天津市考生想知道ACCA的科目F2怎么备考？

正确答案：
4 JINACK CO
(a) Auditor’s responsibilities for subsequent events
■ Auditors must consider the effect of subsequent events on:
– the financial statements;
– the auditor’s report.
■ Subsequent events are all events occurring after a period end (i.e. reporting date) i.e.:
– events after the balance sheet date (as defined in IAS 10); and
– events after the financial statements have been authorised for issue.
Events occurring up to date of auditor’s report
■ The auditor is responsible for carrying out procedures designed to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence that all
events up to the date of the auditor’s report that may require adjustment of, or disclosure in, the financial statements
have been identified.
■ These procedures are in addition to those applied to specific transactions occurring after the period end that provide
audit evidence of period-end account balances (e.g. inventory cut-off and receipts from trade receivables). Such
procedures should ordinarily include:
– reviewing minutes of board/audit committee meetings;
– scrutinising latest interim financial statements/budgets/cash flows, etc;
– making/extending inquiries to legal advisors on litigation matters;
– inquiring of management whether any subsequent events have occurred that might affect the financial statements
(e.g. commitments entered into).
■ When the auditor becomes aware of events that materially affect the financial statements, the auditor must consider
whether they have been properly accounted for and adequately disclosed in the financial statements.
Facts discovered after the date of the auditor’s report but before financial statements are issued
Tutorial note: After the date of the auditor’s report it is management’s responsibility to inform. the auditor of facts which
may affect the financial statements.
■ If the auditor becomes aware of such facts which may materially affect the financial statements, the auditor:
– considers whether the financial statements need amendment;
– discusses the matter with management; and
– takes appropriate action (e.g. audit any amendments to the financial statements and issue a new auditor’s report).
■ If management does not amend the financial statements (where the auditor believes they need to be amended) and the
auditor’s report has not been released to the entity, the auditor should express a qualified opinion or an adverse opinion
(as appropriate).
■ If the auditor’s report has been released to the entity, the auditor must notify those charged with governance not to issue
the financial statements (and the auditor’s report thereon) to third parties.
Tutorial note: The auditor would seek legal advice if the financial statements and auditor’s report were subsequently issued.
Facts discovered after the financial statements have been issued
■ The auditor has no obligation to make any inquiry regarding financial statements that have been issued.
■ However, if the auditor becomes aware of a fact which existed at the date of the auditor’s report and which, if known
at that date, may have caused the auditor’s report to be modified, the auditor should:
– consider whether the financial statements need revision;
– discuss the matter with management; and
– take appropriate action (e.g. issuing a new report on revised financial statements).

正确答案：

This question requires candidates to consider the law relating to terms in contracts. It specifically requires the candidates to distinguish between terms and mere representations and then to establish the difference between express and implied terms in contracts.
(a) As the parties to a contract will be bound to perform. any promise they have contracted to undertake, it is important to distinguish between such statements that will be considered part of the contract, i.e. terms, and those other pre-contractual statements which are not considered to be part of the contract, i.e. mere representations. The reason for distinguishing between them is that there are different legal remedies available if either statement turns out to be incorrect.
A representation is a statement that induces a contract but does not become a term of the contract. In practice it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two, but in attempting to do so the courts will focus on when the statement was made in relation to the eventual contract, the importance of the statement in relation to the contract and whether or not the party making the statement had specialist knowledge on which the other party relied (Oscar Chess v Williams (1957) and Dick
Bentley v Arnold Smith Motors (1965)).
(b) Express terms are statements actually made by one of the parties with the intention that they become part of the contract and
thus binding and enforceable through court action if necessary. It is this intention that distinguishes the contractual term from
the mere representation, which, although it may induce the contractual agreement, does not become a term of the contract.
Failure to comply with the former gives rise to an action for breach of contract, whilst failure to comply with the latter only gives rise to an action for misrepresentation.

Such express statements may be made by word of mouth or in writing as long as they are sufficiently clear for them to be enforceable. Thus in Scammel v Ouston (1941) Ouston had ordered a van from the claimant on the understanding that the balance of the purchase price was to be paid ‘on hire purchase terms over two years’. When Scammel failed to deliver the van Ouston sued for breach of contract without success, the court holding that the supposed terms of the contract were too
uncertain to be enforceable. There was no doubt that Ouston wanted the van on hire purchase but his difficulty was that
Scammel operated a range of hire purchase terms and the precise conditions of his proposed hire purchase agreement were
never sufficiently determined.
Implied terms, however, are not actually stated or expressly included in the contract, but are introduced into the contract by implication. In other words the exact meaning and thus the terms of the contract are inferred from its context. Implied terms can be divided into three types.
Terms implied by statute
In this instance a particular piece of legislation states that certain terms have to be taken as constituting part of an agreement, even where the contractual agreement between the parties is itself silent as to that particular provision. For example, under s.5 of the Partnership Act 1890, every member of an ordinary partnership has the implied power to bind the partnership in a contract within its usual sphere of business. That particular implied power can be removed or reduced by the partnership agreement and any such removal or reduction of authority would be effective as long as the other party was aware of it. Some implied terms, however, are completely prescriptive and cannot be removed.
Terms implied by custom or usage
An agreement may be subject to terms that are customarily found in such contracts within a particular market, trade or locality. Once again this is the case even where it is not actually specified by the parties. For example, in Hutton v Warren (1836), it was held that customary usage permitted a farm tenant to claim an allowance for seed and labour on quitting his tenancy. It should be noted, however, that custom cannot override the express terms of an agreement (Les Affreteurs Reunnis SA v Walford (1919)).
Terms implied by the courts Generally, it is a matter for the parties concerned to decide the terms of a contract, but on occasion the court will presume that the parties intended to include a term which is not expressly stated. They will do so where it is necessary to give business efficacy to the contract.

