Chapter 5, Problem 15E

To determine

Inventory:

Inventory refers to the stock or goods which will be sold in the near future and thus is an asset for the company. It comprises of the raw materials which are yet to be processed, the stock which is still going through the process of production and it also includes completed products that are ready for sale. Thus inventory is the biggest and the important source of income and profit for the business.

Periodic inventory system: In periodic inventory system the changes in the stock items are reported periodically unlike recording as and when purchases or sales take place.

Cost of goods sold: Cost of goods sold is the total expenses or the cost incurred by the business during the process of manufacturing of goods and is directly related to the production. It generally includes the cost of raw material, labor and other manufacturing support costs.

Specific identification method: Under this method, there is a continuous tracking of the inventory and the inventory cost at the time of purchase on the basis of unique identity which thus helps in the valuation of the ending inventory as well as the cost of goods sold. This method is used generally when the company is involved in limited expensive goods which are easily identifiable.

Weighted average cost method: In this method the weighted average cost is evaluated after any purchases have been made and transactions are recorded as when purchase or sales take place.

First in first out: In case of First in, first out method, also known as FIFO method, the inventory which was bought first will also be the first one to be taken out.

Last in first out: In case of Last in, first out, also known as LIFO method, the inventory which was bought in the last will be taken out first.

The cost assigned to ending inventory and to cost of goods sold as per the periodic inventory system under the following methods:
(a) Specific identification
(b) Weighted average
(c) FIFO
(d) LIFO
And state the lowest income resultant method.