Abstract
This paper answers questions provided by client in relation to Camelback Communications Inc. The task of the paper, is to figure a cost-based pricing system that is in line with profitability and competitive requirements. The paper considers several and reports the results. The paper also supplies brief comments concerning the methodology and standards.

From the Paper
"In the case study of Camelback Communications, Inc., the question is what costs ought to be used in order to set prices that are competitive while allowing for CCI's profit requirements. Given the questions that are asked on the assigned case study, the following responses address the issues involved in making this determination. Response to Question 1 Once the allocation rate is set at $10.36 per hour, the price CCI will have to charge to reach a 40% mark-on are as follows: Product B $28.51 Product C $78.51 Product D $50.01. This would allow only Product B to be sold at its industry standard price ($38.50). However, adding mark-ons of 25% yields the following prices: Product B $25.45 Product C $70.10 Product D $44.65."

Tags:accounting, costing, pricing

Abstract
This paper examines activity based costing (ABC) which is an effective business management tool that will enhance and support a total quality management (TQM) environment. ABC analysis provides the information necessary to make business decisions such as determining if investments in efficiency initiatives, such as just in time (JIT), are warranted. When implementing ABC, management should use proven project management methodology to minimize the risk of failure. ABC is an effective total quality management tool, and supports just-in-time manufacturing methods in several companies as detailed in the paper.

From the Paper
"After developing ABC in the 1980's, Robin Cooper and Robert S. Kaplan have written extensively about its benefits (Shih-Jen & Holinda, p. 46). ABC is defined as a "costing system that identifies the various activities performed in a firm and uses multiple cost drivers, to assign overhead (or indirect costs) to products" (Siegel and Shim 2000, p. 15). ABC seeks to accumulate and allocate factory overhead costs to products (or services) by using focused drivers, such as, quality inspecting, moving, assembly, and matching (Warren, 2002, p. 328). Proponents of ABC cite many examples where cost accuracy is superior to traditional costing methods that use cost bases such as units produced, labor, or machine hours used (Warren, p. 421). "

Tags:9000, ABC, accounting, activity, based, costing, customer, ISO, JIT, manufacturing, quality, service, TQM

Abstract
This paper explores the accounting malpractices within the Andersen Firm. The paper discusses the functions and duties of the firm and the history of the company. The writer describes recent events including the Enron case and a myriad of other cases, accusing Andersen of misleading investors. The paper also examines whether or not the Author Andersen auditing firm is a trustworthy firm to do business with.

From the Paper
"Anderson contracted with the Enron Corporation to perform its audits and provide the audit opinion. The firm performed this task for over ten years and charged Enron almost $48 million in fees in the year 2000 alone. It is believed that Andersen hid the fact the Enron used questionable accounting practices to hide huge losses that Enron had incurred. Andersen has admitted that employees destroyed evidence that exposed the shotty accounting practices."

Tags:auditing, malpractice, enron, consulting, negligence, investors, financial

Abstract
This paper evaluates the financial position of Wendy's International Corporation, a fast food restaurant, by comparing it to the financial position of McDonald's Corporation. This author reports that Wendy's income performance, while strong, is substantially inferior to that of McDonald's; and, in this area more than any other, Wendy's needs to improve if the corporation is to narrow the gap. This paper states that McDonald's has a substantially higher inventory turnover and holds less than half as many days in sales than does Wendy's.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Financial Position
Income Performance
Short-Term Liquidity
Long-Term Solvency
Asset Management
Profitability
Market Value

List of Appendices
Common-Size Balance Sheets McDonald's Corporation
Common-Size Balance Sheets Wendy's International
Combined Common-Size & Base-Year Balance Sheets McDonald's Corporation
Combined Common-Size & Base-Year Balance Sheets Wendy's International
Common-Size Balance Sheet Wendy's International With Baseline Comparison
Common-Size Income Statements McDonald's
Common-Size Income Statements Wendy's
Combined Common-Size & Base-Year Income Statements McDonald's
Combined Common-Size & Base-Year Income Statements Wendy's
Common-Size Income Statement Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Short-Term Liquidity Ratios Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Long-Term Solvency Ratios Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Asset Management Ratios Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Profitability Ratios Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Market Value Ratios Wendy's With Baseline Comparison
Du Point Analysis Wendy's 1998

From the Paper
"With respect to short-term liquidity, Wendy's compares well in relation to McDonald's (refer to Appendix B-1). The reason for the Wendy's advantage lies in the corporation's decision to keep such a high proportion of assets in a current status. This strategy is not conducive to the most productive use of the corporation's assets.

