Intermediate Accounting Vol 1 4th Edition Lo Test Bank
Intermediate Accounting Vol 1 4th Edition Lo Test Bank
Intermediate Accounting Vol 1 4th Edition Lo Test Bank
Learning Objective 1
2) How does an accountant decide on the appropriate method of accounting for a business transaction?
A) Evaluating if the particular method is consistent with the conceptual framework.
B) Ensuring that the accounting method agrees with that selected by other companies.
C) Evaluating whether the selected method differs from the underlying economics.
D) Testing the selected method for numerical accuracy and consistency.
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Type: MC
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.1 Explain the sources of demand and supply of accounting information.
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6) Explain the meaning of financial accounting, managerial accounting and tax accounting. How are these
accounting activities related to each other?
Answer: Financial reporting is the process by which enterprises provide information to external parties.
Managerial accounting, on the other hand, involves reporting within the enterprise.
Tax accounting is the reporting of taxable amounts to the government revenue authorities.
What ties all the branches of accounting together is the idea that some people have information that
others need.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.1 Explain the sources of demand and supply of accounting information.
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9) Explain the process an accountant uses to determine the appropriate accounting method for a business
transaction.
Answer: As GAAP refers to broad principles, not specific rules, accounting involves exercising
professional judgment to determine the appropriate accounting. Judgment is exercised by:
• considering the range of possible methods of accounting;
• evaluating whether and how the particular method of accounting is consistent with the conceptual
framework underlying GAAP;
• appreciation for the underlying economic forces at work and ensuring that the accounting
appropriately reflects the substance of the transaction.
Diff: 3 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.1 Explain the sources of demand and supply of accounting information.
Financial reporting is the process by which enterprises provide information to external parties. Financial
reporting is an economic good that is subject to the laws of supply and demand. Financial reporting exists
because interested parties require information about the business entity to make their investment, credit
or other decisions. The demand for information arises from people's need to make decisions under
uncertainty about the future. In many contexts, there are asymmetric distributions of information
amongst people. Those who have more information are the potential suppliers of information to those
who have less.
People making decisions under uncertainty demand information to alleviate that uncertainty; an
asymmetric distribution of information allows some individuals to supply information to others.
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.1 Explain the sources of demand and supply of accounting information.
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Learning Objective 2
4) Explain the meaning of information and information asymmetry. Give an example of each
Answer: Information: Evidence that can potentially affect an individual's decisions. Example: details
about the format of the final exam; details about the career placement opportunities for a university's
programs; etc.
Information asymmetry: A condition in which some people have more information than others.
Example: professor has more information about the final exam than the students; management has more
information about the financial results than the shareholders; etc.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.2 Apply concepts of information asymmetry, adverse selection, and moral hazard to a variety of
accounting, management, and related situations.
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5) Explain the meaning of adverse selection and moral hazard. Give an example of each.
Answer: Adverse selection: A type of information asymmetry whereby one party to a contract has an
information advantage over another party. Examples: buying a resale home; buying a used car; buying
shares in a company, etc.
Moral hazard: A type of information asymmetry whereby one party to a contract cannot observe some
actions relating to the fulfillment of the contractual terms by the other party. Examples: renting an
apartment to a tenant; car insurance; hiring an executive - separation of ownership and management or
the principal-agent problem; lending money to a company, etc.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.2 Apply concepts of information asymmetry, adverse selection, and moral hazard to a variety of
accounting, management, and related situations.
7) Discuss two ways in which a bank can mitigate the problem of moral hazard when lending money to a
company.
Answer: The lender can request certain covenants that must be satisfied as a condition of granting the
loan; for example, a requirement to have a certain debt-to-equity ratio so that the company does not get
over-leveraged. Also, the bank can request an audit report be prepared.
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.2 Apply concepts of information asymmetry, adverse selection, and moral hazard to a variety of
accounting, management, and related situations.
8) Discuss two ways in which a shareholder can mitigate the problem of moral hazard when investing in
a company.
Answer: To mitigate this moral hazard problem, audit reports can be used to provide information to
owners about the firm's performance as an indirect indicator of management performance.
Compensation can be linked to performance measures such as net income or earnings per share.
Ask management to take partial ownership of the company through stock purchase and stock option
programs. The thought being that if managers share in the rewards of their efforts, they will thus be more
motivated to create value for the company's owners.
