(b) Discuss the key issues which the statement of cash flows highlights regarding the cash flow of the company.

(10 marks)

(c) Mr Cobar, the chief executive of SHC, has decided to draft two alternative statements to explain both possible

outcomes of the secrecy/licensing decision to shareholders. Once the board has decided which one to pursue,

the relevant draft will be included in a voluntary section of the next corporate annual report.

Required:

(i) Draft a statement in the event that the board chooses the secrecy option. It should make a convincing

business case and put forward ethical arguments for the secrecy option. The ethical arguments should

be made from the stockholder (or pristine capitalist) perspective. (8 marks)

(ii) Draft a statement in the event that the board chooses the licensing option. It should make a convincing

business case and put forward ethical arguments for the licensing option. The ethical arguments should

be made from the wider stakeholder perspective. (8 marks)

(iii) Professional marks for the persuasiveness and logical flow of arguments: two marks per statement.

(4 marks)

(b) ‘opinion shopping’; (5 marks)

(c) Discuss the usefulness of the managerial grid in assessing the attributes of managers. (5 marks)

Big Cheese Chairs (BCC) manufactures and sells executive leather chairs. They are considering a new design of massaging chair to launch into the competitive market in which they operate.

They have carried out an investigation in the market and using a target costing system have targeted a competitive selling price of $120 for the chair. BCC wants a margin on selling price of 20% (ignoring any overheads).

The frame. and massage mechanism will be bought in for $51 per chair and BCC will upholster it in leather and assemble it ready for despatch.

Leather costs $10 per metre and two metres are needed for a complete chair although 20% of all leather is wasted in the upholstery process.

The upholstery and assembly process will be subject to a learning effect as the workers get used to the new design.

BCC estimates that the first chair will take two hours to prepare but this will be subject to a learning rate (LR) of 95%.

The learning improvement will stop once 128 chairs have been made and the time for the 128th chair will be the time for all subsequent chairs. The cost of labour is $15 per hour.

The learning formula is shown on the formula sheet and at the 95% learning rate the value of b is -0·074000581.

Required:

(a) Calculate the average cost for the first 128 chairs made and identify any cost gap that may be present at

that stage. (8 marks)

(b) Assuming that a cost gap for the chair exists suggest four ways in which it could be closed. (6 marks)

The production manager denies any claims that a cost gap exists and has stated that the cost of the 128th chair will be low enough to yield the required margin.

(c) Calculate the cost of the 128th chair made and state whether the target cost is being achieved on the 128th chair. (6 marks)

(b) What research techniques could Mark use to get an accurate assessment of staff attitudes to the proposed

changes? (8 marks)

(ii) evaluates the relative performance of the four depots as indicated by the analysis in the summary table

prepared in (i); (5 marks)

(ii) Describe the claim of each of the four identified stakeholders. (4 marks)

(c) non-consolidated entities under common control. (4 marks)

2 It was the final day of a two-week-long audit of Van Buren Company, a longstanding client of Fillmore Pierce Auditors.

In the afternoon, Anne Hayes, a recently qualified accountant and member of the audit team, was following an audit

trail on some cash payments when she discovered what she described to the audit partner, Zachary Lincoln, as an

‘irregularity’. A large and material cash payment had been recorded with no recipient named. The corresponding

invoice was handwritten on a scrap of paper and the signature was illegible.

Zachary, the audit partner, was under pressure to finish the audit that afternoon. He advised Anne to seek an

explanation from Frank Monroe, the client’s finance director. Zachary told her that Van Buren was a longstanding client

of Fillmore Pierce and he would be surprised if there was anything unethical or illegal about the payment. He said

that he had personally been involved in the Van Buren audit for the last eight years and that it had always been

without incident. He also said that Frank Monroe was an old friend of his from university days and that he was certain

that he wouldn’t approve anything unethical or illegal. Zachary said that Fillmore Pierce had also done some

consultancy for Van Buren so it was a very important client that he didn’t want Anne to upset with unwelcome and

uncomfortable questioning.

When Anne sought an explanation from Mr Monroe, she was told that nobody could remember what the payment

was for but that she had to recognise that ‘real’ audits were sometimes a bit messy and that not all audit trails would

end as she might like them to. He also reminded her that it was the final day and both he and the audit firm were

under time pressure to conclude business and get the audit signed off.

When Anne told Zachary what Frank had said, Zachary agreed not to get the audit signed off without Anne’s support,

but warned her that she should be very certain that the irregularity was worth delaying the signoff for. It was therefore

now Anne’s decision whether to extend the audit or have it signed off by the end of Friday afternoon.

Required:

(a) Explain why ‘auditor independence’ is necessary in auditor-client relationships and describe THREE threats

to auditor independence in the case. (9 marks)

3 You are the manager responsible for the audit of Seymour Co. The company offers information, proprietary foods and

medical innovations designed to improve the quality of life. (Proprietary foods are marketed under and protected by

registered names.) The draft consolidated financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2006 show revenue

of $74·4 million (2005 – $69·2 million), profit before taxation of $13·2 million (2005 – $15·8 million) and total

assets of $53·3 million (2005 – $40·5 million).

The following issues arising during the final audit have been noted on a schedule of points for your attention:

(a) In 2001, Seymour had been awarded a 20-year patent on a new drug, Tournose, that was also approved for

food use. The drug had been developed at a cost of $4 million which is being amortised over the life of the

patent. The patent cost $11,600. In September 2006 a competitor announced the successful completion of

preliminary trials on an alternative drug with the same beneficial properties as Tournose. The alternative drug is

expected to be readily available in two years time. (7 marks)

Required:

For each of the above issues:

(i) comment on the matters that you should consider; and

(ii) state the audit evidence that you should expect to find,

in undertaking your review of the audit working papers and financial statements of Seymour Co for the year ended

30 September 2006.

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