In March 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began requiring public companies to have their quarterly financial statements “reviewed” by their independent auditors. The broad purpose of this new requirement was to improve the quality and credibility of quarterly financial reporting. A more specific goal was to reduce the frequency of accounting restatements by SEC registrants. In addition, the SEC hoped the new rule would serve to counteract the “increasing pressure” being imposed on public companies to “manage” their interim financial results. 1 On November 16, 2009, Overstock.com shocked its stockholders, regulatory authorities, and Wall Street by filing an “unreviewed” Form 10-Q with the SEC. In a press release issued that same day, Patrick Byrne, Overstock’s mercurial chief executive officer (CEO), reported that the decision to file the unreviewed 10-Q had been necessary because of an unresolved dispute with Grant Thornton LLP, the company’s audit firm. That dispute centered on the proper accounting treatment to apply to an unusual transaction involving one of Overstock’s business partners. Byrne also revealed that the company had dismissed Grant Thornton as a result of that dispute–later that day, Overstock filed a Form 8-K with the SEC reporting the audit firm’s dismissal. Overstock’s surprising decision to file an unreviewed 10-Q with the SEC caused the investment community to wonder what would happen next. How would the SEC react to Overstock’s decision to seemingly thumb its nose at the federal securities laws? Would the NASDAQ stock exchange suspend the trading of Overstock’s common stock? When or would Overstock be successful in retaining another accounting firm to serve as its independent auditor? Buffett, Byrne & The Bubble Before entering the business world, Patrick Byrne, the son of a wealthy associate of Warren Buffett, lived the life of a bon vivant and Renaissance man. After spending time as a student in China, Byrne earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth, a Master’s degree from Cambridge, and a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford. In addition to accumulating an impressive educational portfolio, Bryne traveled the world, earned a black belt in martial arts, made a brief foray into professional boxing, and served as a university instructor. Warren Buffet launched Patrick Byrne’s career in the field of corporate management in 1998 when he asked him to serve as the interim CEO of a financially troubled subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett’s flagship company. Eighteen months later, Byrne struck out on his own when he acquired a controlling interest in a small online company based in Salt Lake City that marketed “excess” and “closeout” merchandise over the Internet. Byrne was convinced that with the proper business plan, capitalization, and management team in place, the company’s core concept could be wildly profitable. Over the following few months, Byrne appointed himself CEO, invested several million dollars to expand the company’s operations, and renamed it Overstock.com. In 2000 and 2001, the spectacular bursting of the “dot.com bubble” decimated hundreds of New Age Internet-based companies that had…………………. 1. The Overstock-Grant Thornton dispute was publicly aired via disclosure statements filed with the SEC. What impact do you believe those disclosures had on the investing public’s confidence in the financial reporting domain and the independent audit function? Were the interactions between Overstock and Grant Thornton unprofessional or otherwise inappropriate? Explain. 2. Do you believe that the $785,000 amount at the center of the Overstock-Grant Thornton dispute was material? Defend your answer. What factors other than quantitative considerations should have been considered in deciding whether the $785,000 amount was material? 3. Briefly compare and contrast the nature and purpose of an independent audit versus a quarterly review. 4. The SEC requires registrants to have their quarterly financial statements reviewed by an independent accounting firm but does not mandate that a review report be included in a Form 10-Q. Under what circumstances must a review report accompany quarterly financial statements in a 10-Q? Why doesn’t the SEC routinely require public companies to include their review reports in their 10-Q filings? 5. What is the purpose or purposes of Form 8-K filings by SEC registrants? What specific items of information must be included in an 8-K that announces a change in audit firms? 6. Do you agree with the accounting treatment that Overstock typically applied to the revenues generated by its “Partner” line of business? Why or why not?
