...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Petra Clark ETH / 376 June 3, 2013 Ding Hardin Abstract Excello Telecommunications is a successful organization, but because of a growing rivalry, the organization has begun to notice their earnings estimations might not be achieved. Excello’s top administrators are worried how this will impact the organization. We will look at possible options as well as their moral ramifications as well as the federal laws which can be applied to the situation. Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting There are a number of rules that Excello must follow to comply with if it is to fall in line with accounting actions, especially when it comes to posting dealing as well as financial statements. Some of the regulations include the SOX act of 2002, the GAAP as well as the AICPA Code of Conduct. Excello’s accounting team must take into account the laws and regulations to make the best decision that will be legal, ethical and honest for the organization as well as its clients and vendors. The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act of 2002 was created in reaction to the accounting scams of WorldCom and Enron. The act is a body of provisions that provide guidelines on the responsibilities of the higher management as well as penalties for unethical activities. The CFO of Excello, Terry Reed, wanted to post the sale of $1.2 million of equipment before the end of 2010. This type of transaction would typically be recorded as a sale on the...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting ETH/376 August 25, 2014 Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Excello Telecommunications has a history of excellent performance but with a surge in oversea competitors the company may not be able to meet its financial estimates for the first time. Executives were worried that not being able to meet the financial estimates could impact stock options, bonuses, and the share price of company stock. While looking to find a way to meet the financial estimates Terry Reed, the CFO, discovers a transaction on December 20, 2010 that might solve the problem. Excello sold $1.2 million of equipment to Data Equipment Systems. This type of transaction would be recorded as a sale on the date of the shipment. In this case the customer had requested that Excello hold the product until January 11, 2011. This was due to Data Equipment Systems not having the needed warehouse room for the product until then. This means that the sale would not be recorded until the product is shipped in 2011 but if there was a way to record the transaction before December 31 then it could help to meet the financial estimates. Reed went to the controller, Marty Fuller, to discuss this dilemma. Fuller and Reed both understand the rules for accounting for the sale of goods that are help for future delivery. Reed then went to the accounting department to discuss what can be done to record the revenue in 2010 while keeping the decision defensible from...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Jacqueline Carr ETH/376 December 17, 2012 Samuel Hinton Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Excello Telecommunication is a very successful business; however, just recently they have been experiencing some heavy competition in the businesses industry. Terry Reed the businesses CFO has realized the business is not going to meet the years estimated earnings, which can cause problems meeting financial responsibility to the stakeholders. Terry Reed found a transaction which can help the business meet the financial responsibility; however, in order to apply the transaction, he must first find a legal and ethical way off reporting the transaction on the financial report. The transaction in question, the product was sold on December 20, 2010 for $1.2 million; however, the receiver of the product is not able to take control of this product until January 11, 2011. Terry Reed needs to find a way to record the transaction before December 31, 2010 in order to meet their obligations. The accounting principle for reporting on the financial statements is the product must be posted in the quarter the product leaves the warehouse. (Mintz, S., Morris, R.E, 2011). In the accounting world, there are several different agencies, which regulate the reporting of financial statements. These rules and regulations protect the stakeholders and public from any wrong, fraudulent reporting and unethical behavior. The main agencies are (SOX),...