2019年ACCA考试《审计与认证业务(基础阶段)》章节练习(2019-03-15)

发布时间:2019-03-15


Question:

In relation to the TORT OF NEGLIGENCE, explain:

A.the standard of care owed by one person to another;

B.remoteness of damage.

 


下面小编为大家准备了 ACCA考试 的相关考题,供大家学习参考。

(b) Anne is experiencing some tension due to the conflict between her duties and responsibilities as an employee of

Fillmore Pierce and as a qualified professional accountant.

Required:

(i) Compare and contrast her duties and responsibilities in the two roles of employee and professional

accountant. (6 marks)

正确答案:
(b) (i) Contrasting roles
Joint professional and organisational roles are common to most professionals (medical professionals, for example).
Although the roles are rarely in conflict, in most cases it is assumed that any professional’s primary duty is to the public
interest rather than the organisation.
Organisational role
As a member of the staff of Fillmore Pierce, Anne is a part of the hierarchy of an organisation and answerable to her
seniors. This means that under normal circumstances, she should comply with the requirements of her seniors. As an
employee, Anne is ultimately accountable to the principals of the organisation (the partners in an audit firm or the
shareholders in a company), and, she is subject to the cultural norms and reasonable expectations of work-group
membership. It is expected that her behaviour at work will conform. to the social and cultural norms of the organisation
and that she will be efficient and hard working in her job.
Professional role
As an accountant, Anne is obliged to maintain the high professional and ethical standards of her profession. If her
profession is underpinned by an ethical or professional code, she will need to comply with that in full. She needs to
manage herself and co-ordinate her activities so as to meet professional standards. In this, she needs to ensure that she
informs herself in current developments in her field and undertakes continuing professional development as required by
her professional accounting body. She is and will remain accountable to her professional body in terms of continued
registration and professional behaviour. In many cases, this accountability will be more important than an accountability
to a given employer as it is the membership of the professional body that validates Anne’s professional skills.

3 Mark Howe, Managing Director of Auto Direct, is a victim of his own success. Mark has created an innovative way

of selling cars to the public which takes advantage of the greater freedom given to independent car distributors to

market cars more aggressively within the European Union. This reduces the traditional control and interference of the

automobile manufacturers, some of whom own their distributors. He has opened a number of showrooms in the

London region and by 2004 Auto Direct had 20 outlets in and around London. The concept is deceptively simple;

Mark buys cars from wherever he can source them most cheaply and has access to all of the leading volume car

models. He then concentrates on selling the cars to the public, leaving servicing and repair work to other specialist

garages. He offers a classic high volume/low margin business model.

Mark now wants to develop this business model onto a national and eventually an international basis. His immediate

plans are to grow the number of outlets by 50% each year for the next three years. Such growth will place

considerable strain on the existing organisation and staff. Each showroom has its own management team, sales

personnel and administration. Currently the 20 showrooms are grouped into a Northern and Southern Sales Division

with a small head office team for each division. Auto Direct now employs 250 people.

Mark now needs to communicate the next three-year phase of the company’s ambitious growth plans to staff and is

anxious to get an understanding of staff attitudes towards the company and its growth plans. He is aware that you

are a consultant used to advising firms on the changes associated with rapid growth and the way to generate positive

staff attitudes to change.

Required:

(a) Using appropriate strategies for managing change provide Mark with a brief report on how he can best create

a positive staff response to the proposed growth plans. (12 marks)

