You are the chief accountant for ZM Corp., which is located in Illinois. In November 2017, that state had the second highest unemployment rate in the…

You are the chief accountant for ZM Corp., which is located in Illinois. In November 2017, that state had the second highest unemployment rate in the Midwest: 4.9% (down from 6.1% in January 2015).1 For the past few years, you have noticed that the company’s bad debt rate has been about 7% of year-end accounts receivable. That rate of bad debts has severely affected the company’s profitability…especially since management has steadily been lowering the standards for granting credit to customers.

Your salary structure (as well as that of other corporate managers) allows for a bonus when net income is equal to or greater than a specific percentage of net sales. Unfortunately, that profit metric has not been reached in four years. However, the CEO and CFO (who is retiring after the first quarter of 2018) realized that a change in the bad debts percentage would allow them and you to obtain bonuses in 2017. If bad debts were computed at 2% of year-end A/R rather than 7%, everyone would receive a reasonable (but not extreme) bonus for 2017. The CEO justifies the use of that rate by concluding that, since unemployment in Illinois has been decreasing over the past few years, so will bad debts.

a.  Is a change in a bad debts estimate permissible under generally accepted accounting principles? If yes, explain how such a change is effected. If no, explain why such a change would not be allowed. (1 pt.)

b.  Would making such a change in the bad debts estimate violate any basic accounting concepts? Explain your yes or no answer. (2 pts.)

c.  Provide at least two alternatives to help improve the company’s profit performance. (1/2 pt. for each, up to 1 pt.) 

d.  You have a new baby at home as of September 2017. The bonus would help with the added expenses. Additionally, you are up for promotion to CFO next year upon the retirement of the current CFO; allowing the current CEO and CFO to receive their bonuses would certainly bring positive recommendations for that new position.

     1.  Is reducing the bad debts estimate illegal? Explain. (1/2 pt.)

     2.  Is reducing the bad debts estimate unethical, given the CEO’s justification? Explain. (1/2 pt.)

e.  Assume that the CEO and CFO are very adamant that the bad debts percentage be reduced in 2017 to 2% of year-end receivables. The 5% difference is not material to the financial statements. You believe that you will be terminated if you don’t make this adjustment. What should you consider in making your decision? (2 pts.)

Show more

Calculate Your Essay Price
(550 words)

Approximate price: $22

Calculate the price of your order

550 words
We'll send you the first draft for approval by September 11, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Total price:
$26
The price is based on these factors:
Academic level
Number of pages
Urgency
Basic features
  • Free title page and bibliography
  • Unlimited revisions
  • Plagiarism-free guarantee
  • Money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support
On-demand options
  • Writer’s samples
  • Part-by-part delivery
  • Overnight delivery
  • Copies of used sources
  • Expert Proofreading
Paper format
  • 275 words per page
  • 12 pt Arial/Times New Roman
  • Double line spacing
  • Any citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard)

Our guarantees

Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.

Money-back guarantee

You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.

Read more

Zero-plagiarism guarantee

Each paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.

Read more

Free-revision policy

Thanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.

Read more

Privacy policy

Your email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.

Read more

Fair-cooperation guarantee

By sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.

Read more