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The owner of a small Ontario-based textiles manufacturer must decide whether to bid on two government tenders and, if so, at what prices. The owner must analyze each bid by calculating its direct, absorption, and full costs, consider the impact of adding each bid’s volume to the company’s current capacity level, and determine the differences between a one-time and multi-year tender contract. The owner also wants to look at the overall “fit” of the contracts with the company’s current operations and direction.

The case describes two pilot projects on applying activity-based costing to measuring the cost of treating patients. It presents process maps and financial data relating to the processes used during (1) an office visit to a plastic surgeon for three different diagnoses, and (2) application and removal of three different casts in the orthopedic cast room. Students calculate and compare the costs and margins of the three procedures at the two different sites using the hospital's existing cost system and a proposed new system based on time-driven activity-based costing.

A company that has a fleet of food trucks serving Thai food has issued bonds twice since its incorporation. Because the company has reached a level of maturity and is in the sixth year of operations, it is able to recall a portion of one of the bonds. The other bonds mature. Students are asked to record the transactions related to these bonds.

As a result of increased concern about common food allergens, a small ice cream manufacturer that sources its cream from local farms has decided to create a secondary manufacturing facility that can guarantee its products to be nut-free. A large investment is required in asset investment and regulatory compliance. The case centres around the bond financing associated with pursuing this expansion opportunity.

A large, well-established telecommunications company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, has decided to begin an overhaul of its infrastructure, beginning with a small pilot project. The case centres around the bonds used to finance this project, the short-term investments made with portions of the bond proceeds, and the company's outstanding common shares.

Financial accounting entries must be made for a small Canadian oil and gas exploration and drilling company headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, for a project in northern Saskatchewan.

Jamie Bailey, owner and president of C. R. Plastics, had successfully grown his business every year since 1994 when he began producing recycled plastic outdoor furniture. This rapid growth had provided its own challenges in terms of constrained financing and by summer 2010, Bailey was desperate for a new source of cash. He subsequently auditioned to be on Dragon’s Den, a television show where entrepreneurs could pitch their business to a group of venture capitalists, who could then choose to invest their own cash in exchange for a share of the business. With a week remaining before he had to present his final pitch, Bailey had to make a difficult prediction: How much money would he need to meet the growing demand into 2011? Complicating his analysis were competing proposals to fundamentally change how production was managed. In addition to reconfiguring labour allocation, one method required significant investment in equipment, while the other increased inventory during the off-season. Which alternative would allow the company to retain a greater share of the equity when Bailey pitched his business to the Dragon’s Den panel?

Excerpts from a hedge fund's report accusing a Chinese bond company of using fraudulent financial statements.

The CEO of Strong Tie received the draft 2008 financial statements for the company, which was a manufacturer of structural connectors used in the building industry. He began to question the company’s performance when he compared the statements to those of previous years. How were profits holding up given the intense price competition in the industry? Were attempts to lower costs through more automation paying off? Were the current problems in the U.S. housing market going to continue to reduce demand for connectors? How would lenders react to this poor performance? Was the company’s financing in danger?<br><br><br><br>After discussing the matter extensively with Strong Tie’s CFO, it was decided that an outside consultant should be hired to provide an independent analysis of the company’s recent performance and to provide suggestions for future action.

Accountant Sarah McIvor, a junior partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been selected to conduct a financial review of Gemini Electronics Ltd. Gemini is an up-start American electronics company that recently went public and now wants to expand its business to rival the major Korean and Japanese producers. Before the company finalizes any expansion plans, Dr. Wang, the founder, feels it is prudent to conduct an independent evaluation of Gemini’s financial condition.

Ford Motor Company is considering whether to reverse the valuation allowance it has recorded over its deferred tax assets. Due to substantial losses from 2006 to 2008, Ford has $10.3 billion of tax loss carryforwards in addition to other deferred tax assets; however, due to uncertainty, Ford has not recorded the value of those deferred tax assets on its balance sheet. To improve business conditions over 2009 and 2010, Ford must now decide whether it is “more likely than not” to realize the value of its deferred tax assets and reverse the $15.7 billion valuation allowance it has recorded. If the valuation allowance is reversed, Ford must also decide how to present the change in valuation in its financial statements.

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is considering whether to reverse the valuation allowance it has recorded over its deferred tax assets. Due to substantial losses from 2006 to 2008, Ford has $10.3 billion of tax loss carryforwards in addition to other deferred tax assets; however, due to uncertainty, Ford has not recorded the value of those deferred tax assets on its balance sheet. In light of improving business conditions over 2009 and 2010, Ford must now decide whether it is "more likely than not" to realize the value of its deferred tax assets and reverse the $15.7 billion valuation allowance it has recorded. If reversed, Ford must also decide how to present the change in valuation in its financial statements.

This case provides an opportunity to review Groupon Inc’s S1 filing made prior to an initial public offering. Groupon’s financial statements attracted a great deal of controversy due to revenue recognition policies that produced substantially higher revenues for the corporation, as well as non-GAAP earnings measures, especially ACSOI — an invention of the firm that served to exclude certain marketing expenses from the calculation of profit. Since marketing expenses were a very material expense for Groupon at a stage at which it was building its business, the effect of the use of ACSOI was as substantial as the effect of aggressive revenue recognition policies. Groupon backed down on both revenue recognition and the use of ACSOI following SEC inquiries into the corporation’s accounting policies.

