更多“(iii) problems with delegation; (4 marks)”相关问题
  • 第1题:

    (iv) how these problems might be overcome. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iv) Problems with delegation can be overcome by careful selection and training, an open communication system, the establishment of an appropriate control system and a system that rewards effective delegation.

  • 第2题:

    (iii) job enrichment. (5 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) Job enrichment, which is often referred to as ‘vertical job enlargement’, is a planned, deliberate action to build greater responsibility, breadth and challenge into the work of the individual. The emphasis is on the individual rather than the organisation, team or group. This may be a way forward for some of Bailey’s employees since it provides the individual employee with the responsibility for decision making of a higher order, provides greater freedom to decide how the job or task should be undertaken, improves understanding of the entire process, encourages participation in the planning and production procedures and provides regular feedback to management – urgently needed at Bailey’s.

  • 第3题:

    (b) Examine how adopting a Six Sigma approach would help address the quality problems at UPC.

    (10 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) In many ways Six Sigma started out as a quality control methodology. It focused on measurement and the minimisation of
    faults through pursuing Six Sigma as a statistical measure of some aspects of organisational performance. However, Six Sigma
    has developed into something much more than a process control technique. It includes a problem-solving process called
    DMAIC and a comprehensive toolkit ranging from brainstorming to balanced scorecards and process dashboards. It also has
    defined team roles for managers and employees, often with martial arts names such as Black Belt, Green Belt and Master
    Black Belt.
    Six Sigma was first used in organisations in the early 1990s. However, it was its adoption and promotion by Jack Welch, the
    CEO of GE that brought Six Sigma wider publicity. He announced that ‘Six Sigma is the most important initiative GE has ever
    undertaken’. As Paul Harmon comments, ‘Welch’s popularity with the business press, and his dynamic style, guaranteed that
    Six Sigma would become one of the hot management techniques of the late 1990s’.
    Six Sigma uses an approach called DMAIC in its problem solving process. This stands for Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve
    and Control. Three aspects of this are considered below in the context of how they would address the problems at UPC.
    Defining the problem
    Part of defining the problem is the identification of the customer. It is important to understand what customers really want
    and value and one of the main themes of Six Sigma is its focus on the customer. Six Sigma explicitly recognises the ‘voice of
    the customer’ (VOC) in its approach. In the UPC situation quality requirements are currently defined by the physical condition
    of the goods and by the alignment of the image. However, this may be a limiting view of quality because there is no evidence

    of any systematic investigation of the requirements of the customer. Solving these problems may not lead to any significant
    long-term gain; they may be quickly replaced by other ‘quality issues’. Furthermore, the customer is also perceived in a limited
    way. These quality requirements are in the eye of the gift shop owner who is interested in saleable products. The end customer
    – the consumer – who buys and uses the product may have other requirements which can also be addressed at this time.
    By considering the VOC the problem and scope of the project becomes re-defined and the solution of the problems potentially
    more valuable.
    Measurement
    Measurement is fundamental to Six Sigma. This includes the gathering of data to validate and quantify the problem. The
    creation of the inspection team was based on initial evidence about an increase in breakages. This needs to be quantified.
    The inaccurate printing of the image had been quantified as 500 units per month, out of the 250,000 shipped out of the
    company. This equates to a failure rate of 0·2%, so that 99·8% of items are shipped with a correctly aligned image. This
    sounds quite reasonable but it still raises issues and complaints that have to be dealt with, as well as creating wastage costs
    of $10,000 per month. The problem is that even a relatively low percentage of defects can lead to a lot of unhappy customers.
    Aiming for Six Sigma would reduce defects down to about one faulty item per month, reducing the wastage cost to $20.
    Analysis
    Analysis is concerned with understanding the process to find the root cause. Six Sigma focuses on processes and their
    analysis. Analysis concerns methods, machines, materials, measures, Mother Nature and people. The alignment problem
    needs investigation to find out what causes the imaging machine to irregularly produce misaligned images. Management
    currently appear to blame the machine but it may be due to the way that certain people load the machine. The analysis of
    the breakages is particularly important. It is unclear at present where these breakages occur (for example, are some of the
    items broken before they leave UPC’s despatch facility) or are they all broken in transit? Neither is it understood why the
    breakages occur. Management appear to blame the packers for packing incorrectly and not following the correct method.
    However, it may be that the material is just not strong enough to withstand heavy handling by couriers who are outside the
    control of UPC. Additionally, the breakages may be due to some manufacturing problem or raw material imperfection in the
    items that break. Six Sigma stresses understanding the problem before solving it.
    Although DMAIC has been selected as the framework for the sample answer, focusing on other aspects of Six Sigma would
    be acceptable – as long as they are presented in the context of the UPC scenario.