> Reasonable people can debate the artistic merits of James Cameron's work.... What's indisputable, however, is that the Avatar director's influence extends far beyond his movie credits. More than George Lucas or Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, or Pixar, Ca
> The 15 General Motors dealers who flew to Detroit [in September 2009] for a dinner with GM management were not an easily rattled bunch. They had endured the worst auto sales slide in 25 years, as well as the bankruptcy of the iconic carmaker on which the
> Employees at SAS certainly feel kneaded. Every week, several dozen of them get massages at the on-site 6 6,000-square-foot recreation and fitness centre. You have to pay, but it's only $55 for an hour, and that's with pretax dollars. And the convenience
> Did Faulty Decision Making Lead to the Death of Luge Racer Nodar Kumaritashvili? Years before a young luge racer from the Republic of Georgia flew to his death at the Olympics here last week, officials made a series of decisions designed to make the icy
> David Neeleman is in a good mood. Fresh off a flight from Sao Paulo and gearing up for a round of TV interviews, Neeleman, 50, agrees to meet over lunch at a Cosi sandwich outlet in Greenwich, Connecticut, near his home in New Canaan.... Neeleman has a h
> When Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said two years ago that he was determined to zoom past Toyota to become the world's biggest automaker, the notion seemed laughable. At the time, the German automaker sold 3 million fewer vehicles than Toyota, was los
> Most small companies seeking to tap overseas markets know they'll have to navigate foreign laws, taxes, and regulations. But they also need to figure out how to avoid cultural blunders. Tom Bonkenburg, director of European operations for St. Onge Company
> Google's Values Conflict with Demands from the Chinese Government Isaac Mao saw this coming. In early 2007, a year after Google launched a China-based version of its search engine that adhered to Beijing's strict censorship rules, the prominent Chinese b
> Providence Regional Medical Center Uses a Variety of Management Theories to Profitably Treat Patients Walk into most hospitals, and you'll see patients scattered about the halls on gurneys or wheelchairs. They're waiting to be moved from intensive care
> Is Corporate Monitoring of Employee Behavior Outside of Work Going Too Far? Attempting to cut health care costs and increase productivity, companies are increasingly trying to get employees to lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise. For example, Incent
> You manage a group of software developers for a large organization and several days ago had the difficult task of notifying a friend who works for the company that he is being laid off. Even though he has performed wonderfully in the past and you hate to
> Following are selected financial data for your client for the current year and corresponding data for the client’s industry. Requirement 1. Write a memo to your client comparing his or her business to the industry averages and explain to the client
> You just returned from a meeting with your bank loan officer, and you were a little taken aback by his comments. You’ve been doing business with this bank for a number of years, and the officer always seemed happy with your company’s performance. This is
> Net income was $175,000 in 2014, $190,000 in 2015, and $209,000 in 2016. The change from 2015 to 2016 is an increase of ____ percent. a. 10 b. 9 c. 8 d. 19
> Find the Columbia Sportswear Company Annual Report located in Appendix A and go to the Selected Financial Data starting on page 646. Now access the 2014 Annual Report for Under Armour, Inc. from the Internet. For instructions on how to access the report
> This case focuses on the financial statement analysis of Columbia Sportswear. Recall from this chapter that stakeholders use numerous ways to analyze and so better understand the financial position and results of operations of a company. Tools such as ve
> Robin Peterson, the CEO of Teldar Incorporated, was reviewing the financial statements for the first three months of the year. He saw that sales and net income were lower than expected. Because the reported net income and the related earnings per share w
> According to the Real World Accounting Video, a VC is a __________________. a. veteran communicator b. victorious commercialization c. venture capitalist d. vendor conduit
> According to the Real World Accounting Video, a VC is a __________________. a. veteran communicator b. victorious commercialization c. venture capitalist d. vendor conduit
> How is percentage change in a financial statement line item calculated?
