Solutions Manual For Accounting Essentials for Hospitality
Managers, 3e Chris Guilding
Solutions – Accounting Essentials for Hospitality
Managers (3rd edition)
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Problem 1.1: Solution
a) Functional interdependency exists when the performance of one functional area is
affected by the performance of a separate functional area. For example, in a hotel complex
that is dominated by a casino, the success of the rooms and food and beverage departments
will be affected by the success of the casino operations in attracting clients to the complex.
b) Functional interdependency is an important issue for the designers of a hotel’s system of
accountability because care should be taken to hold a manager accountable for only those
aspects of the hotel’s performance that he or she can influence. For example, the heads of
rooms and food and beverage departments should not be held accountable for a decrease in
their room sales if it is caused by reduced casino activity.
Problem 1.2: Solution
a) The four main dimensions of sales volatility in the hotel industry are:
1. economic cycle induced sales volatility,
2. seasonal sales volatility,
3. weekly sales volatility,
4. intra-day sales volatility.
b) The implications that these dimensions of sales volatility carry for hotel accounting
systems are as follows:
1. Economic cycle induced volatility: Hotel sales’ high susceptibility to general economic
conditions highlights the importance of hotels carefully forecasting economic cycles as
part of the annual budgeting process.
2. Seasonal sales volatility: Three accounting implications arise:
Seasonal sales volatility can be so severe to warrant temporary closure for some
resort properties. This possibility of having to make a closure decision signifies that
cost and revenue data should be recorded in a manner that will enable a well
informed financial analysis of the pros and cons of closing.
Seasonal sales volatility can also pose particular cash management issues. During
the middle and tail-end of the busy seasons, surplus cash balances are likely to
result, while in the off-season and the build up to the busy season, deficit cash
balances are likely to result. Careful cash budgeting will therefore need to be
conducted.
1
,Accounting Essentials for Hospitality Managers (C. Guilding) Solutions
Seasonal sales volatility will also affect price discounting decisions. To ensure such
decisions are well informed, careful forecasting as part of the annual budgetary
process, will have to be conducted.
3. Weekly sales volatility: Accurate forecasting of weekly sales volatility will inform
management’s decision making with respect to the amount and timing of room rate
discounting, staffing needs as well as restaurant purchasing needs.
4. Intra-day sales volatility: Intra-day demand volatility has led to widely-used pricing
strategies such as “early bird specials” in restaurants and “happy hours” in bars. Records
concerning demand at different times of the day will have to be maintained in order to
inform such hotel pricing issues.
Problem 1.3: Solution
Examples of business decisions requiring the use of financial accounting data include:
(a) A bank manager deciding whether to lend money to a company.
(b) A shareholder deciding whether to sell her shares due to a fear that the company
she has invested in might go bankrupt.
(c) A potential shareholder thinking about purchasing shares in a company and
interested in determining if the company is profitable.
Examples of business decisions requiring the use of management accounting data include:
(a) Determining whether accounts are being collected on time.
(b) Determining whether the business will have sufficient cash over the next year to
avoid the need to arrange a line of credit.
(c) Determining whether a drinks vending machine or a confectionary vending
machine should be installed in a hotel’s foyer area.
(d) Determining what room rate to charge to achieve a target level of profit.
(e) Determining whether a seasonal hotel should be closed down during the quiet
season.
(f) Determining whether a restaurant manager is performing well.
Problem 1.4: Solution
a) High product perishability signifies that an item cannot be held in inventory for sale at a
later time. Food items have a limited life in inventory because of their rapid physical
deterioration. Room nights and conference facilities cannot be placed in inventory because
they relate to a particular time period that expires.
b) The absolute perishability of rooms, conference and banquet facilities and the relative
perishability of food underlines the importance of accurate hotel demand forecasting as part
of the budgeting process. Generally, the most important aspect of forecasting is room
occupancy, as room sales drive sales levels of other hotel services. Accurate restaurant
forecasting provides the basis for maintaining a full menu of options while also minimising
the cost of food wastage.
2
,Accounting/Essentials/for/Hospitality/Managers/(C./Guilding) Solutions
Problem/1.5:/Solution
Fixed/costs/are/costs/that/do/not/vary/as/a/function/of/sales/activity/levels./Hotels/involve/cons
iderable/investment/in/fixed/assets/such/as/buildings/on/prime/land/as/well/as/extensive/furnis
hings,/fittings/and/equipment./This/investment/generates/high/rent/and/depreciation/costs,/whi
ch/together/with/significant/salary/costs,/result/in/a/high/fixed/cost/structure/for/hotels.