  • 第4题:

    (iii) A statement on the importance of confidentiality in the financing of the early stage working capital needs

    and an explanation of how this conflicts with the duty of transparency in matters of corporate

    governance. (6 marks)

    Professional marks for layout, logical flow and persuasiveness of the statement. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) Importance of confidentiality in the financing of the project and the normal duty of transparency.
    I have been asked to include a statement in my remarks on the balance between our duty to be transparent whenever
    possible and the need for discretion and confidentiality in some situations. In the case of our initial working capital needs
    for the Giant Dam Project, the importance of confidentiality in financing is due to the potential for adverse publicity that
    may arise for the lender. It is important that R&M have the project adequately financed, especially in the early stages
    before the interim payments from the client become fully effective.
    In general, of course, we at R&M attempt to observe the highest standards of corporate governance and this involves
    adopting a default position of transparency rather than concealment wherever possible. We recognise that transparency
    is important to underpin investor confidence and to provide investors with the information they need to make fund
    allocation decisions.
    Whilst it is normal to disclose the amount of debt we carry at any given point (on the balance sheet), it is rarely normal
    practice to disclose the exact sources of those loans. In the case of the financing of initial working capital for the Giant
    Dam Project, I’m sure you will realise that in this unique situation, disclosure of the lender’s identity could threaten the
    progress of the project. For this reason we must resist any attempts to release this into the public domain. We are aware
    of one pressure group that is actively seeking to discover this information in order to disrupt the project’s progress and
    we shall be taking all internal measures necessary to ensure they do not obtain the information.
    Thank you for listening.

  • 第5题:

    (iii) Flexibility. (3 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) Flexibility may relate to the company being able to cope with flexibility of volume, delivery speed or job specification. In
    this particular context, flexibility appears to have been problematic for HLP as evidenced by the fact that 320
    consultations relating to commercial were subcontracted during the year. This could be due to the lack of the ability of
    HLP advisors to be able to provide consultations to a potentially wide-range of commercial clients, i.e. the variability in
    the ‘job specification’ requires greater flexibility than HLP can deliver. Furthermore, a total of 600 consultations relating
    to litigation work were also subcontracted throughout the year. These subcontract consultations might be due to the
    inability of HLP to deal with fluctuations in demand.

  • 第6题:

    (iii) Whether or not you agree with the statement of the marketing director in note (9) above. (5 marks)

    Professional marks for appropriateness of format, style. and structure of the report. (4 marks)


    正确答案:

    (iii) The marketing director is certainly correct in recognising that success is dependent on levels of service quality provided
    by HFG to its clients. However, whilst the number of complaints is an important performance measure, it needs to be
    used with caution. The nature of a complaint is, very often, far more indicative of the absence, or a lack, of service
    quality. For example, the fact that 50 clients complained about having to wait for a longer time than they expected to
    access gymnasium equipment is insignificant when compared to an accident arising from failure to maintain properly a
    piece of gymnasium equipment. Moreover, the marketing director ought to be aware that the absolute number of
    complaints may be misleading as much depends on the number of clients serviced during any given period. Thus, in
    comparing the number of complaints received by the three centres then a relative measure of complaints received per
    1,000 client days would be far more useful than the absolute number of complaints received.
    The marketing director should also be advised that the number of complaints can give a misleading picture of the quality
    of service provision since individuals have different levels of willingness to complain in similar situations.
    The marketing director seems to accept the current level of complaints but is unwilling to accept any increase above this
    level. This is not indicative of a quality-oriented organisation which would seek to reduce the number of complaints over
    time via a programme of ‘continuous improvement’.
    From the foregoing comments one can conclude that it would be myopic to focus on the number of client complaints
    as being the only performance measure necessary to measure the quality of service provision. Other performance
    measures which may indicate the level of service quality provided to clients by HFG are as follows:
    – Staff responsiveness assumes critical significance in service industries. Hence the time taken to resolve client
    queries by health centre staff is an important indicator of the level of service quality provided to clients.
    – Staff appearance may be viewed as reflecting the image of the centres.
    – The comfort of bedrooms and public rooms including facilities such as air-conditioning, tea/coffee-making and cold
    drinks facilities, and office facilities such as e-mail, facsimile and photocopying.
    – The availability of services such as the time taken to gain an appointment with a dietician or fitness consultant.
    – The cleanliness of all areas within the centres will enhance the reputation of HFG. Conversely, unclean areas will
    potentially deter clients from making repeat visits and/or recommendations to friends, colleagues etc.
    – The presence of safety measures and the frequency of inspections made regarding gymnasium equipment within
    the centres and compliance with legislation are of paramount importance in businesses like that of HFG.
    – The achievement of target reductions in weight that have been agreed between centre consultants and clients.
    (Other relevant measures would be acceptable.)