正确答案:
(a) To: Mark Howe – Managing Director, Auto Direct
From:
Strategies to manage growth
Successfully convincing others in the firm of the need for, and nature of change is sometimes referred to as internal marketing
and in many ways when substantial change is involved may be just as vital as external marketing aimed at the customer.
Classic strategies for managing include participation, education/communication, power/coercion, manipulation and
negotiation. The preferred strategy, or combination of strategies, will be influenced by leadership style. and where on the
continuum from autocratic through to democratic the management style. rests. Participation in the change process sounds an
ideal strategy but may delay implementation of the change, require high trust levels between management and staff and
encounter resistance to proposed change. Education and communication is often argued to be a strategy used in conjunction
with another strategy. Interestingly, many studies point to communication being the key weakness when change is being
implemented. Clearly there are many choices as to how to educate and communicate and choosing the right strategy for the
right situation is by no means easy. The level of change at Auto Direct may be seen as a quantum change in that it affects
all parts of the organisation and you should be aware of the complex linkages between these parts. Power/coercion may be
needed if the change planned needs to be implemented quickly as in crisis situations, when the survival of the organisation
may be at stake. Such an approach may alienate the staff and have a number of unanticipated and unfortunate
consequences. Manipulation, as its name implies, may have many negative consequences and reflects the power of the
management to implement change. Finally, negotiation is a traditional way of seeking to resolve differences between different
groups, each with its own goals and objectives. Again issues of time, trust and resistance may affect the effectiveness of this
strategy.
Many other change management models are available to help you overcome resistance to change including Lewin’s threestep
change and force field analysis and the Gemini 4Rs framework. The Gemini model aims at the sort of transformation
required by the scope and pace of the proposed growth strategy, where the reframing step communicates the vision, the need
for involvement and measures of successful change and the renewal step aligns the individual’s skills and competences withthe organisation’s needs in order to implement the change strategy.
I trust this overview of strategies for managing change is helpful.

(b) You are an audit manager with specific responsibility for reviewing other information in documents containing

audited financial statements before your firm’s auditor’s report is signed. The financial statements of Hegas, a

privately-owned civil engineering company, show total assets of $120 million, revenue of $261 million, and profit

before tax of $9·2 million for the year ended 31 March 2005. Your review of the Annual Report has revealed

the following:

(i) The statement of changes in equity includes $4·5 million under a separate heading of ‘miscellaneous item’

which is described as ‘other difference not recognized in income’. There is no further reference to this

amount or ‘other difference’ elsewhere in the financial statements. However, the Management Report, which

is required by statute, is not audited. It discloses that ‘changes in shareholders’ equity not recognized in

income includes $4·5 million arising on the revaluation of investment properties’.

The notes to the financial statements state that the company has implemented IAS 40 ‘Investment Property’

for the first time in the year to 31 March 2005 and also that ‘the adoption of this standard did not have a

significant impact on Hegas’s financial position or its results of operations during 2005’.

(ii) The chairman’s statement asserts ‘Hegas has now achieved a position as one of the world’s largest

generators of hydro-electricity, with a dedicated commitment to accountable ethical professionalism’. Audit

working papers show that 14% of revenue was derived from hydro-electricity (2004: 12%). Publicly

available information shows that there are seven international suppliers of hydro-electricity in Africa alone,

which are all at least three times the size of Hegas in terms of both annual turnover and population supplied.

Required:

Identify and comment on the implications of the above matters for the auditor’s report on the financial

statements of Hegas for the year ended 31 March 2005. (10 marks)

