Company is DENTSPLY SIRONA INC (XRAY)

a. Download your assigned companys annual financial statements from the company website. Company assignments are posted on Blackboard. Each student is assigned three companies. You can choose to work with any one of the companies assigned.

b. For the last two fiscal years, find your companys inventory balance under a cost flow assumption other than LIFO.

c. For the last two fiscal years, what is your companys reported LIFO reserve balance?

d. For the last two fiscal years, what is your companys inventory balance under the LIFO cost flow assumption?

e. Prepare the journal entry that your company made at the end of the latest year to adjust the LIFO reserve to its current balance.

f. It has been said that LIFO inventory is relatively useless, uninformative and removed from reality. Do you agree with that statement? Please explain your position.

g. Calculate the proportion of the replacement cost (LIFO method) to the carrying value (method other than LIFO) for each year for your company.

h. Legislators have proposed eliminating LIFO accounting. Understandably, this has been met with much opposition from business interests. Calculate the tax cost your company would incur if LIFO accounting was eliminated and inventory balances would have to be adjusted to their carrying value under a method other than LIFO. Assume a 25% tax rate. Relative to your companys current Net Income, how large a cost would this new tax cost represent (calculate the proportion)?

i. What conclusions can you draw from your calculations in parts g and h? Do they support those who say that LIFO is relatively useless and removed from reality? Are your calculations consistent with your expectations outlined in part f?