the primary use of
cash flows for investing activities involved additions to property, plant, and equipment,
ranging from $984.5 million in 2008 to $440.7 million in 2010.
Financing Activities A company obtains cash from short- and long-term borrowing
and from issuance of preferred and common stock. It uses cash to repay short- and longterm borrowing, to pay dividends, and to reacquire shares of outstanding preferred and
common stock. In 2009, Starbucks used cash to repay the commercial paper obligations and the short-term borrowings. In 2010, Starbucks used $171 million of cash to
pay dividends to common equity shareholders and $285.6 million to repurchase outstanding shares of common stock.
Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
The statement of shareholders’ equity (sometimes called the statement of changes
in shareholders’ equity) provides information about the common shareholders’ equity
claims on the company and how those claims changed during the period. The year-end
amounts reported in this statement equal the amounts reported in the shareholders’ equity section of the balance sheet. Similar to the balance sheet, the statement of shareholders’ equity will report the following:
• amounts initially contributed by shareholders for an interest in a company (Common
Stock, Additional Paid-in Capital, and Other Additional Paid-in Capital)
• cumulative net income in excess of dividends declared (Retained Earnings)
• shareholders’ equity effects from the recognition or valuation of certain assets or
liabilities (Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income)
The new information in this statement arises because the statement provides detail about
how each of those accounts changed during the year. Changes in shareholders’ equity
accounts can result from operating, investing, and financing activities. Although the
statement of shareholders’ equity is not required by U.S. GAAP, most large firms report
it. This statement is required by IFRS.
Exhibit 1.12 presents the statement of shareholders’ equity for Starbucks for the
years 2008 through 2010. The statement reveals that, in fiscal 2010 for example (the
bottom panel of information), Starbucks’s total shareholders’ equity increased from
$3,045.7 million to $3,674.7 million. The increase was largely attributable to increasing
retained earnings as a result of generating record earnings of $945.6 million. In addition,
as mentioned in the discussion of the cash flow statement, Starbucks’s shareholders equity decreased in 2010 as a consequence of declaring $267.6 million in dividends to
common equity shareholders (of which, $171.0 million were paid in cash during 2010)
and $285.6 million to repurchase outstanding shares of common stock.
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
1-28
$0.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
Balance, September 28, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735.5
Net earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Unrealized holding gain, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Translation adjustment, net of tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
$
$17.3
$ 106.2
$39.4
$3,471.2
$ 57.2
$3,674.7
$0.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Balance, October 3, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(267.6)
0.0
$3,045.7
945.6
(17.0)
8.8
115.6
137.5
18.5
(285.6)
0.0
(267.6)
(26.8)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$ 65.4
0.0
(17.0)
8.8
937.4
115.6
137.5
18.5
(285.6)
0.0
0.0
(26.8)
$2,793.2
945.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$39.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Stock-based compensation expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Exercise of stock options, including tax benefit of $27.7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1
Sale of common stock, including tax benefit of $0.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.8
Repurchase of common stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (11.2)
Net distributions to noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Cash dividend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Purchase of noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
$ 147.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$0.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
Balance, September 27, 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742.9
Net earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Unrealized holding loss, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Translation adjustment, net of tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$ 7.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(0.8)
0.0
(5.5)
2.7
$11.2
2.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(7.8)
0.7
84.3
35.9
26.8
0.0
84.3
35.9
26.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.9
2.5
0.0
407.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.8
Comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$ 48.4
0.0
1.8
15.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Stock-based compensation expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exercise of stock options, including tax benefit of $5.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sale of common stock, including tax benefit of $0.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net distributions to noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$2,402.4
390.8
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(100.8)
0.0
$18.3
0.7
0.0
0.0
$39.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$2,490.9
390.8
1.8
15.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
76.8
77.4
41.9
(194.5)
0.0
(3.8)
$2,284.1
76.8
77.4
41.9
(295.3)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.8
(7.0)
$ 54.6
309.3
(1.7)
315.5
0.0
0.0
$2,189.4
Comprehensive income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$39.4
Stock-based compensation expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Exercise of stock options, including tax benefit of $8.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.6
Sale of common stock, including tax benefit of $0.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.8
Repurchase of common stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (12.2)
Net contributions from noncontrolling interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
(1.6)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
(3.8)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
$
(3.3)
315.5
0.8
(7.0)
$0.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Not For Sale
Balance, September 30, 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738.3
Cumulative impact of adoption of accounting requirements for uncertain tax
positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Net earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Unrealized holding gain, net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Translation adjustment, net of tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0.0
Accumulated
Other
Other
Additional Additional
Common Stock Paid-in
Paid-in Retained Comprehensive Shareholders’ Noncontrolling
Interest
Equity
Shares Amount Capital
Capital Earnings Income/(Loss)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY
(in millions)
STARBUCKS CORPORATION
Starbucks’s Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
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$3,682.3
115.6
137.5
18.5
(285.6)
(0.8)
(267.6)
(32.3)
940.1
$3,056.9
948.3
(17.0)
8.8
84.3
35.9
26.8
(7.8)
408.5
$2,509.2
391.5
1.8
15.2
76.8
77.4
41.9
(295.3)
4.8
305.5
(3.3)
311.7
0.8
(7.0)
$2,301.4
Total
1.12
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The Product: Financial Reporting and the Financial Statements
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Important Information with the Financial Statements
To provide more relevant and representationally faithful information for financial statement users, companies typically provide additional information with the financial statements, including the Notes, Management Discussion and Analysis, and Managers’ and
Independent Auditors’ Attestations.