  • 第7题:

    (c) Suggest ways in which each of the six problems chosen in (a) above may be overcome. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (c) Ways in which each of the problems might be overcome are as follows:
    Meeting only the lowest targets
    – To overcome the problem there must be some additional incentive. This could be through a change in the basis of bonus
    payment which currently only provides an incentive to achieve the 100,000 tonnes of output.
    Using more resources than necessary
    – Overcoming the problem may require a change in the bonus system which currently does not provide benefit from any
    output in excess of 100,000 tonnes. This may not be perceived as sufficiently focused in order to achieve action. It may
    be that engendering a culture of continuous improvement would help ensure that employees actively sought ways of
    reducing idle time levels.
    Making the bonus – whatever it takes
    – It is likely that efforts to change the ‘work ethos’ at all levels is required, while not necessarily removing the concept of
    a bonus payable to all employees for achievement of targets. This may require the fostering of a culture for success within
    the company. Dissemination of information to all staff relating to trends in performance, meeting targets, etc may help
    to improve focus on continuous improvement.
    Competing against other divisions, business units and departments
    – The problem may need some input from the directors of TRG. For example, could a ‘dual-cost’ transfer pricing system
    be explained to management at both the Bettamould division and also the Division with spare capacity in order to
    overcome resistance to problems on transfer pricing and its impact on divisional budgets and reported results? In this
    way it may be possible for the Bettamould division to source some of its input materials at a lower cost (particularly from
    TRG’s viewpoint) and yet be acceptable to the management at the supplying division.
    Ensuring that what is in the budget is spent
    – In order to overcome the problem it may be necessary to educate management into acceptance of aspects of budgeting
    such as the need to consider the committed, engineered and discretionary aspects of costs. For example, it may be
    possible to reduce the number of salaried staff involved in the current quality checking of 25% of throughput on a daily
    basis.
    Providing inaccurate forecasts
    – In order to overcome this problem there must be an integrated approach to the budget setting process. This may be
    achieved to some extent through all aspects of the budget having to be agreed by all functions involved. For example,
    engineers as well as production line management in reaching the agreed link between percentage process losses and
    the falling efficiency of machinery due to age. In addition, TRC may insist an independent audit of aspects of budget
    revisions by group staff.
    Meeting the target but not beating it
    – To overcome the problem may require that the bonus system should be altered to reflect any failure to control costs per
    tonne at the budget level.
    Avoiding risks
    – In order to overcome such problems, TRC would have to provide some guarantees to Bettamould management that the
    supply would be available during the budget period at the initially agreed price and that the quality would be maintained
    at the required level. This would remove the risk element that the management of the Bettamould division may consider
    currently exists.

  • 第8题:

    (iii) State any disadvantages to the relief in (i) that Sharon should be aware of, and identify and describe

    another relief that she might use. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) There are several disadvantages to incorporation relief as follows:
    1. The requirement to transfer all business assets to the company means that it will not be possible to leave behind
    certain assets, such as the property. This might lead to a double tax charge (sale of the property, then extraction
    of sale proceeds) at a future date.
    2. Taper relief is lost on the transfer of the business. This means that any disposal of chargeable business assets (the
    shares) within two years of the incorporation will lead to a higher chargeable gain, as the full rate of business asset
    taper relief will not be available.
    3. The relief does not eliminate the tax charge, it merely defers the payment of tax until some future event. The
    deferred gain will become taxable when Sharon sells her shares in the company.
    Gift relief could be used instead of incorporation relief. The assets would be gifted to the company for no consideration,
    with the base cost of the assets to the company being reduced by the deferred gain arising. Unlike incorporation relief,
    gift relief applies to individual assets used in a trade and not to an entire business. This is particularly useful if the
    transferor wishes to retain some assets, such as property outside the company, as not all assets have to be transferred.
    Note: If the business was non-trading, incorporation relief would still be available, but gift relief would not. However,
    this restriction should not apply to Sharon and gift relief remains an option in this case.