> A company has experienced increases in accounts receivable and inventory turnover ratios and has net cash flow from operations that exceeds net income. All other things constant, what could you conclude about the company’s performance this year relative
> How are financial ratios used in decision making? a. They can be used as a substitute for consulting financial statements. b. They eliminate uncertainty regarding cash flows. c. They are only used in evaluating business liquidity. d. They help to
> What is a “red flag” with respect to financial statement analysis?
> Which statement is most likely to be true? a. An increase in inventory turnover indicates that inventory is not selling as quickly as it was. b. A decrease in inventory turnover indicates that inventory is not selling as quickly as it was. c. A change i
> How would you expect a recession to affect asset management ratios?
> Which of the following statements is true of financial statement analysis? a. Ratio analysis is more important than either horizontal or vertical analysis. b. Vertical analysis involves comparing amounts from one year’s financial statements to another y
> What are the major goals of each of the following types of ratios? a. Liquidity ratios b. Asset management ratios c. Solvency ratios d. Profitability ratios e. Market analysis ratios
> Rockport Company is experiencing a severe cash shortage due to its inability to collect accounts receivable. Which of the following would most likely identify this problem? a. Return on assets b. Current ratio c. Accounts receivable turnover d. Working
> What is benchmarking? What should a company that wishes to use benchmarking look for in establishing benchmarks?
> A business’s economic environment is a. how a business competes for customers, suppliers, and other critical resources. b. how a business is affected by the overall economy. c. how a business uses its business model to create a competitive advantage. d.
> In Chapter 11, we prepared a cash flow statement for Fitness Equipment Doctor, Inc. Now, we will analyze Fitness Equipment Doctor, Inc.’s financial statements using the tools we learned in this chapter. Following are the balance sheets for the months end
> The Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board have identified the goal of comparability of financial statements as one toward which all companies should strive and consistency as the means of achieving that goa
> Cash is $12,000, net accounts receivable amounts to $18,000, inventory is $21,000, prepaid expenses total $3,000, and current liabilities are $37,500. What is the quick ratio? a. 1.44 b. 1.36 c. 0.80 d. 0.88
> What is the purpose of the common-size financial statement?
> Net working capital is a. a measure of the ability to meet short-term obligations with current assets. b. defined as current assets minus current liabilities. c. defined as current assets divided by current liabilities. d. both a and b.
> Which amount is the base amount for vertical analysis on the balance sheet?
> A statement that reports only percentages is called a ____ statement. a. comparative b. cumulative c. condensed d. common-size
> Which amount is the base amount for vertical analysis on the income statement?
> Horizontal analysis of a financial statement shows a. the relationship of each statement item to a specified base. b. percentage changes in comparative balance sheets. c. percentage changes in comparative income statements. d. both b and c.
> This concludes the accounting for Sensations Salon, Inc., that we began in Chapter 1. For this exercise, refer to the comparative balance sheet presented in the Continuing Exercise in Chapter 11. Requirements 1. Prepare a horizontal analysis of the
> Let’s look at Dick’s Sporting Goods (Dick’s) one last time. Think about Dick’s and how everything you’ve learned comes together. Think about accountants reporting what Dick’s has, where it got its money, and what it has been doing to create value. Is Dic
> On May 19, 1987, a short article in the Wall Street Journal reported that ZZZZ Best Company, Inc., of Reseda, California, had signed a contract for a $13.8 million insurance restoration project. This project was just the most recent of a series of large
> In 1995, Canadian native Maria Messina achieved one of the most sought-after career goals in the public accounting profession when she was promoted to partner with Deloitte & Touche, Chartered Accountants, the Canadian affiliate of the U.S.-based Deloitt
> Cyrus McCormick revolutionized American agriculture in the mid-nineteenth century when he invented a mechanical reaper. His horse-drawn harvester would become the primary product marketed by McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Decades later, Cyrus McCo
> After graduating from West Virginia University in 1984 with a degree in accounting and finance, Gregory Podlucky decided to work with his father Gabriel, who had a small business empire in western Pennsylvania. 1 The senior Podlucky’s business interests
