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1. The receiving report should be reconciled to the initial purchase order and the vendor’s invoice before recording or paying for inven-tory purchases. This procedure will verify that the inventory received matches the type and quantity of inventory ordered. It also ve-rifies that the vendor’s invoice is charging the company for the actual quantity of inven-tory received at the agreed-upon price.
2. A physical inventory should be taken peri-odically to test the accuracy of the perpetual records. In addition, a physical inventory will identify inventory shortages or shrinkage.
3. No, they are not techniques for determining physical quantities. The terms refer to cost flow assumptions, which affect the determi-nation of the cost prices assigned to items in the inventory.
4. a. LIFO c. LIFO b. FIFO d. FIFO 5. FIFO
6. LIFO. In periods of rising prices, the use of LIFO will result in the lowest net income and thus the lowest income tax expense.
7. Net realizable value (estimated selling price less any direct cost of disposition, such as sales commissions).
8. a. Gross profit for the year was under-stated by $23,950.
b. Merchandise inventory and owner’s eq-uity were understated by $23,950.
9. Mistletoe Company. Since the merchandise was shipped FOB shipping point, title passed to Mistletoe Company when it was shipped and should be reported in Mistletoe Company’s financial statements at October 31, the end of the fiscal year.
10. Manufacturer’s; The manufacturer retains title until the goods are sold. Thus, any un-sold merchandise at the end of the year is part of the manufacturer’s (consignor’s) in-ventory, even though the merchandise is in the hands of the retailer (consignee).
A B C D E F G 1 Unit Unit Total 2 Inventory Cost Market Lower 3 Commodity Quantity Price Price Cost Market of C or M 4 IA17 200 $40 $38 $ 8,000 $ 7,600 $ 7,600 5 TX24 150 55 60 8,250 9,000 8,250 6 Total $16,250 $16,600 $15,850
PE 7–5B
A B C D E F G 1 Unit Unit Total 2 Inventory Cost Market Lower 3 Commodity Quantity Price Price Cost Market of C or M 4 MT22 1,500 $ 7 $ 4 $10,500 $ 6,000 $ 6,000 5 WY09 900 22 25 19,800 22,500 19,800 6 Total $30,300 $28,500 $25,800
PE 7–6A
Amount of Misstatement Overstatement (Understatement)
Income Statement: Cost of merchandise sold overstated .......... $ 7,525 Gross profit understated ............................... (7,525) Net income understated ................................ (7,525)
Income Statement: Cost of merchandise sold understated........ $(35,000) Gross profit overstated.................................. 35,000 Net income overstated................................... 35,000
*($580,000 – $545,000 = $35,000)
PE 7–7A
a. Inventory Turnover 2012 2011 Cost of merchandise sold... $882,000 $680,000 Inventories: Beginning of year ............ $200,000 $140,000 End of year ....................... $290,000 $200,000
c. The decrease in the inventory turnover from 4.0 to 3.6 and the increase in the number of days’ sales in inventory from 91.3 days to 101.4 days indicate un-favorable trends in managing inventory.
PE 7–7B
a. Inventory Turnover 2012 2011 Cost of merchandise sold... $1,800,000 $1,428,000 Inventories: Beginning of year ............ $570,000 $450,000 End of year ....................... $630,000 $570,000 Average inventory ............... $600,000 $510,000 [($570,000 + $630,000) ÷ 2] [($450,000 + $570,000) ÷ 2] Inventory turnover............... 3.0 2.8 ($1,800,000 ÷ $600,000) ($1,428,000 ÷ $510,000)
b. Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory 2012 2011
Cost of merchandise sold... $1,800,000 $1,428,000 Average daily cost of
merchandise sold ............ $4,931.5 $3,912.3 ($1,800,000 ÷ 365 days) ($1,428,000 ÷ 365 days) Average inventory ............... $600,000 $510,000 [($570,000 + $630,000) ÷ 2] [($450,000 + $570,000) ÷ 2] Number of days’ sales
in inventory ...................... 121.7 days 130.4 days ($600,000 ÷ $4,931.5) ($510,000 ÷ $3,912.3)
c. The increase in the inventory turnover from 2.8 to 3.0 and the decrease in the number of days’ sales in inventory from 130.4 days to 121.7 days indicate fa-vorable trends in managing inventory.