Whether a term may be implied can be decided on the basis of the officious bystander test. Imagine two parties, A and B, negotiating a contract, when a third party, C, interrupts to suggest a particular provision. A and B reply that that particular term is understood. In just such a way, the court will decide that a term should be implied into a contract.
In The Moorcock (1889), the appellants, owners of a wharf, contracted with the respondents to permit them to discharge their ship at the wharf. It was apparent to both parties that when the tide was out the ship would rest on the riverbed. When the tide was out, the ship sustained damage by settling on a ridge. It was held that there was an implied warranty in the contract that the place of anchorage should be safe for the ship. As a consequence, the ship owner was entitled to damages for breach of that term.
Alternatively the courts will imply certain terms into unspecific contracts where the parties have not reduced the general agreement into specific details. Thus in contracts of employment the courts have asserted the existence of implied terms to impose duties on both employers and employees, although such implied terms can be overridden by express contractual provision to the contrary.

正确答案：
(b) Divestment of products or parts of the business is one of the most difficult strategic decisions. As apparent in Bonar Paint a
reduction in the products and customers served by the firm is likely to cause significant changes to the firm’s value chain and
system. Currently Bonar Paint supplies its customers, regardless of size, directly and this inevitably means that their
distribution costs are increased. The reduction in products and customers may allow a choice to be made about the costs of
supplying customers directly as against using distributors to handle the smaller customers.
In using the value chain one is looking to identify the significant cost activities and how those costs behave. Some costs may
be affected by the overall size of the firm e.g. advertising while others affected by the batch size being processed. The changeto fewer products will lead to a bigger batch size and a number of positive consequences for costs. The value chain’s major
benefit is in identifying and quantifying the links that exist between various activities within the firm and between the firm
and its customers and suppliers. In Bonar Paint’s case does a reduction in product range lead to less product failures and
consequent warranty claims? Does simplifying the product range lead to shorter lead times and better delivery time
performance for its customers? Above all, a good understanding of its value chain will let it know if it changes an activity what
are the consequences for other parts of the system.
In terms of reducing the product range, before such a decision is taken Bonar Paint must carry out a thorough analysis of the
pattern of customer demand for each paint type. In all probability it will find that 80% of its sales come from 20% of its
product range. Having given this qualification, reducing the product range can have a number of beneficial results on other
parts of the value chain. The immediate effect is likely to be that Bonar Paint produces fewer batches over a given time period
but produces them in larger quantities. This will bring cost savings but the impact on other parts of the value chain is equally
important. The beneficial effects are:
– With a smaller product range the control of raw materials and finished inventory will be simplified affecting inbound and
outbound logistics. This will improve the inventory turn and make for better product availability.
– With an improved inventory turn this will reduce the firm’s working capital needs and release significant amounts of
cash.
– A simpler operations process should facilitate staff savings and support more automation.
– Warranty claims and support costs could be reduced.
– Bonar Paint will be purchasing fewer raw materials but in greater volume and on a more regular basis. This will lead to
improved price and delivery terms from its suppliers.
– Bonar Paint can offer improved product reliability and better delivery to its customers and should improve its market
share.
In terms of operational disadvantages, these therefore are largely in terms of the impact on customer service levels seen in
terms of product range availability. Once again it is important to have accurate information on the sales and profitability of
each product so informed divestment decisions could be taken. Care must be taken to identify any paints, which though
ordered infrequently, and in small quantities are a pre-cursor for customers ordering other paints. Some important customers
may require that the full range of their paint needs are met in order to continue buying from Bonar Paint.
Reduction of the product range and customer base is an important strategic decision. Eliminating non-contributors or ‘dog’
products both in terms of paints and customers is a key part of managing the product portfolio. However, inertia both in terms
of products and customers is a real strategic weakness. In terms of the three tests of suitability, acceptability and feasibility
the analysis suggests that only acceptability is likely to be an issue. Tony Edmunds needs to be convinced that it is an
appropriate strategy to adopt. It is the lack of accurate sales analysis that lies at the heart of the problem and that is his areaof responsibility!