  • 第9题:

    (iii) Explain the potential corporation tax (CT) implications of Tay Limited transferring work to Trent Limited,

    and suggest how these can be minimised or eliminated. (3 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) Trading losses may not be carried forward where, within a period of three years there is both a change in the ownership
    of a company and a major change in the nature or conduct of its trade. The transfer of work from Tay Limited to Trent
    Limited is likely to constitute a major change in the nature or conduct of the latter’s trade. As a consequence, any tax
    losses at the date of acquisition will be forfeited. Assuming losses were incurred uniformly in 2005, the tax losses at the
    date of acquisition were £380,000 (300,000 + 2/3 x 120,000)). This is worth £114,000 assuming a corporation tax
    rate of 30%.
    Thus, Tay Limited should not consider transferring any trade to Trent Limited until after the third anniversary of the date
    of the change of ownership i.e. not before 1 September 2008. As the trades are similar, there should be little problem
    in transferring work from that date onwards.

  • 第10题:

    (iii) Can audit teams cross sell services to their clients? (4 marks)

    Required:

    For EACH of the three FAQs, explain the threats to objectivity that may arise and the safeguards that should

    be available to manage them to an acceptable level.

    NOTE: The mark allocation is shown against each of the three questions.


    正确答案:
    (iii) Cross selling services
    The practice of cross selling is intended to give incentives to members of audit teams to concentrate their efforts on the
    selling of non-audit services to audit clients.
    It is not inappropriate for an audit firm to cross sell or for members of the audit team to recognise on an ongoing basis
    the need of a client to have non audit services. However it should not be an aim of the audit team member to seek out
    such opportunities.
    Boleyn should have policies and procedures to ensure that, in relation to each audit client:
    ■ the objectives of the members of the audit team do not include selling of non-audit services to the audit client;
    ■ the criteria for evaluating the performance of members of the audit team do not include success in selling nonaudit
    services to the audit client;
    ■ no specific element of remuneration of a member of the audit team and no decision concerning promotion within
    the audit firm is based on his or her success in selling non-audit services to the audit client; and
    ■ the ethics partner being available for consultation when needed.
    Therefore objectives such as the following are inappropriate:
    ■ to meet a quota of opportunities;
    ■ to specifically make time to discuss with clients which non-audit services they should consider;
    ■ to develop identified selling opportunities.
    An audit engagement partner’s performance should be judged on the quality and integrity of the audit only. There are
    no restrictions on normal partnership profit-sharing arrangements.

  • 第11题:

    (ii) Discuss TWO problems that may be faced in implementing quality control procedures in a small firm of

    Chartered Certified Accountants, and recommend how these problems may be overcome. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (ii) Consultation – it may not be possible to hold extensive consultations on specialist issues within a small firm, due to a
    lack of specialist professionals. There may be a lack of suitably experienced peers to discuss issues arising on client
    engagements. Arrangements with other practices for consultation may be necessary.
    Training/Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – resources may not be available, and it is expensive to establish
    an in-house training function. External training consortia can be used to provide training/CPD for qualified staff, and
    training on non-exam related issues for non-qualified staff.
    Review procedures – it may not be possible to hold an independent review of an engagement within the firm due to the
    small number of senior and experienced auditors. In this case an external review service may be purchased.
    Lack of specialist experience – where special skills are needed within an engagement; the skills may be bought in, for
    example, by seconding staff from another practice. Alternatively if work is too specialised for the firm, the work could be
    sub-contracted to another practice.
    Working papers – the firm may lack resources to establish an in-house set of audit manuals or standard working papers.
    In this case documentation can be provided by external firms or professional bodies.

  • 第12题:

    问答题
    Task II (20 marks)  Directions:Many nations’ serious school problems nowadays result from the students’ attitude. What causes these problems? What’s your opinion to deal with these problems? State your opinion in no less than about 160 words, and write it on the Answer Sheet.

