,SOLUTION MANUAL FOR Accounting Information
Systems 16th Edition Marshall B Romney
Notes
1- The file is chapter after chapter.
2- We have shown you few pages sample.
3- The file contains all Appendix and Excel sheet
if it exists.
4- We have all what you need, we make update
at every time. There are many new editions
waiting you.
5- If you think you purchased the wrong file You
can contact us at every time, we can replace it
with true one.
Our email:
,Instructor’s Solutions
Manual
Accounting Information
Systems
16th Edition
Marshall B. Romney
Professor Emeritus, Brigham Young University
Paul John Steinbart
Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University
Scott L. Summers
Brigham Young University
David A. Wood
Brigham Young University
,This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided
solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing
student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including
on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not
permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available
to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their
classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these
restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs
of other instructors who rely on these materials.
Copyright © 2024 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured
in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission
should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise. For information regarding permissions, request forms, and the
appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights and Permissions department,
please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/.
PEARSON and MYLAB are exclusive trademarks owned by Pearson Education, Inc. or its
affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, any third-party trademarks, logos, or icons that may appear in
this work are the property of their respective owners, and any references to third-party
trademarks, logos, icons, or other trade dress are for demonstrative or descriptive purposes only.
Such references are not intended to imply any sponsorship, endorsement, authorization, or
promotion of Pearson’s products by the owners of such marks, or any relationship between the
owner and Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates, authors, licensees, or distributors.
, CHAPTER 1
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.1 The value of information is the difference between the benefits realized from using that
information and the costs of producing it. Would you, or any organization, ever produce
information if its expected costs exceeded its benefits? If so, provide some examples. If not,
why?
Most organizations produce information only if its value exceeds its cost. However, there are two
situations where information may be produced even if its cost exceeds its value.
a. It is often difficult to estimate accurately the value of information and the cost of producing
it. Therefore, organizations may produce information that they expect will produce benefits
in excess of its costs, only to be disappointed after the fact.
b. Production of the information may be mandated by either a government agency or a private
organization. Examples include the tax reports required by the IRS and disclosure
requirements for financial reporting.
1.2 Can the characteristics of useful information listed in Table 1-1 be met simultaneously? Or
does achieving one mean sacrificing another?
Several of the criteria in Table 1.1 can be met simultaneously. For example, more timely
information is also likely to be more relevant. Verifiable information is likely to be more accurate.
However, achieving one objective may require sacrificing another. For example, ensuring that
information is more complete may reduce its timeliness. Similarly, increased verifiability and
accuracy may reduce its timeliness.
The decision maker must decide which trade-offs are warranted in each situation.
1.3 You and a few of your classmates decided to become entrepreneurs. You came up with a
great idea for a new mobile phone application that you think will make lots of money. Your
business plan won second place in a local competition, and you are using the $10,000 prize to
support yourselves as you start your company.
a. Identify the key decisions you need to make to be successful entrepreneurs, the
information you need to make them, and the business processes you will need to engage
in.
b. Your company will need to exchange information with various external parties. Identify
the external parties, and specify the information received from and sent to each of them.
The author turns this question into an in-class group activity. Students are divided up in groups,
told to close their books, and given 15 minutes to:
a. Think through the business processes, key decisions, and information needs issues in their
group.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, b. Identify the external users of information and specify the information received from and sent
to each of them.
One group is selected to present their answers to the class. The other groups are told to challenge
the group’s answers, provide alternative answers, and chip in with additional answers not provided
by the selected group. Since the group that presents is not selected until after the time has expired,
students are motivated to do a good job, as they will be presenting to their peers.
The value of this activity is not in arriving at a “right answer” as there are many right answers and
student answers will vary. Instead, it is in thinking through the issues presented in Table 1-2
(business processes, key decisions, and information needs) and Figure 1-1 (interactions with
external parties). Student answers should contain many of the things in Table 1-2 and Figure 1-1 as
well as others not shown, as a retail operation differs from an application development enterprise.
