Cost Information and Ethical Behavior, Service Organization
Jean Erickson, manager and owner of an advertising company in Charlotte, North Carolina, arranged a meeting with Leroy Gee, the chief accountant of a large, local competitor. The two are lifelong friends. They grew up together in a small town and attended the same university. Leroy is a competent, successful accountant but is having some personal financial difficulties after some of his investments turned sour, leaving him with a $15,000 personal loan to pay off—just when his oldest son is starting college.
Jean, on the other hand, is struggling to establish a successful advertising business. She had recently acquired the rights to open a branch office of a large regional advertising firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. During her first 2 years, she was able to build a small, profitable practice. However, the chance to gain a significant foothold in Charlotte hinged on the success of winning a bid to represent the state of North Carolina in a major campaign to attract new industry and tourism. The meeting she had scheduled with Leroy concerned the bid she planned to submit.
Jean: Leroy, I’m at a critical point in my business venture. If I can win the bid for the state’s advertising dollars, I’ll be set. Winning the bid will bring $600,000 to $700,000 of revenues into the firm. On top of that, I estimate that the publicity will bring another $200,000 to $300,000 of new business.
Leroy: I understand. My boss is anxious to win that business as well. It would mean a huge increase in profits for my firm. It’s a competitive business, though. As new as you are, I doubt that you’ll have much chance of winning.
Jean: You’re forgetting two very important considerations. First, I have the backing of all the resources and talent of a regional firm. Second, I have some political connections. Last year, I was hired to run the publicity side of the governor’s campaign. He was impressed with my work and would like me to have this business. I am confident that the proposals I submit will be very competitive. My only concern is to submit a bid that beats your firm. If I come in with a lower bid and good proposals, the governor can see to it that I get the work.
Leroy: Sounds promising. If you do win, however, there will be a lot of upset people. After all, they are going to claim that the business should have been given to local advertisers, not to some out-of-state firm. Given the size of your office, you’ll have to get support from Atlanta. You could take a lot of heat.
Jean: True. But I am the owner of the branch office. That fact alone should blunt most of the criticism. Who can argue that I’m not a local? Listen, with your help, I think I can win this bid. Furthermore, if I do win it, you can reap some direct benefits. With that kind of business, I can afford to hire an accountant, and I’ll make it worthwhile for you to transfer jobs. I can offer you an up-front bonus of $15,000. On top of that, I’ll increase your annual salary by 20%. That should solve most of your financial difficulties. After all, we have been friends since day one—and what are friends for?
Leroy: Jean, my wife would be ecstatic if I were able to improve our financial position as quickly as this opportunity affords. I certainly hope that you win the bid. What kind of help can I provide?
Jean: Simple. To win, all I have to do is beat the bid of your firm. Before I submit my bid, I would like you to review it. With the financial skills you have, it should be easy for you to spot any excessive costs that I may have included. Or perhaps I included the wrong kind of costs. By cutting excessive costs and eliminating costs that may not be directly related to the project, my bid should be competitive enough to meet or beat your firm’s bid.
Required:
- 1. What would you do if you were Leroy? Fully explain the reasons for your choice. What do you suppose the code of conduct for Leroy’s company would say about this situation?
- 2. What is the likely outcome if Leroy agrees to review the bid? Is there much risk to him personally if he reviews the bid? Should the degree of risk have any bearing on his decision?
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Chapter 2 Solutions
Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Business Decision-Making
- Identify factors in an ethical decision. Jim Sandrolini is an accountant for a local manufacturing company, Jim's good friend, Dan Carruthers, has been operating a retail sporting goods store for about a year. The store has been moderately successful, and Dan needs a bank loan to help finance the next stage of his store's growth. He has asked Jim to prepare financial statements that the banker will use to help decide whether to grant the loan. Dan has proposed that the fee he will pay for Jim's accounting work should be contingent upon his receiving the loan. Required: What factors should Jim consider when making his decision about whether to prepare the financial statements for Dan's store?arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society’s annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 196 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $101 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $300. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $25 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $35 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society's annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 196 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $101 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $300. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $25 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $35 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forward
- Bridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society's annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 196 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $101 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $300. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $25 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $35 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society’s annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 198 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $101 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $290. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $25 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $35 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forwardIn early 2008, Doc and Lyn McGee formed the McGee Cake Company. Doc did all the baking, and Lyn handled marketing and distribution. Because of increased sales, Doc left his other job, and Lyn followed shortly. The company hired additional workers to meet demand, but the fast growth led to cash-flow and capacity problems. Doc and Lyn approached a local bank for short-term financial help. What is the nature of the financial problem that Doc and Lyn are facing?arrow_forward
- Suppose you are a part of a group of students from a prominent university and were sent out as a team to work with a leading merchandizing company as a part of a work experience program. The team having been introduced to the general manger was told that the Accountant who normally prepares the financial statements has suddenly resigned and there is no one available to prepare the company’s financial statements which are now due. As aspiring university students, you and your group members have expressed an interest in taking on the task. As a group, you are required to collaborate and analyse the problem at hand then apply the accrual basis of accounting in the preparation of the company’s financial statements. The following additional information is available at December 31, 2018: Insurance of $450,000 was paid on May 1, 2018 for the 10-months to February 2019. The furniture and fixtures have an estimated useful life of 10 years…arrow_forwardSuppose you are a part of a group of students from a prominent university and were sent out as a team to work with a leading merchandizing company as a part of a work experience program. The team having been introduced to the general manger was told that the Accountant who normally prepares the financial statements has suddenly resigned and there is no one available to prepare the company’s financial statements which are now due. As aspiring university students, you and your group members have expressed an interest in taking on the task. As a group, you are required to collaborate and analyse the problem at hand then apply the accrual basis of accounting in the preparation of the company’s financial statements. The following additional information is available at December 31, 2018: Insurance of $450,000 was paid on May 1, 2018 for the 10-months to February 2019. The furniture and fixtures have an estimated useful life of 10 years…arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society's annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 192 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $102 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $290. Flying would require her to rent a car for $40 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $24 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $36 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forward
- Bridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society's annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 192 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run Inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $102 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $310. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $26 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $35 for Incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society's annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 194 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $101 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $310. Flying would require her to rent a car for $40 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $24 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $36 incide ls the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem would be…arrow_forwardBridget Youhzi works for a large firm. Her alma mater has asked her to make a presentation to the upcoming accounting honor society’s annual scholarship dinner. Her firm supports the presentation because it hopes to recruit more excellent employees like Bridget. The university is 194 miles from her office. In order to get to the dinner by 5:00 p.m., she will need to leave work at 1:00 p.m. She can drive her personal car and be reimbursed $0.50 per mile. The dinner ends at 9:00 p.m. Company policy allows her to spend the night if the return trip is four hours or more. There is a student-run inn and conference center across the street from campus that charges $100 per night. Instead of driving, she could catch a 3:00 p.m. flight that has a round-trip fare of $300. Flying would require her to rent a car for $39 per day and pay an airport parking fee of $25 for the day. The company pays a per diem of $34 for incidentals if the employee spends at least six hours out of town. (The per diem…arrow_forward
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