> Paul Polishan graduated with an accounting degree in 1969 and immediately accepted an entry-level position in the accounting department of The Leslie Fay Companies, a women’s apparel manufacturer based in New York City. Fred Pomerantz, Leslie Fay’s found
> Clifford Hotte had a problem. His company had come up short of its earnings target. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 1995, financial analysts had projected that Health Management, Inc. (HMI), a New York–based pharmaceuticals distributor, would post ea
> In 1971, 25-year-old Thomas Shine founded a small sporting goods company, Logo 7, that would eventually become known as Logo Athletic. Shine’s company manufactured and marketed a wide range of shirts, hats, jackets, and other apparel items that boldly di
> 8:15 a.m., Saturday, October 31 “So, Dani, seriously, what exactly am I going to be doing today?” 1 “I am serious, Tyler. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing much less what I’m supposed to have you do. Like I said … Katelyn hasn’t told me anything
> In August 2004, an Internet-based investment advisory service included the common stock of LocatePlus Holdings Corporation in its “Stocks to Watch” 1 alert. The advisory service touted the New Age business model of LocatePlus, a company whose headquarte
> In 1999, a group of private investors founded Celebrity Sports Network, Inc., a company that retained professional athletes and former professional athletes to sponsor “fringe” sporting events such as professional wrestling, competitive dancing, and roll
> As David Robinson works his way through the large, festive crowd, he keeps bumping into people he knows. All the while, Robinson is hoping that he will avoid the one person he doesn’t want to meet face to face. 1 Belot Enterprises’ several hundred employ
> Prior to the Internet, the Bank Rate Monitor served as the primary source of information for U.S. consumers searching for the best available mortgage interest rates and interest rates on certificates of deposit. Over time, Bankrate, Inc., the company tha
> Thursday, October 24, 1929, easily ranks as the most dramatic day that Wall Street has ever seen. 1 That day witnessed the beginning of the Great Stock Market Crash that over the following few years would result in an almost 90 percent decline in the Dow
> During the 1980s, CBI Holding Company, Inc., a New York-based firm, served as the parent company for several wholly owned subsidiaries, principal among them Common Brothers, Inc. CBI’s subsidiaries marketed an extensive line of pharmaceutical products. T
> Over the past few decades, hedge funds have become among the most controversial and largest investment vehicles on Wall Street. Critics of hedge funds argue that their high-risk investment strategies contributed significantly to the economic crisis that
> The Great Depression dealt a devastating blow to Billy Durant. During the depths of the Depression in 1936, Durant, a high school dropout who was born a few months after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, was forced to declare bankruptcy. Like mil-li
> Grand Theft Auto ranks among the best-selling video games of all time as well as one of the most controversial. 1 By the time Grand Theft Auto V was released in 2013, over 125 million copies of the video game had been sold worldwide since the original v
> Jack Nicklaus electrified sports fans worldwide in 1986 when he won the prestigious Masters golf tournament at the ripe old age of 46. Over the previous several years, the “Golden Bear” had been struggling to remain competitive with the scores of talente
> Auditors commonly find themselves facing situations in which they must persuade client executives to do something they absolutely and resolutely do not want to do. When all else fails, auditors may be forced to use a tactic that clinical psychologists, m
> A desire to be their “own bosses” and a burning entrepreneurial spirit compelled John Orecchio and Paul Oliver to leave the ranks of well-paid, white-collar employees and strike out on their own. In February 2002, the two friends established a new invest
> Bernard Lawrence Madoff was born on April 29, 1938, in New York City. Madoff spent his childhood in a lower middle-class neighborhood in the borough of Queens. After graduating from high school, Madoff enrolled in the University of Alabama but transferre
> From 1962 to 1992, Ed McMahon served as the quintessential sidekick and straight man to Johnny Carson on the long-running and popular television program The Tonight Show. After leaving that program, McMahon stayed in the television spot-light for 12 year
> As a small child, Brooklyn native David Brooks loved horses. 1 In 1969, when he was 14 years old, Brooks went to work at a local racetrack as a groom to help support his family. Brooks loved the tough job that involved arriving at the racetrack in the w