The author concludes the exercise by having the students turn to Table 1-2 and Figure 1-1 while he
emphasizes the need for owners, managers, and employees of organizations to identify the
information needed to make key decisions in the company’s business processes and the key
information interchanges with external parties. All the data needed to produce this information
must be entered into the AIS, processed, stored, protected, and made available to the appropriate
users.
While this active learning activity takes more time than a lecture does, it drives the point home
much better than a lecture would. It also keeps the students more engaged in the material.
1.4 How do an organization’s business processes and lines of business affect the design of its
AIS? Give several examples of how differences among organizations are reflected in their
AIS.
An organization’s AIS must reflect its business processes and its line of business. For example:
Manufacturing companies will need a set of procedures and documents for the production
cycle; non-manufacturing companies do not.
Government agencies need procedures to track separately all inflows and outflows from
various funds, to ensure that legal requirements about the use of specific funds are followed.
Financial institutions do not need extensive inventory control systems.
Passenger service companies (e.g., airlines, bus, and trains) generally receive payments in
advance of providing services. Therefore, extensive billing and accounts receivable
procedures are not needed; instead, they must develop procedures to account for prepaid
revenue.
Construction firms typically receive payments at regular intervals, based on the percentage of
work completed. Thus, their revenue cycles must be designed to track carefully all work
performed and the amount of work remaining to be done.
Service companies (e.g., public accounting and law firms) do not sell physical goods and,
therefore, do not need inventory control systems. They must develop and maintain detailed
records of the work performed for each customer to provide backup for the amounts billed.
Tracking individual employee time is especially important for these firms because labor is the
major cost component.
1.5 Figure 1-5 shows that organizational culture and the design of an AIS influence one another.
What does this imply about the degree to which an innovative system developed by one
company can be transferred to another company?
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Since people are one of the basic components of any system, it will always be difficult to transfer
successfully a specific information systems design intact to another organization. Considering in
advance how aspects of the new organizational culture are likely to affect acceptance of the system
can increase the chances for successful transfer. Doing so may enable the organization to take steps
to mitigate likely causes of resistance. The design of an AIS, however, itself can influence and
change an organization’s culture and philosophy. Therefore, with adequate top management
support, implementation of a new AIS can be used as a vehicle to change an organization. The
reciprocal effects of technology and organizational culture on one another, however, mean that it is
unrealistic to expect that the introduction of a new AIS will produce the same results observed in
another organization.
1.6 Figure 1-5 shows that developments in IT affect both an organization’s strategy and the
design of its AIS. How can a company determine whether it is spending too much, too little,
or just enough on IT?
There is no easy answer to this question. Although a company can try to identify the benefits of a
new IT initiative and compare those benefits to the associated costs, this is often easier said than
done. Usually, it is difficult to measure precisely the benefits of new uses of IT. Nevertheless,
companies should gather as much data as possible about changes in market share, sales trends, cost
reductions, and other results that can plausibly be associated with an IT initiative and that were
predicted in the planning process.
1.7 Apply the value chain concept to S&S. Explain how it would perform the various primary
and support activities.
The value chain classifies business activities into two categories: primary and support.
The five primary activities at S&S:
a. Inbound logistics includes all processes involved in ordering, receiving, and temporarily
storing merchandise that is going to be sold to S&S customers.
b. S&S does not manufacture any goods, thus its operations activities consists of displaying
merchandise for sale and protecting it from theft.
c. Outbound logistics includes delivering the products to the customer.
d. Sales & marketing includes ringing up and processing all sales transactions and advertising
products to increase sales.
e. Service includes repairs, periodic maintenance, and all other post-sales services offered to
customers.
The four support activities at S&S:
a. Firm infrastructure includes the accounting, finance, legal, and general administration
functions required to start and maintain a business.
b. Human resource management includes recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating,
compensating, and dismissing employees.
c. Technology includes all investments in computer technology and various input/output
devices, such as point-of-sale scanners. It also includes all support activities for the
technology.
d. Purchasing includes all processes involved in identifying and selecting vendors to supply
goods and negotiating the best prices, terms, and support from those suppliers.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
,1.8 Information technology enables organizations to easily collect large amounts of information
about employees. Discuss the following issues:
These questions involve traditional economic cost/benefit issues and less well-defined ethical
issues.
a. To what extent should management monitor employees’ e-mail?
