Week 3 case study: Harnischfeger Corporation 1. Identify all the accounting policy changes and accounting estimates that Harnischfeger made during 1984. Estimate, as accurately as possible, the effect of these on the company’s 1984 reported profits. * Harnischfeger retroactively changed its depreciation method from accelerated to straight-line for all depreciable assets. The cumulative effect of this accounting policy change, which not including the reduction in the current year’s depreciation
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
Identifying all the changes in accounting policy and accounting estimates that Harnischfeger made during financial year ending October 31, 1984. Also include in your discussion, what you believe may be real earnings management activities to affect profit. Estimate as accurately as possible, the effect of these changes on the company’s revenue, pre-tax profits and cash flows in 1984. Harnischfeger made the following changes in accounting policy and estimates: Harnischfeger made changes regarding the
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
Harnischfeger Corporation Teaching Note INTRODUCTION The purpose of the "Harnischfeger Corporation" case is to expose students to the managerial motives for making major financial reporting policy changes. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) allow companies wide latitude in the choice of accounting policies. After a firm chooses a set of accounting policies, current accounting rules permit changes from one alternative policy to another at the discretion of the management
Words: 4382 - Pages: 18
1. Describe clearly the accounting changes Harnischfeger made in 1984 as stated in Note 2 of its financial statements. Note 2 (pg. 17) states that in 1984 Harnischfeger changed their depreciation method that was being used to expense their plants, machinery and equipment from the direct method to the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes. An adjustment of the residual values on certain machinery and equipment was made. Harnischfeger also included the products purchased from
Words: 1541 - Pages: 7
Harnischfeger Corporation, a large New York Stock Exchange company, faced a financial crisis in 1982. New management was appointed to turn the company around and as part of its restructuring strategy, the new management team made a number of financial reporting policy changes and accounting estimates in fiscal year 1984. Listed below are all of the changes and analysis on whether they might be real earnings management activities. In addition, the effect of these changes on the company’s revenue,
Words: 806 - Pages: 4
Harnischfeger Corporation Introduction Harnischfeger Corporation is a machinery company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Harnischfeger was founded in 1884 as a partnership and was incorporated in Wisconsin in 1910 under the name Pawling and Harnischfeger. There were two major segments in this company, Construction Equipment and the Mining and Electrical Equipment divisions and Material Handling Equipment and the Harnischfeger Engineers divisions. Harnischfeger experienced a rapidly growth during
Words: 1475 - Pages: 6
Directions Read the “Harnischfeger Corp” case study and answer the following questions. Submit your completed assignment no later than the last day of Week 2. 1. Describe clearly the accounting changes Harnischfeger made in 1984 as stated in Note 2 of its financial statements. After reviewing the accounting policies of other corporations in similar industries, Harnischfeger decided to adjust their depreciation method. Instead of continuing to use the accelerated method for depreciating their US
Words: 1184 - Pages: 5
Harnischfeger Corporation CHAPTER 3 OVERVIEW OF ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS HARNISCHFEGER CORPORATION 1 Identify all the accounting policy changes and accounting estimates that Harnischfeger made during 1984. Estimate, as accurately as possible, the effect of these on the company’s 1984 reported profits. i. Harnischfeger Corporation had changed from accelerated to straight-line method for computing depreciation expenses on plants, machinery and equipment in 1984.The cumulative effect is that net
Words: 298 - Pages: 2
Harnischfeger 1. In Note 2 of Harnischfeger’s financial statement, the company included net sales of the construction crane products purchased from Kobe Steel, which was previously only reported in the gross margin. Additionally, financial statements of some foreign subsidiaries were included because their fiscal years ended July 31, 1984. An increase in net sales was reported by $5.4 million. Historically, Harnischfeger reported the depreciation at a principally accelerated rate. In 1984, the depreciation
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
Harnischfeger 1.) Effective November 1, 1983 the corporation includes its net sales products purchased from Kobe Steel, Ltd and sold by the corporation transactions with Kobe. During the fiscal year 1984 such sales aggregated $28 million, previously only the gross margin on Kobe originated equipment. In 1984, Harnischfeger changed its accounting policy on depreciation. Previously before the corporation used an accelerated method for its US plants. The new policy employs a straight-line method
Words: 390 - Pages: 2