Switching to a perpetual inventory system will strengthen A4A Hardware’s inter-nal controls over inventory, since the store managers will be able to keep track of how much of each item is on hand. This should minimize shortages of good-selling items and excess inventories of poor-selling items.
On the other hand, switching to a perpetual inventory system will not eliminate the need to take a physical inventory count. A physical inventory must be taken to verify the accuracy of the inventory records in a perpetual inventory system. In addition, a physical inventory count is needed to detect shortages of inventory due to damage or theft.
Ex. 7–2
a. Appropriate. The inventory tags will protect the inventory from customer theft.
b. Inappropriate. The control of using security measures to protect the inventory is violated if the stockroom is not locked.
c. Inappropriate. Good controls include a receiving report, prepared after all in-ventory items received have been counted and inspected. Inventory pur-chased should only be recorded and paid for after reconciling the receiving report, the initial purchase order, and the vendor’s invoice.
b. Since the prices rose from $40 for the June 1 inventory to $45 for the purchase on June 30, we would expect that under last-in, first-out the inventory would be lower.
Note to Instructors: Exercise 7–4 shows that the inventory is $5,040 under LIFO.
b. Since the prices rose from $45 for the July 1 inventory to $52 for the purchase on July 20, we would expect that under first-in, first-out the inventory would be higher.
Note to Instructors: Exercise 7–6 shows that the inventory is $25,900 under FIFO.
a. $7,812 (12 units at $495 plus 4 units at $468) = $5,940 + $1,872 b. $6,138 (9 units at $360 plus 7 units at $414) = $3,240 + $2,898 c. $7,056 (16 units at $441; $26,460/60 units = $441) Cost of merchandise available for sale: 9 units at $360 ........................................................ $ 3,240 18 units at $414 ........................................................ 7,452 21 units at $468 ........................................................ 9,828 12 units at $495 ........................................................ 5,940 60 units (at average cost of $441) .......................... $26,460
Cost Merchandise Merchandise Inventory Method Inventory Sold
a. FIFO ..................... $4,986 $ 9,639 b. LIFO ..................... 4,365 10,260 c. Average cost ....... 4,680 9,945
Cost of merchandise available for sale: 21 units at $180 ........................................................ $ 3,780 29 units at $195 ........................................................ 5,655 10 units at $204 ........................................................ 2,040 15 units at $210 ........................................................ 3,150 75 units (at average cost of $195) .......................... $14,625
a. First-in, first-out: Merchandise inventory: 15 units at $210 ........................................................ $3,150 9 units at $204 ........................................................ 1,836 24 units ..................................................................... $4,986 Merchandise sold: $14,625 – $4,986 ....................................................... $9,639
b. Last-in, first-out: Merchandise inventory: 21 units at $180 ........................................................ $3,780 3 units at $195 ........................................................ 585 24 units ..................................................................... $4,365 Merchandise sold: $14,625 – $4,365 ....................................................... $10,260
c. Average cost: Merchandise inventory: 24 units at $195 ($14,625/75 units) ......................... $4,680 Merchandise sold: $14,625 – $4,680 ....................................................... $9,945
a. 1. FIFO inventory > (greater than) LIFO inventory 2. FIFO cost of goods sold < (less than) LIFO cost of goods sold 3. FIFO net income > (greater than) LIFO net income 4. FIFO income tax > (greater than) LIFO income tax b. In periods of rising prices, the income shown on the company’s tax return
would be lower than if FIFO were used; thus, there is a tax advantage of using LIFO.
Note to Instructors: The federal tax laws require that if LIFO is used for tax pur-poses, LIFO must also be used for financial reporting purposes. This is known as the LIFO conformity rule. Thus, selecting LIFO for tax purposes means that the company’s reported income will also be lower than if FIFO had been used. Com-panies using LIFO believe the tax advantages from using LIFO outweigh any neg-ative impact of reporting a lower income to shareholders.