Notes The notes to the financial statements explain how the accounts and amounts
have been determined. These notes provide important details about the accounting principles, methods, and estimates the company has used to measure assets, liabilities, equity,
revenues, expenses, gains, and losses. For example, the notes explain how the company
accounts for inventory and what cost methods the company uses to value inventory and
the cost of goods sold. The notes explain how the company values property, plant, and
equipment, how it is being depreciated, how much depreciation has been accumulated
to date, and the expected useful lives of the assets. Notes also provide important details
about financial statement estimates such as fair values of investment securities, pension
and postemployment liabilities, income taxes, and intangible assets.
In the 2010 Annual Report (Appendix A), Starbucks provides a total of 20 notes
(a total of 34 pages) to explain the accounting principles, methods, and estimates used
to prepare the financial statements. These notes provide important information to help
financial statement users understand the firm’s accounting.
Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) Many companies accompany
the financial statements and notes with extensive narrative discussion and quantitative analysis from the company managers. The MD&A section provides managers’ insights into
their strategies and their evaluation of their performance. In addition, managers typically
provide some discussion and analysis of the company’s exposure to business risk factors (a
required disclosure in Form 10-K filed with the SEC). In some cases, MD&A discussions
provide glimpses into managers’ expectations about the future of the company.
In the 2010 Annual Report, Starbucks provides roughly 30 pages of MD&A
(excerpts of which are presented in Appendix A). In the MD&A, Starbucks describes the
business as a whole, as well as each of the operating segments. The MD&A section reports
the financial performance of each segment, with managers’ analysis comparing results of
2010 to 2009 and 2009 to 2008. In addition, Starbucks’s MD&A section provides important insights into the company’s business risks and the way it is managing them, critical
accounting policies it has applied, and its liquidity and capital resource situation. The
MD&A section also provides plans for the future, such as the plan in 2011 to open
roughly 500 new stores, pay dividends, and repurchase common shares. Because the
MD&A section provides insight into the company from the managers’ point of view, financial statement users should read it carefully to obtain all of the information available.
Managers’ and Independent Auditors’ Attestations The financial statements
and financial reports are the responsibility of a company’s managers. In response to managers’ misrepresenting their financial statements in now infamous cases involving Enron,
Global Crossing, Qwest Communications, and other firms, Congress passed the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which explicitly defines the responsibility of managers for
financial statements. This requirement states management’s responsibility not only for
the financial statements, but also for the underlying accounting and control system that
generates the financial statements. The Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial
Officer must sign this management report. Starbucks’s management report appears in
Appendix A after Note 20.
Although the financial statements are the responsibility of the company managers,
the SEC and most stock exchanges require listed companies to have their accounting
records and financial statements audited by independent auditors. The independent
auditor assesses a company’s internal control system, designs its audit tests in light of the
quality of these internal controls, and then forms an opinion about the fairness of the
amounts reported in the financial statements. The independent auditor must provide
dual opinions on the effectiveness of the internal control system (referred to as the Assurance Opinion) and the fairness of the amounts reported in the financial statement
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Who Cares About Accounting? The Economic Consequences of Financial Reporting
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
(referred to as the Audit Opinion). The independent auditor’s attestation as to the fairness of a company’s financial statements relative to U.S. GAAP or IFRS is an essential
element for the reliability of financial statements in the capital markets. Investors and
other users of the financial statements can rely on a firm’s financial statements only after
an independent auditor has examined the accounting records and has concluded that the
financial statements are fair and reliable according to U.S. GAAP or IFRS.
The report of Starbucks’s independent auditor (Deloitte & Touche LLP) appears
in Appendix A after Note 20. Note that the second to last paragraph includes the opinion on the financial statements and reads as follows:
‘‘In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial position of Starbucks, Corporation as of October 3, 2010
and September 27, 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows
for each of the three years in the period ended October 3, 2010, in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.’’