Problem/1.6:/Solution
a) Major/hotel/activities/include/room/housekeeping,/restaurant/food/preparation/and/service/
as/well/as/bar/service./Despite/the/advent/of/the/machine/and/computer/age,/the/physical/aspec
t/of/all/of/these/activities/has/changed/little/over/the/last/fifty/years,/as/they/continue/to/have/a/
high/labour/component.
b) High/labour/intensive/activities/in/hotels/signifies/the/importance/of/performance/measure
s/that/focus/on/labour/productivity./Such/performance/indices/include/restaurant/covers/per/e
mployee/hour/worked/and/restaurant/sales/per/employee/hour/worked./Monitoring/difference
s/between/actual/labour/cost/and/budgeted/labour/cost/represents/another/dimension/of/labour/
cost/management./An/appropriate/analysis/of/the/difference/between/budgeted/and/actual/labo
ur/cost/enables/a/distinction/to/be/drawn/between/labour/rate/and/labour/efficiency/factors.
Problem/1.7:/Solution
Financial/accounting/concerns/the/preparation/of/financial/reports/for/external/users/such/as/
shareholders,/banks/and/government/authorities./In/order/for/these/financial/reports/to/be/mea
ningful,/it/is/important/that/they/are/produced/in/a/standardised/way/and/are/seen/to/be/reliable.
/Management/accounting/concerns/the/provision/of/financial/information/to/internal/manage
ment./This/information/is/designed/to/help/managers/in/their/decision/making/and/control/of/b
usinesses./Financial/information/sought/by/hotel/managers/includes/determining/the/cost/of/pr
oviding/a/meal/to/inform/the/menu/pricing/decision,/determining/how/many/delegates/need/to/
attend/a/conference/in/order/to/achieve/break/even,/and/determining/what/level/of/profit/is/ma
de/by/each/selling/unit/of/a/hotel/to/inform/any/rationalisation/decision/to/drop/a/unit./The/prov
ision/of/all/these/types/of/financial/information/falls/within/the/scope/of/management/accounti
ng.
Problem/1.8:/Solution
The/main/accounting/information/users/are:
Managers/within/the/company/being/accounted/for./Managers/use/accounting/i
nformation/in/planning/and/controlling/business/activities.
3
, Accounting/Essentials/for/Hospitality/Managers/(C./Guilding) Solutions
Outside/parties/such/as/shareholders,/potential/shareholders,/creditors/and/governme
nt/agencies./These/parties/use/accounting/information/to/make/investing,/lending,/taxi
ng/and/regulatory/decisions.
Problem/1.9:/Solution
Accounting/reports/represent/the/main/source/of/information/that/the/investing/community/us
es/when/attempting/to/make/wise/equity/investments./A/lack/of/confidence/in/accounting/syst
ems/is/bound/to/translate/into/a/reluctance/to/invest/in/companies./This/will/inhibit/the/ability/
of/economically/viable/companies/to/expand,/which/in/turn/will/carry/negative/implications/fo
r/employment,/availability/of/goods/and/services,/and/our/standard/of/living./It/is/critically/im
portant/that/a/reliable/financial/accounting/system/that/engenders/trust/and/encourages/corpor
ate/development/is/established,/otherwise/economic/activity/suffers.
Problem/1.10:/Solution
Any/of/the/elements/referred/to/in/Box/1.3/could/be/used/as/an/answer/to/this/question.
Problem/1.11:/Solution
Amongst/the/advantages/deriving/from/the/USALI/are/the/following:
it/can/save/on/accounting/system/design/costs/as/it/represents/a/“blueprint”/account
ing/system/that/can/be/adopted/by/any/business/in/the/hotel/industry,
the/system/can/be/viewed/as/“state/of/the/art”/as/it/benefits/from/the/accumulated/ex
perience/of/the/parties/that/have/contributed/to/the/system’s/development/over/man
y/years,
by/promoting/consistent/account/classification/schemes/as/well/as/formatting/of/re
ports,/it/facilitates/comparison/across/hotels,
it/represents/a/common/point/of/reference/for/hotels/within/the/same/hotel/group.
