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Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
Profit measurement and the recognition Prepayments and accruals 183
of revenues and expenses 102 Revenues due and prepaid 184
Recognition of revenues 102 Depreciation 185
Recognition of expenses 106 Bad and doubtful debts 187
Profit, cash and accruals accounting—a review 110 Inventory 189
Profit measurement and the calculation Manufacturing and trading accounts 191
of depreciation 111 Adjusted trial balance and worksheet 195
Calculating depreciation 112 The chart of accounts 199
Selecting a depreciation method 118
Impairment and depreciation 119 Summary 204
Depreciation and the replacement of fixed assets 119 Discussion questions 204
Depreciation and judgement 119 Application exercises 205
Case study 214
Profit measurement and the valuation
Solutions to activities 215
of inventory 120
What is inventory? 120
What is the cost of inventory? 120 CHAPTER 5
What is the basis for transferring the inventory
cost to cost of sales? 121 Accounting systems and internal
The net realisable value of inventory 125 control 227
Profit measurement and the problem
of bad and doubtful debts 127 What is internal control? 228
The traditional approach 127 Internal control in practice 230
The impairment of assets approach 129 Internal control and e-commerce 232
A first-principles approach 131 Why doesn’t internal control always work? 233
Uses and usefulness of the income statement 137 Illustration of a functional area of a business
and its internal control 234
Summary 143 The ledger and subsidiary records 238
Discussion questions 144 Divisions of the ledger 239
Application exercises 145
Subsidiary records—a traditional manual system 239
Case study 156
Solutions to activities 157 The sales and purchases journals 240
The cash book and cash journals 243
The journal 247
CHAPTER 4 Control accounts and reconciliations 249
Control accounts 249
Recording transactions—
Reconciliation statements 250
the journal and ledger accounts 162 Computerised accounting systems 255
The recording process—an overview 163 Cloud computing 256
Double-entry bookkeeping 167
Summary 265
Ledger—detailed method of recording 168 Discussion questions 265
The trial balance 177 Application exercises 266
Closing off the accounts 179 Case study 275
Period-end adjustments 183 Solutions to activities 275

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Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
 The need for accounting rules 331
CHAPTER 6 The role of accounting standards in
Introduction to limited companies 280 company accounting 331
International accounting standards 332
The main features of companies 281 The conceptual framework 334
Legal nature 281 The role of the Australian Securities Exchange
Unlimited (perpetual) life 281 (ASX) in company accounting 337
Limited liability 282 Corporate governance 338
Legal safeguards 282 Presentation of published financial statements 344
Public and proprietary (private) companies 283 Statement of financial position 344
Transferring share ownership—the role of the Statement of comprehensive income 345
stock exchange 284 Statement of changes in equity 350
Separation of ownership and management 284 Statement of cash flows 352
Extensive regulation 285 Notes 352
Advantages and disadvantages of the company General points 352
entity structure 288 Segmental financial reports 353
Equity and borrowings in a company context 289 Segmental reporting rules 354
Equity/capital (owners’ claim) of limited companies 289 Segmental disclosure 354
Reserves 292 Segmental reporting problems 356
Bonus shares 293 Creative accounting 358
Raising share capital 294 Creative accounting methods 358
Borrowings 298 Checking for creative accounting 361
Restrictions on the rights of shareholders Creative accounting and economic growth 361
to make drawings or reductions of capital 299
The main financial statements 303 Summary 363
The income statement 304 Discussion questions 363
Application exercises 365
The statement of financial position 305
Case study 370
Dividends 305
Solutions to activities 372
Accounting for groups of companies 307
Summary 312
Discussion questions 312 CHAPTER 8
Application exercises 313 Measuring and reporting
Case study 321
Solutions to activities 323
cash flows 376
The importance of cash and cash flow 378
CHAPTER 7 Differences between the four external financial reports 381
Regulatory framework The statement of cash flows 382
for companies 326 Preparation of the statement of cash
flows—a simple example 386
The directors’ duty to account—the role of Deducing cash flows from operating activities 388
company law (Corporations Act) 327 Deducing cash flows from investing activities 390
Auditors 328 Deducing cash flows from financing activities 391

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Reconciling profit for the year
with cash from operating activities 396 CHAPTER 10
Some complexities in statement preparation 400 Analysis and interpretation of
The investing section 401
financial statements 472
The financing section 402
What does the statement of cash flows tell us? 404 Financial ratios 473
Summary 408 Financial ratio classification 473
Discussion questions 408 The need for comparison 474
Application exercises 409 The key steps in financial ratio analysis 475
Case study 424 The ratios calculated 475
Solutions to activities 425 A brief overview 478
Profitability ratios 479
CHAPTER 9 Return on ordinary shareholders’ funds (ROSF)
(also known as return on equity (ROE)) 479
Corporate social responsibility Return on capital employed (ROCE) 480
and sustainability accounting 430 Operating profit margin 481
Gross profit margin 481
Social issues in accounting 431 Efficiency ratios 483
General background 431 Average inventories turnover period 483
Stakeholder concept 431 Average settlement period for accounts
What is social responsibility? 433 receivable (debtors) 484
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)— Average settlement period for accounts
what does it mean? 436 payable (creditors) 485
Accounting for corporate social responsibilities 440 Sales revenue to capital employed 486
Triple bottom line reporting 442 Sales revenue per employee 486
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 444 Alternative formats 486
General background 444 The relationship between profitability and efficiency 487
Background and development of the GRI Guidelines 444 Liquidity 489
Current position—the GRI Standards 446 Current ratio 489
Integrated reporting 455 Acid test ratio 490
The balanced scorecard approach 457 Cash flows from operations ratio 490
The financial perspective 457 Financial gearing (leverage) ratios 491
The business process perspective 458 Gearing ratio 494
The customer perspective 458 Interest cover ratio (times interest earned) 494
The learning and growth perspective 458 An aside on personal debt 496
Overall conclusion 461 Investment ratios 497
Dividends per share ratio 497
Summary 462
Dividend payout ratio 498
References 462
Discussion questions 463 Dividend yield ratio 498
Application exercises 464 Earnings per share ratio 499
Case study 467 Operating cash flow per share 500
Solutions to activities 470 Price/earnings ratio 500

CONTENTS ix

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
Issues relating to financial analysis 502
Financial ratios and the problem of overtrading 502 CHAPTER 12
Trend analysis 503 Full costing 582
Index or percentage analysis 506
Ratios and prediction models 507 The nature of full costing 583
Limitations of ratio analysis 511 Deriving full costs in a single or multi-product
or service operation 584
Summary 516 Single-product businesses 584
References 517
Multi-product operations 585
Discussion questions 517
Application exercises 518 Segmenting the overheads 594
Case study 529 Dealing with overheads on a departmental
Solutions to activities 529 (cost centre) basis 594
Batch costing 601
The forward-looking nature of full costing 602
CHAPTER 11
Activity-based costing (ABC) 603
Cost–volume–profit analysis Costing and pricing: the traditional way 603
and relevant costing 534 Costing and pricing: the new environment 603
An alternative approach to full costing 604
The behaviour of costs 535 ABC contrasted with the traditional approach 605
Fixed costs 535 Attributing overheads 606
Variable costs 536 Benefits of ABC 607
Semi-fixed (semi-variable) costs 537 Criticisms of ABC 610
Break-even analysis 540 Uses of full (absorption) cost information 611
Contribution 543 Full cost (cost-plus) pricing 612
Profit–volume charts 545 Criticisms of full costing 613
Margin of safety and operating gearing 546
Summary 618
Weaknesses of break-even analysis 548
References 619
Use of spreadsheets 551
Discussion questions 619
Expected costs rather than historic costs 554 Application exercises 620
More complex cost and revenue behaviour patterns 555 Case study 628
Relevant cost, outlay cost and Solutions to activities 629
opportunity cost 556
Marginal analysis/relevant costing 559
Accepting/rejecting special contracts 560 CHAPTER 13
The most efficient use of scarce resources 560 Planning and budgeting 634
Make or buy decisions 561
Closing or continuing a section or department 562 Planning and control 635
Summary 567 Corporate objectives, long-term plans
Discussion questions 567 and budgets—their relationship 635
Application exercises 569 Exercising control 636
Case study 576 The role of projected financial statements 637
Solutions to activities 577 Likely information needed for forecast statements 638