QUICK CHECK 1-3
• The balance sheet is the cornerstone of financial reporting. The balance sheet reports the assets, liabilities,
and shareholders’ equity which comprise the financial
position of a company at a point in time, resulting from
the company’s operating, investing, and financing
activities. Assets represent economic resources controlled by the company. Liabilities are obligations of
the company to transfer assets or provide services to
other entities in the future. Liabilities result from operating activities and from the company’s use of short-term
and long-term borrowing to finance assets. Shareholders’ equity is the residual interest in the assets of the
company, after satisfying the liabilities.
• The income statement reports the profitability of a
company over a period of time. The income statement
reports the financial performance of the company’s
operating activities, particularly revenues generated
by selling goods and delivering services to customers,
as well as the expenses incurred to operate the business. Revenues measure the inflows of assets and the
settlements of obligations from selling goods and providing services to customers. Expenses represent
resources consumed (or obligations incurred) for the
costs of operating the company and generating revenues during a period of time. The income statement
reports income amounts related to investing activities
•
•
•
•
•
(for example, interest and dividend income) and financing activities (for example, interest expense). The
income statement also reports gains and losses from
peripheral activities as well as income taxes. Net
income reports the bottom line profit or loss for the
period for common equity shareholders.
The statement of cash flows reflects the sources and uses
of cash during a period. The statement classifies cash
flows into operating, investing, and financing categories.
The statement of shareholders’ equity reports the
amounts of shareholders’ equity at the end of a period
and how those amounts changed during the period.
The notes to the financial statements explain the
accounting methods, assumptions, estimates, and
judgments used to prepare the statements.
The MD&A section provides managers’ insights and
evaluation of the company’s performance and risks.
The managers’ attestation and the independent auditor’s attestation provide statements about and take
responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of the
company’s internal control system and the fairness of
its financial statements and notes in reporting a company’s financial position, performance, and cash flows.
The independent audit adds credibility and reliability
to the financial statements and notes prepared by
management.
WHO CARES ABOUT ACCOUNTING?
THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF
FINANCIAL REPORTING
Financial reporting provides external stakeholders, such as common equity shareholders,
with valuable information that helps them evaluate the profitability, risk, and growth of
the company which is information they can use to value the company’s shares. The striking link between accounting earnings and stock returns has been demonstrated in many
empirical accounting research studies, beginning with Ball and Brown (1968).31 For
31
OBJECTIVE 7
Understand that, because financial
accounting information triggers important
economic consequences, ethics and the
ability to resolve ethical dilemmas is
essential to the accounting profession.
Not For Sale
R. Ball and P. Brown, ‘‘An Empirical Evaluation of Accounting Income Numbers,’’ Journal of Accounting Research,
Vol. 6, No. 2, Autumn, 1968, pp. 1159–178.
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
1.13
The Association between Change in Annual Earnings and Cumulative
Abnormal Returns
0.25
Positive
change in
earnings
0.20
0.15
0.192
Positive
change in
cash from
operations
0.10
0.113
0.05
0.00
Negative
change in
cash from
operations
–0.05
–0.037
–0.10
–0.15
–0.164
–0.20
–12 –11 –10 –9 –8 –7 –6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
Months relative to announcement of annual earnings
6
Negative
change in
earnings
Source: Adapted from D. Craig Nichols and James Wahlen, ‘‘How Do Earnings
Numbers Relate to Stock Returns? A Review of Classic Accounting Research with
Updated Evidence,’’ Accounting Horizons (December 2004), pp. 263–286.
To an accountant, the results of this study confirm that accounting earnings are very
informative to the capital markets. For nonaccountants, the results underscore why company managers, equity investors, analysts, and fund managers pay so much attention to
earnings numbers. The results also reveal why analysts and investors spend enormous
amounts of time and energy developing forecasts of earnings changes and making investment decisions in stocks on the basis of their earnings expectations.
Empirical research in accounting has deepened our understanding of the many
dimensions of the role of accounting numbers and financial statement information in the
capital markets and other stakeholder settings. We will refer to important research results
such as these throughout this book.
32
D. Craig Nichols and James Wahlen, ‘‘How Do Earnings Numbers Relate to Stock Returns? A Review of Classic
Accounting Research with Updated Evidence,’’ Accounting Horizons (December 2004), pp. 263–286.