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.2 Apply concepts of information asymmetry, adverse selection, and moral hazard to a variety of
accounting, management, and related situations.
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9) Having an audit performed on the company's financial statements BEST illustrates which of the
following?
A) Cheap talk.
B) Signalling.
C) Moral hazard.
D) Information.
Answer: B
Explanation: A) Cheap talk refers to communication of unverifiable information by means that are
virtually costless.
B) The company needs to use a "signal" (costly signal) to overcome the problem of unverifiable
disclosures about the company's financial position and economic performance.
C) Moral hazard represents an asymmetry where one party cannot observe the actions of another.
D) Information asymmetry refers to a situation where one party has more information than another
party.
Diff: 2 Type: MC
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.2 Apply concepts of information asymmetry, adverse selection, and moral hazard to a variety of
accounting, management, and related situations.
Learning Objective 3
2) How does accounting information help alleviate adverse selection and moral hazard?
Answer:
• The presence of adverse selection reduces outsiders' perception of the value of an enterprise, creating a
demand for full disclosure of information that is relevant to the value of the enterprise, and that will help
assist them to forecast future cash flows.
• Moral hazard causes outsiders to be suspicious of information supplied by management regarding its
actions, creating a demand for information that is reliable and verifiable.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.3 Describe the qualitative characteristics of accounting information that help to alleviate adverse
selection and moral hazard.
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3) Explain how adverse selection and moral hazard affect the qualitative characteristics of accounting
information.
Answer: Adverse selection means that users will demand information that is RELEVANT to their
decisions.
Moral hazard means that users will demand information that is VERIFIABLE (representationally
faithful/reliable) and not prone to manipulation by the preparers.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.3 Describe the qualitative characteristics of accounting information that help to alleviate adverse
selection and moral hazard.
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Learning Objective 4
1) For the situations described below, explain whether managers would be motivated to manage
earnings, assets, and equity upward and liabilities downward, or alternatively, managers may be
motivated to manage earnings, assets, and equity downward and liabilities upward.
Management motivation
Situation (Upward / Downward)
To influence investors to pay more for the firm's
shares.
To reduce the likelihood of additional taxes or
regulations.
To take a "big bath" in a bad year by recording
more expenses than usual so that future years
are more likely to show higher and rising
profitability, resulting in higher future
compensation or stock price.
To reduce riskiness of its cash flows and obtain
funds from the bank at a lower interest rate.
To obtain a stronger bargaining position in
merger negotiations.
Answer:
Management motivation
Situation (Upward / Downward)
To influence investors to pay more for the firm's
shares. Upward
To reduce the likelihood of additional taxes or
regulations. Downward
To take a "big bath" in a bad year by recording
more expenses than usual so that future years
are more likely to show higher and rising
profitability, resulting in higher future
compensation or stock price. Downward
To reduce riskiness of its cash flows and obtain
funds from the bank at a lower interest rate. Upward
To obtain a stronger bargaining position in
merger negotiations. Upward
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.4 Evaluate whether and what type of earnings management is more likely in a particular circumstance.
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2) For the situations described below, explain whether managers would be motivated to manage
earnings, assets, and equity upward and liabilities downward, or alternatively, managers may be
motivated to manage earnings, assets, and equity downward and liabilities upward.
Management motivation
Situation (Upward / Downward)
To obtain higher bonuses.
To increase the likelihood of receiving
government subsidies and trade protection.
To improve bargaining position relative to
employee unions.
To meet covenants based on net income.
To meet regulatory requirements.
Answer:
Management motivation
Situation (Upward / Downward)
To obtain higher bonuses. Upward
To increase the likelihood of receiving
government subsidies and trade protection. Downward
To improve bargaining position relative to
employee unions. Downward
To meet covenants based on net income. Upward
To meet regulatory requirements. Upward
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.4 Evaluate whether and what type of earnings management is more likely in a particular circumstance.
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4) Management motivation to increase the likelihood that the company will receive a $50,000 government
rebate BEST illustrates which of the following?
A) Earnings management.
B) Positive accounting theory.
C) Information asymmetry.
D) Efficient securities market.
Answer: A
Explanation: A) Manager's efforts to bias reported accounting information in one way or another is
earnings management
B) This is a theory for understanding manager's motivations, accounting choices and reactions to
accounting standards
C) Refers to a situation where one party has more information than another party
D) This is a market in which the prices of securities traded in the market at all times properly reflect all
information that is publicly known
Diff: 2 Type: MC
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.4 Evaluate whether and what type of earnings management is more likely in a particular circumstance.