Groupon provides an opportunity to review Groupon Inc's S1 filing made prior to an IPO. Groupon's financial statements attracted a great deal of controversy due to revenue recognition policies that produced very substantially higher revenues for the corporation, as well as non GAAP earnings measures, especially ACSOI, an invention of the firm that served to exclude certain marketing expenses from the calculation of profit. Since marketing expenses were a very material expense for Groupon at a stage at which it was building its business the effect of the use of ACSOI was as substantial as the effect of aggressive revenue recognition policies. Groupon backed down on both revenue recognition and the use of ACSOI following SEC queries as to the corporation's accounting policies.

The owner of a small Ontario-based textiles manufacturer must decide whether to bid on two government tenders and, if so, at what prices. The owner must analyze each bid by calculating its direct, absorption and full costs, consider the impact of adding each bid's volume to the company's current capacity level, and determine the differences between a one-time and multi-year tender contract. The owner also wants to look at the overall "fit" of the contracts with the company's current operations and direction.

This case illustrates a CEO-led organizational transformation driven by stretch goals, performance measurement, and accountability. When Kasper Rorsted became CEO of Henkel, a Germany-based producer of personal care, laundry, and adhesives products, in 2008, he was determined to transform a corporate culture of "good enough" into one singularly focused on winning in a competitive marketplace. Historically, Henkel was a comfortable, stable place to work. Many employees never received negative performance feedback. Seeking to overturn a pervasive attitude of complacency, Rorsted implemented a multi-step change initiative aimed at building a "winning culture." First, in November 2008, he announced a set of ambitious financial targets for 2012. As financial turmoil roiled the global economy, he reaffirmed his commitment to these targets, sending a clear signal to Henkel employees and external stakeholders that excuses were no longer acceptable. Rorsted next introduced a new set of five company values-replacing the previous list of 10 values, which few employees could recite by memory-the first of which emphasized a focus on customers. He also instituted a new, simplified performance management system, which rated managers' performance and advancement potential on a four-point scale. The system also included a forced ranking requirement, mandating that a defined percentage of employees (in each business unit and company-wide) be ranked as top, strong, moderate, or low performers. These ratings significantly impacted managers' bonus compensation. In late 2011-the time in which the case takes place-Henkel is well on its way to achieving its 2012 targets. Having shed nearly half its top management team, along with numerous product sites and brands, Henkel appears to be a leaner, more competitive, "winning" organization.

The note describes what integration for tax purpose is, what its objective is and how the Canadian income tax achieves it. The note starts with the concept of perfect integration and then evaluates the assumptions underlying it. This is followed by a consideration of the actual extent of integration to determine when incorporation is advantageous and when it results in a real tax cost.

In 2008, a senior associate at Richard, Wood and Hulme LLP (RWH) was amazed at the speed with which the audit team for an important client of the firm was rapidly falling apart. Two members had just been fired presumably because they did not pass their chartered accounting qualification examinations; team morale had grown non-existent; there were difficulties in completing the engagement due to lack of preparation from both RWH and the client; there were doubts about the commitment of particular individuals; and with the audit falling behind schedule, the senior associate perceived an absence of strong leadership from the partners of the firm. He did not understand why the team had been so unfocused from the start of the engagement, as prior years’ engagements had been quite successful. He was unsure how to proceed. What would he tell the client? What should he do to keep this audit on track and keep the team together?

Dow Chemical is one of the few major American industrial corporations that was founded in the late 19th century that is still in existence. From its origins producing bromine out of the brine underneath Midland, Michigan, the company has evolved from a diversified commodity chemical company to an advanced materials company whose products and services can make its clients more sustainable. During the 1960s and 1970s the company received a series of external shocks in the form of negative public opinion for some of its activities. These challenged the company's perception as being a "good company" and made it realize it needed to more proactively seek outside perspectives on how the company was viewed and what it should do. This led to the formation of the Corporate Environmental Advisory Council in 1992 which was renamed the Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC) in 2008. With substantial input from the SEAC, the company set two ambitious sets of ten-year goals: 1996-2005 and 2006-2015 and was largely successful in meeting them or on the way to doing so. In 2011, Neil Hawkins, Vice President of Sustainability and EH&S (Environmental, Health and safety) is trying to decide what the content and format of the next ten-year goals should be to ensure the company's viability on its 200th birthday. Should they be incremental goals like the ones for 2005 or ambitious stretch targets like the ones for 2015? Or should they be broad statements of principles that encourage innovating for sustainability throughout the company? A further challenge facing the company that it was rapidly globalizing with a large portion of its workforce outside its Midland, Michigan headquarters, making it even more difficult to preserve a common culture and commitment to sustainability.

Strategic Cost Analysis is a six-chapter book published by the Business Expert Press and written by Roger Hussey, Dean of Guangzhou International Business School and Professor Emeritus at the University of the West of England, and Audra Ong, Associate Professor at the Odette School of Business at University of Windsor. This book provides tools for managers to understand and interpret financial information as part of their organization's strategic planning and decision-making. The authors say that, regardless of industry or field, all managers must be able to use financial information effectively in their jobs. Through the context of four key questions, the authors explain how to calculate, control, and monitor costs, as well as to integrate cost analysis into organizational decision-making. The book includes examples and practical tips for managers at all levels. Chapter 1, Cost and Strategy (20 pages), provides insight into how an organization's cost system relates to its strategic plan. The authors outline the four questions that a manager must ask about the business to determine the actual cost, planned cost, potential for performance improvement, and integration of this information into the strategic plan. The authors discuss cost analysis in the context of Porter's five forces, with a specific focus on product differentiation and cost leadership. Finally, they examine financial accounting and management accounting, and the relationship between them.