Ex. 7–11
A B C D E F G 1 Unit Unit Total 2 Inventory Cost Market Lower 3 Commodity Quantity Price Price Cost Market of C or M 4 AL65 40 $28 $30 $ 1,120 $ 1,200 $ 1,120 5 CA22 50 70 65 3,500 3,250 3,250 6 LA98 110 6 5 660 550 550 7 SC16 30 40 30 1,200 900 900 8 UT28 75 60 62 4,500 4,650 4,500 9 Total $10,980 $10,550 $10,320
Ex. 7–12
The merchandise inventory would appear in the Current Assets section, as fol-lows:
Merchandise inventory—at lower of cost (FIFO) or market ........ $10,320
Alternatively, the details of the method of determining cost and the method of valuation could be presented in a note.
a. Balance Sheet Merchandise inventory............. $11,350* understated Current assets .......................... $11,350 understated Total assets............................... $11,350 understated Owner’s equity.......................... $11,350 understated *$11,350 = $451,000 – $439,650
b. Income Statement Cost of merchandise sold........ $11,350 overstated Gross profit ............................... $11,350 understated Net income ................................ $11,350 understated
c. Income Statement Cost of merchandise sold........ $11,350 understated Gross profit ............................... $11,350 overstated Net income ................................ $11,350 overstated
d. The December 31, 2013, balance sheet would be correct, since the 2012 inven-tory error reverses itself in 2013.
Ex. 7–14
a. Balance Sheet Merchandise inventory............. $12,000* overstated Current assets .......................... $12,000 overstated Total assets............................... $12,000 overstated Owner’s equity.......................... $12,000 overstated *$12,000 = $350,000 – $338,000
b. Income Statement Cost of merchandise sold........ $12,000 understated Gross profit ............................... $12,000 overstated Net income ................................ $12,000 overstated
c. Income Statement Cost of merchandise sold........ $12,000 overstated Gross profit ............................... $12,000 understated Net income ................................ $12,000 understated
d. The December 31, 2013, balance sheet would be correct, since the 2012 inven-tory error reverses itself in 2013.
When an error is discovered affecting the prior period, it should be corrected. In this case, the merchandise inventory account should be debited and the owner’s capital account credited for $18,000.
Failure to correct the error for 2011 and purposely misstating the inventory and the cost of merchandise sold in 2012 would cause the income statements for the two years to not be comparable. The balance sheet at the end of 2012 would be correct, however, since the 2011 inventory error reverses itself in 2012.
Ex. 7–16
a. Apple: 48.5 {$23,397,000,000/[($455,000,000 + $509,000,000)/2]} American Greetings: 3.9 {$809,956,000/[($203,873,000 + $216,671,000)/2]}
b. Lower. Although American Greetings’ business is seasonal in nature, with most of its revenue generated during the major holidays, much of its nonholi-day inventory may turn over very slowly. Apple, on the other hand, turns its inventory over very fast because it maintains a low inventory, which allows it to respond quickly to customer needs. Additionally, Apple’s computer prod-ucts can quickly become obsolete, so it cannot risk building large invento-ries.
a. Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = old/365S Goods of Cost
Inventory Average
Kroger, ( )[ ]==
+4.160
857,4$5$58,564/36
2/$4,855 $4,859 30 days
Safeway, ( )[ ]==
+5.86
5.694,2$5$31,589/36
2/$2,798 $2,591 31 days
Winn-Dixie, ( )[ ]==
+4.14
657$$5,269/365
2/$649 $665 46 days
Inventory Turnover = Inventory Average
Sold Goods of Cost
Kroger, =+ $4,855)/2($4,859
$58,564 12.1
Safeway, =+ $2,798)/2($2,591
$31,589 11.7
Winn-Dixie, =+ $649)/2($665
$5,269 8.0
b. The number of days’ sales in inventory and inventory turnover ratios are rela-
tively the same for Kroger and Safeway. Winn-Dixie has significantly higher number of days sales in inventory and significantly lower inventory turnover than Kroger and Safeway. These results suggest that Kroger and Safeway are more efficient than Winn-Dixie in managing inventory.