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
recent evidence showing that changes in earnings are strongly associated with changes in
share prices, consider the results from a study by D. Craig Nichols and James Wahlen.32
They studied the average cumulative market-adjusted stock returns generated by companies during the 12 months leading up to and including the month in which each company announced annual earnings numbers. For a sample of 31,923 company-years
between 1988 and 2001, they found that the average firm that announced an increase in
earnings (over the prior year’s earnings) experienced stock returns that beat market average returns by roughly 19.2%. On the other hand, the average company that announced
a decrease in earnings experienced stock returns that were roughly 16.4% lower than the
market average. Their results suggest that merely the sign of the change in earnings was
associated with a 35.6% stock return differential in one year, on average, over their sample period. Exhibit 1.13 presents a graph of these results.
Cumulative abnormal return
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Who Cares About Accounting? The Economic Consequences of Financial Reporting
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Ethics in the Accounting Profession
The evidence in the preceding section shows that earnings numbers are associated with
important economic consequences for share prices in the capital markets. In addition,
financial statement information has a number of additional economic consequences. For
example, financial statement information commonly affects a company’s ability to borrow, enabling a financially healthy company to raise capital from creditors or pushing a
distressed company into bankruptcy. In addition, the financial performance of a company, particularly in generating revenues and earnings, will impact employees’ compensation and bonuses. Because of these consequences, accountants face intense pressure to
behave with the highest level of professional ethics.
The pressure on accountants and auditors to apply GAAP or IFRS in a biased way in
order to present a company in a favorable light can be very strong. Likewise, the pressure
on accountants and auditors to avoid reporting negative information (such as a decrease
in earnings or negative earnings) can be intense. The professional accountant must realize that we serve the greater good of society and owe a responsibility of ethics and fairness to all current and potential stakeholders that depend on the information we
produce. As ethical accountants, we create tremendous social welfare by producing reliable and relevant information for decision makers. If we act as unethical accountants, we
destroy social welfare and can do great harm to innocent stakeholders who are misled by
our unreliable information.
There are many situations in which accountants face ethical dilemmas, situations in
which an accountant must make a decision about what is the ‘‘right’’ (ethical) action to
take in given circumstances. Because accounting is a professional service that plays an important role in society, professional accounting organizations have established codes of
ethics for their members. Members of the AICPA recognize that they have an obligation
of self-discipline above and beyond the requirements of laws and regulations. To help
guide members in performing their responsibilities in public practice, industry, government, and education, the AICPA adopted the Code of Professional Conduct (CPC).
The CPC includes six principles that express the basic tenets of ethical and professional
conduct and call for an unswerving commitment to honorable behavior, even at the sacrifice of personal advantage. Exhibit 1.14 summarizes these principles.33
Acting ethically is not easy, and in some circumstances can be very difficult requiring
disciplined professional judgment in pressure-filled situations. To prepare you to be a professional accountant with an understanding of the essential role of ethics in the accounting
Principles of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
33
I.
Responsibilities: In carrying out their responsibilities as professionals, members
should exercise sensitive professional and moral judgments in all their activities.
II.
The Public Interest: Members should act in a way that will serve the public interest, honor the public trust, and demonstrate commitment to professionalism.
III.
Integrity: To maintain and broaden public confidence, members should perform
all professional responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity.
IV.
Objectivity and Independence: A member should be objective and free from
conflicts of interest in discharging professional responsibilities. A member in public
practice should be independent in fact and appearance when providing auditing
and other attestation services.
V.
Due Care: A member should observe the profession’s technical and ethical standards, strive continually to improve competence and the quality of services, and discharge professional responsibility to the best of the member’s ability.
VI.
Scope and Nature of Services: A member in public practice should observe the
Principles of the CPC in determining the scope and nature of services to be
provided.
1.14
Not For Sale
See AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, AICPA, http://www.aicpa.org.
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Suppose an accountant discovers that the company holds
substantial amounts of inventory that are now obsolete and
worthless. Should the accountant report the truth, write off
the inventory as an asset, and take a loss on obsolete
inventory in earnings? Suppose the accountant also knows
that the company is already in distress. Should the
accountant seek ways to avoid or delay recognizing
inventory losses that will cause the company to report lower
earnings and thereby experience a drop in stock price and
potential bankruptcy? What if the accountant knows the
company is growing quickly and generating healthy profits?
profession, each chapter contains ‘‘Ethical Dilemmas’’ like the one above. These dilemmas
will help you recognize the kinds of ethical challenges you may face in your career as an
accountant, and they will help prepare you to deal with them with integrity.
These scenarios encourage critical thinking and help students recognize the types of ethical
challenges they may encounter in their careers to help them prepare to deal with these situations
with integrity. Suggested answers to the Ethical Dilemmas are included in the Instructor’s Manual.
