Question:
Table
Corporation purchased Chairs Unlimited for $10 million. The fair market value of Chairs’ net assets at the time was $8 million, so Table
Corporation recorded $2 million of good will. Also included in the purchase was a patent valued at $1 million with an estimated remaining life of 1 0 years. To comply with GAAP, the
goodwill was not amortized, but the patent was amortized over the remaining 10-year life. However, the Chairs Unlimited business was not as profitable as anticipated and as a result, the accountant for Table
Corporation stated that the
goodwill needed to be written off. Further, the accountant discovered that the remaining life of the patent was only 6 years and that it should be amortized over the remaining 6-year life rather than the 10-year life originally estimated. The CEO became concerned because these adjustments would cause net income to be extremely low for the year. As a result, he told the accountant to wait before writing off the
goodwill because of the possibility that the purchase could be profitable in the future. Also, he argued, the life of the patent should be left alone because it was originally based upon what was thought to be a 10-year life. After much debate, the CEO then agreed with the accountant as long as the amount of
goodwill was not completely written off in the current year. What ethical concerns are involved? Should the accountant change the amortizable life of an intangible asset? Should the accountant completely write off the
goodwill account in the current year? Does the CEO’s concern for higher net income create any ethical problems when the accountant agrees to not completely write off the
goodwill? Do you have any other thoughts?
Goodwill
Goodwill is an important concept and terminology in accounting which means good reputation. The word goodwill is used at various places in accounting but it is recognized only at the time of a business combination. There are generally two types of...
Corporation
A Corporation is a legal form of business that is separate from its owner. In other words, a corporation is a business or organization formed by a group of people, and its right and liabilities separate from those of the individuals involved. It may...