2020年ACCA国际会计师考试时间是如何安排的？

正确答案：
(b) Principal audit work – useful life of rig platforms
Tutorial notes: The platforms are just one item of each rig. Candidates should not be awarded marks here for the matters
to be considered in the assessment of useful lives (since this is illustrated in the scenario). No marks will be awarded for
criticising management for estimating useful lives on a per platform. basis or for audit work on depreciation charges/carrying
amounts unrelated to the determination of useful lives.
■ Review of management’s annual assessment of the useful life of each rig at 31 December 2005 and corroboration of
any information that has led to a change in previous estimates. For example, for the abandoned rig, where useful life
has been assessed to be at an end, obtain:
? weather reports;
? incident report supported by photographs;
? insurance claim, etc.
■ Consider management’s past experience and expertise in estimating useful lives. For example, if all lives initially
assessed as short (c. 15 years) are subsequently lengthened (or long lives consistently shortened) this would suggest
that management is being over (under) prudent in its initial estimates.
■ Review of industry comparatives as published in the annual reports of other oil producers.
■ Comparison of actual maintenance costs against budgeted to confirm that the investment needed in maintenance, to
achieve expected life expectancy, is being made.
■ Comparison of actual output (oil extracted) against budgeted. If actual output is less than budgeted the economic life
of the platform. may be:
? shorter (e.g. because there is less oil to be extracted than originally surveyed); or
? longer (e.g. because the rate of extraction is less than budgeted).
Tutorial note: An increase in actual output can be explained conversely.
■ A review of the results of management’s impairment testing of each rig (i.e. the cash-generating unit of which each
platform. is a part).
■ Recalculations of cash flow projections (based on reasonable and supportable assumptions) discounted at a suitable
pre-tax rate.
Tutorial note: As the rigs will not have readily determinable net selling prices (each one being unique and not available
for sale) any impairment will be assessed by a comparison of value in use against carrying amount.
■ Review of working papers of geologist/quantity surveyor(s) employed by Shire supporting estimations of reserves used
in the determination of useful lives of rigs.

正确答案：
(a) Quality
Quality has become an increasingly important issue in organisations. For some companies it is an important differentiator,
allowing the organisation to pursue a high price/high quality strategy. For other organisations, such as UPC, the quality
threshold requirements for their products have increased significantly over the last few years. Customers have increased
expectations of product construction, longevity and reliability. Quality is rarely absolute; and it is usually constrained by such
factors as selling price. This particularly applies in UPC’s market where it is likely that the quality of the product is limited by
the relatively low price consumers are willing to pay for it. Quality concerns how a product meets its designed purpose and
satisfies its original requirements. The target selling price is likely to be one of those requirements.
At UPC quality appears to be defined in terms of the physical condition of the products (no breakages, cracks or chips) and
in the accurate positioning of the printed image on the product. These are the reasons given by the UPC management for
setting up the inspection team. However, this perception of quality would have to be confirmed by the customer. It may be
that other issues, such as the density of the printed image, are also important to the customer but have not yet been fed back
to UPC.
Many definitions of quality include references to the customer. They stress meeting the requirements of the customer or user
of the product. UPC might benefit from re-considering who it perceives to be the customer. Their current perception appears
to be that the customer is the gift shop that sells the product. It is not the ultimate person or consumer who buys the product
from the shop and uses it. For this consumer, other issues may be significant such as:
– The ability to wash the item in a dishwasher.
– The long-term safety of the product, for example: the handle does not break off a cup and spill its content on the drinker.
– The long-term clarity of the image on the item after many washes.
Investigating the issue of quality from the perspective of the consumer may identify other problems that need addressing.
Finally, quality has to be considered in the context of responsibility. UPC currently uses a courier company to deliver its
products to the gift shops. This means that freedom from breakage is only partly under UPC’s control. The delivery condition
of products is partly determined by the care with which the courier company handles the package. Hence delivery quality
depends on courier performance as well as on packaging care. In contrast, the quality of the printed image on the item is
completely within the control of UPC.
Quality control
Quality Control (QC) is primarily concerned with checking and reviewing work that has been done. It is an inspection system
for ensuring that pre-determined quality standards are being met. In theory, the responsibility for the control of quality lies
with the person undertaking the process, whether it is the production of goods, delivery of a service or the passing of
information. QC is the part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements.
In many quality control systems, sample products are removed and inspected. Defects in these sampled products may lead
to the whole batch being inspected and defective items destroyed. This is essentially the role of the inspection team at UPC,
where 1 in 20 packed packages are inspected for accuracy of printing and correctness of packing. Incorrect packing in a
sampled package will lead to the inspection (and potential re-packing) of all packages packed by that employee. Failure in
the accuracy of the printed image is likely to lead to the destruction of the whole batch, and the re-setting of the production
imaging machine to address the positional inaccuracy of the image. It has to be stressed that, in this instance, quality control
is a sampling activity and so it is very likely that defective batches will get through to the customer. To criticise the inspection
unit for failing to find defective batches (‘the quality inspection team is just not working’) fails to recognise the sampling nature
of the role.