SUMMARY
The outset of the chapter describes the very bright future that lies ahead for you as a professional accountant. Professional accounting skills are and will continue to be in great
demand in the world economy. Being a skilled, ethical, professional accountant provides
a great career avenue through which you can help people who need valuable financial information to make important business decisions. Throughout this chapter we have
described why the world needs good accounting information, the forces that drive the
supply of that information, the financial statement information accountants produce,
and how the information has important consequences for many different stakeholders.
1. Understand the forces that create the demand for financial accounting information in the world economy. Financial accounting identifies, measures, records,
and reports relevant and reliable financial information about companies to present
and potential stakeholders. Companies must compete in the world economy for a
wide variety of scarce economic resources, including financial capital. The owners of
those resources demand information from companies so they can allocate their
resources effectively. Companies, seeking to attract investments of capital and other
scarce resources, provide the necessary financial information. Financial reporting
bridges the information gap, enabling managers to communicate with owners, creditors, and other stakeholders and providing them necessary information about the
management of their resources. Accounting information must be both relevant and
representationally faithful. As a consequence, financial reporting requires that financial statements be measured and reported according to professionally established
standards and audited by independent experts in accounting.
2. Understand the forces that determine the supply of accounting information,
particularly the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The
supply of accounting information that companies report to external stakeholders is
determined primarily by the interactions between two forces: (1) the authoritative
professional accounting standards that govern in the company’s country of incorporation, such as U.S. GAAP or IFRS, and (2) the many choices, methods, estimates,
and judgments that the company must make in order to apply those accounting
standards to measure and report their financial statements. In the United States, the
formal authority to regulate and oversee financial reporting rests with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The SEC has mandated that the information communicated to external users in financial reporting must be based on standards that
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Summary
establish generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP for U.S companies and
IFRS for non-U.S. companies).
3. Explain the role of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) for
establishing U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). The
SEC has endorsed the principles, standards, and practices promulgated by the FASB
as GAAP for U.S. companies. The seven members of the FASB are full-time employees selected to represent a wide cross-section of interests in accounting, including financial statement preparers, auditors, users, and academics.
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
4. Explain and use the FASB Accounting Standards Codification system. The
FASB Accounting Standards Codification is a searchable electronic database that
integrates and topically organizes the U.S. GAAP into one coherent body of literature.
5. Explain the role of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in
establishing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the
ongoing convergence of accounting standards between the FASB and the
IASB. The IASB is the standard-setting organization that establishes IFRS, which
are required or permitted in roughly 120 countries. The SEC accepts reports filed
by non-U.S. companies with financial statements prepared according to IFRS. The
FASB and the IASB are working closely together to converge (‘‘harmonize’’)
accounting standards among different countries. Convergence to a singular set of
international accounting standards is both the goal and the path of their joint
efforts.
6. Understand the output of the financial reporting process and the four primary
financial statements, as well as the important information reported with financial statements. Financial reporting involves communicating financial accounting
information about a company to external users through quarterly and annual
reports, which typically include four financial statements—a statement of financial
position, an income statement, a statement of cash flows, and a statement of shareholders’ equity. The balance sheet, or statement of financial position, presents a
snapshot of the resources of a company (assets) and the claims on the company
(liabilities and shareholders’ equity) as of a specific date, usually the last day of the
fiscal quarter or the fiscal year. The balance sheet reports the following balance:
Assets ¼ Liabilities þ Shareholders’ Equity. The income statement measures and
reports the company’s performance for a period of time, providing information
about the net income (or net loss) the company has generated during the period by
conducting operating, investing, and financing activities. The statement of cash flows
reports for a period of time the net cash flows (inflows minus outflows) from operating, investing, and financing activities. The statement of shareholders’ equity provides information about the amounts of common shareholders’ equity claims on the
company as of the end of the period, and how those claims changed during the period. Annual reports also include notes to the financial statements, management’s
discussion and analysis, an independent auditor’s opinion, and a statement of
responsibility by the managers for the financial report.
7. Understand that, because financial accounting information triggers important
economic consequences, ethics and the ability to resolve ethical dilemmas is
essential to the accounting profession. Empirical research provides compelling evidence documenting a robust association between changes in companies’ accounting
earnings numbers and changes in share prices. Because of the substantial economic
consequences of accounting information, accountants must behave with the highest
ethical standards, and must be able to resolve the ethical dilemmas that arise in professional practice.