Generally, the courts have held that organizations have the right to monitor employees’ email.
Such monitoring can have disastrous effects on employee morale, however. On the other hand,
it might provide legitimate information about group members’ individual contributions and
productivity.
b. To what extent should management monitor which Web sites employees visit?
Students are likely to argue whether or not this should be done. One potential benefit that could
be argued is the likelihood that if employees are aware that they will be monitored they will be
less prone to surf the Web for non-work-related uses.
c. To what extent should management monitor employee performance by, for example,
using software to track keystrokes per hour or some other unit of time? If such
information is collected, how should it be used?
Arguments pro and con can be generated about the effects of such monitoring on performance
and on morale. Clearly, the specifics of any incentive schemes tied to such metrics are
important.
d. Should companies use software to electronically “shred” all traces of e-mail?
Arguments can be raised on both sides of this issue. Try to get students to go beyond the legal
ramifications of recent news stories and to explore the ethical implications of destroying
different kinds of email.
e. Under what circumstances and to whom is it appropriate for a company to distribute
information it collects about the people who visit its Web site?
Direct students to the guidelines followed by organizations that certify how various web sites
use the information they collect. Students are likely to make the argument that personal
information is inherently private and sacrosanct. To challenge that view, ask them about the
legitimacy of developing and maintaining a reputation. Doesn’t that involve the divulgence and
sharing of personal information among strangers? Ask the class if it is feasible (or undesirable)
to totally prevent or prohibit such sharing of information.
The instructor should also refer the students to GAPP, as one of its criteria concerns sharing
information with 3rd parties. The instructor and the students could read the GAPP criterion
about sharing data together, and then discuss what they think. Remind the students that GAPP
is not regulatory law – just recommended best practice.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE PROBLEMS
1.1 IT is continually changing the nature of accounting and the role of accountants. Write a two-
page report describing what you think the nature of the accounting function and the
accounting information system in a large company will be like in the year 2030.
Numerous answers are possible. Several articles addressing this topic have appeared in Strategic
Finance and the Journal of Accountancy.
1.2 The annual report is considered by some to be the single most important printed document
that companies produce. In recent years, annual reports have become large documents. They
now include such sections as letters to the stockholders, descriptions of the business, operating
highlights, financial review, management discussion and analysis, a discussion of company
internal controls, segment reporting, inflation data, and the basic financial statements. The
expansion has been due in part to a general increase in the degree of sophistication and
complexity in accounting standards and disclosure requirements for financial reporting.
The expansion also is reflective of the change in the composition and level of sophistication of
users. Current users include not only stockholders but also financial and securities analysts,
potential investors, lending institutions, stockbrokers, customers, employees, and—whether
the reporting company likes it or not—competitors. Thus, a report originally designed as a
device for communicating basic financial information now attempts to meet the diverse needs
of an ever-expanding audience.
Users hold conflicting views on the value of annual reports. Some argue that they fail to
provide enough information, whereas others believe disclosures in annual reports have
expanded to the point where they create information overload. Others argue that the future of
most companies depends on acceptance by the investing public and by its customers;
therefore, companies should take this opportunity to communicate well-defined corporate
strategies. Adapted from the CMA Examination
a. Identify and discuss the basic factors of communication that must be considered in the
presentation of the annual report.</para></listitem>
The annual report is a one-way communication device. This requires an emphasis on clarity
and conciseness because there is no immediate feedback from the readers as to what messages
they are receiving.
The preparer must attempt to identify the users/audience of the report, and to determine their
values, beliefs, and needs. Then the preparer can determine the language, i.e., words and
phrases that would be appropriate and familiar to the users/audience.
The preparer must also consider the organization of the material in the report. Logical ordering
and attractive formatting facilitate the transmission of ideas.
b. Discuss the communication problems a corporation faces in preparing the annual report
that result from the diversity of the users.
</para></listitem>The different users of annual reports have differing information needs,
backgrounds, and abilities. For some users, the annual report may serve as an introduction to
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, the company and/or the only significant information about the company. By using the report to
communicate to all users, the problems the corporation faces include the following.