In the context of UPC there are at least three further factors that inhibit effective quality control.
– The quality control of the positioning of the image takes place too late in the process. It should take place before packing,
not after it. Valuable packing time and materials can be wasted by packing items with defective images which are found
when the package is inspected.
– The reward system for packers is based on the throughput of packages rather than the quality of packing. In the past
many manufacturing organisations have valued productivity more than quality and reflected this in their reward system.
This is the case at UPC where faults in packing are not reflected in the reward system of the packers. In fact, the very
opposite appears to be true. Packers are incentivised to pack quickly, not effectively. Beckford suggests that ‘a major
barrier to quality may be built into the reward system of the organisation’.
– There is evidence that the inspection team has participated in the achievement of the required throughput targets by
passing packages that did not meet the required quality. This is clearly giving the wrong message, but the inspection
team is only reflecting the need for the company to meet certain deadlines.
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance (QA) is the part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be
fulfilled. It may be defined as a set of procedures designed to ensure that quality standards and processes are adhered to and
that the final product meets or exceeds the required technical and performance requirements. Quality assurance covers
activities such as product design, development, production, installation and servicing. It also sets the pre-determined
standards required for effective quality control. If quality control is primarily concerned with detecting defective products, then
quality assurance is primarily about the prevention of quality problems through planned and systematic activities.
There is little evidence of quality assurance at UPC. However, the company may wish to consider:
– Setting quality targets and delegating responsibility for achieving those targets to the people who are meant to achieve
them. In UPC it would be preferable to give responsibility for product quality to the employees who actually make the
products and to reflect this in their reward structure. One of the roles of QA is to enable quality improvement initiatives.
A possible initiative is to investigate the purchasing of imaging machines (or adopting the current ones) with a facility
to automatically assess the accuracy of the image before printing. If the image falls outside certain tolerances then it
may be feasible for the machine to automatically adjust it before printing. If these machines were installed, it would be
the responsibility of QA to ensure that they were calibrated correctly and to verify that every product had undergone the
necessary check.
– QA also offers quality advice and expertise and trains employees in quality matters. They would set standards for
materials used in packing and establish systems for monitoring raw materials sent by suppliers to ensure that these
standards were met. It may also be possible to improve how items are physically laid out in the package to reduce the
chance of damage. The internal layout of the packages may be constructed in such a way that they only allow products
to be packed in a prescribed pattern. QA would be involved in defining that prescribed pattern and training packers to
use it – as well as subsequently monitoring that the prescribed pattern had been followed.
– The increased importance of quality means that many customers now demand some proof that the supplier is capable
of consistently producing quality products. This proof is part of the ‘confidence’ factor of QA and may be demonstrated
by a third party certification, such as ISO 9000. Certification helps show the customer that the supplier has a
commitment to consistently supplying a quality product. QA will be concerned with gaining and maintaining such
certification and this should assist the company in securing and retaining contracts.
At UPC the current inspection team is focused on QC. The responsibility for this should be moved to the production process
itself or to the people who actually undertake that process. The inspection team could then focus on QA, setting standards
for quality, establishing how those standards should be monitored, and then ensuring that such monitoring is being
performed. In making this transition, the company will move to a culture of attempting to prevent faults rather than relyingsolely on detecting them.

