In an article by Jeff Whalley entitled ‘QBE Superstorm’ that appeared in The Herald Sun on 10 December 2013 (p. 29) it was reported that:

Insurance investors have stripped more than $4 billion from QBE’s market value after the insurance group cut its profit margin forecasts for the fourth time in as many years. In a torrid day for the company, its shares plunged 22.3 percent the worst single-day market rout for the group in 12 years. It all but eroded all the group’s gains on the market this year. At $12, QBE shares are barely a third of the highs they hit above $35 in 2007. The dramatic plunge came as chairwoman Belinda Hutchinson, who has led the board since 2010, announced she would step down in March. QBE warned it expected to report a net loss of about $US250 million ($275 million) for the group’s current financial year, which ends this month . . . It is paying the price for its exposure to the US market, where the Hurricane Sandy ‘superstorm’ and the worst drought in 50 years have hit its profitability. Mr Neal said QBE expected to deliver a net profit after tax on a cash basis effectively an underlying profit of about $US850 million, down from $US1.04 billion last year. The group is expecting to report a profit margin in its insurance business of about 6 percent, compared with a previous forecast of 11 percent. QBE took a goodwill impairment charge of about $US600 million and a one-time impairment charge of $US150 million following a review of its North America business.

REQUIRED

a. How would the goodwill impairment charge reported above be disclosed in QBE’s financial statements?

b. If it was shown that some of the drop in share price was attributable to the departure of QBE’s chairperson, Belinda Hutchinson, then this would indicate that she was an ‘asset’ of the organization while she was there (an intangible asset perhaps?). If she was of economic benefit to QBE then how would she have been measured and disclosed for financial statement purposes?