In an attempt to reach several audiences, a company may include information for each
audience. Consequently, the annual report may grow in size and complexity to the point
where it contains more information than many users want to receive or are able to
comprehend, i.e., information overload. In some cases, technical concepts may be reduced
to concepts that are more common; this reduces precision and conciseness thereby leading
to more generalizations.
Care must be taken in the presentation of information. Words and phrases familiar to one
user group may not be understood by those in other user groups. Graphic displays that are
meaningful to some may be meaningless to others.
c. Select two types of information found in an annual report, other than the financial
statements and accompanying footnotes, and describe how they are helpful to the users of
annual reports.
</para></listitem>Other than the financial statements and accompanying footnotes, an annual
report provides information concerning
Management's discussion and analysis of results.
Organizational objectives, strategies, and management's outlook for the future.
Board of Directors members and the officers and top management of the organization.
Segment data and performance information.
New initiatives and research information.
Recent stock price history and stock information.
Students will have many and varied answers as to how the information is helpful, which should
lead to a rich class discussion. This discussion can be combined with the discussion of part e.
d. </inst>Discuss at least two advantages and two disadvantages of stating well-defined
corporate strategies in the annual report.</para></listitem>
Stating well-defined corporate strategies in a company's annual report accomplishes the
following:
Advantages:
Communicates the company's plan for the future and resolves any disparate issues.
Provides a vehicle for communicating the company's strengths.
Builds investor confidence and portrays a positive image.
Disadvantages:
Locks management into fulfilling stated objectives and strategies, causing inflexibility.
Communicates to unintended users who could put the company at risk (i.e., competitors).
e. Evaluate the effectiveness of annual reports in fulfilling the information needs of the
following current and potential users: shareholders,
c</para></listitem>reditors</para></listitem>,
<listitem><para><inst></inst>employees</para></listitem>, c<ustomers, and
f</para></listitem>inancial analysts</para></listitem></orderedlist></listitem>
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
Systems 16th Edition Marshall B Romney
Notes
1- The file is chapter after chapter.
2- We have shown you few pages sample.
3- The file contains all Appendix and Excel sheet
if it exists.
4- We have all what you need, we make update
at every time. There are many new editions
waiting you.
5- If you think you purchased the wrong file You
can contact us at every time, we can replace it
with true one.
Our email:
,Instructor’s Solutions
Manual
Accounting Information
Systems
16th Edition
Marshall B. Romney
Professor Emeritus, Brigham Young University
Paul John Steinbart
Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University
Scott L. Summers
Brigham Young University
David A. Wood
Brigham Young University
,This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided
solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing
student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including
on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not
permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available
to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their
classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these
restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs
of other instructors who rely on these materials.
Copyright © 2024 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured
in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission
should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise. For information regarding permissions, request forms, and the
appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights and Permissions department,
please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/.
PEARSON and MYLAB are exclusive trademarks owned by Pearson Education, Inc. or its
affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, any third-party trademarks, logos, or icons that may appear in
this work are the property of their respective owners, and any references to third-party
trademarks, logos, icons, or other trade dress are for demonstrative or descriptive purposes only.
Such references are not intended to imply any sponsorship, endorsement, authorization, or
promotion of Pearson’s products by the owners of such marks, or any relationship between the
owner and Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates, authors, licensees, or distributors.
, CHAPTER 1
ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.1 The value of information is the difference between the benefits realized from using that
information and the costs of producing it. Would you, or any organization, ever produce
information if its expected costs exceeded its benefits? If so, provide some examples. If not,
why?
Most organizations produce information only if its value exceeds its cost. However, there are two
situations where information may be produced even if its cost exceeds its value.
a. It is often difficult to estimate accurately the value of information and the cost of producing
it. Therefore, organizations may produce information that they expect will produce benefits
in excess of its costs, only to be disappointed after the fact.
b. Production of the information may be mandated by either a government agency or a private
organization. Examples include the tax reports required by the IRS and disclosure
requirements for financial reporting.
