Question
In a perfect world, investors, board members, and executives would have full confidence in companies' financial statements. They could rely on the numbers to make
"In a perfect world, investors, board members, and executives would have full confidence in companies' financial
statements. They could rely on the numbers to make intelligent estimates of the magnitude, timing, and uncertainty of
future cash flows and to judge whether the resulting estimate of value was fairly represented in the current stock price.
And they could make wise decisions about whether to invest in or acquire a company, thus promoting the efficient
allocation of capital.
Unfortunately, that's not what happens in the real world, for several reasons. First, corporate financial statements
necessarily depend on estimates and judgment calls that can be widely off the mark, even when made in good faith....."
(Sherman and Young, 2106, p.1).
The above clearly shows how crucial it is for accountants to apply their professional judgment in
arriving to the most reasonable/appropriate accounting choices/estimates which can be quite a
challenging process. There is not necessarily one correct answer in most cases and therefore
accountants need to be vigilant while dealing with accounting information.
As a student intern and future accountant, you have recently joined the accounting department of an
ASX listed company. As a future accountant, and to demonstrate your understanding of the application
of professional judgment, you have been asked to look into the company's annual report, undertake
required research on the company's choices relating to the accounting estimates and policies on
property, plant and equipment (PPE), and write a report for presentation to other accounting team
members and the audit committee.
To answer this question, you will need to select a suitable company yourself that meets the
following criteria:
The company must be a constituent of the S&P/ASX 300 index (www.asx300list.com);
The company must publish audited annual financial reports in English, fully complying
with IFRS or AASB standards and
The company must have a 30 June year end.
Your report must address each of the following:
a) Provide a summary of the criteria for selecting and changing accounting policies according to
AASB 108 (you may refer to Paragraphs 7-14) and discuss how professional judgment can impact
accounting policies and estimates. (10 marks)
b) Identify and provide a detailed explanation of the accounting policies and the estimates your
company uses to measure PPE for the year ended 30 June 2019. (10 marks)
c) Based on your findings in parts a and b, critically evaluate whether the professional judgment
applied in accounting estimates and policies of PPE has been reasonable/appropriate. You may
refer to relevant information sources to answer the above question (e.g. compare to the norms in
the industry). (15 marks)
d) Based on your findings in part c, recommend actions (if any) for improvement in the accounting
estimates and policies in PPE for your company. (5 marks)
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