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The note explains current Canadian financial accounting procedures for corporate income tax as well as the theoretical options that exist. It also considers permanent differences as well as timing differences that give rise to deferred income taxes. A short example is provided.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 189063.

The basic decision scenario is whether to outsource an internal publishing department. What is initially presented as a comparison of a department's annual operating costs versus an outside contract quote gets reformed as a four-year cash flow investment decision.

The Honeywell Technology Center (HTC) is the central R&D organization for Honeywell, Inc. almost 40% of Honeywell sales comes from outside the U.S. and this figure is expected to reach 45% or more by 2000. However, HTC, based in Minneapolis, is a long distance from international markets. Within HTC there is a growing consensus that HTC has to become more international to support Honeywell's growth opportunities. But, HTC management is far from consensus on how to internationalize R&D. Can the HTC culture be replicated outside the United States? How quickly should HTC move? Who will manage new R&D organizations? How will these organizations be funded? Should international R&D sites be centers of excellence for specific technologies, or should they be application centers using technology developed in Minneapolis, or both?

A new company that manufactures computer games must begin to capitalize computer software development costs. Issues that must be addressed include the effects of capitalization and decisions about how to match costs with future revenues.

Describes how the Balanced Scorecard built by the Online Financial Services (OFS) group is used to select the highest-priority initiatives for the organization. Currently, initiatives arise continually throughout the organization, and management spends considerable time reviewing, approving, and, often , canceling initiatives. OFS develops a ranking procedure, based on the Balanced Scorecard, to align initiatives with the group's strategy. Currently 11 proposals have made it through the first two screening processes. Students evaluate these proposals according to the strategic themes described in the Balanced Scorecard plus supplementary criteria developed by senior managers.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 199019

The vice-president of finance at Seagram Greater China was contemplating what actions to take in light of the proposed changes to the duty rates which applied to imported scotch and cognac in Taiwan. Given that the Taiwanese spirits market had become very competitive in recent years, careful management of the duty rate changes was critical for ensuring future market share and profitability in Taiwan. The task facing the decision maker was to determine what pricing levels to recommend for Seagram's scotch and cognac products based upon the proposed duty regime. The case is particularly suitable to managerial accounting classes intending to develop skills and application of contribution and margin analysis. The strong marketing linkages in the case also make it applicable to classes dealing with pricing in highly competitive markets.

Custom Research is considering terminating service to many clients to eliminate unprofitable work and concentrate on the more profitable client projects.

Supplements the (A) case.

A supplier is trying to determine if credit should be extended to two customers whose circumstances have changed. 99U per Case Records.

While it is true that there is great promise in integrated cost systems, there is also great peril, according to Harvard Business School Professor Robert Kaplan and Claremont Graduate School Professor Robin Cooper. The authors explain that unless managers approach integration very thoughtfully--with extremely careful customization--they could end up with a system that performs neither function well and that drives decision making in the wrong direction altogether. Operational-control and ABC systems have fundamentally different purposes. Their requirements for accuracy, timeliness, and aggregation are so different that no single, fully integrated approach can be adequate for both purposes. If an integrated system used real-time cost data instead of standard rates in its ABC subsystem, for example, the result would be dangerously distorted messages about individual product profitability--and that's precisely the problem ABC systems were originally designed to address. Proper linkage and feedback between the two systems is possible, however. Through activity-based budgeting, the ABC system is linked directly to operations control: managers can determine the supply and practical capacity of resources in forthcoming periods. Linking operational control to ABC is also possible. The activity-based portion of an operational control system collects information that, while it mustn't be fed directly into the activity-based strategic cost system, can be extremely useful once it's been properly analyzed. Finally, ABC and operational control can be linked to financial reporting to generate cost of goods sold and inventory valuations--but again, with precautions.

Wells Fargo, the industry leader in electronic banking, has implemented a Balanced Scorecard in its online financial services group (OFS) to track and measure performance. The OFS group develops and supports services that allow existing and future banking customers to perform transactions via the Internet. The new division faces rapid change and must invest heavily in new technology and in the development of innovative products and services. OFS was finding it difficult to balance the need for a clearly articulated strategy and measurable objectives with the flexibility required in its dynamic environment. Wells Fargo had a culture that embraced financial metrics. Yet OFS management believed that its business could not be measured and evaluated on the basis of financial metrics alone. For example, the group was not yet profitable, yet it provided a critical component to the bank's long-term strategy. The OFS group believed that the Balanced Scorecard would allow them to develop a set of integrated, multidimensional measures to assess performance against its goals and to communicate and update its strategy in a rapidly changing environment.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 198146

The general manager of the Champagne Hotel in Hong Kong has to decide what action to take in the hotel laundry. June's operating expenses are significantly over budget. The manager has to investigate the causes of the cost overrun, and decide on further action, including whether to outsource the laundry service.

An inventor must prepare financial statements to obtain financing for the commercial use of his invention.

The owner of a gas station must prepare financial statements.

This case examines the economics of a municipality, and then explores its financial position from the perspective of a bond rating firm.

A leading Canadian mining company had recently closed two uranium mines and begun the lengthy and complex regulatory process to obtain approval of their clean-up plans for the mine, surface facilities and waste management areas. The accounting issues in the case focus on the uncertainty associated with the approval of a specific waste management method, upon which the company had based its provisions for clean-up costs, and the potential cost associated with alternative waste management methods that had been investigated by an independent consultant. If forced to adopt one of the alternative methods, a potential cost and liability of $300 million could result. In the audit committee meeting a concern is raised about the potential existence of a contingent liability. The decision faced by the audit committee is whether to investigate the situation, and if so, its role and how to proceed. (Two sequels to this case, titled Northern Mines Limited (B), case 9A98B013 and Northern Mines Limited (C), case 9A98B014 describe the audit committee's investigation and recommendations.)

A leading Canadian mining company had recently closed two uranium mines and begun the lengthy and complex regulatory process to obtain approval of their clean-up plans for the mine, surface facilities and waste management areas. Northern Mines (B) summarizes the investigation that was carried out by the audit committee, and the information that is gathered from the auditors and management about the regulatory process for decommissioning and the company's proposed clean-up methods. Now the audit committee members must decide if a contingent liability exists, and if so, what to recommend to the board about disclosure. (This is a sequel to Northern Mines Limited (A), case 9A98B012.)