Question: Case 1: You have been hired as a consultant for Thomas Foods. Thomas Foods was incorporated in 1969. Thomas Foods sells produce purchased from farmers to neighborhood grocery stores throughout the country. Thomas Foods has asked you to implement a hedging strategy to mitigate the risks associated with any unexpected increase in price they would have to pay farmers for their harvested crops. Thomas Foods asks that you provide examples of how various hedging strategies could be implemented. The Controller of the company has no experience in this area and would need to understand the accounting treatment for whichever hedging strategy you select. Of significant importance to management is how any hedging strategy would impact operating income.
Case 2: You have been hired as a consultant for XYZ Research Co. XYZ Research Co. incorporated in 2010. XYZ ‘s business centers on developing new technology for interplanetary exploration. The company has many patents and has historically expensed all of the costs associated with obtaining their patents. The owners of XYZ Labs are unsure whether or not if any or all of its patent costs can be capitalized. They also are unsure if any impairment testing should be done periodically on their patents. You have been asked by the owners to look into these issues and provide the appropriate accounting treatment for patents.
Case 3: You have been hired as a consultant for ABC Investment Group. ABC incorporated in 1999 and manages investment portfolios for small to medium size companies. The Director of the company is not up to speed on how unrealized gains and losses as well as realized gains and losses on bonds should be accounted for. The Director has been told that under certain conditions unrealized gains and losses can be accounted for in the income statement and accounted for as part of other comprehensive income under other conditions. The Director is also unclear as to how to determine whether a security is impaired and how to determine the amount that is required to be written down. You have been asked to look into these issues and determine the proper accounting treatment for bonds.
Case 4: You have been hired as a consultant to advise on how to present the tax differences between books and tax returns on the balance sheet of RFH company. There are a few questionable items which the current controller Mary Sims is confused as to proper presentation. The timing differences are
1) $1,5000,000 as a result of depreciation timing difference (books S-L versus MACRS tax return).
2) There also was a bad debt reserve increase from the prior year of $250,000.
RFH Company is a manufacturing company who accrued $300,000 in warranty liability at year-end and could not deduct it on the tax return for this year but warranty will be paid out in the following year. A lawsuit in the amount of $450,000 was accrued on the books at year-end awaiting the final legal court judgment. Prior court cases have ruled that this $500,000 can be paid evenly over 3 years. You have to write a memo to Mary Sims advising her how to classify these temporary tax differences on her books at year-end. In your memo give FASB sources for her that validates your balance sheet presentation.
Course project: In a minimum of 5 to 7 sentences, summarize the background of your case and indicate any assumptions that you are making regarding the case. Define your problem statement and research question(s).