Corporate Reporting July 2014
Corporate Reporting July 2014
CORPORATE REPORTING
This paper consists of THREE questions (100 marks).
1.
Ensure your candidate details are on the front of your answer booklet.
2.
3.
Answers to each question must begin on a new page and must be clearly numbered.
Use both sides of the paper in your answer booklet.
4.
The examiner will take account of the way in which material is presented.
The questions in this paper have been prepared on the assumption that candidates do
not have a detailed knowledge of the types of organisations to which they relate. No
additional credit will be given to candidates displaying such knowledge.
IMPORTANT
Question papers contain confidential
information and must NOT be
removed from the examination hall.
183210
QUESTION 1
You work for Hartner as an audit senior. Hartner is a firm of ICAEW Chartered Accountants.
You have recently been asked to act as an audit senior on the audit of UHN plc, an AIMlisted company.
UHN manufactures wing parts for the aircraft industry. It has survived the recession and
order levels have started to recover. In addition, low interest rates and the ability to keep
costs controlled have improved the companys financial performance in recent years.
The audit engagement partner, Petra Chainey, gives you the following briefing:
We have been very short-staffed on the UHN audit and Greg Jones, the audit senior, has
been acting as the audit manager on this assignment. Greg has just gone on study leave and
I would like you to take on his role for the remainder of the audit. Before he left, Greg
prepared a handover note (Exhibit 1) which includes information on UHNs covenants and its
draft summary financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2014. The handover note
also includes Gregs summary of the key financial reporting issues. These issues are either
unresolved or, in Gregs opinion, issues where the directors have exercised judgement in the
application of accounting policies and estimates in the preparation of the financial statements
for UHN. The planning materiality is 100,000. The audit closure meeting is scheduled for
this Friday.
I would like you to prepare a working paper in which you:
Set out and explain the implications of the financial reporting issues in Gregs
handover note (Exhibit 1). For each issue, recommend the appropriate financial
reporting treatment, showing any adjustments that you would need to make to the draft
summary financial statements.
Using your recommendations above, evaluate and explain the overall impact of your
adjustments on the gearing ratio and the interest cover ratio at 31 March 2014 in
accordance with the banks loan covenants.
Explain the key audit risks that we need to address before signing our audit report on
the financial statements. I do not need the detailed audit procedures; just concentrate
on the key risks.
I will ask the tax department to review any further deferred tax and current tax adjustments.
I have also forwarded you an email from the UHN finance director, Melvyn Hansi, requesting
Hartner to accept a one-off assurance assignment (Exhibit 2). I need to respond quickly to
this email as the matter is urgent. I am concerned that if we do not do as UHN requests, they
may engage with another assurance firm, not just for this one-off engagement, but also for
future audits.
We may not have the expertise in-house to complete this one-off assignment as the nature
of UHNs industry is specialised, but I am sure we can put together a convincing report.
I would like you to prepare a file note explaining the ethical implications for our firm if we
decide to accept this one-off assurance assignment.
Requirement
Prepare the working paper and the file note requested by the audit engagement partner.
(40 marks)
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The gearing ratio is to be less than 130%. The ratio is defined as:
Non-current liabilities (excluding provisions and deferred tax liability) x 100%
Equity (Share capital and reserves)
(2)
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UHN Draft summary financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2014
Statement of profit or loss for the year ended 31 March 2014
000
.
Revenue
Operating costs
Exceptional item (Issue 1)
Operating profit
Finance costs
56,900
(49,893)
3,540
10,547
(2,200)
8,347
000
20,040
21,960
15,982
128
38,070
58,110
Total assets
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity
Share capital ordinary 1 shares
Share premium
Retained earnings - deficit
1,000
15,000
(500)
Total equity
15,500
Non-current liabilities
Loans
Long-term provision (Issue 4)
Deferred tax liability
Total non-current liabilities
20,000
8,520
1,000
29,520
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables (Issue 3)
Short-term provision (Issue 4)
Total current liabilities
12,350
740
13,090
58,110
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Factory
000
6,000
(2,960)
3,040
Land
000
1,500
(1,000)
500
Although we have vouched this transaction to the lease agreement and other documents
(and there is plenty of evidence on the audit file relating to this transaction), as it is such a
material amount I thought I would draw it to your attention.
I have calculated the interest rate implicit in the lease to be 8% per annum.