Problem/1.12:/Solution
3/main/organizational/forms/and/their/main/differences
Characteristics Sole/proprietorship Partnership Company
Number/of/owners One Two/or/more Generally/many
Business/size Small Generally/small Larger/and/can/be/very
large
Key/decision/makers Owner Partners Board/of/directors
Owner/liability Unlimited Unlimited Limited
Organisation/life Limited Limited On-going
4
Managers, 3e Chris Guilding
Solutions – Accounting Essentials for Hospitality
Managers (3rd edition)
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Problem 1.1: Solution
a) Functional interdependency exists when the performance of one functional area is
affected by the performance of a separate functional area. For example, in a hotel complex
that is dominated by a casino, the success of the rooms and food and beverage departments
will be affected by the success of the casino operations in attracting clients to the complex.
b) Functional interdependency is an important issue for the designers of a hotel’s system of
accountability because care should be taken to hold a manager accountable for only those
aspects of the hotel’s performance that he or she can influence. For example, the heads of
rooms and food and beverage departments should not be held accountable for a decrease in
their room sales if it is caused by reduced casino activity.
Problem 1.2: Solution
a) The four main dimensions of sales volatility in the hotel industry are:
1. economic cycle induced sales volatility,
2. seasonal sales volatility,
3. weekly sales volatility,
4. intra-day sales volatility.
b) The implications that these dimensions of sales volatility carry for hotel accounting
systems are as follows:
1. Economic cycle induced volatility: Hotel sales’ high susceptibility to general economic
conditions highlights the importance of hotels carefully forecasting economic cycles as
part of the annual budgeting process.
2. Seasonal sales volatility: Three accounting implications arise:
Seasonal sales volatility can be so severe to warrant temporary closure for some
resort properties. This possibility of having to make a closure decision signifies that
cost and revenue data should be recorded in a manner that will enable a well
informed financial analysis of the pros and cons of closing.
Seasonal sales volatility can also pose particular cash management issues. During
the middle and tail-end of the busy seasons, surplus cash balances are likely to
result, while in the off-season and the build up to the busy season, deficit cash
balances are likely to result. Careful cash budgeting will therefore need to be
conducted.
1
,Accounting Essentials for Hospitality Managers (C. Guilding) Solutions
Seasonal sales volatility will also affect price discounting decisions. To ensure such
decisions are well informed, careful forecasting as part of the annual budgetary
process, will have to be conducted.
3. Weekly sales volatility: Accurate forecasting of weekly sales volatility will inform
management’s decision making with respect to the amount and timing of room rate
discounting, staffing needs as well as restaurant purchasing needs.
4. Intra-day sales volatility: Intra-day demand volatility has led to widely-used pricing
strategies such as “early bird specials” in restaurants and “happy hours” in bars. Records
concerning demand at different times of the day will have to be maintained in order to
inform such hotel pricing issues.
Problem 1.3: Solution
Examples of business decisions requiring the use of financial accounting data include:
(a) A bank manager deciding whether to lend money to a company.
(b) A shareholder deciding whether to sell her shares due to a fear that the company
she has invested in might go bankrupt.
(c) A potential shareholder thinking about purchasing shares in a company and
interested in determining if the company is profitable.
Examples of business decisions requiring the use of management accounting data include:
(a) Determining whether accounts are being collected on time.
(b) Determining whether the business will have sufficient cash over the next year to
avoid the need to arrange a line of credit.
(c) Determining whether a drinks vending machine or a confectionary vending
machine should be installed in a hotel’s foyer area.
(d) Determining what room rate to charge to achieve a target level of profit.
(e) Determining whether a seasonal hotel should be closed down during the quiet
season.
(f) Determining whether a restaurant manager is performing well.
Problem 1.4: Solution
a) High product perishability signifies that an item cannot be held in inventory for sale at a
later time. Food items have a limited life in inventory because of their rapid physical
deterioration. Room nights and conference facilities cannot be placed in inventory because
they relate to a particular time period that expires.
b) The absolute perishability of rooms, conference and banquet facilities and the relative
perishability of food underlines the importance of accurate hotel demand forecasting as part
of the budgeting process. Generally, the most important aspect of forecasting is room
occupancy, as room sales drive sales levels of other hotel services. Accurate restaurant
forecasting provides the basis for maintaining a full menu of options while also minimising
the cost of food wastage.
2
,Accounting/Essentials/for/Hospitality/Managers/(C./Guilding) Solutions
Problem/1.5:/Solution
Fixed/costs/are/costs/that/do/not/vary/as/a/function/of/sales/activity/levels./Hotels/involve/cons
iderable/investment/in/fixed/assets/such/as/buildings/on/prime/land/as/well/as/extensive/furnis
hings,/fittings/and/equipment./This/investment/generates/high/rent/and/depreciation/costs,/whi
ch/together/with/significant/salary/costs,/result/in/a/high/fixed/cost/structure/for/hotels.