c. If Winn-Dixie matched Kroger’s days’ sales in inventory, then its hypothetical ending inventory would be determined as follows,
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = Sold/365 Goods of Cost
Inventory Average
30 days = $5,269/365
X
X = 30 × ($5,269/365) = 30 × $14.4 per day
X = $432
Thus, the additional cash flow that would have been generated is the differ-ence between the actual average inventory and the hypothetical average in-ventory, as follows:
Actual average inventory......................... $657 million Hypothetical average inventory .............. 432 Positive cash flow potential .................... $225 million
That is, a lower average inventory amount would have required less cash than actually was required.
A B C 1 Cost Retail 2 Merchandise inventory, November 1 $ 300,000 $ 400,000 3 Purchases in November (net) 2,100,000 2,800,000 4 Merchandise available for sale $2,400,000 $3,200,000
5 Ratio of cost to retail price: 75% $3,200,000$2,400,000
=
6 Sales for November (net) 2,750,000 7 Merchandise inventory, November 30, at retail price $ 450,000
8 Merchandise inventory, November 30, at estimated cost ($450,000 × 75%) $ 337,500
Appendix Ex. 7–22
a.
A B C 1 Cost 2 Merchandise inventory, January 1 $ 500,000 3 Purchases (net), January 1–December 11 4,280,000 4 Merchandise available for sale $4,780,000 5 Sales (net), January 1–December 11 $6,500,000 6 Less estimated gross profit ($6,500,000 × 36%) 2,340,000 7 Estimated cost of merchandise sold 4,160,000 8 Estimated merchandise inventory, December 11 $ 620,000
b. The gross profit method is useful for estimating inventories for monthly or quarterly financial statements. It is also useful in estimating the cost of mer-chandise destroyed by fire or other disasters.
Appendix Ex. 7–23
Merchandise available for sale .......................................................... $3,380,000 Less cost of merchandise sold [$5,260,000 × (100% – 40%)] .......... 3,156,000 Estimated ending merchandise inventory ........................................ $ 224,000
Appendix Ex. 7–24
Merchandise available for sale .......................................................... $1,400,000 Less cost of merchandise sold [$2,080,000 × (100% – 37%)] .......... 1,310,400 Estimated ending merchandise inventory ........................................ $ 89,600
Cost of Merchandise Sold......................... 30,725 Merchandise Inventory......................... 30,725 3. $28,725 ($59,450 – $30,725) 4. $3,625 (145 units × $25) 5. Since the prices rose from $20 for the March 1 inventory to $25 for the pur-
chase on May 25, we would expect that under last-in, first-out the inventory would be lower.
Note to Instructors: Problem 7–2A shows that the inventory is $3,110 under
4. a. During periods of rising prices, the LIFO method will result in a lower cost of inventory, a greater amount of cost of merchandise sold, and a lesser amount of net income than the other two methods. For Bulldog Appli-ances, the LIFO method would be preferred for the current year, since it would result in a lesser amount of income tax.
b. During periods of declining prices, the FIFO method will result in a lesser amount of net income and would be preferred for income tax purposes.
A B C 1 MYRINA CO. 2 Cost Retail 3 Merchandise inventory, May 1 $ 130,000 $ 185,000 4 Net purchases 1,382,000 1,975,000 5 Merchandise available for sale $1,512,000 $2,160,000
6 Ratio of cost to retail price: 70%$2,160,000
$1,512,000 =
7 Sales $1,950,000 8 Less sales returns and allowances 40,000 9 Net sales 1,910,000 10 Merchandise inventory, May 31, at retail $ 250,000
A B C 1 LEMNOS CO. 2 a. Cost 3 Merchandise inventory, July 1 $ 280,000 4 Net purchases 3,400,000 5 Merchandise available for sale $3,680,000 6 Sales $5,300,000 7 Less sales returns and allowances 100,000 8 Net sales $5,200,000 9 Less estimated gross profit ($5,200,000 × 35%) 1,820,000
10 Estimated cost of merchandise sold 3,380,000 11 Estimated merchandise inventory, September 30 $ 300,000 12 13 b. 14 Estimated merchandise inventory, September 30 $ 300,000 15 Physical inventory count, September 30 269,750
16 Estimated loss due to theft or damage, July 1–September 30 $ 30,250
Cost of Merchandise Sold.............................................. 1,032,500 Merchandise Inventory.............................................. 1,032,500 3. $642,500 ($1,675,000 – $1,032,500) 4. $252,000 (105 units × $2,400) 5. Since the prices rose from $1,500 for the July 3 inventory to $2,400 for the purchase on September 21, we
would expect that under last-in, first-out the inventory would be lower. Note to Instructors: Problem 7–2B shows that the inventory is $238,500 under LIFO.
