Linden Inc. RAD Communications Ltd. (RAD), a public company, started a new company called Linden Inc. (Linden) to break into the cellular phone industry in 2015. Their first product, the M-One, was a modular cell phone in which customers may buy the base phone for $300 and subsequently purchase modules to customize and upgrade the phone. The idea was that instead of releasing a new phone every year the company would only upgrade modules in which customers could purchase and upgrade the phones themselves. Modules include a swappable larger screen, more memory, and a supersize battery. Unfortunately, the M-One was plagued with technical problems and RAD wanted to shut down Linden and cut its losses. Solving all the technical problems RAD made a final attempt to make Linden a success by hiring Mr. Holmes as the new CEO. As part of his hiring condition Mr. Holmes had to meet performance objectives for the 2016 2018 years. At which point Mr. Holmes would receive a $5,000,000 bonus if by the end of 2018 Lindens net income exceeded $50 million. As it turned out Mr. Holmes was able to meet all the performance objectives for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years. It is now February 1st, 2019. Linden's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, have been received at RAD's corporate offices. Linden's net income for 2018 is reported to be $50,600,000. RAD's CFO has examined the financial statements and is satisfied with most aspects of them but is concerned with the reporting of some transactions and economic events listed below. The CFO has asked you, an accountant in RAD's finance department, to prepare a report evaluating the issues. Mr. Holmes has already called the CFO to arrange a meeting to discuss the financial statements and the payment of his bonus. The CFO wants your report to explain the problem in each issue, identify reasonable alternatives, and provide full support for your recommendations. 1. On July 29, 2018, the company made a payment of $280,000 to a computer programmer who managed to duplicate the computer software that allows the M-One modules to operate with the base phone. The programmer had given the company fourteen days to pay, or she would sell the information to a competitor. Management believed that if the information was obtained by a competitor, it would have significant negative consequences for the company. Linden has capitalized the amount of the payment and is amortizing it over the remaining life of the related asset. Subsequently Linden applied for a patent to protect against similar situations from arising in the future. 2. In the last week of December 2018, Linden shipped a $1,000,000 order to a new customer with the new super battery. The customer has been having financial difficulties, so Linden provided special financing terms that gave the customer six months to pay instead of the usual 30 days. Payment is guaranteed by the company that owns the customer. The super battery M-Ones sold came with a six-month warranty, the standard warranty offered to all customers. The order was scheduled to be shipped in early January, but because of an opening in the production schedule Linden was able to complete the order several weeks early. Once the order was completed, it was shipped to the customer. The customer agreed to accept early delivery before Linden shipped the order. The cost of the order was $650,000. The goods were received by the customer on December 31, 2018. Linden recognized revenue when the goods were delivered, as it normally does. 3. In late January 2019 one of Lindens customers filed for bankruptcy, which Linden had suspected might occur because the customer was already four months behind on payments. Lindens management thinks its very unlikely that it will collect any of the $75,000 owed by the customer. Linden has not adjusted the financial statements for the event but there is a note describing the event and its impact. 4. Following a review in December 2018 of the useful lives of the M-one production facility, management extended the life of Lindens production facility and some of its equipment. Mr. Holmes claims that given the success of the M-One the product life for the M-One is now longer than expected so therefore it was natural to also extend the life of the production facility. The change reduced the depreciation expense in each of the next four years by $28,000.

Determine Your Role and Requirements, and who you are in the context of the case.

Identify Users and Their Needs,

Define all the other characters in the case.

The other characters will be seeking your expertise in financial matters, consider their needs.

When focusing your task on the users needs, always consider the environment in which you both operate.

Identify and Rank Issues

Identify Viable Alternatives for Each Major Issue,

Issues are usually ranked based on controversy, errors, and complexity.

Do not rank an issue as important only because you know a lot about the subject.

Rank items solely on their importance to the other characters in the case.

Analyze Alternatives Using Criteria for Resolving,

Very few case issues will have one correct answer.

You will need to create various possible solutions to each case issue.

The alternatives should be relevant and viable for the clients unique situation

Communicate Practical Recommendations/Conclusions,

For each issue listed on your case plan, an analysis of the previously identified alternative should be performed.

This may include quantitative and or qualitative forms of analysis.