    正确答案:
    Nowadays in many nations there are serious school problems—absenteeism, disrespect for teachers, drug abuse, and tardiness. Serious school problems are positively associated with high-risk behaviors of teens: smoking, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and so.
    There might be many causes for these various school problems in different cases, but one reason is in common—the student’s attitude. Every single person is responsible for his or her own actions, so do the students. And if one’s attitude is upright, there would be no reason for him or her to misbehave. On the contrary, if a student is experiencing serious school problems, parents and teachers better take a close look into his or her attitude. There must be something wrong with it.
    Thus, in order to prevent serious school problems, it is necessary to cultivate a positive attitude in the students. Positive attitude will bring out the best in them and will become the key to their success at school.
    (Word Count: 158)
    解析: 暂无解析

  • 第13题:

    (d) Explain to the management of Bailey’s why consideration should be given to resolving the problems through:

    (i) job rotation; (5 marks)


    正确答案:
    (d) (i) Job rotation is the planned rotation of staff between jobs and tasks to reduce monotony and boredom and provide fresh opportunities and challenges. This could be a useful way of encouraging employees at Bailey’s alongside enrichment and enlargement. Rotation would encourage better understanding between employees at Bailey’s. It takes two forms,the transfer to another job after some time in an existing job and the introduction of another individual to the job being vacated, or as a form. of training where individuals are moved through different jobs to learn new skills.

  • 第14题:

    (b) Explain how Perfect Shopper might re-structure its upstream supply chain to address the problems identified

    in the scenario. (10 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) Perfect Shopper currently has a relatively short upstream supply chain. They are bulk purchasers from established suppliers
    of branded goods. Their main strength at the moment is to offer these branded goods at discounted prices to neighbourhood
    shops that would normally have to pay premium prices for these goods.
    In the upstream supply chain, the issue of branding is a significant one. At present, Perfect Shopper only provides branded
    goods from established names to its customers. As far as the suppliers are concerned, Perfect Shopper is the customer and
    the company’s regional warehouses are supplied as if they were the warehouses of conventional supermarkets. Perfect
    Shopper might look at the following restructuring opportunities within this context:
    – Examining the arrangements for the delivery of products from suppliers to the regional warehouses. At present this is in
    the hands of the suppliers or contractors appointed by suppliers. It appears that when Perfect Shopper was established
    it decided not to contract its own distribution. This must now be open to review. It is likely that competitors have
    established contractual arrangements with logistics companies to collect products from suppliers. Perfect Shopper must
    examine this, accompanied by an investigation into downstream distribution. A significant distribution contract would
    probably include the branding of lorries and vans and this would provide an opportunity to increase brand visibility and
    so tackle this issue at the same time.
    – Contracting the supply and distribution of goods also offers other opportunities. Many integrated logistics contractors also
    supply storage and warehousing solutions and it would be useful for Perfect Shopper to evaluate the costs of these.
    Essentially, distribution, warehousing and packaging could be outsourced to an integrated logistics company and Perfect
    Shopper could re-position itself as a primarily sales and marketing operation.
    – Finally, Perfect Shopper must review how it communicates orders and ordering requirements with its suppliers. Their
    reliance on supplier deliveries suggests that the relationship is a relatively straightforward one. There may be
    opportunities for sharing information and allowing suppliers access to forecasted demand. There are many examples
    where organisations have allowed suppliers access to their information to reduce costs and to improve the efficiency of
    the supply chain as a whole.
    The suggestions listed above assume that Perfect Shopper continues to only supply branded goods. Moving further upstream
    in the supply chain potentially moves the company into the manufacture and supply of goods. This will raise a number of
    significant issues about the franchise itself.
    At present Perfect Shopper has, by necessity, concentrated on branded goods. It has not really had to understand how these
    goods sell in specific locations because it has not been able to offer alternatives. The content of the standing order reflects
    how the neighbourhood shop wishes to compete in its locality. However, if Perfect Shopper decides to commission its own
    brand then the breadth of products is increased. Neighbourhood shops would be able to offer ‘own brand’ products to compete
    with supermarkets who also focus on own brand products. It would also increase the visibility of the brand. However, Perfect
    Shopper must be sure that this approach is appropriate as a whole. It could easily produce an own brand that reduces the
    overall image of the company and hence devalues the franchise. Much more research is needed to assess the viability ofproducing ‘own brand’ goods.

