17 A business income statement for the year ended 31 December 2004 showed a net profit of $83,600. It was later

found that $18,000 paid for the purchase of a motor van had been debited to motor expenses account. It is the

company’s policy to depreciate motor vans at 25 per cent per year, with a full year’s charge in the year of acquisition.

What would the net profit be after adjusting for this error?

A $106,100

B $70,100

C $97,100

D $101,600

2 Ramon Silva is a Spanish property developer, who has made a considerable fortune from the increasing numbers of

Europeans looking to buy new homes and apartments in the coastal regions of Mediterranean Spain. His frequent

contact with property buyers has made him aware of their need for low cost hotel accommodation during the lengthy

period between finding a property to buy and when they actually move into their new home. These would-be property

owners are looking for inexpensive hotels in the same locations as tourists looking for cheap holiday accommodation.

Closer investigation of the market for inexpensive or budget hotel accommodation has convinced Ramon of the

opportunity to offer something really different to his potential customers. He has the advantage of having no

preconceived idea of what his chain of hotels might look like. The overall picture for the budget hotel industry is not

encouraging with the industry suffering from low growth and consequent overcapacity. There are two distinct market

segments in the budget hotel industry; firstly, no-star and one-star hotels, whose average price per room is between

30 and 45 euros. Customers are simply attracted by the low price. The second segment is the service provided by

two-star hotels with an average price of 100 euros a night. These more expensive hotels attract customers by offering

a better sleeping environment than the no-star and one-star hotels. Customers therefore have to choose between low

prices and getting a poor night’s sleep owing to noise and inferior beds or paying more for an untroubled night’s sleep.

Ramon quickly deduced that a hotel chain that can offer a better price/quality combination could be a winner.

The two-star hotels typically offer a full range of services including restaurants, bars and lounges, all of which are

costly to operate. The low price budget hotels offer simple overnight accommodation with cheaply furnished rooms

and staffed by part-time receptionists. Ramon is convinced that considerable cost savings are available through better

room design, construction and furniture and a more effective use of hotel staff. He feels that through offering hotel

franchises under the ‘La Familia Amable’ (‘The Friendly Family’) group name, he could recruit husband and wife teams

to own and operate them. The couples, with suitable training, could offer most of the services provided in a two-star

hotel, and create a friendly, family atmosphere – hence the company name. He is sure he can offer the customer twostar

hotel value at budget prices. He is confident that the value-for-money option he offers would need little marketing

promotion to launch it and achieve rapid growth.

Required:

(a) Provide Ramon with a brief report, using strategic models where appropriate, showing where his proposed

hotel service can add value to the customer’s experience. (12 marks)

(b) (i) Advise Alasdair of the tax implications and relative financial risks attached to the following property

investments:

(1) buy to let residential property;

(2) commercial property; and

(3) shares in a property investment company/unit trust. (9 marks)

(b) The chief executive of Xalam Co, an exporter of specialist equipment, has asked for advice on the accounting

treatment and disclosure of payments made for security consultancy services. The payments, which aim to

ensure that consignments are not impounded in the destination country of a major customer, may be material to

the financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2006. Xalam does not treat these payments as tax

deductible. (4 marks)

Required:

Identify and comment on the ethical and other professional issues raised by each of these matters and state what

action, if any, Dedza should now take.

NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three situations.

(c) Discuss how the manipulation of financial statements by company accountants is inconsistent with their

responsibilities as members of the accounting profession setting out the distinguishing features of a

profession and the privileges that society gives to a profession. (Your answer should include reference to the

above scenario.) (7 marks)

Note: requirement (c) includes 2 marks for the quality of the discussion.

3 Johan, a public limited company, operates in the telecommunications industry. The industry is capital intensive with

heavy investment in licences and network infrastructure. Competition in the sector is fierce and technological

advances are a characteristic of the industry. Johan has responded to these factors by offering incentives to customers

and, in an attempt to acquire and retain them, Johan purchased a telecom licence on 1 December 2006 for

$120 million. The licence has a term of six years and cannot be used until the network assets and infrastructure are

ready for use. The related network assets and infrastructure became ready for use on 1 December 2007. Johan could

not operate in the country without the licence and is not permitted to sell the licence. Johan expects its subscriber

base to grow over the period of the licence but is disappointed with its market share for the year to 30 November

2008. The licence agreement does not deal with the renewal of the licence but there is an expectation that the

regulator will grant a single renewal for the same period of time as long as certain criteria regarding network build

quality and service quality are met. Johan has no experience of the charge that will be made by the regulator for the

renewal but other licences have been renewed at a nominal cost. The licence is currently stated at its original cost of

$120 million in the statement of financial position under non-current assets.