1.2 Can the characteristics of useful information listed in Table 1-1 be met simultaneously? Or
does achieving one mean sacrificing another?
Several of the criteria in Table 1.1 can be met simultaneously. For example, more timely
information is also likely to be more relevant. Verifiable information is likely to be more accurate.
However, achieving one objective may require sacrificing another. For example, ensuring that
information is more complete may reduce its timeliness. Similarly, increased verifiability and
accuracy may reduce its timeliness.
The decision maker must decide which trade-offs are warranted in each situation.
1.3 You and a few of your classmates decided to become entrepreneurs. You came up with a
great idea for a new mobile phone application that you think will make lots of money. Your
business plan won second place in a local competition, and you are using the $10,000 prize to
support yourselves as you start your company.
a. Identify the key decisions you need to make to be successful entrepreneurs, the
information you need to make them, and the business processes you will need to engage
in.
b. Your company will need to exchange information with various external parties. Identify
the external parties, and specify the information received from and sent to each of them.
The author turns this question into an in-class group activity. Students are divided up in groups,
told to close their books, and given 15 minutes to:
a. Think through the business processes, key decisions, and information needs issues in their
group.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, b. Identify the external users of information and specify the information received from and sent
to each of them.
One group is selected to present their answers to the class. The other groups are told to challenge
the group’s answers, provide alternative answers, and chip in with additional answers not provided
by the selected group. Since the group that presents is not selected until after the time has expired,
students are motivated to do a good job, as they will be presenting to their peers.
The value of this activity is not in arriving at a “right answer” as there are many right answers and
student answers will vary. Instead, it is in thinking through the issues presented in Table 1-2
(business processes, key decisions, and information needs) and Figure 1-1 (interactions with
external parties). Student answers should contain many of the things in Table 1-2 and Figure 1-1 as
well as others not shown, as a retail operation differs from an application development enterprise.
The author concludes the exercise by having the students turn to Table 1-2 and Figure 1-1 while he
emphasizes the need for owners, managers, and employees of organizations to identify the
information needed to make key decisions in the company’s business processes and the key
information interchanges with external parties. All the data needed to produce this information
must be entered into the AIS, processed, stored, protected, and made available to the appropriate
users.
While this active learning activity takes more time than a lecture does, it drives the point home
much better than a lecture would. It also keeps the students more engaged in the material.
1.4 How do an organization’s business processes and lines of business affect the design of its
AIS? Give several examples of how differences among organizations are reflected in their
AIS.
An organization’s AIS must reflect its business processes and its line of business. For example:
Manufacturing companies will need a set of procedures and documents for the production
cycle; non-manufacturing companies do not.
Government agencies need procedures to track separately all inflows and outflows from
various funds, to ensure that legal requirements about the use of specific funds are followed.
Financial institutions do not need extensive inventory control systems.
Passenger service companies (e.g., airlines, bus, and trains) generally receive payments in
advance of providing services. Therefore, extensive billing and accounts receivable
procedures are not needed; instead, they must develop procedures to account for prepaid
revenue.
Construction firms typically receive payments at regular intervals, based on the percentage of
work completed. Thus, their revenue cycles must be designed to track carefully all work
performed and the amount of work remaining to be done.
Service companies (e.g., public accounting and law firms) do not sell physical goods and,
therefore, do not need inventory control systems. They must develop and maintain detailed
records of the work performed for each customer to provide backup for the amounts billed.
Tracking individual employee time is especially important for these firms because labor is the
major cost component.
1.5 Figure 1-5 shows that organizational culture and the design of an AIS influence one another.
What does this imply about the degree to which an innovative system developed by one
company can be transferred to another company?
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Since people are one of the basic components of any system, it will always be difficult to transfer
successfully a specific information systems design intact to another organization. Considering in
advance how aspects of the new organizational culture are likely to affect acceptance of the system
can increase the chances for successful transfer. Doing so may enable the organization to take steps
to mitigate likely causes of resistance. The design of an AIS, however, itself can influence and
change an organization’s culture and philosophy. Therefore, with adequate top management
support, implementation of a new AIS can be used as a vehicle to change an organization. The
reciprocal effects of technology and organizational culture on one another, however, mean that it is
unrealistic to expect that the introduction of a new AIS will produce the same results observed in
another organization.