  • 第15题:

    (iii) How items not dealt with by an IFRS for SMEs should be treated. (5 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) The treatment of items not dealt with by an IFRS for SMEs
    IFRSs for SMEs would not necessarily deal with all the recognition and measurement issues facing an entity but the key
    issues should revolve around the nature of the recognition, measurement and disclosure of the transactions of SMEs. In
    the case where the item is not dealt with by the standards there are three alternatives:
    (a) the entity can look to the full IFRS to resolve the issue
    (b) management’s judgement can be used with reference to the Framework and consistency with other IFRSs for SMEs
    (c) existing practice could be used.
    The first approach is more likely to result in greater consistency and comparability. However, this approach may also
    increase the burden on SMEs as it can be argued that they are subject to two sets of standards.
    An SME may wish to make a disclosure required by a full IFRS which is not required by the SME standard, or a
    measurement principle is simplified or exempted in the SME standard, or the IFRS may give a choice between two
    measurement options and the SME standard does not allow choice. Thus the issue arises as to whether SMEs should
    be able to choose to comply with a full IFRS for some items and SME standards for other items, allowing an SME to
    revert to IFRS on a principle by principle basis. The problem which will arise will be a lack of consistency and
    comparability of SME financial statements.

  • 第16题:

    (iii) whether you agree or not with the statement of the production director. (3 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) ‘If we implement a reward scheme then it is bound to be beneficial for BGL’.
    The statement of the manufacturing director is not necessarily correct. Indeed there is much evidence to support the
    proposition that the existence of performance-related reward schemes can encourage dysfunctional behaviour. This often
    manifests itself in the form. of ‘budgetary slack’ which is incorporated into budgets in anticipation of subsequent cuts by
    higher levels of management or to make subsequent performance look better.

  • 第17题:

    Note: requirement (a) includes 4 professional marks.

    A central feature of the performance measurement system at TSC is the widespread use of league tables that display

    each depot’s performance relative to one another.

    Required:

    (b) Evaluate the potential benefits and problems associated with the use of ‘league tables’ as a means of

    measuring performance. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) A central feature of many performance measurement systems is the widespread use of league tables that display each
    business unit’s performance relative to one another. In the case of service organisations such as TSC the use of league tables
    emphasises the company’s critical success factors of profitability and quality of service by reporting results on a weekly basis
    at the depot level. The fact that such league tables are used by management will actively encourage competition, in terms of
    performance, among depots. The individual position of a business unit in the league table is keenly observed both by the
    manager of that unit and his/her peers.
    In theory, performance is transparent. In practice although each depot performs essentially the same function and is subject
    to the same modes of measurement, circumstances pertaining to different business units may vary significantly. Some depots
    may be situated near to the hub (main distribution centre), some may be located far away and some may be in urban zones
    with well developed road networks whilst others may be in remote rural areas. Measuring performance via a league table
    makes no allowance whatsoever for these relative differences, hence, inequality is built into the performance measurement
    system.
    Moreover, depot managers might be held responsible for areas over which they have no formal control. The network nature
    of the business suggests that there will be a high degree of interdependence of depots; the depot responsible for collection
    will very often not be the depot responsible for delivery. Therefore, it is frequently the case that business may be gained for
    which the collecting depot receives the revenue, but for which the delivering depot bears the cost. Obviously this impacts
    upon the profit statements of both depots. The formal system might not recognise such difficulties, the corporate view being
    that ‘the business needs to be managed’; the depots should therefore see any such anomalies as mild constraints to work
    around rather than barriers to break down. In such circumstances delivering depots and collecting depots should discuss such
    problems on an informal basis. Such informal discussions are aided by close communications between depots recognising
    the interdependencies of the business.