Not For Sale
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Chapter 1
KEY TERMS
Accounting Principles Board
(APB), p. 1-11
Accounting Research Bulletins
(ARBs), p. 1-11
accounting standards, p. 1-8
Accounting Standards Update, p. 1-16
balance sheet, p. 1-21
Code of Professional Conduct
(CPC), p. 1-33
Codification, p. 1-13
Committee on Accounting Procedure
(CAP), p. 1-11
ethical dilemmas, p. 1-33
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
expenses, p. 1-24
FASB Accounting Standards
Codification, p. 1-13
Financial Accounting Standards
Board (FASB), p. 1-10
generally accepted accounting
principles (GAAP), p. 1-8
income statement, p. 1-24
independent audits, p. 1-8
information asymmetry
problems, p. 1-7
International Accounting Standards
Board (IASB), p. 1-10
International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS), p. 1-8
net income, p. 1-26
net loss, p. 1-26
Opinions of the Accounting Principles
Board, p. 1-11
revenues, p. 1-24
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, p. 1-30
statement of cash flows, p. 1-26
statement of changes in shareholders’
equity, p. 1-28
statement of shareholders’
equity, p. 1-28
IFRS questions are called out by an icon in the end-of-chapter,
allowing you the flexibility to choose to evaluate students'
knowledge of IFRS.
QUESTIONS
Q1-1
LO1 What is the role of financial accounting?
What is the role of financial reporting? How do
they relate?
Q1-12
Q1-2
LO1 What are the major categories of stakeholders in companies that need financial information?
Q1-13
LO5 How are the FASB and IASB different and
how are they similar?
Q1-3
LO1 Distinguish between investors and creditors
Q1-14
LO5
What are International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRS)?
Q1-15
LO5 Are accounting standards established by the
FASB and the IASB according to objective
standards of ‘‘pure’’ conceptually and theoretically correct accounting? If not, why not?
Q1-16
LO6
How are U.S. GAAP and IFRS changing over time?
Q1-17
LO7 What are the four major financial statements
as users of financial statements. Why might their
decision-making differ? How will those differences affect their information needs?
Q1-4
LO1 What causes problems of information asymmetry? How does financial reporting help solve
problems of information asymmetry?
Q1-5
LO1 What drives the demand for financial
accounting information?
Q1-6
Q1-7
FASB for issuing an Accounting Standard
Update.
LO1 What creates the demand for accounting
standards and independent audits?
of a company and what do they report?
Q1-18
principles (GAAP)?
LO2 What are the two primary forces determining the supply of accounting information?
Q1-9
LO2 What is the role and responsibility of the
Q1-19
LO3 What is the role and responsibility of the
FASB in financial reporting?
Q1-11
LO4 What is the FASB Accounting Standards
Codification? Why did the FASB undertake this
project? How did it change GAAP? Prior to the
Codification, what types of pronouncements
comprised GAAP?
LO7 What is the purpose of an income state-
ment? What information does it provide? Identify
at least one type of stakeholder that would be
interested in the information on a company’s
income statement.
SEC in financial reporting?
Q1-10
LO7 What is the purpose of a balance sheet?
What information does it provide? Identify at
least one type of stakeholder that would be interested in the information on a company’s balance
sheet.
LO1 What are generally accepted accounting
Q1-8
LO4 Briefly discuss the process followed by the
Q1-20
LO7 What is the purpose of a statement of cash
flows? What information does it provide? Identify
at least one type of stakeholder that would be
interested in the information on a company’s
statement of cash flows.
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Cases
Q1-21
LO7 What is the purpose of a statement of shareholders’ equity? What information does it provide? Identify at least one type of stakeholder
that would be interested in the information on a
company’s statement of shareholders’ equity.
Q1-22
LO7 Why do companies provide so much addi-
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tional information with financial statements?
What is the purpose of the notes to the statements?
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Q1-23
LO8 How are changes in stock prices associated
with changes in earnings? What does research
evidence indicate about the economic consequences of earnings information?
Q1-24
LO8 Why do accountants have to be ethical in
their duties and responsibilities?
Q1-25
LO8 What is the Code of Professional Conduct
and what are the six areas covered in the Principles of this code?
EXERCISES
E1-1
LO3
Pronouncements Although U.S. GAAP is now organized in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, GAAP
was initially created by many different types of pronouncements. The following is a list of seven types of pronouncements as well as a list of statements describing each pronouncement.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Statements of Financial Accounting Standards
Opinions
Technical Bulletins
Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts
Interpretations
Staff Positions
Accounting Research Bulletins
_________
1.
_________
2.
_________
3.
_________
4.
_________
5.
_________
6.
_________
7.
Pronouncements that provide clarification of conflicting or unclear issues relating to previously
issued FASB Statements of Standards, APB Opinions, or Accounting Research Bulletins.
Issued by the FASB to provide guidance on accounting and reporting problems related to
Statements of Standards or Interpretations.
Pronouncements of the APB that constitute generally accepted accounting principles unless
specifically amended or rescinded.
