2020年浙江省ACCA国际会计师报名费要多少钱？

正确答案：
(a) To: Joe Lawson, Managing Director, Lawson Engineering
From:
Business case for financial support
The treatment of intangible resources is an area of considerable concern to the financial community and in many ways the
situation that Lawson Engineering finds itself, is typical of the current confusion surrounding the value placed on intangible
resources. This in turn reflects a traditional concern that the strategic health and the financial health of a business are not
one and the same thing. Intangible resources cover a wide variety of assets and skills found in the business. These include
the intellectual property rights of patents; brands; trademarks; trade secrets etc through to people-determined assets such as
know-how; internal and external networks; organisational culture and the reputation of the company.
It is important for you to present a case which shows how the investment in intangible resources is just as important a source
of value creation for the customer as is investment in tangible assets such as plant and finance which are traditionally focused
on in financial statements of the firm’s well being. As one source expresses it, ‘for most companies, intangible resources
contribute much more to total asset value’. Kaplan and Norton in a 2004 article on intangible assets go further and argue
that ‘measuring the value of such intangible assets is the holy grail of accounting’. The increasing importance of service
businesses and service activities in the firm’s value chain compound the problems faced in getting a true reflection of the
firm’s ability to create value. One view is that the key value creation activity lies in the relationships a firm has with its key
stakeholders – its customers, suppliers and employees. These relationships develop into distinctive capabilities, defined as
‘something it can do that its competitors cannot’. These distinctive capabilities only become competitive advantage(s) when
the capability is applied to a relevant market. Firms attain a sustainable competitive advantage when they consistently
produce products or services with attributes that align with the key buying criteria for the majority of customers in the chosen
market.
Competitive advantage, to be strategically significant, must have the twin virtues of sustainability and appropriability.
Sustainability means the ability to sustain an advantage over a period of time. Fairly obviously, assets such as plant and
technology may be easily obtainable in the open market, however it is only when they are combined with less tangible
resources that advantages become sustainable over time because competitors cannot easily copy them. Equally significant
are intangible resources such as reputation and organisational culture in that they influence the firm’s ability to hold on to
or appropriate some of the value it creates. If other stakeholders both inside and outside the firm are able to take more than
their fair share of value created – for example customers forcing down prices or employees demanding excessive wage
increases – this will reduce the funds available for the firm to invest in further development of its intangible resources, and
as a consequence begin to weaken its competitive advantage.

Essentially, intangible resources can be separated into those capabilities that are based on assets and those that are based
on skills. As one source puts it asset based advantages are derived from ‘having’ a particular asset and skills based advantages
stem from the ability to be ‘doing’ things competitors are unable to do. Assets are those things that the firms ‘owns’ – the
intellectual property as embodied in patents, trademarks and associated brands, copyrights, recognised by law and
defendable against copying under that law. It is worth noting the effort and investment that many companies are putting into
defending their intellectual property against the threat of copying and piracy. A more recent asset that many firms spend
considerable time and effort in developing are databases on key activities in the firm’s value chain – customer databases are
only one of the possible sources of firm information and know-how. One of the most prized intangible assets is that of the
firm’s reputation which may reflect the power of the brands it has created. Reputation may be easier to maintain than create
and meets the key tests of sustainability. The capability to produce innovation consistently may be instrumental in creating
in the minds of customers the longer-term competitive advantage of reputation. Reputation is argued to represent the
knowledge and emotions the customer may associate with a firm’s product range and can therefore be a major factor in
securing the competitive advantage derived through effective differentiation.
A positive organisational culture, staff know-how and networks are equally important intangible sources of competitive
advantage. These by their very nature may be more dynamic than asset based intangibles and the know-how of employees
in particular is an intangible resource that results in the distinctive capabilities which differentiate the firm from its competitors.
Much has been written about the significance of organisational culture and the way it reflects the style. of top management,
the ‘can do’ culture of Lawson Engineering clearly creates a competitive advantage. One interesting study of how chief
executive officers rate their intangible resources in terms of their contribution to the overall success of the business showed
that company reputation, product reputation and employee know-how were the most highly regarded intangible resources.
Hamel and Prahalad argue that core competences rather than market position are the real source of competitive advantage.
They gave three tests to identify a core competence – firstly the competence should provide potential access to a wide variety
of markets and thus be capable of being leveraged to good effect, secondly, it should be relevant to the customer’s key buying
criteria and thirdly, it should be difficult for competitors to imitate.
The disadvantages of intangibles stem from the differing value placed on such assets and competences by the various
interested stakeholders. How should a company’s reputation be measured? How long will that reputation yield competitive
advantage, particularly in view of how swiftly such reputations can disappear? It seems likely that the financial markets with
their ability to reflect all knowledge and information about the firm in its share price increasingly will take the contribution of
intangibles into account.
Overall the case should be clearly made that the strengths of the company rests in its unique combination of intangible
resources and the capabilities – both internal and external – that it has. Financial health is not always the same as strategichealth and by any objective measure Lawson Engineering is worthy of support.
Yours,
Strategy consultant

