Research and development costs can be recorded differently according to International Accounting Standards. Research is recognized as an expense of the period and development expense can be capitalized.

REQUIRED:

With respect to research and development:

a)    Explain how managers can use discretion to record an expense as research rather than development to provide alternative income and balance sheet figures.

b)    How does recording innovation expenses as research rather than development change the income statement and balance sheets figures?

c)    How does recording innovation expenses as research rather than development change important ratios related to the income statement and balance sheet figures?

d) What are the incentives for a manager to report an expense as research rather than development when both methods are justified applying accounting standards?

what the impact of a specific technology on auditing. Provide a description of the technology, an explanation of its current and potential future impact on auditing, and a suggestion of how auditing and auditors can better adapt to the changes brought about by the technology.

Technology Description: Provide a brief description of the technology you chose.
 Impact on Auditing: Provide an explanation of the current impact of the technology on auditing and its potential future impact. Support your analysis
with research.
 Suggestions for Adapting: Provide suggestions for how auditors can better adapt to the changes brought about by the technology. If the technology you chose creates challenges for the profession, make suggestions for how auditors can adapt to meet these challenges. If the technology offers opportunities for the profession, make suggestions on how auditors can better adapt to take advantage of these opportunities.

n this chapter, we have noted how businesses are dynamic and constantly looking to exploit new opportunities that involve changing the way they operate production. What might not have been a success for some firms does not mean to say that there are no other firms that will be able to benefit. This article shows how problems faced by one firm in making sufficient profits are not necessarily shared by other firms as the use of factor inputs is changed.    

Best Buy Fails to Break UK Market.

US electrical retailer, Best Buy, made an attempt to enter the UK electrical retail market in 2010. The retailer is known across the united states for its high-quality sales staff and discount prices and attempted to bring its business model to the crowded UK market which features the likes of Currys, Argos, Dixons, and Comet.

The plans to enter the UK market arose when Best Buy Inc. brought half of the Carphone Warehouse's retail interests. Plans were made to open up to 200 so-called 'Big-Box' stores throughout the UK within the first one opening in Thurrock, Essex in April 2010. However, facing strong competition a lack of brand recognition by UK consumers, and the rapid growth of online retailing from firms like Amazon, Best Buy found things difficult and by January 2012 a decision was made to close down its 11bricks and mortar retail operations following losses of around 62 million pounds.

The decision to close down was made after consideration was given to commit more capital to its operations in an attempt to secure the advantages of large-scale production - economies of scale. In the end, the cost of such an investment in relation to the expected benefits in a market which was challenging (given the economic situation in the UK, the income elasticity of demand for electrical goods in general, and the increasing use of online as the medium of choice for shoppers), meant that option was discounted.

The decision to close down operations will have been takin in the light of the expected costs of trying to maintain its presence on the high street and the future of the industry as a whole. it would not have been taken lightly as reports suggested closing down would cost Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse around 100 million pounds.

One option being considered was selling its stores to the UK's fourth-largest supermarket group by share, Morrisons. Morrisons was reported to have expressed interest in acquiring the stores, mostly in large out-of-town retail sites, for its Kiddicare brand of baby, infant, and small children's products such as toys, pushchairs, costs, and so on.

The reports caused interest in the markets and some surprise given the challenges that exist in that market for some of the reasons that Best Buy found life difficult. An increasing trend to purchase goods online and the economic climate had already seen retailers like Mothercare and its Early Learning Centre stores facing declining sales and profits. Kiddicare had been an almost exclusively online operation and so the decision by Morrisons to move into the bricks and mortar sector was seen as a high-risk move.

Questions:

1. For Morrisons, what is the difference between the short run and the long run in this case?

3. How might Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy have gained economies of scale if they had 'committed new capital'?

4. Why might Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy 'incur a cost of as much as 100 million pounds' in closing down the stores?

5. If Mothercare is 'troubled' why might Morrisons believe it can succeed with Kiddicare?

F. Jack comes to see you in February 2020. He is full of enthusiasm for a new product that he is about to launch on to the market. Unfortunately, his financial recklessness in the past has led him into being bankrupt twice, and he has only just been discharged by the court from his second bankruptcy. ‘Look here, Amben,’ he says, ‘with my new idea I’ll be a wealthy man before Christmas.’ ‘Calm down,’ you say, ‘and tell me all about it.’ Jack’s plans as far as cash is concerned for the next six months are:

(a) Opening cash (including bank) balance on 1 July 2020 £3,600

(b) Production in units:

(c) Raw materials used in production cost £15 per unit. Of this, 90 per cent is paid in the month of production and 10 per cent in the month after production.