1.6 Figure 1-5 shows that developments in IT affect both an organization’s strategy and the
design of its AIS. How can a company determine whether it is spending too much, too little,
or just enough on IT?
There is no easy answer to this question. Although a company can try to identify the benefits of a
new IT initiative and compare those benefits to the associated costs, this is often easier said than
done. Usually, it is difficult to measure precisely the benefits of new uses of IT. Nevertheless,
companies should gather as much data as possible about changes in market share, sales trends, cost
reductions, and other results that can plausibly be associated with an IT initiative and that were
predicted in the planning process.
1.7 Apply the value chain concept to S&S. Explain how it would perform the various primary
and support activities.
The value chain classifies business activities into two categories: primary and support.
The five primary activities at S&S:
a. Inbound logistics includes all processes involved in ordering, receiving, and temporarily
storing merchandise that is going to be sold to S&S customers.
b. S&S does not manufacture any goods, thus its operations activities consists of displaying
merchandise for sale and protecting it from theft.
c. Outbound logistics includes delivering the products to the customer.
d. Sales & marketing includes ringing up and processing all sales transactions and advertising
products to increase sales.
e. Service includes repairs, periodic maintenance, and all other post-sales services offered to
customers.
The four support activities at S&S:
a. Firm infrastructure includes the accounting, finance, legal, and general administration
functions required to start and maintain a business.
b. Human resource management includes recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating,
compensating, and dismissing employees.
c. Technology includes all investments in computer technology and various input/output
devices, such as point-of-sale scanners. It also includes all support activities for the
technology.
d. Purchasing includes all processes involved in identifying and selecting vendors to supply
goods and negotiating the best prices, terms, and support from those suppliers.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
,1.8 Information technology enables organizations to easily collect large amounts of information
about employees. Discuss the following issues:
These questions involve traditional economic cost/benefit issues and less well-defined ethical
issues.
a. To what extent should management monitor employees’ e-mail?
Generally, the courts have held that organizations have the right to monitor employees’ email.
Such monitoring can have disastrous effects on employee morale, however. On the other hand,
it might provide legitimate information about group members’ individual contributions and
productivity.
b. To what extent should management monitor which Web sites employees visit?
Students are likely to argue whether or not this should be done. One potential benefit that could
be argued is the likelihood that if employees are aware that they will be monitored they will be
less prone to surf the Web for non-work-related uses.
c. To what extent should management monitor employee performance by, for example,
using software to track keystrokes per hour or some other unit of time? If such
information is collected, how should it be used?
Arguments pro and con can be generated about the effects of such monitoring on performance
and on morale. Clearly, the specifics of any incentive schemes tied to such metrics are
important.
d. Should companies use software to electronically “shred” all traces of e-mail?
Arguments can be raised on both sides of this issue. Try to get students to go beyond the legal
ramifications of recent news stories and to explore the ethical implications of destroying
different kinds of email.
e. Under what circumstances and to whom is it appropriate for a company to distribute
information it collects about the people who visit its Web site?
Direct students to the guidelines followed by organizations that certify how various web sites
use the information they collect. Students are likely to make the argument that personal
information is inherently private and sacrosanct. To challenge that view, ask them about the
legitimacy of developing and maintaining a reputation. Doesn’t that involve the divulgence and
sharing of personal information among strangers? Ask the class if it is feasible (or undesirable)
to totally prevent or prohibit such sharing of information.
The instructor should also refer the students to GAPP, as one of its criteria concerns sharing
information with 3rd parties. The instructor and the students could read the GAPP criterion
about sharing data together, and then discuss what they think. Remind the students that GAPP
is not regulatory law – just recommended best practice.
Copyright 2024 Pearson Education, Inc.
, SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE PROBLEMS
1.1 IT is continually changing the nature of accounting and the role of accountants. Write a two-
page report describing what you think the nature of the accounting function and the
accounting information system in a large company will be like in the year 2030.
