/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Problem 18 Carter Manufacturing Company mak... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ

Carter Manufacturing Company makes a variety of consumer products. For the year just ended (and the two prior years), sales of private-label product to Mega-Mart (1,200 stores nationwide) have made up 60 to 65 percent of total sales. On December 31 of the year just ended, Mega-Mart informed Carter that it would be buying all private-label products from another manufacturer under a five-year contract. Losing this business will result in a 50 to 55 percent reduction in total gross profit for Carter. a. What is the going concern concept and how does it apply to this situation? b. How should the full disclosure principle be applied when preparing the annual report for the year just ended? c. What is the independent auditor's responsibility in this situation?

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. The going concern concept questions Carter's ability to operate due to losing Mega-Mart sales. b. Full disclosure requires informing financial statement users of the loss and its impact. c. The auditor must evaluate going concern uncertainties and proper disclosures.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Going Concern Concept

The going concern concept is an accounting principle that assumes a business will continue to operate into the foreseeable future. It implies that the business has no intention or need to liquidate its assets or cease operations outside of the ordinary course of business. In this situation, Carter Manufacturing Company’s continued viability is in question due to the significant loss of business from Mega-Mart, which constitutes a majority of its sales, potentially impacting the company's ability to continue as a going concern.
02

Applying the Full Disclosure Principle

The full disclosure principle requires a company to provide all necessary information so that users of the financial statements can make informed decisions. For Carter, losing the Mega-Mart contract is a material event that significantly affects future profitability and potentially the company's ability to continue operations. This situation requires disclosure in the financial statements or notes thereof, explaining the nature of the lost revenue source, its potential impact on future operations, and any management plans to mitigate the situation.
03

Understanding the Independent Auditor's Responsibility

The independent auditor is responsible for assessing whether the financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with accounting standards, including evaluating the company's ability to continue as a going concern. In this scenario, the auditor needs to evaluate the appropriateness of the going concern assumption. If there are substantial doubts, the auditor should determine if management's disclosures are adequate. If management fails to adequately disclose the matter, the auditor may need to modify the audit opinion to a qualified or adverse opinion based on the severity of the omission or misstatement.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Going Concern Concept
In financial accounting, the going concern concept anchors the assumption that a company will keep puffing along in its business operations well into the foreseeable future. This is important because it indicates that the company isn't planning to wind down or sell off its assets outside normal business operations any time soon. This concept becomes shaky if major events challenge the company's ability to maintain its operations.
For Carter Manufacturing, the loss of their substantial sales to Mega-Mart raises questions about their going concern status. With over half of its revenue expected to vanish due to the switch by Mega-Mart, there's real concern about whether Carter can carry on without making significant changes to survive. The going concern concept here implies a serious evaluation of how Carter might continue operating or if this event pushes them toward financial instability.
Being aware of the company’s situation helps in assessing whether it can continue to operate or if it might have to take drastic measures.
Full Disclosure Principle
The full disclosure principle requires companies to be completely transparent in their financial statements. This principle is crucial as it ensures no surprises for the stakeholders who rely on the financial statements to make decisions. Full transparency means sharing all essential information that might affect the understanding of a company’s financial health.
For Carter, the loss of Mega-Mart as a customer certainly fits within what's called 'material information.' It's not just a small change; it's a real game-changer affecting their future income and possibly their entire business model. In the annual report, Carter is expected to include detailed notes explaining what happened with Mega-Mart, the anticipated fall in profits, and what this means for the future operations of the company.
  • Explaining the nature and effect of losing the contract
  • Assessing the impact on profitability
  • Discussing management's response or strategy to handle the situation
These disclosures ensure that stakeholders are not in the dark about the risks and plans moving forward.
Independent Auditor's Responsibility
Auditors carry the important role of independently examining financial statements to ensure they're accurate and uphold relevant accounting standards. They also have to evaluate whether a company can stand tall as a going concern, meaning it's able to keep operating over the foreseeable future without having to halt its business.
When it comes to Carter Manufacturing, the independent auditor must thoroughly examine how the loss of Mega-Mart as a significant client may impact the financial statements. They need to assess if management's assumption that the company can continue as a going concern holds water. Moreover, the auditor has to ensure that Carter’s management includes all necessary information about the loss of this major client in their financial reports. If the auditor determines that proper disclosure isn't made, they may need to adjust their audit opinion.
  • Evaluate the methodology behind management's assumptions
  • Verify the adequacy of disclosures regarding the going concern
  • Modify their opinion if information is insufficient or inaccurate
By doing so, auditors help guarantee the reliability of financial statements, offering peace of mind or warning signs to potential investors and other users.

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Bank Reconciliation Use the following information to prepare a bank reconciliation for Dylan Company at April 30: 1\. Balance per Cash account, April 30, \(6,042.10. 2\. Balance per bank statement, April 30, \)6,428.28. 3\. Deposits not reflected on bank statement, \(575. 4\. Outstanding checks, April 30, \)1,340.18. 5\. Service charge on bank statement not recorded in books, \(19. 6\. Error by bank-Dillard Company check charged on Dylan Company's bank statement, \)450. 7\. Check for advertising expense, \(230, incorrectly recorded in books as \)320.

Describe the three elements of the fraud triangle and how they relate to each other.

Janet Jones is considered one of the rising stars at Finch Company. Janet is very hard working and has not taken a vacation in three years. Explain why this is a violation of good internal control.

Internal Control The Mountain amusement ride has the following system of intemal control over cash receipts. All persons pay the same price for a ride. A person taking the ride pays cash to the cashier and receives a prenumbered ticket. The tickets are issued in strict number sequence. The individual then walks to the ride site, hands the ticket to a ticket-taker (who controls the number of people getting on each ride), and passes through a tumstile. At the end of each day, the beginning ticket number is subtracted from the ending ticket number to determine the number of tickets sold. The cash is counted and compared with the number of tickets sold. The turnstile records how many people pass through it. At the end of each day, the beginning turnstile count is subtracted from the ending count to determine the number of riders that day. The number of riders is compared with the number of tickets sold. Required Which internal control feature would reveal each of the following irregularities? a. The ticket-taker lets her friends on the ride without tickets. b. The cashier gives his friends tickets without receiving cash from them. c. The cashier gives too much change. d. The ticket-taker returns the tickets she has collected to the cashier. The cashier then resells these tickets and splits the proceeds with the ticket- taker. e. A person sneaks into the ride line without paying the cashier.

Auditors Which of the following is true? L02, 7 a. Internal auditors are independent of the company they audit. b. Internal audits provide appraisals of a company 's internal control. c. The company being audited cannot pay the external auditing firm since this would violate their independence. d. Outside parties prefer appraisals by internal auditors over those of external auditors since they know more about the company being audited.

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.