(b) Discuss the key issues which the statement of cash flows highlights regarding the cash
(b) Discuss the key issues which the statement of cash flows highlights regarding the cash flow of the company.
(10 marks)
(b) Discuss the key issues which the statement of cash flows highlights regarding the cash flow of the company.
(10 marks)
(b) Discuss the key issues which will need to be addressed in determining the basic components of an
internationally agreed conceptual framework. (10 marks)
Appropriateness and quality of discussion. (2 marks)
(d) (i) Discuss why it may not be possible to provide a high level of assurance over the stated key performance
indicators; and (4 marks)
Section B – TWO questions ONLY to be attempted
GNT Co is considering an investment in one of two corporate bonds. Both bonds have a par value of $1,000 and pay coupon interest on an annual basis. The market price of the first bond is $1,079?68. Its coupon rate is 6% and it is due to be redeemed at par in five years. The second bond is about to be issued with a coupon rate of 4% and will also be redeemable at par in five years. Both bonds are expected to have the same gross redemption yields (yields to maturity).
GNT Co considers duration of the bond to be a key factor when making decisions on which bond to invest.
Required:
(a) Estimate the Macaulay duration of the two bonds GNT Co is considering for investment. (9 marks)
(b) Discuss how useful duration is as a measure of the sensitivity of a bond price to changes in interest rates. (8 marks)
2 The risk committee at Southern Continents Company (SCC) met to discuss a report by its risk manager, Stephanie
Field. The report focused on a number of risks that applied to a chemicals factory recently acquired by SCC in another
country, Southland. She explained that the new risks related to the security of the factory in Southland in respect of
burglary, to the supply of one of the key raw materials that experienced fluctuations in world supply and also an
environmental risk. The environmental risk, Stephanie explained, was to do with the possibility of poisonous
emissions from the Southland factory.
The SCC chief executive, Choo Wang, who chaired the risk committee, said that the Southland factory was important
to him for two reasons. First, he said it was strategically important to the company. Second, it was important because
his own bonuses depended upon it. He said that because he had personally negotiated the purchase of the Southland
factory, the remunerations committee had included a performance bonus on his salary based on the success of the
Southland investment. He told Stephanie that a performance-related bonus was payable when and if the factory
achieved a certain level of output that Choo considered to be ambitious. ‘I don’t get any bonus at all until we reach
a high level of output from the factory,’ he said. ‘So I don’t care what the risks are, we will have to manage them.’
Stephanie explained that one of her main concerns arose because the employees at the factory in Southland were not
aware of the importance of risk management to SCC. She said that the former owner of the factory paid less attention
to risk issues and so the staff were not as aware of risk as Stephanie would like them to be. ‘I would like to get risk
awareness embedded in the culture at the Southland factory,’ she said.
Choo Wang said that he knew from Stephanie’s report what the risks were, but that he wanted somebody to explain
to him what strategies SCC could use to manage the risks.
Required:
(a) Describe four strategies that can be used to manage risk and identify, with reasons, an appropriate strategy
for each of the three risks mentioned in the case. (12 marks)
Palm Industries Co (Palm)
Palm’s year end was 31 March 2015 and the draft financial statements show revenue of $28·2 million, receivables of $5·6 million and profit before tax of $4·8 million. The fieldwork stage for this audit has been completed.
A customer of Palm owed an amount of $350,000 at the year end. Testing of receivables in April highlighted that no amounts had been paid to Palm from this customer as they were disputing the quality of certain goods received from Palm. The finance director is confident the issue will be resolved and no allowance for receivables was made with regards to this balance.
Ash Trading Co (Ash)
Ash is a new client of Chestnut & Co, its year end was 31 January 2015 and the firm was only appointed auditors in February 2015, as the previous auditors were suddenly unable to undertake the audit. The fieldwork stage for this audit is currently ongoing.
