scholarly journals The Steep Rise Of Gift Card Purchases By The Consumer Is Changing The Method Of Accounting And Reporting Of Gift Card Income By Corporate Retailers

Author(s):  
Carla Feinson

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The increasing popularity of gift card purchases by consumers and the corresponding increase in gift card sales in the retail industry has triggered changes in accounting disclosures and reporting requirements. The Financial Accounting Standards board, the Security and Exchange Commission and individual state legislatures have all begun to focused their attention on the various issues that are continually coming to the forefront as a result of the continuing rise in gift card transactions. The promulgations of these authoritative bodies have in turn affected the format and wording of the disclosures that are found in the annual reports or SEC filings of publicly held retail companies. An examination of 75 publicly traded retailers not only shows the similarities and differences of how gift card sales have affected disclosures but also how the very nature of gift card contracts and the ramifications of gift card sales has led to so many specific reporting and accounting difficulties.</span></span></p>

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Alan Reinstein ◽  
Natalie Tatiana Churyk

Since 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued several Accounting Standards Updates [ASUs] and other Authoritative Standards that affect Health Care Entities and Insurers, requiring them to more consistently account for and disclose their reporting of charitable and other costs. Also, in light of the main portions of Obama Care becoming effective in 2014, the FASB required such entities to more consistently and broadly disclose how they account for their bad debts, especially since the new law will limit such payments in the future. This article summarizes the provisions of the new Standards and provides examples of their application, in order to help health care entities and insurers understand the new provisions and implications.  


Author(s):  
Stuart Shough

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;">On August 17, 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board jointly issued exposure drafts proposing a new accounting model for leases. This paper explains how a lessee would account for leases under this proposal.</span></p>


Author(s):  
Yousef Jahmani ◽  
William A. Dowling ◽  
Paul D. Torres

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The Financial Accounting Standards Board promulgated standard No. 142 in an attempt to improve the understandability of accounting information. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>This new rule eliminated the practice of automatically amortizing goodwill. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>No. 142 requires public companies to test goodwill for possible impairment at least annually. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>An unintended consequence of this new standard is the opportunity for companies to use it in earnings management.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To test the possibility that the rule is being used for this purpose, a sample of companies was chosen, all of which had amounts of goodwill on their balance sheet during the 2003-2005 interval. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The results reveal that the number of companies experiencing losses or low rates of return on total assets who actually impaired goodwill was statistically insignificant during the period under consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Thus, the results strongly suggest that companies are using No. 142 in an attempt to manage the volatility of earnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kostolansky ◽  
Brian Stanko

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: justify; mso-pagination: none;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Over several decades, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board have enacted numerous changes to the controversial lease accounting rules. As currently prescribed, operating leases are treated as rental arrangements whereby the lessee does not record a liability - a situation generally referred to as off-balance sheet financing. In an attempt to increase transparency and comparability, the FASB and IASB will soon require all leases to be capitalized. This paper quantifies the impact of the new leasing standard on the financial statements and ratios of the firms and industries represented in the S&amp;P 100 under a variety of discount rates. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>


Author(s):  
Terry J. Ward ◽  
Jon Woodroof ◽  
Benjamin P. Foster

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Using a proxy for nonarticulation, prior researchers found evidence that many companies using the indirect method of reporting net cash flow from operations have a significant level of nonarticulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The purpose of this study is to determine if companies using the direct method of reporting net cash flow from operations experience significantly lower levels of nonarticulation than companies that use the indirect method of reporting net cash flow from operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Results show that companies using the direct method have significantly less nonarticulation than companies using the indirect method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This finding suggests that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) should consider requiring companies to use the direct method of preparing the Statement of Cash Flows.</span></span></p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman H. Godwin ◽  
Arlette C. Wilson

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Requests that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) address issues related to employers&rsquo; accounting for defined benefit postretirement plans have increased in recent years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Those requests have been made by users of financial statements and others, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff and representatives of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Constituents are interested in improved transparency and understandability.</span></span></p>


Author(s):  
Brian B. Stanko ◽  
John Utterback ◽  
Jun Fitzgerald

<p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This article addresses the subject of segment reporting and the after effects of SFAS No. 131 &ldquo;Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.&rdquo;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A comparative analysis of the reporting requirements under SFAS No. 14 and SFAS No. 131 is first presented followed with an examination of corporate disclosures before and after the release of SFAS No. 131.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The results are discussed in the context of the Financial Accounting Standards Board&rsquo;s reporting objective &ldquo;to better understand an enterprises performance.&rdquo; </span></span></p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Peter Harris

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The Last in, First Out Method (LIFO) is presently under severe scrutiny from the financial community, which may soon culminate in its repeal as an acceptable accounting method. There are pressures from the SEC in conjunction with the International Financial Accounting Standards Board (IFRS) to standardize accounting practices worldwide. In addition, there is political pressure imposed by the US Obama administration to raise additional revenues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both groups strongly oppose LIFO, raising a strong possibility that its complete elimination as an accounting method will occur by as early as 2014. This paper addresses the effects of LIFO repeal on the entertainment industry. The result will probably be the elimination of the Lower of Cost or Market Method, which is presently adapted by many non-LIFO firms, and also represents a major tax loophole for those who use it, including the entertainment industry.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>


Author(s):  
Christine Andrews ◽  
Jan Falmer ◽  
Jeannette Riley ◽  
Carrie Todd ◽  
Ara Volkan

<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS 141(R) in December 2007 to replace SFAS 141. Analyzing comment letters, industry publications, and articles, we evaluate problems that existed with SFAS 141 from the perspective of users, professionals, and the FASB; evaluate 141(R) to ascertain if these weaknesses were corrected; and propose solutions to some of the problems that still exist.</span><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;"></span></strong></p>


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