ACCA考试F1每日一练(2019-03-09)

正确答案：
2 INDIGO CO
(a) Opening balances – principal audit procedures
Tutorial note: ‘Opening balances’ means those account balances which exist at the beginning of the period. The question
clearly states that the prior year auditor’s report was unmodified therefore any digression into the prior period opinion being
other than unmodified or the prior period not having been audited will not earn marks.
■ Review of the application of appropriate accounting policies in the financial statements for the year ended 31 December
2004 to ensure consistent with those applied in 2005.
■ Where permitted (e.g. if there is a reciprocal arrangement with the predecessor auditor to share audit working papers
on a change of appointment), a review of the prior period audit working papers.
Tutorial note: There is no legal, ethical or other professional duty that requires a predecessor auditor to make available
its working papers.
■ Current period audit procedures that provide evidence concerning the existence, measurement and completeness of
rights and obligations. For example:
? after-date receipts (in January 2005 and later) confirming the recoverable amount of trade receivables at
31 December 2004;
? similarly, after-date payments confirming the completeness of trade and other payables (for services);
? after-date sales of inventory held at 31 December 2004;
? review of January 2005 bank reconciliation (confirming clearance of reconciling items at 31 December 2004).
■ Analytical procedures on ratios calculated month-on-month from 31 December 2004 to date and further investigation
of any distortions identified at the beginning of the current reporting period. For example:
? inventory turnover (by category of metal);
? average collection payment;
? average payment period;
? gross profit percentage (by metal).
■ Examination of historic accounting records for non-current assets and liabilities (if necessary). For example:
? agreeing balances on asset registers to the client’s trial balance as at 31 December 2004;
? agreeing statements of balances on loan accounts to the financial statements as at 31 December 2004.
■ If the above procedures do not provide sufficient evidence, additional substantive procedures should be performed. For
example, if additional evidence is required concerning inventory at 31 December 2004, cut-off tests may be
reperformed.

正确答案：
(a) To: Helen Bradshaw
From:
Entry strategies for ‘Helen’s cakes’
Your choice of market entry strategy is a crucial one for you and one which will have significant consequences for the
operational side of the business. Your choice of distribution channel will determine the customers you reach, the volume of
sales you will achieve and ultimately the level of profitability attained. Key questions will include – is there a market for my
cakes, how big is this market, what segments of the market will I reach and is this the most appropriate channel for accessing
my customers? These are key questions that will influence your marketing strategy and its implementation through the
marketing mix detailed below. This choice of channel will effectively position your cakes in the market.
Your intention to produce ‘distinctive quality cakes’ suggests you are intent on differentiating your cakes from those of your
competitors. I have provided an assessment of the implications of choosing a particular entry strategy. Each entry strategy
will have a different combination of costs and benefits and involve different levels of risk. Although you will be supplying
basically the same product into each market, each market is very different and will require a different marketing approach.
Premium cake market
Here there is the opportunity to establish your brand and develop your reputation for meeting the demands of discerning
customers. There is also the opportunity to obtain premium prices based on the exclusivity of your cakes. New quality brands
are likely to be welcomed by the specialist cake shops and cafes and there is the advantage of relatively few brands with
which you have to compete. Entry barriers are therefore relatively low and the product range can be developed in a planned
way. Volumes, at least initially, are likely to be low and your existing capacity should be able to cope. However, entry into this
premium market may have some disadvantages. Clearly, for a premium product, commanding premium prices, quality is an
absolute must. Therefore, rigorous quality systems must be in place to ensure customer satisfaction. Equally, the demand will
be for fresh cakes with a short shelf life and this again will require small batch production and careful scheduling and
planning. Your distributors are likely to want many varieties of cakes, but in small volumes again has cost implications and
your ability to make-to-order may be an important factor in generating sales. As you are likely to be supplying a large number
of outlets spread over a wide area, this is likely to lead to high distribution costs per unit sold. Opportunity should be taken
to supply cakes to any chains of cake shops or cafes and thus lower the costs of distribution. You will clearly have to work
out the break-even position for each customer so as to avoid having large numbers of small customers who order insufficient
quantities to cover costs.
Supermarkets
Here there is the advantage of generating high volume sales and achieving some economies of scale. Equally, if you are able
to convince the buyers to stock your product using your brand this will gain you excellent exposure in the market. The fact
that you are supplying to a small number of large customers will also have a beneficial effect on your distribution costs.
Supplying the supermarkets with your cakes will bring some problems however. Here the attention to quality will be
considerable and the product must be consistent to prevent product rejection. You are likely to have to meet demands for
recipe change and price variations may also be required. Above all, the buying power of the supermarkets will put extreme
pressure on your prices and is likely to result in small profit margins. Equally important is the likely pressure to make cakes
to be sold under the supermarkets’ own label brands. Again the pressure on costs is likely to be intense and there is no
opportunity to develop your brand. Getting space on the supermarket shelves is likely to be expensive – you may be under
pressure to reduce prices to support in-store promotions. Also, the power of electronic point-of-sale equipment means that
underperforming products are soon deleted from the product list and removed from the shelves. Overall this is a high
volume/low margin market entry and getting your product accepted may take considerable time and effort.
Catering market
Here, typically, supplying catering wholesalers who in turn supply catering establishments. Volumes are likely to be
significant, with large bulk orders being placed. The product range is likely to be less extensive than with the other two
markets and there will be less need to offer recipe variations. This market is likely to be less quality conscious provided the
cakes meet the demands of the caterers. There is less pressure to produce cakes under the caterer’s own brand and therefore
the opportunity to build your own brand. Barriers to entry would be relatively low with the caterers having little brand or supply
loyalty. Batches of cakes are likely to be large with lower production costs as a result. Distribution costs are also likely to
benefit from delivery to a few large wholesalers.
The downside of supplying this market segment is meeting the particular demands of the caterers – they may be more
interested in products that can be stored as opposed to being fresh. As wholesalers operate on narrow margins, there will be
pressure on prices. The volume demands will also place pressure on your ability to deliver the right sort of cakes from the
limited capacity at your disposal. Also, having your brand associated with a mass catering market with its modest reputation
for quality may limit your ability to move the brand into higher quality segments of the market.
From the above analysis you can see that each distribution channel has particular demands. It is unlikely that in starting your
business you will be able to supply all three outlets. It is important that you choose your distribution policy carefully with a
view to where you want to be in the future. Each route to market will have a significant impact on the whole of the companyand place different demands on you.

