Indicate in Each Case Whether the Item Has Been Handled

question 67

Essay

Indicate in each case whether the item has been handled in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). If so, indicate the key basic concept that has been followed. If not, indicate which concept has been violated and tell how the item should have been recorded or presented.
1. White Farm Equipment Company manufactures tractors and combines. It pays its salespeople a commission of 15 percent of the sales price as their compensation. During the current year, the company's sales were $100,000,000 and commissions amounted to $15,000,000. In the income
statement, sales are shown as $100,000,000, but the $15,000,000 in commissions was not recorded in the current year as it will not be paid until the next year.
2. Plato Plastics Molding uses a large quantity of small tools in its manufacturing process. The annual purchases of the tools, which have a life of about two years, are approximately 1 percent of the company's net income for the year. The company has followed the practice of capitalizing the cost of the tools and depreciating the cost over two years. The owner asks why the accountant spends so much time on "bookkeeping" and tells her to simply charge the tools to expense when they are purchased. The accountant agrees.
3. Lauren Fox owns a snow removal business in Maine. Customers who will be vacationing in Florida for the winter must make a deposit of one-half of the seasonal rate on September 1, the last date to make arrangements to have their sidewalks and driveways plowed throughout the winter while they are gone. The balance is due on November 1. At the time deposits are received, Fox records them as revenue. Refunds, if any, are treated as expenses at the time they are made.
4. The Dollar Store sells such items as discontinued products and merchandise purchased from bankrupt companies. Freight costs on goods purchased are quite high. The company adds the freight costs to the purchase price and treats the total as cost of its merchandise inventory.
5. Each year, Neuman Enterprises has a large number of uncollectible accounts. Neuman charges uncollectible accounts to expense when they are deemed to be uncollectible. On the average, an account is deemed to be uncollectible about 18 months after the due date of the account.

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Definitions:

JIT Systems

Just-In-Time Systems refer to a strategy to increase efficiency and decrease waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process.

Inventory

The quantity of goods or materials that a business holds for the purpose of resale or production.

JIT Partnerships

Collaborations between companies and their suppliers to implement Just-In-Time inventory strategies, aiming to reduce waste and increase efficiency.

In-plant Inventory

The stock of goods and materials held within a manufacturing plant for the production process or for immediate use.