Learning Objective 5
2) Which statement best explains the semi-strong form of the efficient securities market hypothesis?
A) A market in which the prices of securities traded in that market at all times properly reflect all
information that is publicly known about those securities.
B) A market in which the prices of securities traded in that market reflect all information, whether
publicly or privately known.
C) A market in which the prices of debt securities traded in that market reflect all information that is
privately known about those securities.
D) A market in which the prices of equity securities traded in that market reflect all information that is
privately known about those securities.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Type: MC
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.5 Explain how accounting information interacts with security markets.
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3) Which statement best explains the relationship between the efficient securities market hypothesis and
accounting?
A) Security prices adjust slowly when accounting reports are publicly released.
B) The timeliness of accounting information is irrelevant to securities markets.
C) Accounting information competes with other sources of information.
D) Security prices are unaffected when accounting reports are publicly released.
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Type: MC
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.5 Explain how accounting information interacts with security markets.
5) Explain the meaning of publicly accountable enterprises, efficient securities market (semi-strong form),
and efficient securities market (strong form).
Answer:
• Publicly accountable enterprises: Firms with equity, debt, or other securities traded in public markets.
• Efficient securities market (semi-strong form): A market in which the prices of securities traded in that
market at all times properly reflect all information that is publicly known about those securities.
• A market that is strong form efficient has prices that reflect all information, whether publicly or
privately known.
Diff: 1 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.5 Explain how accounting information interacts with security markets.
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6) Explain how accounting information helps security markets?
Answer: Accounting is an important source of information for security markets, and information from
security markets is also useful for accounting. The theory of efficient security markets has important
implications for the practice of accounting, particularly with regard to the timely provision of
information, the need to protect outside investors from insider trading, and the level of sophistication
expected of financial statement users.
Efficient market theory has several implications for accounting:
• Security prices react quickly to accounting information – when accounting reports are publicly
released, security prices adjust to that information very rapidly.
• Accounting information competes with other sources of information - Because market participants
demand all information that is relevant to the pricing of securities, they seek out and use many sources of
information in addition to accounting reports. As a result, the demand for accounting reports depends on
the ability of these reports to convey information useful for security pricing purposes, incremental to any
other information available and in a timely fashion.
• It is important to distinguish new information from what has already been reflected in prices - what
may appear to be good news could already have been reflected in a higher share price, so that the stock
no longer represents a good buying opportunity.
• Using only publicly available information, it is difficult to earn abnormal profits (i.e. an amount
exceeding the expected rate of return given the risk of the investment).
• It is possible to earn abnormal profits using information that is NOT publicly available – individuals
who are privy to information that is not publicly available can buy or sell securities at significant profits.
• Accounting reports and standards can assume that users have a reasonable level of sophistication - If
publicly traded securities are efficiently priced, it is not necessary for accounting information and
accounting standards to be understandable to all potential users. Rather, it is sufficient to ensure that a
substantial portion of the market participants are able to process the information for prices to properly
reflect that information. The less sophisticated users who have difficulty interpreting accounting (and
other) information can rely on market prices.
• Efficient market theory influences legal doctrine - investors need not show direct reliance on
information provided by companies in order for them to have a claim against companies and their
management for misrepresentation; they merely needed to have relied on the prevailing security price.
Thus, management's provision of financial or other information needs to consider not only specifically
identifiable users who will rely on that information, but also the overall impact on the security prices and
anyone who relies on those prices.
Diff: 2 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.5 Explain how accounting information interacts with security markets.
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Intermediate Accounting Vol 1 4th Edition Lo Test Bank
7) Explain the accounting implications of the following concepts about efficient securities markets:
a) Accounting information competes with other sources of information.
b) Accounting reports and standards can assume that users have a reasonable level of sophistication.
Answer:
a) The demand for accounting reports depends on the ability of those reports to convey decision-useful
information for security pricing purposes, incremental to any other information available and in a timely
manner. Timeliness is important as evident in the issuance of quarterly financial statements.
b) If publicly traded securities are efficiently priced, it is not necessary for accounting information and
accounting standards to be understandable to all potential users. Rather, it is sufficient that they are
understandable to a substantial portion of the market participants.
Diff: 3 Type: ES
Skill: Conceptual
Objective: 1.5 Explain how accounting information interacts with security markets.
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