Numerous answers are possible. Several articles addressing this topic have appeared in Strategic
Finance and the Journal of Accountancy.
1.2 The annual report is considered by some to be the single most important printed document
that companies produce. In recent years, annual reports have become large documents. They
now include such sections as letters to the stockholders, descriptions of the business, operating
highlights, financial review, management discussion and analysis, a discussion of company
internal controls, segment reporting, inflation data, and the basic financial statements. The
expansion has been due in part to a general increase in the degree of sophistication and
complexity in accounting standards and disclosure requirements for financial reporting.
The expansion also is reflective of the change in the composition and level of sophistication of
users. Current users include not only stockholders but also financial and securities analysts,
potential investors, lending institutions, stockbrokers, customers, employees, and—whether
the reporting company likes it or not—competitors. Thus, a report originally designed as a
device for communicating basic financial information now attempts to meet the diverse needs
of an ever-expanding audience.
Users hold conflicting views on the value of annual reports. Some argue that they fail to
provide enough information, whereas others believe disclosures in annual reports have
expanded to the point where they create information overload. Others argue that the future of
most companies depends on acceptance by the investing public and by its customers;
therefore, companies should take this opportunity to communicate well-defined corporate
strategies. Adapted from the CMA Examination
a. Identify and discuss the basic factors of communication that must be considered in the
presentation of the annual report.</para></listitem>
The annual report is a one-way communication device. This requires an emphasis on clarity
and conciseness because there is no immediate feedback from the readers as to what messages
they are receiving.
The preparer must attempt to identify the users/audience of the report, and to determine their
values, beliefs, and needs. Then the preparer can determine the language, i.e., words and
phrases that would be appropriate and familiar to the users/audience.
The preparer must also consider the organization of the material in the report. Logical ordering
and attractive formatting facilitate the transmission of ideas.
b. Discuss the communication problems a corporation faces in preparing the annual report
that result from the diversity of the users.
</para></listitem>The different users of annual reports have differing information needs,
backgrounds, and abilities. For some users, the annual report may serve as an introduction to
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, the company and/or the only significant information about the company. By using the report to
communicate to all users, the problems the corporation faces include the following.
In an attempt to reach several audiences, a company may include information for each
audience. Consequently, the annual report may grow in size and complexity to the point
where it contains more information than many users want to receive or are able to
comprehend, i.e., information overload. In some cases, technical concepts may be reduced
to concepts that are more common; this reduces precision and conciseness thereby leading
to more generalizations.
Care must be taken in the presentation of information. Words and phrases familiar to one
user group may not be understood by those in other user groups. Graphic displays that are
meaningful to some may be meaningless to others.
c. Select two types of information found in an annual report, other than the financial
statements and accompanying footnotes, and describe how they are helpful to the users of
annual reports.
</para></listitem>Other than the financial statements and accompanying footnotes, an annual
report provides information concerning
Management's discussion and analysis of results.
Organizational objectives, strategies, and management's outlook for the future.
Board of Directors members and the officers and top management of the organization.
Segment data and performance information.
New initiatives and research information.
Recent stock price history and stock information.
Students will have many and varied answers as to how the information is helpful, which should
lead to a rich class discussion. This discussion can be combined with the discussion of part e.
d. </inst>Discuss at least two advantages and two disadvantages of stating well-defined
corporate strategies in the annual report.</para></listitem>
Stating well-defined corporate strategies in a company's annual report accomplishes the
following:
Advantages:
Communicates the company's plan for the future and resolves any disparate issues.
Provides a vehicle for communicating the company's strengths.
Builds investor confidence and portrays a positive image.
Disadvantages:
Locks management into fulfilling stated objectives and strategies, causing inflexibility.
Communicates to unintended users who could put the company at risk (i.e., competitors).
e. Evaluate the effectiveness of annual reports in fulfilling the information needs of the
following current and potential users: shareholders,
c</para></listitem>reditors</para></listitem>,
<listitem><para><inst></inst>employees</para></listitem>, c<ustomers, and
f</para></listitem>inancial analysts</para></listitem></orderedlist></listitem>
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