(d) Direct labour costs of £24 per unit are payable in the month of production.

(e) Variable expenses are £6 per unit, payable 40 per cent in the same month as production and 60 per cent in the month following production.

(f) Sales at £60 per unit:

Debtors to pay their accounts three months after that in which sales are made.

(g) Fixed expenses of £1,200 per month payable each month.

(h) Machinery costing £6,000 to be paid for in September 2020. The machine has a useful life of 5 years and depreciation is computed using the reducing balance method.

(i) Will receive a legacy of £7,500 in November 2020 and will pay it into the business account.

(j) Drawings will be £900 per month.

You are required:

Draw up a cash budget for F. Jack showing the balance at the end of each month, from the above information for the six months ended 31 December 2020:

After reading the case that is below, How can a foreign company entering China ensure that it tackles the most important “little” things that end up being huge barriers to success as we approach the year 2020 when China is expected to have significantly increased purchasing power among its middle class?​ Write your opinion, as a manager, on how to face cultural issues like those described in the case, when entering foreign markets.

The People's Republic of China opened up to foreign investments in the late 1970s. Since that time, numerous companies have tried to establish operations and sell their products to customers in China. Many more companies will try in the years to come—China is expected to have some 190 million people in the middle- and upper-income categories by 2020. This is an increase from only about 17 million people in these income brackets as recently as in 2010. China's purchasing power for virtually all products and services has strong potential, and foreign companies will seek these market opportunities. What have we learned culturally that can help Western-based companies in China's marketplace?

Some background on China can serve as a starting point for better understanding the culture in China and what some well-known companies such as Best Buy and eBay have done to target the Chinese marketplace. The motivation for many foreign companies to enter China—beyond those that have been there for a few decades for reasons of low-cost production—was the triple growth of the Chinese economy that was seen from 2000 to 2010. China overtook Japan to become the second-largest economy in the world behind only the United States, and its large population makes for an enormous target market. Investment from foreign companies was the largest driver of China's growth in the decade from 2000 to 2010. However, many companies also increased their exports to China. The United States, for example, saw its companies increase exports to China by 542 percent from 2000 to 2011 (from about $16.2 billion to $103.9 billion), while total exports to the rest of the world increased by only 80 percent in the same time period.

Interestingly, while foreign investments grew, domestic consumption as a share of the Chinese economy declined from 46 percent in 2000 to 33 percent in 2010. This consumption decline—coupled with slower growth globally and, ultimately, the worldwide economic downturn that started in 2008—raised questions about China's momentum. Right now, around 85 percent of mainstream Chinese consumers are living in the top 100 wealthiest cities. By the year 2020, these advanced and developing cities will have relatively few customers who are lower than the middle- and upper-income brackets by Chinese standards. The expectation is that these consumers will be able to afford a range of products and services, such as flat-screen televisions and overseas travel, making the Chinese customer much more of a target for a wide variety of consumption. This begs the question, can the unprecedented Chinese growth really continue, and would it come from increased consumption?

The resounding answer is yes according to research conducted by McKinsey & Company. McKinsey found that barring another major economic shock similar to what we saw in 2008, China's gross domestic product (GDP) will continue to grow, albeit not at the historic levels seen between 2000 and 2010 when it grew about 10.4 percent annually. The growth from 2010 to 2020 is expected to be about 7.9 percent per year, which is still far above the expected growth for the United States (2.8 percent annually), Japan (1.2 percent annually), and Germany (1.7 percent annually)—the three countries among the top four worldwide economies along with China. And, the key is that consumption will now be the driving force behind the growth instead of foreign investment. The consumption forecast opens up opportunities for foreign companies to engage with Chinese consumers who are expected to have more purchasing power and discretionary spending.But culturally translating market success from one country or even a large number of countries to the Chinese marketplace is not necessarily as straightforward as it may seem. Often, a combination of naiveté, arrogance, and cultural misunderstanding have led many well-known companies to fail in China. Lack of an understanding of issues such as local demands, buying habits, consumption values, and Chinese customers' personal beliefs led to struggles for companies that had been very successful elsewhere in the world. Let's take a brief look at Best Buy and eBay as two examples.