> John and Mary Andersen immigrated to the United States from their native Norway in 1881. The young couple made their way to the small farming community of Plano,Illinois, some 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. Over the previous few decades, hundred
> Andrea Kimball has recently acquired a franchise of a well-known fast-food restaurant chain. She is considering a special promotion for a week during which hamburger prices would be reduced $0.40 from the regular price of $1.09 to $0.69. Local advertisin
> Dr. Barbara Benson is the head of the pathology laboratory at Barrington Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Benson estimates the amount of work for her laboratory staff by classifying the pathology tests into three categories: simple routine, simple
> A Votre Santé (AVS) is a small, independent winery owned by Kay Aproveche. Kay has a relationship with a grower who grows two types of wine grapes, a Chardonnay and a generic white grape. AVS buys the grapes at the point at which they have r
> Aramis Aromatics Company produces and sells its product AA100 to well-known cosmetics companies for $940 per ton. The marketing manager is considering the possibility of refining AA100 further into finer perfumes before selling them to the cosmetics comp
> Nordstrom, Inc. (http://www.nordstrom.com) and Saks Fifth Avenue (http://www.saksfifthavenue.com) are upscale retailers. Using the following sources, answer the questions below. • Each company’s history reported on its web page (from “About Us” at the c
> Describe the low-total-cost value proposition and provide your own example of a company that has successfully implemented this value proposition.
> Why does attempting to improve customer measures such as customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer profitability, and market share not necessarily constitute a strategy?
> Define and explain the role of measures, objectives, and targets, in the Balanced Scorecard strategy map.
> Why is a clear strategy vital for an organization?
> What is return on investment?
> Explain why the growing importance of intangible assets complements growing interest in the Balanced Scorecard.
> Why are both financial and nonfinancial measures necessary to manage a company’s strategy?
> What are four common pitfalls in developing a Balanced Scorecard?
> What is the nature of the objective(s) that nonprofit and government organizations are likely to put at the top of their Balanced Scorecard and strategy maps?
> What are several desirable characteristics for a Balanced Scorecard measure?
> What are the three components of the learning and growth perspective in the Balanced Scorecard?
> How do the time frames for financial benefits for improvements in the different categories of processes typically vary?
> How might a company link its strategy or customer value proposition to a focus on particular categories of processes in the Balanced Scorecard?
> What are some critical dimensions along which to measure regulatory and social processes in the operating processes part of the Balanced Scorecard’s process perspective?
> What are the four bases for setting a transfer price?
> What are operations management processes within the Balanced Scorecard’s process perspective, and what are some typical objectives for operations management processes?
> All of a Balanced Scorecard’s measures for processes should be fully controllable by people who perform the work in the processes. Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
> Explain how a Balanced Scorecard approach is helpful in identifying critical processes and evaluating the processes.
> Describe the customer solutions value proposition and provide your own example of a company that has successfully implemented this value proposition.
> Describe the product leadership value proposition and provide your own example of a company that has successfully implemented this value proposition.
> Describe two broad approaches that companies can use to generate additional revenues.
> What are the two basic approaches to improving a company’s financial performance?
> What are the four measurement perspectives in the Balanced Scorecard?
> What is a Balanced Scorecard?
> What two important sub processes does managing innovation include?
> What is a soft number in accounting?
> How are innovation processes in the process perspective linked to the Balanced Scorecard’s customer and financial perspectives?
> What are the three important objectives for a company’s customer management processes within the Balanced Scorecard’s process perspective?
> What four categories of processes are useful in developing the process perspective measures for a Balanced Scorecard?
> Describe two broad approaches that companies can use to improve productivity.