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Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
 Projected financial statements 640
Alternative form of statement of cash flows CHAPTER 14
for forecasting 642 Capital investment decisions 705
Evaluation of projected statements 643
Sensitivity analysis 645 Features of investment decisions and associated
Projections using spreadsheets 645 appraisal methods 706
Importance of forecasting 646 The nature of investment decisions 706
Budgets and forecasts 649 Methods of investment appraisal 707
Time horizons of plans and budgets 649 Accounting rate of return (ARR) 709
Limiting factors 650 ARR and ROCE 709
The interrelationship of various budgets 650 Problems with ARR 710
The budget-setting process 651 Payback period (PP) 712
Incremental and zero-based budgeting 652 Problems with PP 713
The uses of budgets 653 Net present value (NPV) 714
Non-financial measures in budgeting 655 Interest lost 715
The extent to which budgets are prepared 655 Inflation 715
Preparing the cash budget 656 Risk 715
Preparing other budgets 659 Actions of a logical investor 716
Using budgets for control 662 Using discount (present value) tables 718
Comparing the actual performance with the budget 662 The discount rate and the cost of capital 719
Flexing the budget 663 Why NPV is superior to ARR and PP 720
Variance analysis—more detail 665 Discounted payback 720
Standard quantities and costs 668 Internal rate of return (IRR) 721
Reasons for adverse variances 668 Problems with IRR—a comparison between NPV and IRR 725
Investigating variances 669 Some practical points 728
Necessary conditions for effective budgetary control 671 The basis of the cash flow calculations 728
Limitations of the traditional More practical points 732
approach to control 672 Investment appraisal in practice 734
General limitations concerning budgeting systems 672 Methods used 734
Behavioural aspects of budgetary control 672 Investment appraisal and planning systems 735
Beyond Budgeting 674 Risk and uncertainty 738
Overall review 677
Summary 739
Summary 678 References 740
References 679 Discussion questions 741
Discussion questions 679 Application exercises 742
Application exercises 681 Case study 751
Case study 694 Solutions to activities 753
Solutions to activities 695 Appendix 14.1 757
Glossary 759
Index 767

CONTENTS xi

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR
Emeritus Professor David Harvey
After qualifying as an accountant in the United Kingdom, David began lecturing in
1971 at Portsmouth Polytechnic (now Portsmouth University) with a subsequent move
to Plymouth Polytechnic (now the University of Plymouth) in 1977. During his time
in the United Kingdom he developed a keen interest in curriculum development and
teaching methods and was involved with the writing of several books with an open
learning style, many of these in collaboration with Peter Atrill and Eddie McLaney.
During this time he also completed a Masters degree in Managerial Financial Controls
and a PhD in the areas of investment and financing decisions. This research work
covered both traditional investment appraisal and corporate strategy.
In 1991 he moved to Australia to take up the position of Professor of Accounting
and Head of the Centre for Accounting and Finance at the University of New England
(Northern Rivers), which subsequently became Southern Cross University. In 1992
he became the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Computing, a position he held
until 1996, before reverting to his Professorship. In 2000 he took up the position of
the Dean of the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Southern Queensland. In
2001 the Faculty of Commerce was merged with the Faculty of Business and David
became Dean of the enlarged Faculty of Business. David has had extensive experience
in developing and teaching programs internationally. His most recent position was as
Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Quality), a position he held from 2004 until his
retirement in 2005.

xii ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
PREFACE
This new textbook is primarily targeted at undergraduate
and postgraduate students of business-oriented programs
who want a fairly comprehensive introduction to accounting.
The book aims to provide engaging and relevant
content, something which we regard as critical to success
for today’s learners.
This first-edition textbook is the result of considerable
review activity with user groups. The end product is a
book which was designed for courses that require learners
to be both preparers and users of financial statements.
Courses of this nature require a balanced approach that
is relevant to both students majoring in accounting and
students of business generally. This book therefore aims
to provide a comprehensive first course in accounting
which will support students who wish to go on to an
accounting major, and also those who plan to do other
majors, or are studying general business.
A critical part of this is use of a first-principles
approach to accounting, from which we can then move on
to the actual recording process. This avoids creating the
misconception that accounting is a mechanical process;
rather it enables us to focus more on the importance of
critical thinking and decision making. The inclusion of
two chapters on what is essentially record keeping aims
to provide students with a deeper understanding of how
financial information is collected and communicated,
while also identifying its limitations.
The emphasis of the book is clearly decision making.
It uses a problem-solving approach and focuses on real-
world business situations. A key objective throughout is
to assist in the development of generic skills, including
communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-
based learning, ethics, self-management, planning and
organisation. The book provides a range of activities which
should help in the development of these generic qualities.
Background
This book has its origins in Accounting: An Introduction,
which has been through six editions, and which has been
regularly reviewed and improved. This book will in future
be published as Accounting for Non-Specialists. However,
after considerable market research, it was agreed that the
sixth edition, while more clearly targeting the non-specialist
Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
market, was not satisfying all market needs. As a result,
Accounting for Business was developed. This book builds
on the eighth edition of a second British book by Peter Atrill
and Eddie McLaney, namely, Accounting and Finance: An
Introduction, and uses a considerable part of it.
Quite a lot of the coverage of Accounting for Business
is common with the non-specialist book. However, it
expands the content of most chapters, in order to provide
a more comprehensive underpinning for all business
students, and specifically for those who want to go on
to an accounting major. Also, there has been a significant
demand for content relating to the recording system, so
two chapters have been added, covering journals and
ledger accounts, and internal control and accounting
systems in practice. In order to make room for the
additional material, two chapters on finance, which are
in the non-specialist book, have been omitted from the
new textbook. The style of both books is very similar.
It is worth noting that the two British books which
underpin this book, namely Accounting and Finance for Non-
Specialists and Accounting and Finance: An Introduction,
are in their tenth and eighth editions respectively. These
books reflect many years of development in the UK, and
share content where appropriate. In Accounting for Business,
we have tried to ensure that the content reflects Australian
needs and conditions, while also adding some new features.
We have been working together on our Australian non-
specialist book for many years and this is now in its seventh
edition. Collaboration of this type has helped with the
development of an international perspective on a range of
issues which should provide benefit to students.
Features
▶ Interspersed throughout each chapter are numerous
activities, with at least one for every learning objective.
These are relatively short ‘quick-fire’ questions of a
type a lecturer might pose to students during a lecture
or tutorial, and are intended to serve two purposes: to
give readers the opportunity to check that they have
understood the preceding section, and to encourage
them to think beyond the immediate topic and make
linkages to topics either previously covered or covered
in the next section. An answer to each activity is
PREFACE xiii
 provided at the end of the chapter, to which readers
should refer only after they have attempted the
activity.
▶ At the end of each section, which covers a specific
learning objective, there are several concept check
questions. These are short multiple-choice questions
which aim to provide you with a quick check of your
understanding of the learning objective/section. The
answers are at the end of the chapter.
▶ Towards the end of each chapter, but also at an
appropriate point in some chapters, there is a self-
assessment question or questions. These are much
more demanding and comprehensive than the
activities, in terms of both the breadth and the depth
of the material they cover. As with the activities, it
is important to make a thorough attempt at each
question before referring to the solution. Solutions to
these questions are available online.
▶ Discussion questions occur at the end of each
chapter. These are relatively short, typically require a
descriptive or analytical answer, and are intended to
enable readers to assess their recollection and critical
evaluation of the main principles in each chapter. They
might be used as the basis for tutorial discussion.
▶ Application exercises are also positioned at the end
of most chapters and these have been categorised
as easy, intermediate or challenging. These are
usually of a numerical type, and are designed to
enable readers to further apply and consolidate their
understanding of topics. A single case study can
also be found at the end of each chapter. Some of
these are simply more complicated problems, but in
the main they are questions based on current issues.
Their aim is to get students to think in a broader
manner than usual, and to develop a wider approach
to dealing with issues that are real and current.
▶ This new book continues to include what we have
called ‘Real World’ examples (typically three or four
per chapter), which aim to provide a link between
theory and current practice. Following each Real
World example is a set of classroom discussion
xiv ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS
Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
points, which should facilitate discussion on issues
that have occurred in business relatively recently.
▶ Each chapter has an ‘Accounting and You’ section,
which aims to relate the content of the chapter to
the individual student reader. All too often students
feel that the content is big-business oriented and
has nothing really to do with them. This section
illustrates that what they are learning has real
relevance to their everyday lives. Each of these also
has a series of classroom discussion points for the
class to ponder.
Coverage and structure
Although the topics included are, to some extent, relatively
conventional, the coverage and treatment of material is
designed to meet the needs of business students. While
the emphasis is primarily on underlying concepts, and
the application and interpretation of information for
decision making, this book also includes sections on data
collection and recording, as well as the preparation of
statements and reports.
One major difference between this book and many others
relates to its early structure. As business and accounting
become more complicated it becomes more difficult to
cover these issues in a reasonably straightforward way. So,
in this book we introduce (in Chapters 2 and 3) two of the
major accounting statements in the context of relatively
simple business organisations, mainly sole proprietorships
and partnerships or very simple companies. We use the
balance-sheet approach to enable us to build up a balance
sheet from a set of basic transactions, and then extend this
approach by explaining the income statement as part of
the equity section of the balance sheet. This is all done
using a first-principles approach.
The approach used in Chapters 2 and 3 enables us
to cover the basic accounting statements without adding
the complications of a complex corporate regulatory
framework. Once the underlying principles and nature
of the statement of financial position (the balance sheet)
and the statement of financial performance (the income
statement) have been understood, we can then complicate
it by adding (Chapters 6 and 7) companies and their
regulatory framework.
 In Chapters 4 and 5, we show how the two main
statements are built up in practice, using a system of
ledger accounts and books of original entry (or, as is
more likely, by a computerised accounting system using
the same basic principles).
We have ordered the chapters and their component
topics to reflect what we consider to be a logical sequence.
For this reason, we advise readers to work through the
text in the order presented, particularly since we have
been careful to ensure that earlier chapters do not refer to
concepts or terms that are not covered until a later chapter.
Chapters 1–10 can be said to be broadly financial-
accounting oriented, while Chapters 11–14 focus on what
are clearly management accounting areas. Having said
this, much of the financial accounting material effectively
underpins the later chapters and students should not get
too hung up on which area is which. For example, the
financial accounting framework links very closely with
the planning section in Chapter 13.
Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the
scope, purpose and interrelationships of the text’s
core coverage—financial accounting and management
accounting—together with a brief overview of the
main financial statements. It also examines user groups
and their needs; introduces the main types of business
organisation, together with the way in which a business
is typically organised and managed and identifies ways
in which business and accounting have been changing
over time. This chapter includes more on stakeholder
theory, ethics and ethical behaviour in business, and the
Academic Standards Statement for Accounting, than does
the non-specialist book.
Chapter 2 explains the nature and purpose of the
statement of financial position. This is done in the
context of relatively simple organisations, so as to not
unnecessarily complicate things. The method in which
the statement is built up and its typical format are both
covered, followed by the main factors that influence the
content and values in the statement. Finally, the main
uses and limitations of the statement are examined.
Chapter 3 explains the nature and purpose of a
statement of financial performance, usually referred to as
an income statement. The way in which the statement
is built up and the way in which it is typically presented
Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
are covered comprehensively, for relatively simple
organisations. Extra material, compared with the non-
specialist book, includes the unit-of-production method
of depreciation and more on the perpetual inventory
system.
Chapter 4 provides the student with an introduction
to double-entry book keeping, including the link with
the first-principles approach, ledger accounts, use of trial
balance, the closing-down process and a series of period-
end adjustments. It also introduces the adjusted trial
balance and worksheet, before concluding with a section
on the nature and importance of the chart of accounts.
Chapter 5 discusses internal control and the various
ways in which accounting transactions are recorded in
books of original entry, and then outlines the major
elements of computerised accounting systems. Students
should have a thorough grounding in the basic recording
process as a result. Real-world examples in this chapter
aim to prepare the student for a variety of ways in which
the basic principles are applied in practice.
Chapters 6 and 7 concentrate on limited companies.
Chapter 6 focuses on the main features associated
with limited companies. Many users will have dealings
with groups of companies so the requirements of
group accounts are outlined. Chapter 7 explains the
importance of company law, accounting standards, the
stock exchange and the importance of good corporate
governance. Corporate governance remains an ongoing
issue for many businesses. The chapter then identifies
the main requirements relating to the published annual
report. It contains far more information on accounting
standards than does the non-specialist book. It also
introduces sections on segment reporting and creative
accounting.
Chapter 8 focuses on the statement of cash flows
and the importance of cash to any business. The chapter
also completes the coverage of the main external reports
prepared.
Chapter 9 introduces the areas of corporate social
responsibility together with social and environmental
accounting and also explains the current state of
development of sustainability reporting and integrated
reporting. Further work on these areas is likely to be
needed over the foreseeable future as the world faces
PREFACE xv
continued issues including climate change, a range of other
environmental issues, peak oil, world poverty, child-labour
abuse, and human rights and responsibilities generally.
Chapter 10 deals with the analysis and interpretation
of the main financial statements. There is also more detail
on ratios and prediction models than is included in the
non-specialist book.
Our formal coverage of management accounting begins
in Chapter 11 with a discussion of the interrelationships
between costs, volume and profit in decision making.
Extra material, compared with the non-specialist book,
includes more on semi-variable costs, and the use of
spreadsheets to develop profit profiles and associated
charts.
Chapter 12 covers full costing and activity-based
costing. Extra material, over and above that found in the
non-specialist book, includes more on the apportionment
process for overheads and cost-plus pricing.
xvi ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS
Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
Chapter 13 includes a section on planning and
forecasting using the basic financial statements. This
includes use of spreadsheets and sensitivity analysis. This
is seen as an additional feature of planning and budgeting
over and above that used in the non-specialist book. The
remainder of the chapter focuses on short-term planning
and control and deals with various aspects of budgeting.
The chapter includes a section on Beyond Budgeting.
Chapter 14 deals with capital budgeting, the decision
to invest in medium- and long-term assets, and considers
how businesses appraise such projects. There is material
on mutually exclusive projects and capital rationing, and
more on practical aspects of identifying and dealing with
cash flows, and the link with strategic planning.
Peter Atrill
Eddie McLaney
David Harvey
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Maria Tyler: Chapter 5 contributor
Dr Maria Tyler is a certified practising accountant (CPA) and an accounting and finance lecturer (currently with
CQUniversity’s School of Business & Law). She has more than 13 years’ tertiary teaching experience at undergraduate
and postgraduate levels, and is experienced in curriculum design, development and implementation. Dr Tyler gained
her PhD in Accounting from CQUniversity in Mackay, Queensland, and also holds a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor
of Information Systems, Bachelor of Business with First Class Honours, MBA, Graduate Certificate in Management,
Graduate Diploma in Management, and a Diploma in Financial Services (Conveyancing).