"In relation to debt ratios, Wendy's is superior to McDonald's (refer to Appendix B-2). In this area, Wendy's also is superior to McDonald's in relation to interest coverage, as the corporation uses borrowing very little in comparison to McDonald's."

Tags:performance, income, turnover, comparison, liquidity, assets

Abstract
The paper examines whether or not the future of management accounting lies in the form of strategic management accounting or not. In order to answer this question, the paper first considers the concepts of both management accounting and strategic mismanagement accounting. The paper then goes on to examine the limitations of management accounting. The paper then looks at to what extent strategic management accounting as a concept is able to off set the problems and limitations associated with standard management accounting processes and practices.
Contents
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Key Concepts
3.0 Management Accounting Limitations
4.0 Strategic Management Accounting
5.0 Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"In the first instance, one should define the concepts of management accounting and strategic management accounting. Accounting is traditionally split into two broad categories in the form of financial accounting and management accounting (Dyson 2007). On the one hand, financial accounting is concerned with the communication of information largely to external stakeholders such as shareholders, taxation authorities and Companies House (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2005). Financial accounting typically sees a focus on a business wide view of a company's financial position and is focused on the meeting of statutory requirements and compliance with regulations.
"Management accounting on the other hand is focused on the provision of information to internal stakeholders, such as financial managers and operations staff. The point of management accounting is to provide information, which is useful to managers of all departments and levels, so as to enable better decision making (Drury 2004). Management accounting differs from financial accounting, in that there are no legal requirements for the provision of management accounting information and management accounting practises are likely to focus on specific segments of an organisation, rather than the reporting of business wide statistics."

Tags:SMA, globalisation, stakeholders, taxation, accounting, financial, value, leadership, competitor

Abstract
This paper aims to give an investor's opinion on the two companies Diageo and Pernod Ricard, both international players within the alcoholic drinks sector, by benchmarking the financial performance of the two companies as well as the relevant external environment factors. Next, the author investigates the companies' financial statements, income statements, balance sheets and selected ratios of liquidity, EPS, return on investments and debt and gearing. The paper concludes that Diageo represents the more attractive of the two potential investments because it generally is a more successful option with growing sales revenues and profitability. Many graphs, some of which are original, as well as tables, are included in the paper.

Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Benchmarking
Diageo
Pernod Ricard
Stock Performance
Diageo
Pernod Ricard
Financial Statements
Income Statements
Balance Sheets
Selected Ratios
Liquidity
Diageo
Pernod Ricard
EPS
Return on Investments
Debt and Gearing
Limitations and Assumptions
Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendix: Income Statements

From the Paper
"Like Diageo, Pernod Ricard has also increased its total equity over the period despite falling sales revenues. In the period 2009 to 2010, the company increased its total equity from 24,867m Euros to 27,107m Euros an increase of 2,240m Euros. When considering where the increase is attributable to, the pattern would seem to be almost identical to that of Diageo. In the first instance, Pernod Ricard has also increased its inventories by 293m Euros between 2009 and 2010, this is however quite a concerning trend for a company which is posting lower sales revenues than in previous years.
"Similarly Pernod Ricard has also posted larges rises in the value of its brand equity and goodwill. However, whilst this may have been justified in the case of Diageo, given that the company is posting a marginal increase in the levels of sales revenue. In the case of Pernod Ricard, sales revenues have actually fallen by a small amount in the same period questioning why the company has chosen to increase the value of goodwill and brand equity on the balance sheet.
"Considering the liabilities on the balance sheet there are some concerns to be highlighted for the investor. In general terms, Pernod Ricard has shifted its capital structure moderately from longer term sources of debt finance to shorter term sources."

Tags:liquidity, annual reports, objective opinion, stocks beta, net profits

Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the global sportswear industry and identifies the major players in this environment and their relative market share. The paper also analyzes the relationship between the athletic footwear and the athletic apparel industry. The paper specifically presents an analysts' report about the acquisition of Reebok by Adidas, written from the acquirer's perspective. The paper contains graphs and tables, as well as appendices.