Issue 2 Service centre in Russia
On 1 April 2013, UHN set up a service centre in Russia at a cost of RUB266 million. The
service centre is situated at Moscow airport and operates as a repair depot for flights in and
out of Moscow airport. The service centre had an estimated useful life of 6 years at
1 April 2013, with a zero residual value.
In March 2014, new regulations were introduced in Russia which prevented extended stays
at Moscow airport for a number of major airlines. Therefore significantly fewer aircraft could
be serviced at UHNs Moscow service centre. The UHN finance director recognised this
regulatory change as an impairment indicator and carried out an impairment test exercise at
31 March 2014 on the service centre.
As a consequence of this exercise, the service centre was determined to have a value in use
of RUB180 million and a fair value less cost to sell of RUB204 million at
31 March 2014.
The finance director therefore calculated an impairment charge of RUB18 million. He
translated this at RUB48= 1 to give an impairment charge of 375,000 in operating costs.
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I havent studied this area of financial reporting at college yet, so I thought I should bring it to
your attention. I have checked the exchange rates which are as follows:
At 1 April 2013
At 31 March 2014
RUB53 = 1
RUB48 = 1
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Petra.Chainey@Hartner
[email protected]
21 July 2014
One-off assurance assignment
UHN and one of its customers, Geocraft Ltd, are jointly tendering for a major contract to build
wing parts for a foreign government. Geocraft designs mixed-signal integrated circuits for
UHNs products. It is important that UHN has assurance over two aspects of Geocrafts
business:
As part of the agreement with Geocraft, UHN is entitled to appoint external advisers to
provide assurance over these two aspects of Geocrafts business and I would like Hartner to
accept this one-off assurance assignment. I expect that Hartner will be able to charge a low
fee for this work as Geocraft is an existing customer of UHN. I am sure you will be able to
use some of your audit work for this assurance assignment.
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QUESTION 2
Snedd Enviroclean plc is engaged in the manufacture and supply of environmentally-friendly
home cleaning products. It was set up several years ago by its two founders and has been
very successful. Snedd is currently unlisted, but the company's founders, who are the two
principal shareholders and directors, plan to list the company on the AIM within three to four
years. Snedd's accounting year end is 31 May.
Snedd has built up a substantial cash surplus and the directors decided in 2013 to use this to
achieve growth, principally through investments in established businesses. On 1 June 2013,
Snedd made its first acquisition, being 75% of the ordinary share capital of Bellte Ltd, a
competitor company. On 1 December 2013, Snedd made its second acquisition, being 100%
of the ordinary share capital in Terald Inc, an unlisted company in Distanlan, a foreign
country.
You are Bill Smyth, the recently-appointed financial controller at Snedd.
You have been supplied with working papers, prepared by an assistant (Exhibit), which
contain the draft financial statements for Snedd and Bellte for the year ended 31 May 2014,
together with Teralds trial balance as at 31 May 2014. The working papers also include
notes on outstanding issues prepared by the Snedd finance director before he left on a trip
abroad negotiating the acquisition of another subsidiary.
The finance director has left you the following instructions:
Set out and explain the correct financial reporting treatment, showing appropriate
adjustments for each of the outstanding issues I have identified; and
Requirement
Respond to the finance director's instructions.
(30 marks)
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Exhibit
Working papers
Draft statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year ended
31 May 2014
Snedd
Revenue
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Operating expenses and finance costs
Profit before tax
Tax
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
'000
8,511
(5,598)
2,913
(1,541)
1,372
(354)
1,018
Bellte
'000
2,186
(1,544)
642
(502)
140
(28)
112
600
1,618
112
Bellte
'000
3,512
900
4,412
1,463
Current assets
2,365
586
Total assets
6,777
2,049
300
4,075
600
4,975
30
1,014
92
46
1,710
959
6,777
2,049
ASSETS
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Financial assets (Notes 1 and 2)
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1,463
1,044
On 1 June 2013, Snedd acquired 75% of the ordinary share capital of Bellte for a cash
payment of 800,000. Snedd decided to value the non-controlling interest at its proportionate
share of net asset value. The fair value of the net assets acquired approximated to their
carrying amount at 1 June 2013 of 932,000, except for any adjustments arising from the
following information:
(2)
A contingent liability in respect of a product liability, which had not been recognised by
Bellte (but which was referred to in a note to Belltes financial statements for the year
ended 31 May 2013) was estimated to have a provisional fair value of 20,000 at 1
June 2013. This liability was subsequently settled, on 1 October 2013, for 40,000. An
expense of this amount was recognised in operating expenses in Bellte's individual
financial statements on that date.
On 1 December 2013, Snedd acquired, for 100,000, 100% of the ordinary share capital of
Terald Inc, a company operating in the country of Distanlan. Terald's accountant has sent the
following trial balance at 31 May 2014:
Revenue
Cost of sales
Operating expenses
Income tax
Share capital
Retained earnings at 1 June 2013
Non-current assets
Current liabilities
Current assets
D$'000
112
15
3
160
50
340
D$'000
150
10
140
40
340
The functional currency of Terald is the Distanlan dollar (D$). The carrying amount of the net
assets of Terald at the acquisition date was D$160,000, which approximated to fair value.