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR xvii

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are indebted to the accounting education community for the time and expertise
invested as proposal reviewers, digital reviewers, manuscript reviewers and focus-group
participants. Their invaluable insights have greatly improved the clarity, consistency
and focus of this textbook.

Dr Paul J. Blayney, University of Sydney

Dr Peta Stevenson-Clarke, RMIT
Dr Angela Tan-Kantor, Swinburne University of Technology
Ms Dianne English, Griffith University
Maria Tyler, CQ-University
Mr Chris Williams, RMIT
Amitav Saha, University of Notre Dame Australia
Dr Terri Trireksani, Murdoch University
Wes Hamilton-Jessop, University of Sydney
Abdul Razeed, University of Sydney
Olga Gouveros, University of Sydney
Matt Dyki, University of Melbourne
Nicholas McGuigan, Monash University
Jodie Nelson, Griffith University
Warwick Baines, Charles Stuart University
Mark Vallely, University of Southern Queensland
David Xiang, Edith Cowan University
Youngdeok Lim, University of New South Wales
Stephanie Perkiss, University of Wollongong
Marcus Rodrigs, Newcastle University
Julie Walker, University of Queensland
Samantha Sin, Macquarie University
Maurice Sheridan, RMIT

Special thanks from the authors and publisher to Angela Tan-Kantor for carrying out
the technical editing for this edition.

COPYRIGHT
ASX material reproduced in this book is © ASX Corporate Governance Council
Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Ltd, ACN 002 786 290, Australian
Council of Superannuation Investors, Australian Financial Markets Association
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xviii ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xix

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FOR STUDENTS: HOW DO I USE THIS BOOK?
CHAPTER 2 MEASURING AND REPORTING FINANCIAL POSITION 47

CHAPTER 1
◀ Learning objectives NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE STATEMENT
OF FINANCIAL POSITION
The purpose of the statement of financial position is to set out the financial position of a business
LO1

INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING
at a particular point in time. It is also referred to as a ‘balance sheet’. Both terms have been used Explain the nature

These are listed at the beginning of each chapter in recent years. The current recommendation is that the term ‘statement of financial position’ is and purpose of
the statement of
to be used. This statement represents a summary of information provided in the accounts, and is
financial position
effectively a listing of the balances in all of the detailed accounts—this is where the term ‘balance (balance sheet) and
sheet’ comes from. The statement of financial position sets out the assets of the business on the one its component parts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES and explain the key concepts that you should hand, and the claims against it on the other. Before looking at the statement in more detail, we need
to be clear what these terms mean.