Issued by the FASB as a series establishing a theoretical foundation upon which to base financial
accounting and reporting standards.
Pronouncements of the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) that constitute generally
accepted accounting principles unless superceded or amended by the FASB.
Pronouncements issued by the FASB that establish generally accepted accounting principles and
indicate the methods and procedures required on specific accounting issues.
Pronouncements issued to provide more timely and consistent application guidance in regard
to FASB literature.
Required:
Place the appropriate letter (A–G) identifying each pronouncement on the line in front of the statement describing
the pronouncement.
Communication Cases are designed to help students improve their
written communication skills in preparation for the future, when they will
need to explain their findings to managers and other decision makers.
CASES
COMMUNICATION
C1-1
Accounting Principles
At the completion of the Darby Department Store
LO1
LO4
audit, the president asks about the meaning of the
AICPA phrase ‘‘in conformity with generally accepted
Adapted
accounting principles’’ that appears in your audit
report on the management’s financial statements.
He observes that the meaning of the phrase must
include more than what he thinks of as ‘‘principles.’’
Not For Sale
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
Required:
1. Explain the meaning of the term ‘‘accounting
principles’’ as used in the audit report. (Do
not discuss in this part the significance of
‘‘generally accepted.’’)
2. The president wants to know how an accounting principle becomes ‘‘generally accepted.’’
Prepare a brief memo that provides an answer
to the president’s question.
C1-2
action and involvement during the standard-setting process.
C1-3
LO3
Required:
Prepare a short written report that summarizes the
structure, operating procedures, and pronouncements of the FASB.
Standard Setting
Considerable political and social influence is
LO3
CMA
wielded by financial statement preparers and
Adapted users—those parties who are most interested in or
Organization of the FASB
The FASB is organized to establish generally
accepted accounting principles. It is assisted by various groups and operates under a set of procedures.
C1-4
LO8
affected by accounting standards.
A premise of the FASB’s standard setting
process is that it should operate in full view of the
public, affording interested parties ample opportunity to make their views known. The extensive
procedural steps employed by the FASB in the
standard-setting process supports this premise.
Code of Professional Conduct
In a few years, you may become a member of the
AICPA and be subject to its Code of Professional
Conduct (CPC).
Required:
Identify and briefly discuss the first five principles
of the CPC. Provide examples that illustrate each
principle.
Required:
Write a brief report that describes why financial
accounting standards inspire or encourage political
These cases are designed to help
students hone their ability to think
critically in the accounting environment.
Select assignments are adapted from past
AICPA and CMA exam questions.
CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING
C1-5
LO3
Lobbying the FASB
One of your friends remarks, ‘‘I understand that
before voting on an Update to Accounting Standards, the FASB allows written comments and oral
presentations in which interested parties can lobby for
a particular ruling. Do you think this is a good idea?’’
C1-7
LO7
Required:
Prepare a written response that discusses the
advantages and disadvantages of the FASB’s allowing interested parties to provide input to its deliberative process.
C1-6
LO6
International Convergence
Your friend who is taking his first accounting course
says to you, ‘‘We live in the United States. I
thought that companies in the United States would
follow U.S. accounting rules for preparing their financial statements. I also thought that foreign companies would follow international accounting rules.
Now I hear something about the ‘‘convergence’’ of
U.S. accounting rules and international accounting
rules. And, I hear that the SEC is thinking about
requiring U.S. companies to use international
accounting rules for financial statements filed with
it. What is going on and how will it be resolved?’’
Required:
Prepare a memo that provides an in-depth answer
to your friend’s question.
Starbucks’s Financial Statements
A friend is very interested in Starbucks as a company. Your friend is not a business major and has
asked you for your help to learn more about Starbucks. Refer to the financial statements and supplementary data for Starbucks in Appendix A.
Required:
Read through Appendix A, including the financial
statements, the notes, managers’ discussion and
analysis, the managers’ attestation statement and
the audit opinion. Prepare a brief written report
for your friend that (in your opinion) provides two
interesting and important pieces of information
about Starbucks from the:
•
•
•
•
•
C1-8
LO7
Balance Sheet
Income Statement
Statement of Cash Flows
Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
Management Discussion and Analysis
Nestlé’s Financial Statements
You have just become friends with an exchange student from Switzerland. Your friend is very interested in Nestlé as a company. Your friend is not a
business major and has asked you for your help to
learn more about Nestlé. Refer to the financial
statements for Nestlé on the textbook companion
website at www.cengage.com/accounting/wahlen.
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Cases
From that homepage, select your textbook, choose
the student free companion website, and, under
Book Resources, click on ‘‘Nestle 2010 Annual
Report.’’
