Danshui Plant No. 2 in southern China has a one-year contract with Apple Inc. to assemble 2.4 million iPhones. In the first three months of the contract, the plant is unable to assemble as many phones as expected and is operating at a loss. The plant manager must analyze the budget and prepare a summary of monthly operations to help identify the source of performance problems. The plant has had difficulty hiring enough workers despite raising wages over 30%. In addition, the assembly process for an iPhone is complicated, with 140 steps involving over 100 components. The plant manager considers whether a flexible budget would be more useful for uncovering problems than the static budget currently being used. Students must perform break-even and flexible budget analyses and calculate price and usage variances as they consider solutions for the plant's problems with the iPhone contract. This case, which explores the challenges of outsourcing manufacturing, can be used as an introduction to managerial accounting.
In estimating depreciation for accounting purposes, Delta Air Lines has changed its assumptions about aircraft lifespan and residual values four times in the last thirty years or so. In the most recent changes, Delta adopted fair value accounting as part of its "fresh start" emergence from bankruptcy. Each of these policy changes has affected future asset values as well as present and future income. Students should organize their case analysis around three types of questions: (1) the estimated life cycle of commercial passenger airplanes; (2) the uses of financial reports, including the purpose of depreciation in reporting on assets and periodic income; and (3) alternative procedures for reporting asset book values and income that might better serve users of financial reports.
In 2009 a recent MBA must analyze the possible refunding of bonds issued in 2000 when interest rates were much higher. She must consider the possible consequences of repurchasing company bonds outstanding using cash that might be obtained by issuing new bonds at a lower interest rate. Students need to carry out a quantitative assignment.
At Merrimack Tractors and Mowers in 2008, product manufacturing costs are increasing faster than competitors' costs, and as a result earnings are likely to fall below those reported in 2007. The company president and the company controller have discussed this problem, and the controller has mentioned that if the company changed from LIFO to FIFO it might be possible to maintain earnings growth in 2008. He prepares a memo to the president explaining how inventory flow assumptions work and provides pro-forma income statements that show that, for one product (reel mower units), adopting FIFO would allow Merrimack to report higher income in 2008 than it did in 2007, but higher income taxes would have to be paid.
In 2006, Talbots, Inc., a specialty women's retailer, purchased a competitor, J. Jill. The transaction created a large goodwill account along with accounts for trademarks and other intangible assets. Using prevailing accounting standards (Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142), Talbots determined that the goodwill was not impaired in its Fiscal Year 2007 and it was carried forward at its purchase cost. However, one year later Talbots found the goodwill impaired, along with the trademarks and some store assets acquired from J. Jill in 2006, and these impairments were deducted from revenues in Fiscal Year 2008. Case includes financial statements.
A retail jeweler has relocated to a larger store and is experiencing losses for the first time. Sales and costs have increased along with the breakeven point. Changes in pricing and promotion must be explored. Alternative actions to return to profitability can be considered.
Partners in a service firm are reviewing results for 2006, wondering whether large or small projects are more profitable. Present reports make small projects look more profitable. However, activity-based accounting reveals that large projects are more profitable and that concentrating sales efforts on large projects offers potential for greater profit in a service firm.