When you have completed your study of this chapter, you should be able to:
Assets
LO1 Explain the nature and role of accounting
LO2 List the main groups that use the accounting reports of a business entity, and
summarise the different uses that can be made of accounting information
understand after studying the chapter. They An asset, for accounting purposes, is essentially a business resource that has certain characteristics.
The main characteristics of an asset are:
asset
A resource held by a
business which has certain
• A probable future economic benefit. This simply means that the item is expected to have characteristics.

are restated in the chapter, so you know where

LO3 Compare and contrast financial and management accounting some future monetary value, which can arise through its use in the business or through its
hire or sale. Thus, an obsolete piece of equipment that can be sold for scrap would still be
LO4 Identify the main purpose of a business (while recognising a range of other considered an asset, whereas an obsolete piece of equipment that could not be sold for scrap
influences), and explain the traditional risk–return relationship would not be regarded as an asset.

these objectives are covered. End-of-chapter

LO5 Provide an overview of the main financial reports prepared by a business • The business has an exclusive right to control the benefit. Unless the business has exclusive
LO6 Outline the main types of business ownership, describe the way in which a business rights over the resource, it cannot be regarded as an asset of the business. Thus, for a business
is typically organised and managed, and explain the importance of accounting in offering holidays on barges or houseboats, a canal and river system is a very valuable resource.
a business context However, as the business cannot control others’ access to the system, it cannot be regarded as

questions are also keyed to the objectives.

an asset of the business (but its barges and houseboats would count as assets).
LO7 Identify ways in which business and accounting have been changing, together
with some current issues confronting businesses and their associated reporting, • The benefit must arise from some past transaction or event. This means the transaction (or
including current thinking on ethics in business other event) giving rise to the business’s right to the benefit must have already occurred and
will not arise at some future date. Thus, if a business agrees to purchase a piece of machinery
LO8 Explain why accounting information is generally considered to be useful, and why at some future date, this does not make the item one of its assets at this point in time.
you need to know the basics of accounting
• The asset must be capable of reliable measurement in monetary terms. Unless the item can be
LO9 Identify the learning outcomes associated with the Australian Learning and measured in monetary terms with a reasonable degree of reliability, the item will not be included
Teaching Council’s Academic Standards Statement for Accounting: namely as an asset on the statement of financial position. For example, customer loyalty may be

Key term definitions ▶

judgement; knowledge; application skills; communication and teamwork; and valuable to the business but impossible to quantify. Similarly, the title of a magazine (e.g. New
self-management; and examine how these compare with characteristics of Idea or Wheels) that was created by its publisher may be extremely valuable to that publishing
successful business people. business, but this value is usually difficult to quantify. It will not therefore be treated as an asset.
Note that all four of these conditions must apply. If one of them is missing, the item will not be
treated as an asset for accounting purposes, and will not, therefore, appear on the statement of

People need economic information to help them make decisions and judgements about businesses.
Whether we are talking about a business manager making decisions about the most appropriate level
To help you understand key accounting financial position. Figure 2.1 summarises the above discussion in the form of a decision chart.
We can see that these conditions will strictly limit the kind of items that may be referred to as
‘assets’ in the statement of financial position. Certainly not all resources exploited by a business
of production, a bank manager responding to a request from the business for a bank loan or trade

terminology and concepts, definitions are

will be assets of the business for accounting purposes. Some, like the canal system or the magazine
unionists deciding how much pay increase to seek for their members, accounting information should title Wheels, may well be assets in a broader sense, but not for accounting purposes. Once an asset tangible assets
help them with their decision. has been acquired by a business, it will continue to be considered an asset until the benefits are Those assets that have a
exhausted or the business disposes of it in some way. physical substance (e.g.
In this opening chapter, we begin by considering the roles of accounting. As we shall see, accounting can

presented in the margin. All these terms are

Examples of items that often appear as assets in a business statement of financial position plant and machinery, motor
be a valuable tool in the decision-making, planning and control process. We shall identify those people vehicles).
include: freehold premises; machinery and equipment; fixtures and fittings; patents and trademarks;
who are the main users of accounting and financial information, and discuss the ways in which this
accounts receivable; investments; cash; and inventories. intangible assets
information can improve the quality of decisions that they make. In subsequent chapters, we develop
Note that an asset does not have to be a physical item—it may also be a non-physical right

also in the glossary at the end of the book for

this decision-making theme by considering in some detail the kinds of financial reports and methods Assets which, while
to certain benefits. Assets that have a real physical substance are referred to as tangible assets providing expected future
used to aid decision-making.
(e.g. inventory, plant and equipment). Assets that have no physical substance but still represent benefits, have no physical
potential benefits are referred to as intangible assets (e.g. copyright, trademark, patent, franchise, substance (e.g. copyrights,
goodwill). patents).

easy reference.
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CHAPTER 9 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING 435 76 ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

terms, to its shareholders the choice of a more expensive production process that will yield lower
pollution levels but also lower profits? If a competitor goes down the lower-cost, higher-pollution

◀ Concept check questions

route, it will probably be able to sell at a lower price and threaten that competitor’s position. There
are clearly some inherent conflicts in this area. ACCOUNTING AND YOU
ACTIVITY 9.4
It is frequently useful for individuals to assess just what they have achieved and what they are ‘worth’.
Can you think of reasons why a business might still pursue activities that are less profitable but socially If you need to do this for purposes of obtaining a car loan, or a mortgage, you will probably find that
beneficial?

Short multiple-choice questions which aim

your bank will only include assets and liabilities using the kind of approach adopted in this chapter.
Yet you will probably be able to think of a number of things that you value (and others value) which
So how might business as a whole be encouraged to engage in more socially responsible behaviour? your banker says are nice, but not relevant. What they mean is that they are not relevant to them. But
There are several possibilities: they may well be extremely valuable to you. Your (or your parents’) investment in your education has
undoubted value to you, and to prospective employers, but would not satisfy the accounting definition

to provide you with a quick check of your

• Make shirking of responsibilities more costly, by regulation and law and public awareness. of an asset. Your superannuation balance is certainly of worth, but may well be so far ahead in terms
• Market the good citizen concept (e.g. the growth of ‘green’ consumerism), where consumers’ of your ability to access it, that it is of no consequence in terms of current decision-making. Your
decisions are strongly influenced by the nature of the business, product or production method. collection of old model trains also has considerable worth, but obtaining a figure which can be accepted
• Combine businesses into groups to develop ways of dealing with aspects of their business in a by everyone may well be difficult, if not impossible.

understanding of the learning objective.

socially responsible way. You need to understand that the statement of financial position aims to provide a list of assets
• Promote government action, which might include legislation, penalties for non-compliance or and liabilities which has a high degree of objectivity, such that almost anyone looking at a particular
subsidies. business or individual would come to the same conclusion, because all would be following the same
rules. Our discussion about the value of brands, of soccer players and other ‘human’ assets was not
intended to imply that these have no value, but that it is difficult to obtain agreement about their value.
Concept check 1 When making decisions about value, all users of accounting information have to make assumptions or
judgements about the value of the assets controlled by a business. In your own life, you will need to
Which of the following statements is false? make the same kind of judgements about worth. When looking at figures in a statement of financial
position, you should be trying to ascertain the underlying values, in terms of individual assets and
A Business today cannot solely focus on wealth maximisation.
composite groups of assets or businesses. You also need to do this with your life. Accounting figures can
B Social and environmental issues should be given serious consideration by today’s businesses. be helpful, but they simply cannot make individual judgements in the way that you can and need to do.
C Today’s business managers must consider a much broader range of issues than in the past.

Accounting and You boxes ▶

D Businesses today unanimously accept sustainability as their primary goal. Class discussion points
E All of the above are true.
1 Do you consider that knowledge as to how the accounting systems work is necessary for managers?
2 Can you think of ways in which this knowledge might be useful to you, assuming that you are operating
as a manager in a business, not as an accountant?
Concept check 2

This feature appears in each chapter to help

3 If you were to develop your own business, you would be likely to do so partly for financial reasons, but
also for reasons to do with factors such as flexibility, job satisfaction, etc. What kind of factors might
Which of the following statements is true?
you include in your own personal list of assets, or benefits, associated with running your own business,
A Some stakeholders have legitimate interests in all parts of a business. which would not normally be included in the business balance sheet, and how important are these

you see the relevance of accounting concepts to

likely to be to you? Would this list reduce the importance of the balance sheet?
B Some stakeholders have legitimate interests in only a certain part of a business.
C Environmentalists are seen as a relatively new stakeholder in business.
D Potential customers should be considered as stakeholders.

your everyday life. Following each of these are a

E All of the above.

Concept check 3
The stakeholder concept recognises a number of parties with a legitimate
interest or stake in business. These stakeholder groups include:
series of class discussion points.
A Owners/shareholders and managers
B Employees and customers
C Government, lenders and suppliers
D Investment analysts
E All of the above.