Terald uses Distanlan GAAP in preparing its financial statements. Distanlan GAAP is very
similar to IFRS. However, it differs in respect of the measurement of financial assets. Terald's
non-current assets at 31 May 2014 include D$10,000, which is the cost of an investment in a
derivative financial asset acquired on 30 November 2013. Distanlan GAAP requires
measurement of this type of financial asset, subsequent to acquisition, at cost. The fair value
of the financial asset at 31 May 2014 was D$15,000.
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1 = D$2.0
1 = D$2.2
1 = D$2.1
Deferred tax
No adjustments have been made for deferred tax in the draft financial statements for the year
ended 31 May 2014. At that date, Snedd had taxable temporary differences in respect of
accelerated capital allowances of 300,000. Also, at 31 May 2014, Bellte had taxable
temporary differences in respect of accelerated capital allowances of 180,000. During the
year ended 31 May 2014, Snedd recognised a revaluation surplus of 600,000 in respect of
its head office building. As permitted by IFRS, Snedd's directors have decided not to make an
annual transfer from the revaluation surplus in respect of this revaluation. The revaluation
surplus will be taxed when the building is sold in the future. Snedd estimates that the
appropriate tax rate for recognition of deferred tax liabilities at 31 May 2014 is 22%.
It may be assumed that no deferred tax adjustments are required in respect of any other
items for Snedd, Bellte or Terald.
(4)
With effect from 1 April 2014, Snedd's directors decided to adopt a policy of paying certain
key suppliers in Snedds shares in order to ensure that the suppliers have a stake in the
companys long-term success.
On 1 April 2014 Snedd issued 270 of its 1 ordinary shares to Whelkin Ltd, a supplier of soap
flakes, in full settlement of a trade payable amount of 6,000 which had been outstanding
since 28 February 2014. No accounting entries have been made to recognise this
transaction, and the payable of 6,000 is still included in Snedd's trade payables in the draft
financial statements at 31 May 2014. An external consultant has estimated that, at 1 April
2014, one ordinary share in Snedd had a fair value of 26.50.
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QUESTION 3
You are Steph Carter, an audit senior with J&K LLP, a firm of ICAEW Chartered Accountants
which audits Erskin Technology plc (ETP).
You receive the following briefing from Lauren Haynes, the audit manager responsible for the
ETP audit:
Welcome to the ETP audit team. This week you are scheduled to plan the ETP audit for the
year ending 30 September 2014. Its important we get the planning completed so we can
focus on updating our controls work on revenue at our interim audit visit next month.
Im aware that you have not worked on ETP before, so I have provided some background
information from last years audit file (Exhibit 1). Ive also sent you a working paper setting
out the results of preliminary analytical procedures performed last week by our audit
assistant, Joshi Khan (Exhibit 2). Planning materiality has been set at 850,000.
Yesterday I received an email from the ETP finance director, Mari Johnson (Exhibit 3). She
has asked us for some advice and Ill need your help with my response.
You and I are scheduled to meet up later today. I would like you to do the following in
preparation for that meeting.
Prepare review notes on Joshis work (Exhibit 2), which explain the weaknesses
and limitations in the procedures he has performed. Perform additional analysis
where you think this is required. Set out clearly the additional audit procedures
you would like him to perform and the queries you would like him to resolve
when he returns to the client later this week to complete the preliminary
analytical procedures.
Identify and explain the financial reporting issues and related audit risks you
have identified from the information provided, and outline, for each, the
implications for our audit approach. Detailed audit procedures are not required
at this stage.
Draft a response to Maris email (Exhibit 3) that explains how a review of the interim
financial statements for the period to 31 March 2015 would differ from a statutory
audit and set out the benefits of such a review for ETP.
Requirement
Respond to Lauren Haynes requests.
(30 marks)
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Exhibit 1 Background information on ETP from J&Ks audit working papers for the
year ended 30 September 2013
ETP is a listed company which supplies data storage devices and secure archiving systems.
ETP has three main revenue streams:
Hardware
Hardware revenues are generated by sales of data storage devices which are manufactured
for ETP by a third party manufacturer in Asia. These devices are sold under the Stor-It
brand name which was purchased by ETP for 5 million on 1 October 2011, at which date
the brand had a remaining expected useful life of 10 years. At the same date, ETP invested
1.6 million in patents for a new range of Stor-It devices. These costs were capitalised as
non-current assets. The new Stor-It devices went on sale on 1 April 2013 and were
expected to have a market life of around four years from that date. Revenue from sales of
hardware is recognised when the hardware is delivered.
Systems
Systems revenue is generated from the sale of complete archiving and data storage systems
comprising hardware, software and related services. System projects typically take 6 to 12
months to deliver and revenue is recognised on confirmation by the customer that the project
is complete.
