Clevette Howard, CPA, controller for Craig, Inc., was reviewing production cost reports for the year. One amount in these reports continued to bother her, advertising. During the year, the company had instituted an expensive advertising campaign to sell some of its slower-moving products. It was still too early to tell whether the advertising campaign was successful.
There had been much internal debate as to how to report advertising cost. The vice president of finance argued that advertising costs should be reported as a cot of production, just like direct materials and direct labor. He therefore recommended that this cost be identified as manufacturing overhead and reported as part of inventory costs until sold. Others disagreed. Clevette believed that his cost should be reported as an expense of the current period, based on the conservatism principle. Others argued that it should be reported as Prepaid Advertising and reported as a current asset.
The president of the company, Paul RynHart, finally had to make a decision. He argued that these costs should be reported as inventory. His arguments were practical ones. He noted that the company was experiencing financial difficulty and expensing this amount in the current period might jeopardize a planned bond offering. Also, by reporting the advertising costs as inventory rather than as prepaid advertising, less attention would be directed to it by the financial community.
REQUIRED:
[A] Are there any ethical issues involved in this situation? Be thorough and specific.
[B] What is your advice to Clevette Howard?