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Chapter 8 MEASURING AND REPORTING CASH FLOWS

As we have seen in earlier chapters, organisations that are more complicated than simple clubs
379

◀ In-chapter activities Chapter 13 PLANNING AND BUDGETING 639

have to produce statements that reflect movements in wealth and the net increase (profit) or
decrease (loss) for the period concerned. For appropriations, the implications of tax planning need to be recognised. Preference dividends
The statement of cash flows is a fairly late addition to the annual published financial statements.
At one time, companies were only required to publish an income statement and a statement of
financial position. It seems the prevailing view was that all the financial information needed by
These are designed to test your comprehension of the should be easy. Ordinary dividends seldom reduce in practice, so any assumptions or estimates
about these are likely to be seriously constrained.
Real World 13.1 indicates just how BHP described the approximate impact of the principal
users would be contained within these two statements. This view may have been based partly on factors that affected earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) over a period: this is not based on

material you have just read, as well as to make links to

forecasts but on actual performance. The analysis used, however, is quite similar to the kind used
the assumption that, if a business were profitable, it would also have plenty of cash. While in the
to date in forecasting the income statement.
long run this is likely to be true, it is not necessarily true in the short to medium term. In practice,
unless a business’s cash flows are monitored in the short to medium term, there may not be a long
term for that business.
We saw in Chapter 3 that the income statement sets out the revenue and expenses for the period,
rather than the cash inflows and outflows. This means that the profit (or loss), which represents the
difference between the revenue and expenses for the period, may have little or no relation to the
topics already covered or still to be covered. Answers to REAL WORLD 13.1
cash generated for the period. Analysis of principal factors impacting EBIT
To illustrate this point, let us take the example of a business making a sale (generating
revenue). This may well lead to an increase in wealth that will be reflected in the income statement.
However, if the sale is made on credit, no cash changes hands—at least, not at the time of the
the activities are provided at the end of each chapter. In its 2016 Annual Report BHP provided a table describing
the impact of the principal factors that affected underlying
EBITDA for 2016 (see page 73 of the report).
One-off items
Giving Changes in other costs.
Source: BHP Billiton Annual Report 2016, p 73. BHP Billiton.
sale. Instead, the increase in wealth is reflected in another asset: an increase in trade receivables. What is interesting in the context of this chapter are the
Furthermore, if an item of inventory is the subject of the sale, wealth is lost to the business items included in the table, particularly the following, as they

Real World examples ▶

through the reduction in inventories. This means that an expense is incurred in making the sale, relate to the ideas discussed in the chapter to date: Classroom discussion points
which will also be shown in the income statement. Once again, however, no cash changes hands Changes in sales prices 1 Access page 73 of the 2016 Annual Report:
at the time of sale. For such reasons, the profit and the cash generated during a period rarely go Price-linked costs (a) Identify the most significant factors affecting
hand in hand. Giving Net price impact underlying EBITDA for the financial year ending
Activity 8.1 helps to underline how particular transactions and events can affect profit and cash Productivity volumes 30 June 2016.

Integrated throughout the text, these illustrative

for a period differently. Growth volumes (b) Which are the more significant—changes in sales
Giving Changes in volumes price or changes in price-linked costs?
Operating cash costs (c) Comment on the changes in volume.
Exploration and business development
ACTIVITY 8.1 (d) Comment on the changes in controllable cash costs.

examples highlight the practical application of

Giving Changes in controllable cash costs
The following is a list of business/accounting events. In each case, state the effect (i.e. increase, decrease (e) Discuss the changes in other costs.
Exchange rates
or no effect) on both cash and profit. Inflation on costs 2 How useful do you think an analysis of this type is?
Effect Fuel and energy 3 What does an analysis of this type by a huge organisation

accounting concepts and techniques by real businesses,

Event On profit On cash Non-cash teach you about the use of the financial accounting
Repayment of a loan .......... .......... framework in assisting planning?
Making a sale on credit .......... ..........
Buying a non-current asset for cash .......... ..........

including extracts from published financial reports,

Depreciating a non-current asset .......... ..........
Receiving cash from accounts receivable .......... ..........
For the statement of financial position, assumptions and estimates include the following:
Buying some inventory for cash .......... ..........
Making a share issue for cash .......... .......... • Non-current assets—future acquisition and disposal of assets (including proceeds of disposal)
.......... ..........

articles from the media, survey data and other

and depreciation policies.
• Working capital—what kind of period of credit will be allowed to (and taken by) customers
(accounts receivable), how quickly suppliers (accounts payable) will be paid, what levels
From what we have seen so far, it is clear that the income statement is not the place to look if we of inventory will be targeted. The potential impact on profits and cash flow made by poor

interesting insights from business. These examples are

are to gain insights about cash movements over time. We need a separate financial statement. working capital management is considerable.
In 1991, a new accounting standard required entities to produce and publish, as well as the • Loans, raised or repaid.
income statement and the balance sheet, a cash flow statement reflecting movements in cash. • Capital—new capital raised (infrequently) and the amount or proportion of profits that is
The reason for this was the growing belief that, despite their usefulness, the income statement retained.
and the balance sheet did not concentrate sufficiently on liquidity. It was believed that the
‘accrual-based’ nature of the income statement tended to obscure the question of how and where
a company was generating the cash it needed to continue its operations. The standard has been
followed by a series of class discussion points. Students Most of the assumptions and estimates identified to date relate to the statement of cash flows and
include the following:
updated several times and the title of the statement has subsequently been changed to ‘statement

may need to go back to the original examples and

• profit
of cash flows’. • depreciation adjustments/asset disposals
Why is cash so important to businesses pursuing profit/wealth? The solution to Activity 8.1 • acquisitions of non-current assets
illustrates the fact that cash and profit do not go hand in hand, so why the current preoccupation
• levels of working capital

beyond, but the points are intended to provoke some

critical thinking by the students.
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xx ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