Table of contents:
Terms of Reference
Executive Summary
Overview of the Global Sportswear Industry
Overview: Adidas and Reebok
Adidas
Reebok
Evaluation Before the Merger
Adidas Bid for Reebok
Motivations of the Merger
Possible Alternatives for Adidas' Strategy
Problems of the Merger
Reeboks' Defensive Strategy
Stakeholder Identification
Outcome of the Merger
Conclusion
Appendices

From the Paper
"Adolf Dassler (Adi) registered Adidas ("Adi-" from Adolf & "-das" from Dassler) and its three stripes as its official logo by 1949. Adidas acquired the Salomon Group for $1.4 billion in 1997. Adidas-Salomon became one of the big players in the sports good manufacturing industry. In the recent years, Adidas published a steady growth in sales revenue. The company is amongst the top players in the industry due to its strong brands (Adidas, Salomon and TaylorMade). Adidas serves many markets selling hardware, footwear, apparel, snowboard, golf-related and other products. From E5.1 billion of sales in 1998 to E6.5 billion in 2002, the performance has improved by a CAGR of 7%. Sales declined by 3.9% in 2003 over 2002, mainly due to currency translations (Adidas-Solomon AG Company Profile, 2005). According to the Balance Sheet, the company reported an outstanding operational and financial performance in the first half of fiscal 2004 (Balance Sheet Adidas-Salomon, 2004)."

Tags:merger, M&A, market, product, athletic

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of the strong movement towards global harmonization of accounting standards despite various national general accepted accounting practices (GAAP), particularly German, being substantially different. The paper explains that great successes have already been achieved, such as IAS adoption in EU and Australia; however, there is still considerable work to be done in order to not only impose international standards but also achieve better compliance and interpretation. With regard to Germany, the paper notes that reasonable attempts have been made to adopt IAS; however, there are many transition difficulties due to great discrepancies between IAS and HGB that must be addressed in order to achieve successful transition. This paper contains an illustrative figure.

Outline:
Introduction
Issues Behind EU's Decision To Adopt IAS
Transition Process in Germany
German National Accounting System
Main Areas of Transition Difficulty
Evaluation of Transition Success
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
"Figure 1 serves to illustrate the amount of examinations, carried out from 2006 till 209 as well as error rate. The primary errors relate to the insufficient management report and the application of IAS/IFRS. It can be observed that the error rates are higher for the companies that are not attached to any index which implies that for larger companies the transition process is easier to accomplish. However, the index-linked companies (include DAX, MDAX, SDAX and TecDAX)
are showing tendency of increasing errors. In 2009, for the first time, there was one DAX company with a high error rate. According to DPR-FREP, the underlying reasons for this increasing rate were the financial and economic crises, which led to errors in reports on risks and forecasts (DPR-FREP, 2010, p6). It should be also noted that the amount of average individual errors per company has been reducing steadily from five individual errors in 2007 to an average three individual errors in 2009."

Tags:IAS, IFRS, GAAP, DAX, TecDAX, SDAX, MDAX, DPR-FREP

Abstract
The paper presents a comprehensive literature review on the subject of fair value accounting and considers both the advantages and disadvantages of the method as well as possible alternatives to fair value accounting and hybrid systems of accounting.

Outline:
Introduction
Rational
Fair Value Accounting Defined
Alternatives to Fair Value Accounting
Advantages of Fair Value Accounting
Problems with Fair Value Accounting
Further Debates
Hybrid System

From the Paper
"Having defined the fair value concept of accounting one must now consider the alternatives. In some cases there may be a legal or regulatory stipulation that a company uses the fair value method of stating its assets and liabilities however this is not universal and there are other methods which a company may use to state the value of its assets and liabilities. The most widely used method excluding the consideration of fair value may be seen as using that of historic costs, here the compiler of a financial statement would simply use the historical cost of an asset or liability in stating its value. In some cases this method in its self may represent a convergence with the fair value concept for instance were a company buys stock which is not subject to depreciation nor a fluctuation price within the market place then the fair and historic values may essentially be the same. In other instances there may be a considerable gap for instance were a company states the value of its property two years after purchase at historical costs there is likely to be a large gap between what that property is worth in the market place or its fair value and the historic value which the company paid."

Tags:asset, liability, market

Abstract
This paper investigates and explains why firms find it advantageous to merge, and also provides the consequences of merger activity. A definition and types of mergers are discussed along merger motives and there disadvantages. The author provides examples of different companies in different industries throughout the paper to support the arguments.

From the Paper:

"In order to discuss why firms find it beneficial to merge, as well as looking at the potential consequences, it must be understood what the term merger means along with the different types in existence. The term merger is loosely used to indicate any combination of two companies. However a more detailed definition would be that a merger allows the assets and liabilities of the selling company to be transferred to and absorbed by the buying corporation. Mergers are a significant part of corporate strategy."

Tags:aol, corporate, exxon, mergers, mobil, reorganization, restructuring