The inventory count at Ash’s warehouse was undertaken on 31 January 2015 and was overseen by the company’s internal audit department. Neither Chestnut & Co nor the previous auditors attended the count. Detailed inventory records were maintained but it was not possible to undertake another full inventory count subsequent to the year end.
The draft financial statements show a profit before tax of $2·4 million, revenue of $10·1 million and inventory of $510,000.
Required:
For each of the two issues:
(i) Discuss the issue, including an assessment of whether it is material;
(ii) Recommend ONE procedure the audit team should undertake to try to resolve the issue; and
(iii) Describe the impact on the audit report if the issue remains UNRESOLVED.
Notes:
1 The total marks will be split equally between each of the two issues.
2 Audit report extracts are NOT required.
Required:
(a) (i) Describe the current presentation requirements relating to the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income. (4 marks)
(ii) Discuss, with examples, the nature of a reclassification adjustment and the arguments for and against allowing reclassification of items to profit or loss. Note: A brief reference should be made in your answer to the IASB’s Discussion Paper on the Conceptual Framework. (5 marks)
(iii) Discuss the principles and key components of the IIRC’s Framework, and any concerns which could question the Framework’s suitability for assessing the prospects of an entity. (8 marks)
(b) Cloud, a public limited company, regularly purchases steel from a foreign supplier and designates a future purchase of steel as a hedged item in a cash flow hedge. The steel was purchased on 1 May 2014 and at that date, a cumulative gain on the hedging instrument of $3 million had been credited to other comprehensive income. At the year end of 30 April 2015, the carrying amount of the steel was $8 million and its net realisable value was $6 million. The steel was finally sold on 3 June 2015 for $6·2 million.
On a separate issue, Cloud purchased an item of property, plant and equipment for $10 million on 1 May 2013. The asset is depreciated over five years on the straight line basis with no residual value. At 30 April 2014, the asset was revalued to $12 million. At 30 April 2015, the asset’s value has fallen to $4 million. The entity makes a transfer from revaluation surplus to retained earnings for excess depreciation, as the asset is used.
Required:
Show how the above transactions would be dealt with in the financial statements of Cloud from the date of the purchase of the assets.
Note: Candidates should ignore any deferred taxation effects. (6 marks)
Professional marks will be awarded in question 4 for clarity and quality of presentation. (2 marks)
The audit is nearly complete and you are reviewing the audit working papers. The audit senior has brought several matters to your attention:
(a) Darren Co is working on a major contract relating to the construction of a bridge for Flyover Co. Work started in July 2014, and it is estimated that the contract will be completed in September 2015. The contract price is $20 million, and it is estimated that a profit of $5 million will be made on completion of the contract. The full amount of this profit has been included in the statement of profit or loss for the year ended 31 January 2015. Darren Co’s management believes that this accounting treatment is appropriate given that the contract was signed during the financial year, and no problems have arisen in the work carried out so far. (8 marks)
(b) A significant contract was completed in September 2014 for Newbuild Co. This contract related to the construction of a 20-mile highway in a remote area. In November 2014, several large cracks appeared in the road surface after a period of unusually heavy rain, and the road had to be shut for ten weeks while repair work was carried out. Newbuild Co paid for these repairs, but has taken legal action against Darren Co to recover the costs incurred of $40 million. Disclosure on this matter has been made in the notes to the financial statements. Audit evidence, including a written statement from Darren Co’s lawyers, concludes that there is a possibility, but not a probability, of Darren Co having to settle the amount claimed. (6 marks)
(c) For the first time this year, the financial statements are presented as part of an integrated report. Included in the integrated report are several key performance indicators, one of which states that Darren Co’s profit before tax has increased by 20% from the previous year. (6 marks)
Required:
Discuss the implications of the matters described above on the completion of the audit and on the auditor’s report, recommending any further actions which should be taken by the auditor.
Note: The mark allocation is shown next to each of the matters above.
(b) Discuss the limitations of the above estimates. (6 marks)
(b) (i) Discuss the relationship between the concepts of ‘business risk’ and ‘financial statement risk’; and
(4 marks)