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 550 ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS
Concept check 9
Which of the following statements about profit–volume charts are true?
A Profit–volume charts provide more information than break-even charts.
B The slope of the profit line is the same as the slope of the revenue line on the
break-even chart.
C The slope of the profit line is the same as the slope of the total cost line on the
break-even chart.
D None are true. All are false.
ACTIVITY 11.6
A company has existing monthly sales of $350,000 and a contribution margin of 0.15 (15%). A new
product is introduced at a discounted price in an endeavour to boost custom. The new product is
expected to generate sales of $18,000 per month at a negative contribution of $3,000, increase fixed costs
by $7,000 per month, but boost sales of existing products by 12%.
Compute the overall change (profit/loss) for the subsequent month.
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTION 11.1
The following information concerns a business for the past three months:
Sales 15,000 units @ $20
Variable costs 15,000 units @ $12
Contribution
Fixed costs
Loss
The managers of the business are now considering what to do about this loss. They hope to make a profit of $30,000
in the next three months, and the following proposals have been made:
1 launch an advertising campaign costing $50,000
2 reduce selling price to $19
3 reduce variable costs by $1.50 per unit by installing more efficient equipment, which will increase fixed costs by
$40,000.
You have been asked to advise on:
(a) the level of sales needed to make a profit of $30,000 assuming that none of the three proposals is adopted
(b) the break-even point under this assumption
(c) the level of sales needed, for each of these proposals, to generate the required profit
(d) the impact each proposal will have on the break-even point.
Assume that revenues and costs will remain the same in the next three months, other than those for the three
proposals.
M11_ATRI6570_01_SE_C11.indd 550
CHAPTER 2 MEASURING AND REPORTING FINANCIAL POSITION
SUMMARY
In this chapter we have achieved the following objectives in the way shown.
OBJECTIVE
LO1: Explain the nature and purpose of the statement of
financial position and its component parts
LO2: Explain the accounting equation, and use it to build
up a statement of financial position at the end of a period
LO3: Classify assets and claims
LO4: Apply the different possible formats for the
statement of financial position
LO5: Identify the main factors that influence the content
and values in a statement of financial position
LO6: Identify the main ways in which the statement of
financial position can be useful for users of accounting
information
M02_ATRI6570_01_SE_C02.indd 77
424 ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS
CHAPTER 8 CASE STUDY
The management of Enviro Ltd is planning a fairly
significant expansion policy for the forthcoming
year (2018). You have been asked to look at the
financial implications of its plans. You have asked for
a clear identification of the underlying assumptions
and estimates, and these are given below.
Market position
The total estimated market for 2017 is $600 million.
Sales during 2017 are expected to be around $30
million. However, the business is looking to achieve
an improved market share (currently 5%) in 2018
due to more aggressive marketing. A 25% increase
in sales volume is expected. Given product price
elasticity, prices will need to be maintained at the
2017 levels in order to achieve the planned volumes.
Economic environment
The current rate of inflation is 4% and this rate is
likely to continue through 2018. The business thinks
that this reflects a reasonably close estimate of its
specific cost inflation and is happy to proceed on
this assumption.
Tax is expected to be charged at 30%.
Dividend policy
The dividends to be recommended for 2017 total $1
million. The business would like to increase this to
$1.25 million to cover inflation and to share in the
hoped for increase in profitability.
Financial structure of the company
Share capital amounts to $10 million at the end of
2017, with reserves amounting to $2.5 million.
QUESTIONS
1 Explain why preparation of a set of projected financial statements might be useful.
2 Make the necessary computations to reflect the plans outlined above, clearly stating any
assumptions.
3 Comment on the feasibility of the plans, and suggest any courses of action that management might
take.
4 Evaluate the use of the projected financial statements in terms of efficiency of planning and decision-
making in the context of this particular business.
5 State what advantages there might be in using spreadsheets to prepare statements of this type.
6 Sensitivity analysis is an analysis in which variables in a decision are changed one at a time, with
the view to identifying which variables are most important to the success of the decision, plan or
project. In what ways might an analysis of this type improve your decision-making ability? What
kind of variables might you examine critically?
M08_ATRI6570_01_SE_C08.indd 424
Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
◀ In-chapter self-assessment questions Chapter 6 INTRODUCTION TO LIMITED COMPANIES 323
More demanding and comprehensive than Concept check answers
CC1
CC2
E
A
CC5 A You might
have been
CC6
CC7
D
C
CC11 D
CC12 E
the activities, these challenge you to put into
CC3 C tempted with B, CC8 D
CC4 D but accounting CC9 E
reserves are
never in cash
CC10 C
practice your understanding of key concepts.
SOLUTIONS TO ACTIVITIES
The self-assessment question solutions are ACTIVITY 6.1
available online at www.pearson.com.
Business is a risky venture—in some cases very risky. People will usually be happier to invest money when they know the
limit of their liability. If investors are given limited liability, new businesses are more likely to be formed and existing ones
are likely to find it easier to raise more finance. This is good for the private-sector economy and may ultimately lead to the
generation of greater wealth for society as a whole.
au/9781488616570.
Obviously not all suppliers of goods and services are protected, as we read regularly that they lose all or part of what
is owed to them when companies are liquidated (e.g. Harris Scarfe, Ansett, HIH). However, certain factors, requirements
or actions are in place to provide protection, including:
• the legal requirement for companies to prepare financial reports in conformity with statutory accounting standards
• suppliers may require payment to be made in advance
• creditors may require personal guarantees by the owners or management
• lenders may take out a specific claim against tangible assets of the company (mortgage, bill of sale)
• lending agreements may restrict the financial practices:
—maximum level of debt to assets
—minimum required return on assets
—limitations on profit distributions
—restrictions on asset sales
Solutions to activities and concept checks ▶
—specification of accounting methods that can be used
$ • the creditors rank before the shareholders in the distribution of assets in the event of a liquidation of the company.
300,000
180,000
120,000 ACTIVITY 6.2
150,000 Two ways are commonly used in practice:
These allow you to check your answers to the
30,000 • The shareholders may insist on monitoring closely the actions of the directors and the way in which they use the
resources of the company.
• The shareholders may introduce incentive plans for directors that link their pay to the share performance of the
company. In this way, the interests of the directors and shareholders will become more closely aligned.
in-chapter activities. ACTIVITY 6.3
The answers are as follows:
Net assets
Cash $100,000
Shareholders’ equity
Share capital (100,000 ordinary shares issued at $2—called to $1) $100,000
Net assets
Cash $150,000
Shareholders’ equity
Share capital (100,000 ordinary shares issued at $2—called to $1.50) $150,000
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◀ Summary
CHAPTER 9 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING 463
77
Gray, R., Owen, D. & Adams, C. 1996, Accounting and Accountability: Changes and Challenges in Corporate Social and
Environmental Reporting, Prentice Hall, London.
Guthrie, J. & Parker, L.D. 1990, ‘Corporate social disclosure practice: a comparative international analysis’, Advances in Public Interest
Accounting, vol. 3, pp. 159–76.
At the end of every chapter, the summary
Holme, R. & Watts, P. 2000, Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Good Business Sense, World Business Council for Sustainable
Development, UK, January.
METHOD ACHIEVED International Integrated Reporting Council 2013, The International Framework, December.
• Identified the purpose as being to set out the financial position of a KPMG Global Sustainability Services 2002, KPMG International Corporate Sustainability Reporting, KPMG, Amsterdam.
business at a particular point of time
• Explained that the statement included assets and claims, which
consisted of external liabilities and owners’ equity
• Identified and analysed the nature of assets
correlates learning objectives with the method Trotman, K.T. 1979, ‘Social responsibility disclosures by Australian companies’, The Chartered Accountant in Australia,
March, pp. 24–28.
Trotman, K.T. & Bradley, G.W. 1981, ‘Associations between social responsibility disclosures and characteristics of companies’, Accounting,
Organisations and Society, pp. 355–62.
used to achieve them. Use this as a great
• Identified and analysed the nature of liabilities
• Identified and analysed the nature of owners’ equity
• Used the accounting equation to illustrate the build-up of a
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
statement of financial position, covering a range of transactions
including trading transactions
• Explained the accounting equation
• Illustrated by use of a practical example
• Worked through an additional activity to enable us to prepare a
revision tool. EASY
9.1 LO1 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting extends the traditional financial reporting into new
statement of financial position after a series of transactions
areas. Describe three of these new areas.
• Identified the most common classification of assets being based on
9.2 LO2 What is meant by ‘corporate social responsibility’?
the timing of receipts of benefits of ownership (e.g. current, non-
current) 9.3 LO1–3 At a personal level, articulate your views on ethical governance. In the course of this, examine your
End-of-chapter questions and problems ▶
• Identified the current/non-current classification as being appropriate views on the extent to which the search for wealth should be limited by moral values or social
for liabilities conscience.
• Explained the difference between the various components of equity 9.4 LO3 Describe in detail the Australian Accounting Standards for corporate social responsibility (CSR)
accounting.
• Illustrated the main format of the statement of financial position
• Examined the following formats: 9.5 LO4 List the three components of triple bottom line reporting. Which component is currently
accommodated by financial accounting reporting standards? With what measure?
• horizontal (T account)
• vertical (narrative)
• Differentiated between the entity approach and the proprietary
approach
These help reinforce your understanding of 9.6
9.7
LO5
LO6
What does ‘GRI’ stand for? What’s one word to describe what it’s all about? Who is it meant to benefit?
List the four perspectives used with the balanced scorecard approach.
chapter content. All questions are keyed to their
• Identified the basic equation as: INTERMEDIATE
• proprietary:
9.8 LO1/2 Can you think of any current issues relating to businesses or industries in your area where business
OE 5 A – L
interests, social needs and environmental consequences are in conflict? How might you attempt to
• entity:
balance these conflicts in both the short term and the long term?
corresponding learning objectives so you can pick
A 5 L 1 OE
9.9 LO2 Why might we expect a voluntary CSR policy to work?
Identified and analysed the following factors:
• conventional accounting practice 9.10 LO2 Just how much responsibility should an organisation take for social and environmental issues?
• business entity 9.11 LO1–3 Assume that you are the CEO of a company that is the major employer in a small town in rural New
and choose the areas you want to work on. The
• historic cost South Wales. What responsibility would you have for your employees? Would your company size
• prudence affect your decision?
• going concern
9.12 LO1–3 Is there any evidence that companies that are socially responsible, in terms of pollution and waste
• dual aspect avoidance, benefit in terms of profits?
questions are divided into level of difficulty—
• money measurement, including consideration of goodwill and brands
and human resources 9.13 LO1–3 To what extent are social and environmental concerns consistent with a shareholder wealth
• stable monetary unit maximisation objective?
• valuation of assets 9.14 LO1–3 How well equipped is the typical business person to understand the full range of issues covered by a
easy, intermediate and challenging. They include:
full-scale sustainability report?
Identified the ways in which the statement of financial position can
provide useful insights into: 9.15 LO1 Why CSR? Don’t accountants have enough to do with their preparation of the traditional financial
• how the business is financed and how funds are deployed statements?
• the liquidity (ability to meet short-term obligations) of the business 9.16 LO2 Discuss the potential for practical application of the Ceres Principles. Describe potential roadblocks to
• discussion questions to help you assess
• the value of the business the use of these principles as a practical guide.
• the relationship between assets and claims
• the asset mix (productive or unproductive) of the business 9.17 LO6 How is the balanced scorecard approach similar to the GRI?
• business performance
your recall of the main principles M09_ATRI6570_01_SE_C09.indd 463 31/08/17 6:19 PM
31/08/17 8:36 PM
covered in each chapter
• application exercises to help you apply
and consolidate your understanding
of accounting in practice.
Care has been taken with regard to working
capital management, and the business plans to
GLOSSARY
maintain its working capital in the following
proportions through both 2017 and 2018:
Inventory 10% of sales for the year
Accounts receivable One-sixth of sales for the
year (i.e. a two-month
credit period)
A investor company control, but does give it the opportunity to exert
Cash 3% of sales for the year
◀ Case studies
considerable influence. Typically, the ownership is between 20%
Accounts payable One-twel“h of sales for ABC system of inventories control A method of applying
and 50%.
the year (i.e. a one-month different levels of inventories control, based on the value of each
category of inventories. audit A process in which a range of activities are checked to
credit period)d) ensure that the activities have been completed in accordance with
absorption costing A method of costing in which a ‘fair share’
Other current liabilities at the end of 2017 are esti- a set of rules or guidelines.
of manufacturing/service provision overhead is included when
mated to be dividends and tax of $900,000. calculating the cost of a particular product or service. audit trail A step-by-step record by which accounting data can be
Variable costs in 2017 are expected to be 60% of traced back to their source.
These give you real-world examples of
accelerated depreciation An approach to the calculation of
sales. auditors Professionals whose main duty is to make a report as to
depreciation expense which results in depreciation expenses being
Fixed costs for 2017 are expected to be $9 million, higher in the early years of an asset’s life than in later years. whether, in their opinion, the accounting statements of a company
including $1 million for depreciation. do what they are supposed to do; namely, to show a true and
accelerated rights issues Rights issues of this type are structured
An extra amount of approximately $1 million fair view, and comply with statutory and accounting standard
in two phases, with an initial (accelerated) issue to institutional
accounting in practice and encourage you to
will be spent on advertising in 2018 in order to requirements.
investors (who will pay quickly), followed by a (non-accelerated)
capture the increased market share. Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) Australian body
issue to the retail (non-institutional) component of the shareholders.
accounting The process of identifying, measuring and responsible for developing accounting standards for application to
Capital expenditure/non-current assets
communicating information to permit informed judgements and Australian entities.
The company currently has non-current assets
decisions by users of the information. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) The
think critically about accounting issues and
which had cost $12 million, with an associated
accounting rate of return (ARR) The average accounting profit government body responsible for regulating companies, company
aggregate depreciation which is expected to amount
from an investment, expressed as a percentage of the average borrowings, and investment advisers and dealers.
to $4 million at the end of 2017. Depreciation is 10%
straight line. investment made. average inventories turnover period ratio An efficiency ratio
In order to support the expansion, new equipment accounting standards Rules established by the professional that measures the average period for which inventories are held by
controversies.
will need to be purchased at a cost of $4 million. This or statutory accounting bodies, which should be followed by a business.
is planned to occur at the start of 2018. Depreciation preparers of the annual accounts of companies. average settlement period for accounts payable ratio An
on this will also be at 10% straight line. Some existing accruals accounting The system of accounting that adheres to efficiency ratio that measures the average time taken for a business
assets will be sold for $60,000. These had originally cost the accruals convention. This system is followed in preparing the to pay its trade payables.
$400,000 and had been depreciated to date by $300,000. statement of financial position and the income statement. average settlement period for accounts receivable ratio An
accruals convention A convention which asserts that profit is the efficiency ratio that measures the average time taken for trade
excess of revenue over expenses for a period, not the excess of receivables to pay the amounts owing.
cash received over cash paid.
accrued expenses Expenses which are outstanding at the end of B
the accounting period. bad debts Amounts owed to the business that are considered to
acid test ratio A liquidity ratio that relates the liquid assets be irrecoverable.
(usually defined as current assets less inventories and prepayments) balance sheet A statement that shows the assets of a business
to the current liabilities. and the claims on the business. Assets must always equal claims.
activity-based costing (ABC) A technique for more accurately Claims will relate to external liabilities and owner’s claims (known
relating overheads to specific production or provision of a service. as equity).
It is based on acceptance of the fact that overheads do not just balanced scorecard Both a management system and a system
occur: they are caused by activities, such as holding products in for measuring and reporting performance, which includes
stores, which ‘drive’ the costs. information relating to financial aspects of the business, business
Glossary ▶
adverse variance A difference between planned and actual processes, customers, and learning and growth, thus giving a more
performance, where the difference will cause the actual profit to comprehensive (and strategic) view of the business.
be lower than the budgeted one. bank overdraft A flexible form of borrowing that allows an
ageing schedule of accounts receivable A report dividing individual or business to have a negative current account balance.
accounts receivable into categories, depending on the length of batch costing A technique for identifying full cost, where the
This quick reference guide at the end of the
time outstanding. production of many types of goods and services, particularly
amortisation The writing-down of an asset—usually an intangible goods, involves producing a batch of identical or nearly identical
asset—as its benefit is used up; the equivalent of depreciation for a units of output, but where each batch is distinctly different from
non-current asset. other batches.
book helps jog your memory for all those
asset A resource held by a business which has certain characteristics. board of directors The team of people chosen by the
associate company A company which is partly owned by shareholders to manage a company on their behalf.
another company, such that the ownership does not give the bonds See loan stock/notes.
31/08/17 5:57 PM
important accounting terms and concepts. Z01_ATRI6570_01_SE_GLOS.indd 759 28/08/17 7:17 AM
FOR STUDENTS xxi
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS
Students
Solutions to the self-assessment questions are available at www.pearson.com.au/
9781488616570.