正确答案:
(b) Implications for the auditor’s report
(i) Management Report
■ $4·5 million represents 3·75% of total assets, 1·7% of revenue and 48·9% profit before tax. As this is material
by any criteria (exceeding all of 2% of total assets, 1/2% revenue and 5% PBT), the specific disclosure requirements
of IASs need to be met (IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’).
■ The Management Report discloses the amount and the reason for a material change in equity whereas the financial
statements do not show the reason for the change and suggest that it is immaterial. As the increase in equity
attributable to this adjustment is nearly half as much as that attributable to PBT there is a material inconsistency
between the Management Report and the audited financial statements.
■ Amendment to the Management Report is not required.
Tutorial note: Marks will be awarded for arguing, alternatively, that the Management Report disclosure needs to
be amended to clarify that the revaluation arises from the first time implementation.
■ Amendment to the financial statements is required because the disclosure is:
– incorrect – as, on first adoption of IAS 40, the fair value adjustment should be against the opening balance
of retained earnings; and
– inadequate – because it is being ‘supplemented’ by additional disclosure in a document which is not within
the scope of the audit of financial statements.
■ Whilst it is true that the adoption of IAS 40 did not have a significant impact on results of operations, Hegas’s
financial position has increased by nearly 4% in respect of the revaluation (to fair value) of just one asset category
(investment properties). As this is significant, the statement in the notes should be redrafted.
■ If the financial statements are not amended, the auditor’s report should be qualified ‘except for’ on grounds of
disagreement (non-compliance with IAS 40) as the matter is material but not pervasive. Additional disclosure
should also be given (e.g. that the ‘other difference’ is a fair value adjustment).
■ However, it is likely that when faced with the prospect of a qualified auditor’s report Hegas’s management will
rectify the financial statements so that an unmodified auditor’s report can be issued.
Tutorial note: Marks will be awarded for other relevant points e.g. citing IAS 8 ‘Accounting Policies, Changes in
Accounting Estimates and Errors’.
(ii) Chairman’s statement
Tutorial note: Hegas is privately-owned therefore IAS 14 ‘Segment Reporting’ does not apply and the proportion of
revenue attributable to hydro-electricity will not be required to be disclosed in the financial statements. However, credit
will be awarded for discussing the implications for the auditor’s report if it is regarded as a material inconsistency on
the assumption that segment revenue (or similar) is reported in the financial statements.
■ The assertion in the chairman’s statement, which does not fall within the scope of the audit of the financial
statements, claims two things, namely that the company:
(1) is ‘one of the world’s largest generators of hydro-electricity’; and
(2) has ‘a dedicated commitment to accountable ethical professionalism’.
■ To the extent that this information does not relate to matters disclosed in the financial statements it may give rise
to a material misstatement of fact. In particular, the first statement presents a misleading impression of the
company’s size. In misleading a user of the financial statements with this statement, the second statement is not
true (as it is not ethical or professional to mislead the reader and potentially undermine the credibility of the
financial statements).
■ The first statement is a material misstatement of fact because, for example:
– the company is privately-owned, and publicly-owned international/multi-nationals are larger;
– the company’s main activity is civil engineering not electricity generation (only 14% of revenue is derived from
HEP);
– as the company ranks at best eighth against African companies alone it ranks much lower globally.
■ Hegas should be asked to reconsider the wording of the chairman’s statement (i.e. removing these assertions) and
consult, as necessary, the company’s legal advisor.
■ If the statement is not changed there will be no grounds for qualification of the opinion on the audited financial
statements. The audit firm should therefore take legal advice on how the matter should be reported.
■ However, an emphasis of matter paragraph may be used to report on matters other than those affecting the audited
financial statements. For example, to explain the misstatement of fact if management refuses to make the
amendment.
Tutorial note: Marks will also be awarded for relevant comments about the chairman’s statement being perceived by
many readers to be subject to audit and therefore that the unfounded statement might undermine the credibility of the
financial statements. Shareholders tend to rely on the chairman’s statement, even though it is not regulated or audited,
because modern financial statements are so complex.

2 Helen Bradshaw, a recent graduate with a degree in catering management, has spotted a market opportunity during

her first job with a large supermarket chain. She knows there is a growing market for distinctive, quality cakes in the

bakery sections of the supermarket chains, as well as in supplying independent individual premium cake shops, and

also for catering wholesalers supplying restaurants and hotels.

Helen is very determined to set up her own business under the brand name of ‘Helen’s cakes’, and has bought some

equipment – industrial food mixers, ovens, cake moulds – and also rented a small industrial unit to make the cakes.

Helen has created three sets of recipes – one for the premium cake shop market, one for the supermarkets and one

for the catering wholesalers but is uncertain which market to enter first. Each channel of distribution offers a different

set of challenges. The premium cake shop market consists of a large number of independent cake shops spread

through the region, each looking for daily deliveries, a wide product range and low volumes. The supermarkets are

demanding good quality, competitive prices and early development of a product range under their own brand name.

The catering wholesalers require large volumes, medium quality and low prices.

Helen has learnt that you are a consultant specialising in start-up enterprises and is looking to you for advice.

Required:

(a) Acting as a consultant, prepare a short report for Helen advising her on the advantages and disadvantages

each channel offers and the implications for a successful start-up. (12 marks)

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.

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