正确答案：
(b) The relative performance of GBC and TTC is difficult to assess due to the following:
(i) They would appear to have differing objectives. GBC provides free transport for senior citizens and charges lower fares
than TTC. GBC also uses environmentally friendly fuel. Each of these factors inhibits a direct comparison of the two
organisations.
(ii) The organisations are funded differently. It is evident that TTC uses loan finance to fund operations which gives rise to
interest charges which are not incurred by GBC. On the other hand GBC is funded by the government.
(iii) TTC has higher fixed asset values which precipitate much higher depreciation charges.
(iv) There is also a lack of non-financial performance indicators such as the number of on-time arrivals, number of accidents,
complaints re passenger dissatisfaction, staff turnover, adherence to relevant legislation, convenience of pick-up/drop-off
points etc.
The following items of additional information would assist in assessing the financial and operating performance of the two
companies:
(1) The number of staff employed by each organisation would assist in the assessment of the financial and operating
performance. Ratios such as revenue generated per employee and operating costs per employee might provide useful
comparators of financial and operating efficiency.
(2) Safety and accident records of each organisation would give an indication of the reliability and safety afforded to
passengers by each organisation. Passenger safety is of paramount importance to all passenger transport businesses.
(3) Records of late/cancelled buses together with the number of complaints received from the passengers would provide an
indication of the efficiency of the service provided by each organisation.
(4) The accessibility of the services, location of pick-up/drop-off points would provide an indication of the flexibility of service
delivery provided by each organisation.
(5) The comfort, cleanliness and age of the respective bus fleets would provide a further indication of the level of service
quality provided by each organisation.
(6) The fuel emission levels of the buses operated by each organisation would provide an indication of the extent of their
‘social responsibility’.
Notes: (i) Only three items of additional information were required.
(ii) Alternative relevant discussion and examples would be acceptable.

正确答案：
(c) As the trust is created in the settlors’ (Paul and Sharon’s) lifetime its creation will constitute a chargeable disposal for capital
gains tax. Also, as the settlors and trustees are connected persons, the disposal will be deemed to be at market value, resulting
in a chargeable gain of ￡80,000 (160,000 – 80,000). No taper relief will be available as the property is a non-business
asset, and has been held for less than three years, but annual exemptions of ￡17,000 (2 x ￡8,500) will be available.
However, in the case of a discretionary trust, gift hold over relief will be available. This is because the gift will constitute a
chargeable lifetime transfer and because there is an immediate charge to inheritance tax (even though no tax is payable due
to the nil rate band) relief is available if a specific accumulation and maintenance trust is used, as in this case the gift will
qualify as a potentially exempt transfer and so gift relief would only be available in respect of business assets. The use of a
basic discretionary trust will thus facilitate the deferral of an immediate capital gains tax charge of ￡25,200 (63,000 x 40%).
If/when the property is disposed of, however, the trustees will pay capital gains tax on the deferred gain at the trust income
tax rate of 40%, and have an annual exemption of only ￡4,250 (50% of the normal individual rate) available to them. The
40% rate of tax and lower annual exemption rate also apply to chargeable gains arising in a specific accumulation and
maintenance trust, as well as a basic discretionary trust.
A chargeable disposal between connected persons will also arise for the purposes of capital gains tax if/when the property
vests in a beneficiary, i.e. one or more of the beneficiaries becomes absolutely entitled to all or part of the income or capital
of the trust. Gift hold over relief will again be available on all assets in the case of a discretionary trust, but only on business
assets in the case of an accumulation and maintenance trust, except where a beneficiary becomes entitled to both income
and capital at the same time.
The trust will have taxable property income in the form. of net rents from its creation and in future years is also likely to have
other investment income, probably in the form. of interest, to the extent that monies are retained in the trust. Whichever form
of trust is used, the trustees will pay tax at the standard trust rate of 40% on income other than dividend income (32·5%),
except to the extent of (1) the first ￡500 of taxable income, which is taxed at the rate that would otherwise apply to such
income (i.e. 22% for non-savings (rental) income, 20% for savings income (interest) and 10% for dividends) but, only to the
extent that it is not distributed; and (2) the legitimate trust management expenses, which are offsettable for the purposes of
the higher trust tax rates against the income with the lowest rate(s) of normal tax and so bear tax only at that rate. The higher
trust tax rate always applies to income that is distributed, other than to the extent that it has been treated as the settlor’s
income, and taxed at that settlor’s marginal tax rate.
As Paul and Sharon intend to create a trust for their unmarried minor (under 18) children, then even if the trust specifically
excludes them from any benefit under the trust, the trust income will be treated as theirs for income tax purposes to the extent
that it constitutes income paid for on behalf (including maintenance payments) of Gisella and Gavin; except where (1) the
total income arising does not exceed ￡100 gross per annum, and (2) income is held for the benefit of a child under an
accumulation and maintenance settlement, to the extent that it is not paid out.