Educators
A suite of resources is provided to assist with delivery of the content, as well as to
support teaching and learning.

Solutions Manual
The Solutions Manual provides educators with detailed, accuracy-verified solutions to
in-chapter and end-of-chapter problems in the book.

Test Bank
The Test Bank provides a wealth of accuracy-verified testing material. Updated for
the new edition, each chapter offers a wide variety of question types, arranged by
learning objective and tagged by AACSB standards. Questions can be integrated into
Blackboard or Moodle Learning Management Systems.

Lecture Slides
A comprehensive set of PowerPoint slides can be used by educators for class
presentations or by students for lecture preview or review. They include key figures and
tables, as well as a summary of key concepts and examples from the course content.

Digital Image PowerPoint Slides

All the diagrams and tables from the course content are available for lecturer use.

xxii ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
When you have completed your study of this chapter, you should be able to:

LO1 Explain the nature and role of accounting

LO2 List the main groups that use the accounting reports of a business entity, and
summarise the different uses that can be made of accounting information
LO3 Compare and contrast financial and management accounting
LO4 Identify the main purpose of a business (while recognising a range of other
influences), and explain the traditional risk–return relationship
LO5 Provide an overview of the main financial reports prepared by a business
LO6 Outline the main types of business ownership, describe the way in which a business
is typically organised and managed, and explain the importance of accounting in
a business context
LO7 Identify ways in which business and accounting have been changing, together
with some current issues confronting businesses and their associated reporting,
including current thinking on ethics in business
LO8 Explain why accounting information is generally considered to be useful, and why
you need to know the basics of accounting
LO9 Identify the learning outcomes associated with the Australian Learning and
Teaching Council’s Academic Standards Statement for Accounting: namely
judgement; knowledge; application skills; communication and teamwork; and
self-management; and examine how these compare with characteristics of
successful business people.

People need economic information to help them make decisions and judgements about businesses.
Whether we are talking about a business manager making decisions about the most appropriate level
of production, a bank manager responding to a request from the business for a bank loan or trade
unionists deciding how much pay increase to seek for their members, accounting information should
help them with their decision.

In this opening chapter, we begin by considering the roles of accounting. As we shall see, accounting can
be a valuable tool in the decision-making, planning and control process. We shall identify those people
who are the main users of accounting and financial information, and discuss the ways in which this
information can improve the quality of decisions that they make. In subsequent chapters, we develop
this decision-making theme by considering in some detail the kinds of financial reports and methods
used to aid decision-making.

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
2 ACCOUNTING FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS

Since this book is mainly concerned with accounting and financial decision-making for private-sector
businesses, we shall devote some time to examining the business environment. We shall, therefore,
consider the key financial purpose of a private-sector business, the main forms of business enterprise
and the ways in which a business may be structured, organised and managed. These are all important
as they help to shape the kind of accounting and financial information that is produced.

Finally, we shall consider how business is changing and identify key issues regarding stakeholder
interests, ethics and sustainability. These issues have considerable implications for the public
perception of business, for businesses themselves, and for accountants and their measurement and
reporting systems. Some of these issues are difficult and not easily resolved, but they are issues that
you need to be aware of.

ACCOUNTING AND YOU

MAKING DECISIONS
So how do you make decisions?
• What kind of decisions do you need to make?
• How important is economic information in your decision-making?
• How do you deal with numbers and quantitative information?
• Are you comfortable with these areas, or are there areas with which you are uncomfortable?

Let us consider the kind of decisions that are commonly made at some stage of our lives.
• Keeping expenditure in line with income—something just about every student will wrestle with.
• Buying new things—these might include buying simple things like a new mobile phone, or a new
vehicle, whether an old banger or a new BMW, or a really major decision, such as buying a home.
• Starting a new business venture, either on your own or in collaboration with others.
• Investing for the future in shares or government bonds.