4. a. During periods of rising prices, the LIFO method will result in a lower
cost of inventory, a greater amount of the cost of merchandise sold, and a lesser amount of net income than the other two methods. For Artic Ap-pliances, the LIFO method would be preferred for the current year, since it would result in a lesser amount of income tax.
b. During periods of declining prices, the FIFO method will result in a lesser amount of net income and would be preferred for income tax purposes.
A B C 1 SEGAL CO. 2 Cost Retail 3 Merchandise inventory, March 1 $ 298,000 $ 375,000 4 Net purchases 4,850,000 6,225,000 5 Merchandise available for sale $5,148,000 $6,600,000
6 Ratio of cost to retail price: 78%$6,600,000$5,148,000
=
7 Sales $6,320,000 8 Less sales returns and allowances 245,000 9 Net sales 6,075,000 10 Merchandise inventory, March 31, at retail $ 525,000
A B C 1 IROQUOIS CO. 2 a. Cost 3 Merchandise inventory, January 1 $ 300,000 4 Net purchases 4,150,000 5 Merchandise available for sale $4,450,000 6 Sales $6,900,000 7 Less sales returns and allowances 175,000 8 Net sales $6,725,000 9 Less estimated gross profit ($6,725,000 × 40%) 2,690,000 10 Estimated cost of merchandise sold 4,035,000 11 Estimated merchandise inventory, March 31 $ 415,000 12 13 b. 14 Estimated merchandise inventory, March 31 $ 415,000 15 Physical inventory count, March 31 396,500
16 Estimated loss due to theft or damage, January 1–March 31 $ 18,500
Since the title to merchandise shipped FOB shipping point passes to the buyer when the merchandise is shipped, the shipments made before midnight, July 31, 2012, should properly be recorded as sales for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2012. Hence, Mark Irwin is behaving in a professional manner. However, Mark should realize that recording these sales in 2012 precludes them from being rec-ognized as sales in 2013. Thus, accelerating the shipment of orders to increase sales of one period will have the effect of decreasing sales of the next period.
CP 7–2
In developing a response to Gary’s concerns, you should probably first empha-size the practical need for an assumption concerning the flow of cost of goods purchased and sold. That is, when identical goods are frequently purchased, it may not be practical to specifically identify each item of inventory. If all the iden-tical goods were purchased at the same price, it wouldn’t make any difference for financial reporting purposes which goods we assumed were sold first, second, etc. However, in most cases, goods are purchased over time at different prices, and, hence, a need arises to determine which goods are sold so that the price (cost) of those goods can be matched against the revenues to determine operat-ing income.
Next, you should emphasize that accounting principles allow for the fact that the physical flow of the goods may differ from the flow of costs. Specifically, accounting principles allow for three cost flow assumptions: first-in, first-out; last-in, first-out; and average. Each of these methods has advantages and disad-vantages. One primary advantage of the last-in, first-out method is that it better matches current costs (the cost of goods purchased last) with current revenues. Therefore, the reported operating income is more reflective of current operations and what might be expected in the future. Another reason that the last-in, first-out method is often used is that it tends to minimize taxes during periods of price increases. Since for most businesses prices tend to increase, the LIFO method will generate lower taxes than will the alternative cost flow methods.
The preceding explanation should help Gary better understand LIFO and its im-pact on the financial statements and taxes.