  • 第18题:

    (b) Illustrate EACH of the six problems chosen in (a) using the data from the Bettamould division/TRG scenario;

    and (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    (b) An illustration of each of the problems using the data from the Battamould division/TRG scenario is as follows:
    Meeting only the lowest targets
    – In the scenario, the budgeted variable cost of $200 per tonne has been agreed. There is no specific incentive for the
    Bettamould division to try to achieve a better level of performance.
    Using more resources than necessary
    – In the scenario, the current budget allows for 5% machine idle time. There is evidence that a move to outsourcing
    machine maintenance from a specialist company could help reduce idle time levels and permit annual output in excess
    of 100,000 tonnes.
    Making the bonus – whatever it takes
    – At present, the only sanction/incentive is to achieve 100,000 tonnes of output. There is no mention of any sanction for
    example, if processing losses (and hence costs) rise to 20% of material inputs.
    Competing against other divisions, business units and departments
    – At present, the Bettamould division sources its materials from chosen suppliers who have been used for some years.
    There is evidence that materials of equal specification could be sourced for 40% of the annual requirement from another
    TRG division which has spare capacity. Why has this not been investigated?
    Ensuring that what is in the budget is spent
    – In the Bettamould scenario, there is a fixed cost budget allowance of $50,000,000. We are told in the question that
    salaries of all employees and management are paid on a fixed salary basis. Bettamould’s management will not want a
    reduction in the fixed budget allowance, since this could lead to the need to reduce the number of employees, which
    they may see as having a detrimental effect on the ability of the division to meet its annual budget output target of
    100,000 tonnes.
    Providing inaccurate forecasts
    – In the scenario there may have been deliberate efforts to increase the agreed budget level of aspects of measures and
    costs. For example, by putting forward the argument that the budget requirement of 15% processing losses is acceptable
    because of the likelihood that ageing machinery will be less effective in the coming budget period.
    Meeting the target but not beating it
    – In the scenario the bonus of 5% of salary is payable as long as the 100,000 tonnes of output is achieved. This does
    not require that actual results will show any other aspects of the budget being improved upon. For example there is no
    need to consider a reduction in the current level of quality checks (25% of daily throughput) to the 10% level that current
    evidence suggests is achieved by competitor companies. The current budget agreement allows the Bettamould division
    to transfer its output to market based profit centres at $200 + $500 = $700 per tonne. There is no specified penalty
    if costs exceed this target level.
    Avoiding risks
    – Bettamould has not yet incorporated the changes listed in note 4 in the question. For example why has the sourcing of
    40% of required materials from another TRC division not been quantified and evaluated. It is possible that the division
    with spare capacity could supply the material at cost (possibly based on marginal cost) which would be less than
    currently paid to a supplier external to TRC. It may be that Bettamould have not pursued this possibility because of risk
    factors relating to the quality of the material transferred or its continued availability where the supplying division had an
    upturn in the level of more profitable external business.

  • 第19题:

    (iii) Identify and discuss an alternative strategy that may assist in improving the performance of CTC with

    effect from 1 May 2009 (where only the products in (a) and (b) above are available for manufacture).

    (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) If no new products are available then CTC must look to boost revenues obtained from its existing product portolio whilst
    seeking to reduce product specific fixed overheads and the company’s other fixed overheads. In order to do this attention
    should be focused on the marketing activities currently undertaken.
    CTC should consider selling all of its products in ‘multi product’ packages as it might well be the case that the increased
    contribution achieved from increased sales volumes would outweigh the diminution in contribution arising from
    reductions in the selling price per unit of each product.
    CTC could also apply target costing principles in order to reduce costs and thereby increase the margins on each of its
    products. Value analysis should be undertaken in order to evaluate the value-added features of each product. For
    example, the use of non-combustible materials in manufacture would be a valued added feature of such products
    whereas the use of pins and metal fastenings which are potentially harmful to children would obviously not comprise
    value added features. CTC should focus on delivering ‘value’ to the customer and in attempting to do so should seek to
    identify all non-value activities in order that they may be eliminated and hence margins improved.

  • 第20题:

    (iii) State how your answer in (ii) would differ if the sale were to be delayed until August 2006. (3 marks)


    正确答案:

     

  • 第21题:

    (iii) cheese. (4 marks)