Best Buy, the mega-store mainly focused on consumer electronics, was founded in 1966 as an audio specialty store. Best Buy entered China in 2006 by acquiring a majority interest in China's fourth-largest appliance retailer, Jiangsu Five Star Appliance, for $180 million. But culture shock hit Best Buy, best described by Shaun Rein, the founder of China Market Research Group. He pointed to a few reasons for this culture shock and lack of success. First, the Chinese will not pay for Best Buy's overly expensive products unless they are a brand like Apple. Second, there is too much piracy in the Chinese market, and this reduces demand for electronics products at competitive market prices. Third, like many Europeans, the Chinese do not want to shop at huge mega-stores. So, these three seemingly easy-to-understand cultural issues created difficulties for Best Buy. Solving these issues, Best Buy believed that it would have to develop and implement a different business model for the Chinese market than it has used, for example, in the United States. Now, how far should a company go outside its normal business model to adhere to cultural values and beliefs of a new market? Strategically moving forward, Best Buy opted to close all of its Best Buy–branded stores in China and focus on its wholly owned local Jiangsu Five Star chain of stores. But will this new strategic business model be successful with the new makeup of customers in China expected by 2020?

eBay, the popular e-business site focused on consumer-to-consumer purchases, was founded in 1995. The company was one of the true success stories that lived through the dot-com bubble in the 1990s. It is now a multi-billion-dollar business with operations in more than 30 countries. But China's unique culture created problems for eBay in that market. Contrary to the widespread cultural issues that faced Best Buy, one company in particular (TaoBao) and one feature more specifically (built-in instant messaging) shaped a lot of the problems that eBay ran into in China. Some 200 million shoppers are using TaoBao to buy products, and the company accounts for almost 80 percent of online transaction value in China. Uniquely, TaoBao's built-in instant messaging system has been cited as a main reason for its edge over eBay in China. Basically, customers wanted to be able to identify a seller's online status and communicate with them directly and easily—a function not seamlessly incorporated into eBay's China system. Clearly, built-in instant text messaging is a solvable obstacle in doing business in China. It sounds easy now when we know about it, but may not always be the case when we take into account all the little things that are important in a market.

What does closed model of organisation mean

4. Sky Metals, Inc. is a metal fabrication firm that manufactures prefabricated metal parts for customers in a variety of industries. The firm’s motto is “If you need it, we can make it.” The CEO of Sky Metals recently held a board meeting during which he extolled the virtues of the corporation. The company, he stated confidently, had the capability to build any product and could do so using a lean manufacturing model. The firm would soon be profitable, claimed the CEO, because the company used state-of-the-art technology to build a variety of products while keeping inventory levels low. As a business press reporter, you have calculated some ratios to analyze the financial health of the firm. Sky Metals' current ratios and quick ratios for the past 6 years are shown in the following table: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 Current ratio 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.8 2.2 2.2 Quick ratio 1.1 1.3 1.2 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.4 What do you think of the CEO’s claim that the firm is lean and soon to be profitable?

1.Historical records show that the average per capita consumption of eggs in the US is 278 (this is per year). Lately, consumers have been getting conflicting advice about the benefits and dangers of eggs, and a rural agricultural association wants to know if the average egg consumption has changed. A sample of 50 adults yielded a sample mean egg consumption of 287 eggs and a sample standard deviation of 28 eggs. Construct a null and alternate hypothesis that the association can use to answer their question. Based on the sample data and a 5% level of significance, what can they conclude?

2. In 2010, the average weight of cell phone batteries was 110 grams. Battery technology has continued to improve and a consumer group wants to know if the average weight of cell phone batteries has reduced. A sample of 49 cell phone batteries yielded a sample mean of 108 grams. Historical data shows that the population standard deviation is 10 grams. At the 5% level of significance, can the consumer group conclude that batteries have become lighter? Would your answer change at a 1% level of significance? Justify.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil disaster) is an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered to be the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The U.S. government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels. How do you expect BP to account for this disaster in its 2010 financial statements?

1. How will small businesses, which are now closed, under shelter-in-place orders continue to exist?

2. How will small businesses continue to make payroll and pay for benefits, if they are closed?

3. Will banks make bridge loans to small businesses, given their failure rate?