Services
Service revenue is generated by sales of training and consultancy. This is a very competitive
market segment. It has been historically important for ETP and remains a core part of the
companys business plan. Service revenue is recognised as the service is performed.
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Exhibit 2 ETP audit for the year ending 30 September 2014 Preliminary analytical
procedures working paper prepared by Joshi Khan
This working paper considers the following key performance indicators identified by ETP:
revenue growth;
gross margin; and
receivables days sales outstanding (DSO).
This working paper compares actual performance reported in the companys interim financial
statements for the six month period to 31 March 2014, with:
Comparisons are also made if applicable to performance in a prior period. Where actual
results appear out of line with budget or the comparative data, explanations have been
sought from Julie Barwell, Financial Controller, and notes from these discussions are
documented below.
1.
Revenue growth
Total revenue for the 6 months ended 31 March 2014 was as follows:
million
Hardware
Systems
Services
Total
25.4
100.3
17.9
143.6
ETP
Actual growth for six months to 31 March 2014
Budgeted growth for six months to 31 March 2014
Comparator group of companies
Average growth for six months to 31 March 2014
Notes
Hardware
Systems
Services
15.0
5.0
25.0
10.0
12.0
1.0
5.0
6.0
2.5
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(i)
Hardware sales of Stor-It devices were disappointing in the first half of the financial year
following the introduction of cheaper and more advanced products by ETPs
competitors. From discussions with Julie, sales have continued to decline in the third
quarter and storage space for hardware inventory is becoming a problem.
(ii)
Systems sales were very strong in the first half of the financial year. ETP reviewed its
revenue recognition policy for systems sales in October 2013 and is now invoicing and
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recognising revenue and associated costs as each project progresses. This resulted in
the recognition of additional revenue totalling 30 million on part-completed projects in
the six months ended 31 March 2014. The recognition of revenue on part-completed
projects was not foreseen at the time the budget was prepared and hence actual
performance was significantly better than budget.
(iii)
Services revenues for training and consultancy were strong in the first half of the year
despite an overall decline in this sector of the market. Julie attributes this strong
performance to the introduction of an all in advice package. Customers pay an up-front
annual fee and are then able to access telephone and online advice as and when they
need it. They are also entitled to discounts of up to 20% for the companys training
programmes. This new service has proved very popular and revenues of 5 million
were received in the six months ended 31 March 2014. The up-front fees are
recognised as revenue on receipt as they are not refundable.
2. Gross margin
Hardware
%
Systems
%
Services
%
ETP
Actual margin for six months to 31 March 2014
Budgeted margin for six months to 31 March 2014
Actual margin for six months to 30 September 2013
31.4
35.0
35.0
46.0
45.0
44.8
63.9
50.0
50.1
42.0
44.7
50.3
(iv)
(v)
Notes
(iv) Gross margin on systems sales for the six months to 31 March 2014 is higher than
budgeted as the new projects that started during the period have generated margins
higher than those experienced on the older projects which have now been completed.
These higher margins were, however, offset by a loss recognised on a new project for a
government department. At 31 March 2014, this project was approximately 40%
complete and revenue of 3.6 million was recognised in the six months to 31 March
2014. Costs incurred on this project in the period amounted to 4.6 million giving rise to
a 1 million loss.
(v)
The gross margin on services revenues is higher than expected due to the recognition
of 800,000 of training revenue relating to training courses held in September 2013, but
only invoiced in October 2013. Related costs were recorded in September 2013.
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78.4
66.0
66.2
65.0
Note
(vi)
(vi) Overall DSO increased to above the industry average and prior year, as customers
were generally slow to pay invoices for stage payments on systems sales. In addition, a
number of distributors for the Stor-It hardware devices struggled to make timely
payments as their sales of the product fell and inventory levels increased.
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LaurenHaynes@J&K.com
[email protected]
21 July 2014
Interim audit
Hi Lauren
I was surprised when I joined ETP that we did not ask J&K to complete review procedures on
our interim results. Id like ETP to do this in future, but I am having some difficulty persuading
the board that we should incur the additional cost. Please therefore provide me with a brief
summary of the key benefits that an interim review and report by J&K would provide.
ETPs budget for the year ending 30 September 2015 forecasts revenue for the year to be
350 million. The revenue growth is mostly attributable to a major systems sales contract
with an overseas company which will commence in April 2015. ETP will prepare interim
results to 31 March 2015 and I think it would be relevant information for our shareholders to
recognise revenue evenly over the year and therefore reflect half of this new contract
revenue in the interim financial statements for the six months to 31 March 2015. A review and
a report by J&K would add credibility to the interim financial statements for our shareholders.
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