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Janet Tran ETH/376 Kathrine Parks University of Phoenix/Axia July 21, 2014 Excello Telecommunications was presented with a dilemma on how the company should report earnings so that they would appear to have met earning estimates for the 2010 financial year. The CFO, Terry Reed, was concerned with how failure to meet earning estimates would affect bonuses, stock options, and the share price of Excello stock. On December 201, 2010, the company sold $1.2 million of equipment to Data Equipment Systems. However, Data Equipment Systems requested that Excello hold on to the product until January 11, 2011, because they do not have the capacity to hold the product until then. This means the $1.2 million sale cannot be recorded until Data Equipment Systems receives the product, which would be in the next financial year. The accounting team came up with three scenarios on how to creatively report this $1.2 million in sales for 2010 financial reports. This paper will examine the legal aspects, the financial standards involved, and ethicality of the Excello Telecommunications case. In this case, legally the company must adhere to many accounting laws and regulations. One of the laws called Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) would have a huge impact and influence in this case. SOX was created to restructure and further explain the role of corporate governance in corporate America...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Paper ETH/376 Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Paper United Thermostatic Controls is a publicly owned company that manufactures and markets residential and commercial thermostats (Mintz & Morris, 2011). As a publicly owned company, United Thermostatic Controls common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Frank Campbell is the director of the Southern sales division. Because of regional economics getting worse, the pressure to achieve sales revenue targets has created stressful and possibly unethical situations. Mr. Campbell feeling the pressure that he would not meet budgeted revenues for the fourth quarter, researched purchase orders received during late November and early December. Mr. Campbell decided to manufacture and ship orders prior to the end of the year to have the sales revenue contribute toward the fourth quarter. This action by Mr. Campbell resulted in sales revenue to be 18.6-percent increase over the actual sales revenue for the third quarter of the year and exceeded the budgeted amount by $80,000. This prompted the internal audit staff to question the appropriateness of the recorded revenue of $150,000 on two shipments made by the Southern division in the fourth quarter of the year. Further investigation revealed that the customers did not want delivery of product until the earliest of February 2011; in addition, one of the customers did not want partial shipment...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Nicolle Pack ETH376 / University of Pheonix Abstract The publicly traded company, United Thermostatic Controls, is currently in the middle of an internal audit. The different divisions of the company are regionalized according to their area. The southern division has had struggled with decreasing sales and is having a hard time reaching the target set for their sales. The company pushes the different divisions to be aggressive with increasing revenue and sales. Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Corporate Governance is a combination of rules and regulations that function as a control mechanism to keep management operating ethically and legally. The absence, of corporate governance, would allow a company’s management team to operate under guidelines which may or may not involve integrity, responsibility, or accountability. The publicly traded company, United Thermostatic Controls, is currently in the middle of an internal audit. The different divisions of the company are regionalized according to their area. The southern division has had struggled with decreasing sales and is having a hard time reaching the target set for their sales. The company pushes the different divisions to be aggressive with increasing revenue and sales. Legality United Thermostatic Controls needs to be in compliance with certain laws and accounting regulations in order to maintain operations. These laws and regulations are the Sarbanes-Oxley...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance ETH/376 Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance United Thermostatic Controls, a publicly owned company, like many other companies in the world faced financial difficulties in 2010. The company set sales goals in the different regions they serve for 2010; most of the regions met or exceeded their goals although one region was below the target. The director, Frank Campbell, of the region with below target sales thought of an idea to meet the goals. The CPA, Tony Cupertino, was informed of the idea and the effects to the organization. Could the decision cause ethical or legal effects for the organization? Further review of the decision was needed to ensure SOX was followed and to determine if the decision would be equitable for stakeholders. Many people think accounting decisions are always clear based on laws and regulations; however, organizations need to be mindful of effects for everyone involved in the organization. In the United States there is no formal report for corporate governance; however, companies must disclose, and adapt corporate governance guidelines. The CEO of each organization must acknowledge the acceptance of the guidelines and comply with them (Mintz & Morris, 2011). After the Enron case New York CPA candidates must met ethics requirement criteria (Mintz & Morris, 2011). In this respect it is important for United Thermostatic Controls to separate ownership and control in the organization...