    正确答案:
    (iii) Cheese
    ■ Examine the terms of sales to Abingdon Bank – confirm the bank’s legal title (e.g. if GVF were to cease to trade
    and so could not exercise buy-back option).
    ■ Obtain a direct confirmation from the bank of the cost of inventory sold by GVF to Abingdon Bank and the amount
    re-purchased as at 30 September 2005 (the net amount being the outstanding loan).
    ■ Inspect the cheese as at 30 September 2005 (e.g. during the physical inventory count) paying particular attention
    to the factors which indicate the age (and strength) of the cheese (e.g. its location or physical appearance).
    ■ Observe how the cheese is stored – if on steel shelves discuss with GVF’s management whether its net realisable
    value has been reduced below cost.
    ■ Test check, on a sample basis, the costing records supporting the cost of batches of cheese.
    ■ Confirm that the cost of inventory sold to the bank is included in inventory as at 30 September 2005 and the
    nature of the bank security adequately disclosed.
    ■ Agree the repurchase of cheese which has reached maturity at cost plus 7% per six months to purchase invoices
    (or equivalent contracts) and cash book payments.
    ■ Test check GVF’s inventory-ageing records to production records. Confirm the carrying amount of inventory as at
    30 September 2005 that will not be sold until after 30 September 2006, and agree to the amount disclosed in
    the notes to inventory as a ‘non-current’ portion.

  • 第22题:

    4 (a) ISA 701 Modifications to The Independent Auditor’s Report includes ‘suggested wording of modifying phrases

    for use when issuing modified reports’.

    Required:

    Explain and distinguish between each of the following terms:

    (i) ‘qualified opinion’;

    (ii) ‘disclaimer of opinion’;

    (iii) ‘emphasis of matter paragraph’. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    4 PETRIE CO
    (a) Independent auditor’s report terms
    (i) Qualified opinion – A qualified opinion is expressed when the auditor concludes that an unqualified opinion cannot be
    expressed but that the effect of any disagreement with management, or limitation on scope is not so material and
    pervasive as to require an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion.
    (ii) Disclaimer of opinion – A disclaimer of opinion is expressed when the possible effect of a limitation on scope is so
    material and pervasive that the auditor has not been able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence and accordingly
    is unable to express an opinion on the financial statements.
    (iii) Emphasis of matter paragraph – An auditor’s report may be modified by adding an emphasis of matter paragraph to
    highlight a matter affecting the financial statements that is included in a note to the financial statements that more
    extensively discusses the matter. Such an emphasis of matter paragraph does not affect the auditor’s opinion. An
    emphasis of matter paragraph may also be used to report matters other than those affecting the financial statements
    (e.g. if there is a misstatement of fact in other information included in documents containing audited financial
    statements).
    (iii) is clearly distinguishable from (i) and (ii) because (i) and (ii) affect the opinion paragraph, whereas (iii) does not.
    (i) and (ii) are distinguishable by the degree of their impact on the financial statements. In (i) the effects of any disagreement
    or limitation on scope can be identified with an ‘except for …’ opinion. In (ii) the matter is pervasive, that is, affecting the
    financial statements as a whole.
    (ii) can only arise in respect of a limitation in scope (i.e. insufficient evidence) that has a pervasive effect. (i) is not pervasive
    and may also arise from disagreement (i.e. where there is sufficient evidence).

  • 第23题:

    2 (a) Define the following terms:

    (i) Forensic Accounting;

    (ii) Forensic Investigation;

    (iii) Forensic Auditing. (6 marks)


    正确答案:
    2 Crocus Co
    (a) (i) Forensic accounting utilises accounting, auditing, and investigative skills to conduct an examination into a company’s
    financial statements. The aim of forensic accounting is to provide an accounting analysis that is potentially suitable for
    use in court. Forensic accounting is an umbrella term encompassing both forensic investigations and forensic audits. It
    includes the audit of financial information to prove or disprove a fraud, the interview process used during an
    investigation, and the act of serving as an expert witness.
    Tutorial note: Forensic accounting can be used in a very wide range of situations, e.g. settling monetary disputes in
    relation to a business closure, marriage break up, insurance claim, etc. Credit will be awarded for any reasonable
    examples provided.
    (ii) A forensic investigation is a process whereby a forensic accountant carries out procedures to gather evidence, which
    could ultimately be used in legal proceedings or to settle disputes. This could include, for example, an investigation into
    money laundering. A forensic investigation involves many stages (similar to an audit), including planning, evidence
    gathering, quality control reviews, and finally results in the production of a report.
    (iii) Forensic auditing is the specific use of audit procedures within a forensic investigation to find facts and gather evidence,
    usually focused on the quantification of a financial loss. This could include, for example, the use of analytical
    procedures, and substantive procedures to determine the amount of an insurance claim.