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.
Required:
Read carefully through Nestlé’s financial statements. Prepare a brief written report for your
friend that (in your opinion) provides two interesting and important pieces of information about
Nestlé from the:
• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Statement of Cash Flows
C1-10
LO8
• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Statement of Cash Flows
C1-9
Coca-Cola’s Financial Statements
You are preparing to visit a friend who now lives
in Atlanta. Your friend is very interested in CocaCola as a company. Your friend is not a business
major and has asked you for your help to learn
more about Coca-Cola. Refer to the financial
statements for The Coca-Cola Company on the
textbook companion website at www.cengage
.com/accounting/wahlen. From that homepage,
select your textbook, choose the student free companion website, and, under Book Resources, click
on ‘‘Coca-Cola Company 2010 Annual Report.’’
LO7
Ethical Responsibilities
Each person in one of your accounting classes is
required to write a report on an accounting topic.
Included in the report must be a discussion from a
specific library book. When you go to the library,
you find that the only copy of the book is missing.
While sitting at a study desk, you overhear one of
your classmates say that he has ‘‘misfiled’’ the book
in the library so he can use it again later without
having to wait for other students to finish using it.
Required:
Discuss the steps you would take to address this
ethical dilemma. It is not necessary to state what
ethical action you would take, but be prepared to
discuss your reasoning for each step.
C1-11
LO8
Ethical Responsibilities
You and a friend are in the same accounting class.
During the first test, you observe your friend
cheating by copying one of her answers from
another student (who was unaware of the copying). When the exams are returned, your grade is
a B, while your friend’s grade is an A.
Required:
Required:
Read carefully through Coca-Cola’s financial stateDiscuss the steps you would take to address this
ments. Prepare a brief written report for your friend
ethical dilemma. It is not necessary to state what
that (in your opinion) provides two interesting and
ethical action you would take, but be prepared to
important pieces of information about Coca-Cola
discuss your reasoning for each step.
from the:
Ethics Cases are called out by icons in each chapter. Students should
develop solutions by building on what they've learned in the
discussion of ethical models and in the Ethical Dilemma features.
USING CODIFICATION
C1-12
Codification
You are working as a teaching assistant for an
accounting professor. The professor is preparing
a new introductory accounting course for college-level students. In preparing the course, the
professor has asked for your help in developing
materials to introduce students to the FASB
Accounting Standards Codification system. The
professor is planning to have the Codification
discussion toward the end of the course, after
students have been introduced to the financial
statements and what they report, and the major
accounts and what they represent.
Required:
Write a memo that can be used as a handout in
class for college students in an introductory
course in accounting. The memo should explain:
a. What the FASB Accounting Standards
Codification system is
b. How it is structured
c. Step by step instructions for how students
should use it
C1-13
Codification
You are conducting an accounting research
project for your manager. Your manager has
Not For Sale
Using Codification assignments simulate real scenarios in which research
would be needed in the professional world, requiring students to research
and become familiar with using the FASB Codification system.
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Not For Sale
Chapter 1
The Demand for and Supply of Financial Accounting Information
asked you to determine the appropriate U.S.
GAAP that specifies how your company should
recognize and value a newly purchased piece of
equipment on the company’s balance sheet.
Your manager also wants you to determine the
GAAP guidance for how the equipment should
be depreciated. Your manager has a lot of
knowledge and experience in accounting, and
has heard about, but has never used, the FASB
Accounting Standards Codification system.
Required:
Use the FASB Accounting Standards Codification system to conduct the research your manager has assigned to you. Use the Codification
to determine how to recognize, value, and depreciate a piece of equipment. Be prepared to
show your manager the specific ASC references
that provide the appropriate guidance. Also
prepare a brief memo explaining to your manager the different levels of the Codification and
how to use the Codification system.
C1-14
Codification
You are conducting an accounting research
project for your boss. Your boss has asked you
to determine the appropriate U.S. GAAP that
specifies how your company should recognize
revenues from the sales of products in a retail
store. Your boss is confused because most customers pay cash, but some customers purchase
on credit terms, and pay in cash 30 days later.
Your manager also wants you to determine the
GAAP guidance for how revenue should be recognized in income. Your manager has a lot of
knowledge and experience in accounting and
has heard about, but has never used, the FASB
Accounting Standards Codification system.
Required:
Use the FASB Accounting Standards Codification system to conduct the research your manager has assigned to you. Use the Codification
to determine how to recognize revenue from
retail sales, including the right to return. Be
prepared to show your manager the specific
ASC references that provide the appropriate
guidance. Also prepare a brief memo explaining to your manager the different levels of the
Codification and how to use the Codification
system.
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1-40