正确答案：
(c) The benefits of an activity-based system as the basis for product cost/profit estimation may not be straightforward. A number
of problems may be identified.
The selection of relevant activities and cost drivers may be complicated where there are many activities and cost drivers in
complex business situations.
There may be difficulty in the collection of data to enable accurate cost driver rates to be calculated. This is also likely to
require an extensive data collection and analysis system.
The problem of ‘cost driver denominator level’ may also prove difficult. This is similar to the problem in a traditional volume
related system. This is linked to the problem of fixed/variable cost analysis. For example the cost per batch may be fixed. Its
impact may be reduced, however, where the batch size can be increased without a proportionate increase in cost.
The achievement of the required level of management skill and commitment to change may also detract from the
implementation of the new system. Management may feel that the activity based approach contains too many assumptions
and estimates about activities and cost drivers. There may be doubt as to the degree of increased accuracy which it provides.
(alternative relevant examples and discussion would be acceptable)

正确答案：
(b) Jones and Cousin, a public quoted company
Annual Report 2006
Management Commentary
(i) Introduction
Jones and Cousin is a global company engaged in the medical products sector. This report provides information to assist
the assessment of strategies adopted by the company and the future potential of those strategies.
Principal risks and relationships
Trends:
Expenditure in the medical sector is often controlled by governments and is, therefore, affected by government policy.
Thus the Group is largely dependent on governments providing funds for health care. Product innovation and the
resultant increase in competition could lead to downward pressure on the price of goods and a decline in the Group’s
market share which could affect the operational results and hinder the growth of the Group.
Currency fluctuations:
The Group reports its results using the dollar as its functional currency. As there is only five per cent of the business in
the country of incorporation, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material effect on the Group. If the exchange
rate of the dollar strengthens against the Dinar and Euro, then group turnover and operating profit would be lower on
translation into dollars. As the manufacturing base is worldwide, the finished products when sold to the Group’s selling
operations could expose the Group to fluctuations in exchange rates.
Product liability claims and loss of reputation:
Although the products are not inherently high risk, there is a possibility of malfunction which could entail risk of product
liability claims or recalls on the product. Both these events could be costly and harmful to the Group’s reputation which
is dependent upon product safety. Any product liability claims or product recalls would have a negative effect on cash
flow and profit, and are likely to adversely affect sales of the product.
Highly Competitive markets:
The principal business units compete across many diverse geographic and product markets. Technical advances and
product innovations by competitors could adversely affect the operating results. Some of the Group’s competitors could
have greater resources and may be able to sell products on more competitive terms. If the Group were to lose market
share or have lower than expected sales growth, there could be an adverse impact on the Group’s share price and future
strategies.
Patents and Products;
The Group protects its intellectual rights in its products and opposes third parties where there is a conflict with the
group’s patents. The Group may itself be subject to patent infringement claims. If the Group failed to protect its position,
its competitive position could suffer and operating results be harmed. Similarly if any claims are successful then damages
may have to be paid, or non patent infringing products developed, both of which would adversely affect results.
Product innovations will occur constantly in the sector and, therefore, the Group has to continually develop products to
satisfy consumer needs and to provide cost and other advantages. Not all products will be brought to the market for
several reasons, including failure to receive regulatory approval or infringement of patents. Thus there is a significant
cost implication in the research and development of products. However, if new products do not remain competitive with
competitors’ products, then Group sales revenue could decline.
Relationships:
The Group has developed a set of corporate social responsibility principles which is the responsibility of the Board of
Directors, and the Managing Director in particular. The Group contributes to the treatment and recovery of patients within
its product range by providing solutions to health care needs. Although having a relatively minor impact on the
environment compared to some companies, any obsolete products are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way
so as not to potentially compromise the health of its customers. Reusable materials are used in the manufacture of
products.
The Group fosters ethical relationships with its suppliers and encourages them to share the same social and
environmental standards. In this way a long term relationship is expected to be developed with suppliers.
The Group’s employment policies are based on equality of opportunity and the performance standards and goals are
communicated to the employees. Jones and Cousin is committed to the provision of continuous training and
development and open communication with its employees. Additionally the group encourages its subsidiaries to reinvestprofits in local educational projects.

正确答案：
(c) Forensic accounting is where an assurance provider investigates a specific issue, often with a legal consequence, such as a
suspected fraud. Specifically it is the process of gathering, analysing and reporting on data for the purpose of finding facts
and/or evidence in the context of financial/legal disputes and/or irregularities. The forensic accountant will also give
preventative advice based on evidence gathered. This advice is based usually on recommendations to improve the internal
control systems to prevent and detect fraud.
The relevance here is that Webb & Co are likely to be asked to provide a forensic accounting service to Mulligan Co.
The investigation will consider two issues – firstly whether the fraud actually happened, and secondly, if a fraud has taken
place, the financial value of the fraud. The investigation should determine who has perpetrated the fraud, and collect evidence
to help prosecute those involved in the deception.
In this case the suspicion that inventory is being stolen should be investigated, as there could be other reasons for the
discrepancy found in the inventory records. For example, the discrepancy could be caused by:
– Obsolete or damaged inventory thrown away but not eliminated from the inventory records
– Despatches from the warehouse not recorded in the inventory management system
– Incoming inventory being recorded incorrectly (e.g. recorded twice in the inventory management system)
– Inventory being held at a separate location and therefore not included in the count.
If it is found that thefts have taken place, then the forensic accountant should gather evidence to:
– Prove the identity of the persons involved
– Quantify the value of inventory taken.
The evidence gathered could be used to start criminal proceedings against those found to have been involved in the fraud.