Intermediate Accounting
Intermediate Accounting
1st Edition
ISBN: 9780132162302
Author: Elizabeth A. Gordon, Jana S. Raedy, Alexander J. Sannella
Publisher: PEARSON
bartleby

Videos

Textbook Question
Book Icon
Chapter 3, Problem 3.3E

Cognitive Bias. A team of accounting students is working on a case where they are required to assess a set of information to determine the useful life used to depreciate a company’s machinery used to produce smart phone cases. The students have many pieces of information to analyze including:

  • The company has used a 20-year useful life for the last several years.
  • The industry average useful life for similar equipment is 15 years.
  • The company purchased the equipment 5 years ago.
  • The demand for smart phone cases has increased over the last several years.
  • This year, the company has explored purchasing new machinery using a more efficient technology to produce the cases. This equipment would have a useful life of about 10 years.
  • The average time that a machine is down for repairs has increased from 3 days to 12 days per year.

Following is part of the discussion at their first team meeting. Analyze the discussion and determine the type of cognitive bias most consistent with the statements made by each student, providing an explanation for your answer.

Discussion

Khalil initiated the discussion saying, “Information on what the other companies in the industry are using is what is relevant The industry average is an aggregate of all the useful lives used and represents the best overall estimate We need to use 15 years.”

Ashanti’s view was, “Even though the industry average is 15 years, the company’s history is most important here. The company’s history is the first piece of information presented because it is the most important. What another company is doing is just not relevant. So, we do not change the 20-year useful life.”

Amanda asserted, “This is obvious Of course, the answer is 10 years. Anyone can see that. All the facts support a 10-year useful life.”

Joe suggested, “Amanda is convinced the answer is 10 years and is sure about it. Khalil wants 15 years. I am not sure what the answer is, but let’s take the average of 12.5 years. Can we all agree to 12.5 years? We all should be happy with this answer.”

Blurred answer
Students have asked these similar questions
Suppose that you have been given a summer job as an intern at Issac Aircams, a company that man- ufactures sophisticated spy cameras for remote-controlled military reconnaissance aircraft. The company, which is privately owned, has approached a bank for a loan to help it finance its growth. The bank requires financial statements before approving such a loan. You have been asked to help prepare the financial statements and were given the following list of costs: Depreciation on salespersons’ cars. Rent on equipment used in the factory. Lubricants used for machine maintenance. Salaries of personnel who work in the finished goods warehouse. Soap and paper towels used by factory workers at the end of a shift. Factory supervisors’ salaries. Heat, water, and power consumed in the factory. Materials used for boxing products for shipment overseas. (Units are not normally boxed.) Advertising costs. Workers’ compensation insurance for factory employees. Depreciation on…
"An industrial engineer proposed the purchase of an RFID Ford Asset Tracking System for the company's warehouse and weave rooms. The engineer felt that the purchase would provide a better system of locating cartons in the warehouse by recording the locations of the cartons and storing the data in the computer. The estimated investment, annual operating and maintenance costs, and expected annual saving are as follows: Costof equipment and installation: $125.200 Project life: 5 years Expected salvage $22,000 Investment in working capital (fully recoverable at the end of the project life ):$27000  Expected annual savings on labor and materials $52700 Expected annual expenses: $6,800 Depreciation method :five year MACRS As a part of this project, the firm will take a loan of $29,000 to be repaid in three equal annual payments at 13.2% interest. The firm's marginal tax rate is 21%. Determine the IRR of the RFID system. Express your answer as a percentage rounded to the nearest tenth of a…
The Wake Sally worked as a project manager for a high-tech electronics firm in the late 1980s. The company was using "bubble ink" technology to develop affordable color printers. Sally was in charge of a team tasked with cutting the prohibitive cost of printers in half. If successful, significant bonuses would be earned and several team members would be given key positions when the product went into production. The team had overcome several difficult technical challenges and was well on its way to accomplishing their objective when the project was canceled. Top management discovered at a trade show that several competitors were about to introduce ink jet printers at a cost one-third the price of printers Sally's team was developing. What could Sally say to her team? They had worked so hard, expected so much out of this project. She knew they would be devastated. Sally knew she had to do something to help them deal with this bitter disappointment. So she decided to hold a traditional…
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Accounting
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, accounting and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Ser...
Accounting
ISBN:9781305970663
Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Essentials of Business Analytics (MindTap Course ...
Statistics
ISBN:9781305627734
Author:Jeffrey D. Camm, James J. Cochran, Michael J. Fry, Jeffrey W. Ohlmann, David R. Anderson
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Principles of Accounting Volume 1
Accounting
ISBN:9781947172685
Author:OpenStax
Publisher:OpenStax College
What is Business Analysis?; Author: WolvesAndFinance;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG2WpW3sr6k;License: Standard Youtube License