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...Legality and Ethicality in Financial Reporting In week3, we are looking into the case of Excello Telecommunications, and study their behavior base on the knowledge of legality and ethicality in financial reporting. Excello Telecommunications has been successful in the past. However, in recent years, the company is facing more and more competitors. For the first in the company’s history, the earnings estimate won’t be met. This means nervous investors and drop in value of Excello stocks. And the top management worries about the effect on bonus and stock options. Someone needs to find a solution to steer the situation around. This is when CFO Terry Reed notices a sale on December 20, 2010. Data Equipment Systems made a purchase of $1.2 million, but requested that no delivery should be made until January 11, 2011. By previous procedures, all sales are recorded when the deliveries are made. Only this time the recording of the transaction, if made by the end of 2010, would solve the problems. Reed consulted with the controller Marty Fuller, and called the accounting department for a solution. Reed’s bottom line is very straight forward: find a creative way to record the sales to Data Equipment Systems before December 31, 2010. Legal Issues and Applicable Laws The accounting team must consider the actions that will take place under the restrictions of laws and regulations. In the accounting profession, the regulations included GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), SOX...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Name ETH 376 January 30, 2012 Instructor Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance United Thermostatic Controls is a publically traded corporation, and currently they are in the middle of an internal audit. The company manufactures and markets residential and commercial thermostats. The company is divided into four regions, U.S.A Sales Division, Western Sales Division, Eastern Sales Division, and Southern Sales Division. Each of these divisions has its own goals, and so far all of them have met them, except the Southern Sales Division, from which Frank Campbell is the director. Due to fluctuation in the market, parts are no longer in a high demand, and as the year end approaches, projections and goals are most likely not to be met. This paper will analysts the decision takes by Frank Campbell and the ethicality of his actions and the results of the internal audit. Legal Issues and Applicable Laws There are several laws that United Thermostatic Controls need to abbey in order to function. Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act of 2002, the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and the AICPA Code of Conduct, and in this case, the regulations that auditors need to comply with while performing an audit, for example the Statement on Auditing Standards, and their responsibilities to the company they work for. Sarbanes-Oxley and United Thermostatic Controls There are several provisions in particular, from the...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Excello Telecommunication is a company that has historically been successful. Hoe!er"due to rising competition in their industry" they may not meet their earnings estimates. The failure to meet earnings estimates can rea# ha!oc on an organi$ation. %hareholders get ner!ous" stoc# prices decrease" and analysts could gi!e the company negati!e press. &n top of that" executi!es are orried about ho the failure to meet these estimates could impact their stoc# options and bonuses. 'n order to meet expectations" there is a critical sale that is ta#ing place. Hoe!er" the sale re(uires the goods to be deli!ered in the subse(uent accounting period" not the current period. 'n folloing )**+" the company cannot recogni$e re!enue during the current period. Hoe!er" Terry Reed" the ,F&" re(uires that the accounting team figure out a ay to boo# the sale during the current accounting period. The accounting team is lead by -arty Fuller. e are going to loo# at the legal and ethical ramifications of underta#ing this route. e ill loo# not only at the moral conse(uence" but also at hether or not the company is brea#ing the la. Legal Issues and Applicable Laws Excello Telecommunication must adhere to many las and regulations. *mong them are %arbanes/&xley *ct of 0110 2%&4" )enerally *ccepted *ccounting +rinciples 2)**+4" and the*',+* code of ,onduct. These rules impact not only the financial reporting mechanism of the company" but also...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance This paper will discuss the legality and ethicality of United Thermostatic Control’s (“United”) corporate governance. Given the fact that United is a publicly owned company, the role that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) played in this case will be examined. The discussion will cover various regulations such as the AICPA Code of Conduct, GAAP, and the ethicality of the activities that occurred at United. United Thermostatic Controls manufactures thermostats for commercial and retail users. Like most companies its goal is to achieve increased sales and higher profits for its shareholders. This is particularly important because it is public traded and any drop in sales or deviation from earnings might cause the price of the stock to drop. United is divided into four divisions, Eastern Sales, Western Sales, Southern Sales and USA Sales. With the exception of Southern Sales, all of the other divisions are doing well and meeting expectations. Southern Sales has been experiencing a decrease in its sales and is not meeting the targeted amounts. If the year end financial statements are released and this situation has not improved, it would not only have a negative impact on the market price but it would probably affect management’s bonuses as well. The company will face ethical and legal challenges in how to maximize the last quarter of 2010 to meet sales goals. Frank Campbell is the director of Southern Sales. Realizing...