1. a. First-in, first-out method: 16,000 units at $16.00 ............................................. $256,000 16,000 units at $14.95 ............................................. 239,200 25,600 units at $14.50 ............................................. 371,200 6,400 units at $14.25 ............................................. 91,200 64,000 units ............................................................. $957,600
b. Last-in, first-out method: 62,000 units at $12.20 ............................................. $756,400 2,000 units at $13.00 ............................................. 26,000 64,000 units ............................................................. $782,400
c. Average cost method: 64,000 units at $13.58*............................................ $869,120
*Cost of merchandise available for sale.............................................. $5,432,000 $5,432,000 $5,432,000 Less ending inventory ....................... 957,600 782,400 869,120 Cost of merchandise sold ................. $4,474,400 $4,649,600 $4,562,880
3. a. The LIFO method is often viewed as the best basis for reflecting income from operations. This is because the LIFO method matches the most cur-rent cost of merchandise purchases against current sales. The matching of current costs with current sales results in a gross profit amount that many consider to best reflect the results of current operations. For White Dove Company, the gross profit of $550,400 reflects the matching of the most current costs of the product of $4,649,600 against the current period sales of $5,200,000. This matching of current costs with current sales also tends to minimize the effects of price trends on the results of operations.
The LIFO method will not match current sales and the current cost of mer-chandise sold if the current-period quantity of sales exceeds the current-period quantity of purchases. In this case, the cost of merchandise sold will include a portion of the cost of the beginning inventory, which may have a unit cost from purchases made several years prior to the current period. The results of operations may then be distorted in the sense of the current matching concept. This situation occurs rarely in most businesses because of consistently increasing quantities of year-end inventory from year to year.
While the LIFO method is often viewed as the best method for matching revenues and expenses, the FIFO method is often consistent with the physical movement of merchandise in a business, since most businesses tend to dispose of commodities in the order of their acquisition. To the ex-tent that this is the case, the FIFO method approximates the results that will be attained by a specific identification of costs.
The average cost method is, in a sense, a compromise between LIFO and FIFO. The effect of price trends is averaged, both in determining net in-come and in determining inventory cost.
Which inventory costing method best reflects the results of operations for White Dove Company depends upon whether one emphasizes the impor-tance of matching revenues and expenses (the LIFO method) or whether one emphasizes the physical flow of merchandise (the FIFO method). The average cost method might be considered best if one emphasizes the matching and physical flow of goods concepts equally.
b. The FIFO method provides the best reflection of the replacement cost of
the ending inventory for the balance sheet. This is because the amount re-ported on the balance sheet for merchandise inventory will be assigned costs from the most recent purchases. For most businesses, these costs will reflect purchases made near the end of the period. For example, White Dove Company’s ending inventory on December 31, 2012, is assigned costs totaling $957,600 under the FIFO method. These costs represent purchases made during the period of August through December. This FIFO inventory amount ($957,600) more closely approximates the re-placement cost of the ending inventory than either the LIFO ($782,400) or the average cost ($869,120) figures.
c. During periods of rising prices, such as shown for White Dove Company, the LIFO method will result in a lesser amount of net income than the oth-er two methods. Hence, for White Dove Company, the LIFO method would be preferred for the current year, since it would result in a lesser amount of income tax.
During periods of declining prices, the FIFO method will result in a lesser amount of net income and would be preferred for income tax purposes.
d. The advantages of the perpetual inventory system include the following: (1) A perpetual inventory system provides an effective means of control
over inventory. A comparison of the amount of inventory on hand with the balance of the subsidiary account can be used to determine the ex-istence and seriousness of any inventory shortages.
(2) A perpetual inventory system provides an accurate method for deter-mining inventories used in the preparation of interim statements.
(3) A perpetual inventory system provides an aid for maintaining invent-ories at optimum levels. Frequent review of the perpetual inventory re-cords helps management in the timely reordering of merchandise, so that loss of sales and excessive accumulation of inventory are avoided. An analysis of White Dove Company’s purchases and sales, as shown below, indicates that the company may have accumulated excess inventory from May through August because the amount of month-end inventory increased materially, while sales remained rela-tively constant for the period.