Johan is considering extending its network and has carried out a feasibility study during the year to 30 November

2008. The design and planning department of Johan identified five possible geographical areas for the extension of

its network. The internal costs of this study were $150,000 and the external costs were $100,000 during the year

to 30 November 2008. Following the feasibility study, Johan chose a geographical area where it was going to install

a base station for the telephone network. The location of the base station was dependent upon getting planning

permission. A further independent study has been carried out by third party consultants in an attempt to provide a

preferred location in the area, as there is a need for the optimal operation of the network in terms of signal quality

and coverage. Johan proposes to build a base station on the recommended site on which planning permission has

been obtained. The third party consultants have charged $50,000 for the study. Additionally Johan has paid

$300,000 as a single payment together with $60,000 a month to the government of the region for access to the land

upon which the base station will be situated. The contract with the government is for a period of 12 years and

commenced on 1 November 2008. There is no right of renewal of the contract and legal title to the land remains with

the government.

Johan purchases telephone handsets from a manufacturer for $200 each, and sells the handsets direct to customers

for $150 if they purchase call credit (call card) in advance on what is called a prepaid phone. The costs of selling the

handset are estimated at $1 per set. The customers using a prepaid phone pay $21 for each call card at the purchase

date. Call cards expire six months from the date of first sale. There is an average unused call credit of $3 per card

after six months and the card is activated when sold.

Johan also sells handsets to dealers for $150 and invoices the dealers for those handsets. The dealer can return the

handset up to a service contract being signed by a customer. When the customer signs a service contract, the

customer receives the handset free of charge. Johan allows the dealer a commission of $280 on the connection of a

customer and the transaction with the dealer is settled net by a payment of $130 by Johan to the dealer being the

cost of the handset to the dealer ($150) deducted from the commission ($280). The handset cannot be sold

separately by the dealer and the service contract lasts for a 12 month period. Dealers do not sell prepaid phones, and

Johan receives monthly revenue from the service contract.

The chief operating officer, a non-accountant, has asked for an explanation of the accounting principles and practices

which should be used to account for the above events.

Required:

Discuss the principles and practices which should be used in the financial year to 30 November 2008 to account

for:

(a) the licences; (8 marks)

(c) Using the information contained in Appendix 1.2, compare the performance of HLP and MAS incorporating

relevant percentage and ratio statistics under the following headings:

(i) Competitiveness; (5 marks)

1 Oliver Hoppe has been working at Hoopers and Henderson accountancy practice for eighteen months. He feels that

he fits in well, especially with his colleagues and has learnt a lot from them. However, he feels that the rules and

regulations governing everyday activities and time keeping are not clear.

Oliver does not get on well with his line manager, David Morgan. There appears to be a clash of personalities and

reluctance on David Morgan’s part to deal with the icy atmosphere between them after David was asked by one of

the accounting partners to give Oliver a job. For the past three months Oliver has gone to lunch with his fellow workers

and always returned to work with them or before them. In fact they all have returned to work about ten minutes late

on several previous occasions. After the third time, Oliver was called into David Morgan’s office and given an oral

warning about his time keeping.

Oliver was not permitted to argue his case and none of the other staff who returned late were disciplined in this way.

On the next occasion the group was late returning from lunch, David Morgan presented Oliver with a written warning

about his time keeping.

Yesterday, Oliver was five minutes late returning to work. His colleagues returned after him. David Morgan gave Oliver

notice and told him to work until the end of the week and then collect his salary, the necessary paperwork and to

leave the practice.

There is a partner responsible for human resources. Oliver has come to see the partner to discuss the grievance

procedures against David Morgan for his treatment and about what Oliver regards as unfair dismissal.

Required:

(a) Describe the six stages of a formal disciplinary procedure that an organisation such as Hoopers and

Henderson should have in place. (12 marks)

2 Traditionally, the only objective of a business was to make a profit. However, some writers have suggested that this idea is simplistic and that profitability is only one objective amongst many.

Required:

State and explain Drucker’s eight classifications of objectives.