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...Excello Telecommunications Abstract This paper will explain the legality and ethicality of financial reporting as it pertains to the Excello Telecommunications case. Other topics that will be touched on will be reporting standards, SOX Act criteria, and alternatives for Excello. Excello Telecommunications Introduction Excello has a dilemma with end of year reporting and in meeting their earnings estimates in accordance to calculations at the beginning of the year. What the CFO wishes to achieve is finding a way to include a large sale in the 2010 year-end reporting statements. By having a hold on the sale, and it remains on their property, they cannot claim this revenue. The team has to look into alternatives that will not only allow this claim but will also meet all GAAP standards. The Legality Mr. Reed discussed the issue with the controller Mr. Fuller and explained what he wanted to obtain on the reports. During this conversation Mr. Fuller advised Mr. Reed of legal criteria in reporting and Mr. Reed indicated that he did not want to break any laws, but he still needed to find a way around certain rules of accounting. When a meeting was called with the accounting department he made sure that the team understood both important aspects of the decision, which are to record the sale and to maintain all GAAP guidelines. At first this sounded like what Mr. Sullivan did is the previous case of Ms. Cooper and WorldCom but then after reading the section in Chapter...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance United Thermostatic Controls is a publically traded corporation and is in the middle of an internal audit going on. The company makes and sells the thermostats that are in refrigerators and furnaces in residential and commercial properties. Frank Campbell (the director of the Southern sales division) is worried about their goals not being met due reasons concerning the big fluctuations in the market, the end of the year approaching, the thermostat parts not being in such a high demand anymore, etc. Frank Campbell starts making decisions concerning the ethicality behind the results of the internal audit. Legal Issues and Applicable Laws Since United Thermostatic Controls is a publically traded company, there are several laws that the Company needs to abide by. The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act of 2002, the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and the AICPA Code of Conduct. In regards to this specific case, there are certain regulations that the auditors need to follow when they are performing an audit. Sarbanes-Oxley and United Thermostatic Controls When examining the criteria that need to be followed by United Thermostatic Controls concerning the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) act of 2002, there are a few specifics that come to mind. For example, Corporate Responsibility for Financial Reports (Section 302) is in reference to the responsibility that the CEO and CFO have when signing off on financial reports, and it certifying...
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...Excello meeting its financial estimates are looking bleak. Failure to meet earnings expectations can reduce the availability of bonuses, stock options and could lessen the value of the company. Because of the threat in not meeting estimated earnings, the company’s CFO Terry Reed has a plan to make one last effort to meet company goals. Terry Reed has knowledge about a sale of $1.2 million to a customer in December 2010 and wants to move the sale quickly. Because of storage issues by the Data Equipment, the sale will have to occur in January 2011 when the buyer will have adequate space to hold the equipment purchased. Terry wants to make the revenue at all costs and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. That type of motivation can create questionable decision making that can potentially violate laws and the AICPA Code of Conduct. Excello Legal Issues The failure to meet earnings estimates are of significant concern for the organization where it will prompt questionable decisions by executives. Excello Telecommunications must adhere to accounting practices and regulations in the organization’s activities to ensure financial reporting is accurate. The SOX Act of 2002, Generally Acceptable Accounting Principles (GAAP), and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct are some guidelines that the company must follow. However, the pressures of meeting financial goals can tempt employees to practice earnings management. Earnings management can effect financial reporting when...
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...shipment. However, the customer requested that Excello hold on to the product until January 11, 2011, because Data Equipment lacked the warehouse capacity to hold the product until then. The firm must adhere to all the laws and other regulations as set. Among the regulations include Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), and AICPA code of conduct. The rules impact the mechanism, of financial reporting in the company and also help sin the actions of major principles of accounting. As a result of this, the accounting team must ensure they get the best method that will help in maximizing g the wealth of the shareholders. Albeit the earnings estimates could be gotten through the adoption of illegal treatment of accounting books, it would not be of more help to the firm as it would be more disastrous when the Wall Street detected it. There are a number of rules that Excello must follow to comply with if it is to fall in line with accounting actions, especially when it comes to posting dealing as well as financial statements. Some of the regulations include the SOX act of 2002, the GAAP as well as the AICPA Code of Conduct. Excello’s...
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