Problem/1.6:/Solution
a) Major/hotel/activities/include/room/housekeeping,/restaurant/food/preparation/and/service/
as/well/as/bar/service./Despite/the/advent/of/the/machine/and/computer/age,/the/physical/aspec
t/of/all/of/these/activities/has/changed/little/over/the/last/fifty/years,/as/they/continue/to/have/a/
high/labour/component.
b) High/labour/intensive/activities/in/hotels/signifies/the/importance/of/performance/measure
s/that/focus/on/labour/productivity./Such/performance/indices/include/restaurant/covers/per/e
mployee/hour/worked/and/restaurant/sales/per/employee/hour/worked./Monitoring/difference
s/between/actual/labour/cost/and/budgeted/labour/cost/represents/another/dimension/of/labour/
cost/management./An/appropriate/analysis/of/the/difference/between/budgeted/and/actual/labo
ur/cost/enables/a/distinction/to/be/drawn/between/labour/rate/and/labour/efficiency/factors.
Problem/1.7:/Solution
Financial/accounting/concerns/the/preparation/of/financial/reports/for/external/users/such/as/
shareholders,/banks/and/government/authorities./In/order/for/these/financial/reports/to/be/mea
ningful,/it/is/important/that/they/are/produced/in/a/standardised/way/and/are/seen/to/be/reliable.
/Management/accounting/concerns/the/provision/of/financial/information/to/internal/manage
ment./This/information/is/designed/to/help/managers/in/their/decision/making/and/control/of/b
usinesses./Financial/information/sought/by/hotel/managers/includes/determining/the/cost/of/pr
oviding/a/meal/to/inform/the/menu/pricing/decision,/determining/how/many/delegates/need/to/
attend/a/conference/in/order/to/achieve/break/even,/and/determining/what/level/of/profit/is/ma
de/by/each/selling/unit/of/a/hotel/to/inform/any/rationalisation/decision/to/drop/a/unit./The/prov
ision/of/all/these/types/of/financial/information/falls/within/the/scope/of/management/accounti
ng.
Problem/1.8:/Solution
The/main/accounting/information/users/are:
Managers/within/the/company/being/accounted/for./Managers/use/accounting/i
nformation/in/planning/and/controlling/business/activities.
3
, Accounting/Essentials/for/Hospitality/Managers/(C./Guilding) Solutions
Outside/parties/such/as/shareholders,/potential/shareholders,/creditors/and/governme
nt/agencies./These/parties/use/accounting/information/to/make/investing,/lending,/taxi
ng/and/regulatory/decisions.
Problem/1.9:/Solution
Accounting/reports/represent/the/main/source/of/information/that/the/investing/community/us
es/when/attempting/to/make/wise/equity/investments./A/lack/of/confidence/in/accounting/syst
ems/is/bound/to/translate/into/a/reluctance/to/invest/in/companies./This/will/inhibit/the/ability/
of/economically/viable/companies/to/expand,/which/in/turn/will/carry/negative/implications/fo
r/employment,/availability/of/goods/and/services,/and/our/standard/of/living./It/is/critically/im
portant/that/a/reliable/financial/accounting/system/that/engenders/trust/and/encourages/corpor
ate/development/is/established,/otherwise/economic/activity/suffers.
Problem/1.10:/Solution
Any/of/the/elements/referred/to/in/Box/1.3/could/be/used/as/an/answer/to/this/question.
Problem/1.11:/Solution
Amongst/the/advantages/deriving/from/the/USALI/are/the/following:
it/can/save/on/accounting/system/design/costs/as/it/represents/a/“blueprint”/account
ing/system/that/can/be/adopted/by/any/business/in/the/hotel/industry,
the/system/can/be/viewed/as/“state/of/the/art”/as/it/benefits/from/the/accumulated/ex
perience/of/the/parties/that/have/contributed/to/the/system’s/development/over/man
y/years,
by/promoting/consistent/account/classification/schemes/as/well/as/formatting/of/re
ports,/it/facilitates/comparison/across/hotels,
it/represents/a/common/point/of/reference/for/hotels/within/the/same/hotel/group.
Problem/1.12:/Solution
3/main/organizational/forms/and/their/main/differences
Characteristics Sole/proprietorship Partnership Company
Number/of/owners One Two/or/more Generally/many
Business/size Small Generally/small Larger/and/can/be/very
large
Key/decision/makers Owner Partners Board/of/directors
Owner/liability Unlimited Unlimited Limited
Organisation/life Limited Limited On-going
4