正确答案：
(b) An environmental report allows an organisation to communicate with different stakeholders. The benefits of an environmental
report include:
(i) evaluating environmental performance can highlight inefficiencies in operations and help to improve management
systems. Beth could identify opportunities to reduce resource use, waste and operating costs.
(ii) communicating the efforts being made to improve social and environmental performance can foster community support
for a business and can also contribute towards its reputation as a good corporate citizen. At present Beth has a poor
reputation in this regard.
(iii) reporting efforts to improve the organisation’s environmental, social and economic performance can lead to increased
consumer confidence in its products and services.
(iv) commitment to reporting on current impacts and identifying ways to improve environmental performance can improve
relationships with regulators, and could reduce the potential threat of litigation which is hanging over Beth.
(v) investors, financial analysts and brokers increasingly ask about the sustainability aspects of operations. A high quality
report shows the measures the organisation is taking to reduce risks, and will make Beth more attractive to investors.
(vi) disclosing the organisation’s environmental, social and economic best practices can give a competitive market edge.
Currently Beth’s corporate image is poor and this has partly contributed to its poor stock market performance.
(vii) the international trend towards improved corporate sustainability is growing and access to international markets will
require increasing transparency, and this will help Beth’s corporate image.
(viii) large organisations are increasingly requiring material and service suppliers and contractors to submit performance
information to satisfy the expectations of their own shareholders. Disclosing such information can make the company a
more attractive supplier than their competitors, and increase Beth’s market share.
It is important to ensure that the policies are robust and effective and not just compliance based.

正确答案：
(c) Absolutism and relativism
Absolutism and relativism represent two extreme positions of ethical assumptions.
Definitions
An absolutist assumption is one that believes that there are ‘eternal’ rules that should guide all ethical and moral decision
making in all situations. Accordingly, in any given situation, there is likely to be one right course of action regardless of the
outcome. An absolutist believes that this should be chosen regardless of the consequences or the cost. A dogmatic approach
to morality is an example of an absolutist approach to ethics. A dogmatic assumption is one that is accepted without
discussion or debate.
Relativist assumptions are ‘situational’ in nature. Rather than arguing that there is a single right choice, a relativist will tend
to adopt a pragmatic approach and decide, in the light of the situation being considered, which is the best outcome. This will
involve a decision on what outcome is the most favourable and that is a matter of personal judgment.
Outcomes
If Anne were to adopt absolutist/dogmatic assumptions, she would be likely to decide that she would need to pursue what
she perceives is the right course of action regardless of cost to herself or the relationship with the client or her manager. Given
that she unearthed a suspect and unaccounted-for payment, and that she received an inadequate explanation from the client,
she would probably recommend extension to the audit beyond the weekend.
If Ann were to adopt relativist or pragmatic assumptions, she would have a potentially much more complicated decision to
make. She would have to decide whether it was more important, ethically, to yield to the pressure from Zachary in the
interests of her short-term career interests or ‘hold out’ to protect the interests of the shareholders. Anne could recommend
sign off and trust the FD’s explanation but she is more likely to seek further evidence or assurance from the company before
she does so.