(15 marks)

4 You are a senior manager in Becker & Co, a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants offering audit and assurance

services mainly to large, privately owned companies. The firm has suffered from increased competition, due to two

new firms of accountants setting up in the same town. Several audit clients have moved to the new firms, leading to

loss of revenue, and an over staffed audit department. Bob McEnroe, one of the partners of Becker & Co, has asked

you to consider how the firm could react to this situation. Several possibilities have been raised for your consideration:

1. Murray Co, a manufacturer of electronic equipment, is one of Becker & Co’s audit clients. You are aware that the

company has recently designed a new product, which market research indicates is likely to be very successful.

The development of the product has been a huge drain on cash resources. The managing director of Murray Co

has written to the audit engagement partner to see if Becker & Co would be interested in making an investment

in the new product. It has been suggested that Becker & Co could provide finance for the completion of the

development and the marketing of the product. The finance would be in the form. of convertible debentures.

Alternatively, a joint venture company in which control is shared between Murray Co and Becker & Co could be

established to manufacture, market and distribute the new product.

2. Becker & Co is considering expanding the provision of non-audit services. Ingrid Sharapova, a senior manager in

Becker & Co, has suggested that the firm could offer a recruitment advisory service to clients, specialising in the

recruitment of finance professionals. Becker & Co would charge a fee for this service based on the salary of the

employee recruited. Ingrid Sharapova worked as a recruitment consultant for a year before deciding to train as

an accountant.

3. Several audit clients are experiencing staff shortages, and it has been suggested that temporary staff assignments

could be offered. It is envisaged that a number of audit managers or seniors could be seconded to clients for

periods not exceeding six months, after which time they would return to Becker & Co.

Required:

Identify and explain the ethical and practice management implications in respect of:

(a) A business arrangement with Murray Co. (7 marks)

2 Benny Korere has been employed as the sales director of Golden Tan plc since 1994. He earns an annual salary of

￡32,000 and is provided with a petrol-driven company car which has a CO2 emission rate of 187g/km and had a

list price when new of ￡22,360. In August 2003, when he was first provided with the car, Benny paid the company

￡6,100 towards the capital cost of the car. Golden Tan plc does not pay for any of Benny’s private petrol and he is

also required to pay his employer ￡18 per month as a condition of being able to use the car for private purposes.

On 1 December 2006 Golden Tan plc notified Benny that he would be made redundant on 28 February 2007. On

that day the company will pay him his final month’s salary together with a payment of ￡8,000 in lieu of the three

remaining months of his six-month notice period in accordance with his employment contract. In addition the

company will pay him ￡17,500 in return for agreeing not to work for any of its competitors for the six-month period

ending 31 August 2007.

On receiving notification of his redundancy, Benny immediately contacted Joe Egmont, the managing director of

Summer Glow plc, who offered him a senior management position leading the company’s expansion into Eastern

Europe. Summer Glow plc is one of Golden Tan plc’s competitors and one of the most innovative companies in the

industry, although not all of its strategies have been successful.

Benny has agreed to join Summer Glow plc on 1 September 2007 for an annual salary of ￡39,000. On the day he

joins the company, Summer Glow plc will grant him an option to purchase 10,000 ordinary shares in the company

for ￡2·20 per share under an unapproved share option scheme. Benny can exercise the option once he has been

employed for six months but must hold the shares for at least a year before he sells them.

The new job will require Benny to spend a considerable amount of time in London. Summer Glow plc has offered

Benny the exclusive use of a flat that the company purchased on 1 June 2003 for ￡165,000; the flat is currently

rented out. The flat will be made available from 1 September 2007. The company will pay all of the utility bills

relating to the flat as well as furnishing and maintaining it. Summer Glow plc has also suggested that if Benny would

rather live in a more central part of the city, the company could sell the existing flat and buy a more centrally located

one, of the same value, with the proceeds.

On 15 March 2007 Benny intends to sell 5,800 shares in Mahana plc, a quoted company, for ￡24,608. His

transactions in the company’s shares have been as follows:

￡

June 1988 Purchased 8,400 shares 6,744

February 1996 Sale of rights nil paid 610

January 2005 Purchased 1,300 shares 2,281

The sale of rights, nil paid, was not treated as a part disposal of Benny’s holding in Mahana plc.

Benny’s shareholding in Mahana plc represents less than 1% of the company’s issued ordinary share capital. He will

not make any other capital disposals in 2006/07.

In addition to his employment income, Benny receives rental income of ￡4,000 (net of deductible expenses) each

year. He normally submits his tax return in August but he has not yet prepared his return for 2005/06. He expects

to be very busy in December and January and is planning to prepare his tax return in late February 2007.

Required:

(a) Calculate Benny’s employment income for 2006/07. (4 marks)