Increase Next (Decrease) in Inventory at Month’s Month Purchases Sales Inventory End of Month Sales
April 62,000 units 32,000 units 30,000 units 30,000 units 32,000 units May 66,000 32,000 34,000 64,000 40,000 June 80,000 40,000 40,000 104,000 48,000 July 80,000 48,000 32,000 136,000 56,000 August 54,400 56,000 (1,600) 134,400 56,000 September — 56,000 (56,000) 78,400 36,000 October 25,600 36,000 (10,400) 68,000 20,000 November 16,000 20,000 (4,000) 64,000 16,000 December 16,000 16,000 0 64,000 — It appears that during April through July, the company ordered inven-
tory without regard to the accumulation of excess inventory. A perpet-ual inventory system might have prevented this excess accumulation from occurring.
The primary disadvantage of the perpetual inventory system is the cost of maintaining the necessary inventory records. However, com-puters may be used to reduce this cost.
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = Sold/365 Goods ofCost
Inventory Average
Dell
Inventory Turnover: ==+ 5.023,1$
144,50$$867)/2($1,180
$50,144 49.0
Days’ Sales in Inventory: ( )==
+4.137
5.023,1$5$50,144/36
2/$867 $1,180 7.4 days
Hewlett-Packard
Inventory Turnover: ==+ 5.003,7$
524,87$$6,128)/2879,7($
$87,524 12.5
Days’ Sales in Inventory: ( )==
+8.239
5.003,7$5$87,524/36
2/$6,128 $7,879 29.2 days
b. Dell builds its computers primarily to a customer order, called a build-to-order strategy. Customers place their orders on the Internet. Dell then builds and delivers the computer, usually in a matter of days. HP, in contrast, builds computers before actual orders are received. This is called a build-to-stock strategy. HP must forecast the type of computers customers want before it receives the orders. This strategy results in greater inventory for HP, since the computers are built before there is a sale. HP has significant finished goods inventory, while Dell has less finished goods. It also explains the dif-ference in their inventory efficiency ratios.
Note to Instructors: While Dell sells most of its computers online, it has also
begun selling its computers through Best Buy. As a result, Dell’s inventory turnover has decreased and its days’ sales in inventory has increased from prior years.
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = 365/SoldGoodsofCost
InventoryAverage
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = ( )365/215,1$
2/242,1$601,1$ + , or 427.03 days
Amazon.com
Inventory Turnover = InventoryAverage
SoldGoodsofCost
Inventory Turnover = ( ) 2/200,1$399,1$896,14$
+, or 11.46
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = 365/SoldGoodsofCost
InventoryAverage
Number of Days’ Sales in Inventory = ( )365/896,14$
2/200,1$399,1$ + , or 31.84 days
b. Amazon.com has a smaller investment in inventory for its volume than does Tiffany. Amazon.com’s inventory turnover is faster (larger), and the number of days’ sales in inventory is shorter (smaller). This is due to the fact that Amazon.com uses a different business model than Tiffany. That is, Amazon.com sells through the Internet, while Tiffany uses the traditional re-tail store model which requires Tiffany to stock more inventory.
Cost of merchandise sold.................... $ 62,335 $ 306,158 $ 11,571 2. Average daily cost of merchandise sold (COMS/365) ................................... $ 170.8 $ 838.8 $ 31.7 Number of day’s sales in inventory .... 30.6 41.5 108.8 c. Both the inventory turnover ratio and the number of day’s sales in inventory
reflect the merchandising approaches of the three companies. Costco is a club warehouse. Its approach is to hold only mass appeal items
that are sold quickly off the shelf. Most items are sold in bulk quantities at very attractive prices. Costco couples thin margins with very fast inventory turnover.
Wal-Mart has a traditional discounter approach. It has attractive pricing, but the inventory moves slower than would be the case at a club warehouse. For example, many purchases made at Wal-Mart would not be packaged in the same bulk as would be the case at Costco.
JCPenney is a traditional department store with a wider assortment of goods that will not necessarily appeal to the mass market. That is, some of the mer-chandise items will be more specialized and unique. As such, its inventory moves slower, but at a higher price (and margin).