All of these decisions will require you to collect information, much of which can be classified as economic.
Economic information is largely quantitative. The typical economic decision involves choosing the best
outcome for you, given that your resources are scarce.
None of what has been said to date should imply that decisions are made solely on economic lines.
Many decisions are based on things such as personal preference, family considerations, a sense of duty
or aesthetics, with a few people even using the stars to assist! However, many decisions have a clear
economic orientation, and accounting can help with these decisions.
So what information do you need to keep your expenditure in line with income? You will probably
need a clear understanding of your income, its amount and nature. You will also need to have a clear
understanding of your spending patterns, and you will almost certainly need to differentiate between
ongoing regular expenditure and one-off expenditure.
Decisions to buy new things may be relatively easy, such as buying a new phone, which may well
be bought out of normal spending. Decisions about major assets, such as the purchase of a home, will
require much more careful information gathering and analysis. This analysis will probably include
ideas around how the asset will be funded.
Decisions regarding potential business ventures also require substantial data collection and
analysis. Your future lifestyle is likely to be substantially influenced by the success or failure of a
venture of this type. The analysis will need to contain information about markets and competition, as
well as specifics regarding the particular business.

Copyright © Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) 2018 — 9781488616570 — Atrill/Accounting for Business Students 1e
Another random document with
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life. I didn’t mean that I was going to retire from the world, but I shall
never let any one fall in love with me, never. That’s settled!”
“All right,” laughed Betty. “Now let’s settle where we’re going.”
“That’s settled too,” explained Babbie. “Mr. Dick Blake is meeting
Madeline, because I had to meet you. Then we are all to meet each
other for a grand lunch party, to celebrate Mr. Blake’s getting into his
scrumptious new offices,—the ones that your Mr. Morton arranged
for, you know. And to-night Mrs. Bob is going to take us all for dinner
to a new East Side place that they’ve discovered.” Babbie stopped to
survey Betty critically. “You don’t mind wasting to-day, do you, and
beginning on tea-rooms the first thing to-morrow? Your letter
sounded as solemncholy as Helen Chase Adams when she was a
freshman.”
Betty laughed. “How dreadful! Of course I don’t mind. But you
see, Babbie, this tea-room business is just fun for you, but for me it’s
dead in earnest. If we can’t make it pay pretty well, why, next year I
may have to teach.”
Babbie nodded vigorously. “I see. That’s a prospect to make a
person solemn, isn’t it? But by next year your father will probably be
rich again. And I don’t want you to think I’m not in earnest too, Betty.
I’m going into this thing head over heels, just to show a certain
person that he doesn’t make one least little speck of difference to
me.” Babbie’s big eyes flashed dangerously. “So to-morrow we’ll
pursue tea-rooms like anything.”
But ten o’clock the next morning found the three pursuers of tea-
rooms gathered rather languidly around Madeline’s dainty breakfast
table. Mrs. Bob’s party had been, as usual, a continuous
performance, beginning at a very foreign café in Little Italy, going on,
because the Italian dessert had proved disappointing, to a glittering
hotel on Fifth Avenue, thence back to a Yiddish theatre, whose
leading lady was Mr. Bob’s latest enthusiasm, and winding up, very
late indeed, at supper near the park, after which it took so long to get
home that Mrs. Bob declared she was hungry again and made
everybody come up to the apartment for more supper.
 “If everybody in New York eats as often as we did last night, there
ought to be a good chance for tea-rooms,” said Babbie, sipping her
coffee meditatively.
“If it makes them feel so sleepy the next day, they won’t do it very
often,” suggested Betty prudently.
“Yes, they will, but they’ll order breakfast at eleven instead of at
ten,” amended Madeline. “Well, now,” she went on briskly, “how are
we going to work? Having decided to start a tea-room, what does a
person do next?”
“We have absolutely decided, haven’t we?” asked Betty, to make
sure.
“Of course.” Madeline waved a hand at the huge box of china that
an expressman had just delivered. “Coming over in the cab
yesterday, Dick read the story I wrote on shipboard—the one I
thought was going to make me a name instanter—and he says it’s
amateurish. That’s the most hateful adjective in the language of
Bohemia, and I’ll make him eat his words. But meanwhile I’ve got to
eat something more sustaining than words, and I’ve spent all the
money I had to live on this quarter. So I’ve got to get rid of that china.
So we’ve got to take it for a tea-room.”
“If you think this tea-room is being started to confirm you in your
extravagant habits, Madeline Ayres——” began Babbie, in mock
indignation.
 “HOW ARE WE GOING TO WORK?”

“Well, the point is that we’ve decided to start it,” pursued

Madeline calmly, “and I might add that the china designated as my
latest extravagance is likely to be its chief charm, if not exactly its
reason for being. Now I should say the next question is where to
have it. And as it’s such a glorious day, let’s go out and explore.”
The exploring expedition, being conducted by Madeline in true
Bohemian style, bid fair to degenerate into a progressive course
luncheon, leading from one of her favorite tea-shops to the next.
“But it’s very instructive,” she declared in answer to Babbie’s
protests. “I’ve made a beautiful collection of menu cards for us to
consider to-night. I’ll get Bob Enderby to do us a design that will
make a regular hit by itself. What’s that, Betty? Of course a menu
design isn’t the principal thing. But it will be a beautiful feature, like
the china. Well, this is the sixth cup of tea I’ve had, so I don’t mind
stopping now. If you girls don’t like my methods, suggest something
else. I think we’ve had a most entertaining morning, and garnered in
loads of valuable ideas.”
“Well, but what have we actually decided?” demanded Betty, the
matter-of-fact.
Madeline told off the points solemnly on her fingers. “To have
waitresses with soulful eyes and, if possible, adorable French
accents. To remember that it is the special features that people tell
their friends to go and see, but the food must be passable too, or
they’ll never come twice. To have immaculate linen, and china that
matches. To provide dusky corners for romantic couples.”
Babbie sniffed. “I hate romantic couples!”
“They order recklessly,” Madeline argued. “Therefore, for
mercenary considerations, they must be encouraged.”
“But aren’t those things we would have done anyway?” pursued
Betty. “I think we ought to find a place and get started, and then look
out for the features.”
Madeline considered. “That sounds sensible. Well, then, let’s
discuss sites.”
“Wouldn’t it be a good plan to know something definite about
rents?” suggested Betty, who foresaw that Madeline’s next move
would be a leisurely promenade up Fifth Avenue, which would be
very pleasant but productive of no tangible results.
“Rents—of course. I’ll tell you what!” Madeline had had another
inspiration. “I know a man who is in real estate—the one we rent our
place from. I’ll call him up and ask him if he’s too busy to enlighten
us this very afternoon.”
Madeline came back from the telephone in high spirits. “He will
be dee-lighted to see us. Oh, dee-lighted is out of fashion, isn’t it,
since I went away? Well, proud and happy then. Come along. It’s
only a little way from here, and we can do up the whole thing before
dinner.”
But “the whole thing” proved much more complicated than
Madeline had supposed. The agent treated them in a businesslike
way, which was really very nice of him, Babbie said afterward,
considering their vague and even childlike ideas on the subject of
what they wanted. He had half a dozen suites on his books that
seemed to Madeline suitable, and she went over them easily,
suggesting their respective advantages to the other two girls, who
were less familiar than she with the ins and outs of New York life.
“This is really the best, I think,” she decided at last, pointing to a
Fifth Avenue address.
“It’s a rather expensive location,” suggested the agent politely.
“But perhaps that’s no object”—with a glance at Babbie’s exquisite
little figure.
“Oh, yes, it is,” Betty assured him solemnly. “You see we want to
make a lot of money. How much is the rent, please?”
The agent’s figures fairly took the girls’ breath away. “And I
believe they prefer a seven years’ lease,” he added.
“Seven years!” repeated Babbie incredulously. “Why, we shall all
be mar—dead in seven years, probably. A month’s rent at that rate
would take up about what I think mother meant to give me. But then
she’ll have to give me more. Which is the very cheapest place,
please?”
The agent pointed it out, but it was only cheap by comparison.
And then, as if matters were not bad enough already, he made a
disheartening suggestion. “You ought to have at least capital enough
to keep you going for a year,” he said. “You couldn’t hope to make
much the first year, you know. That’s usually reckoned a dead loss,
in conservative business estimates, I believe.”
The girls exchanged glances of consternation.
 “We’re very much obliged,” said Babbie, with a fine combination
of dignity and her sweetest smile. “But I’m afraid we can’t decide on
anything to-day. We may be back——”
“That’s all right,” the agent cut her short. “Always very glad to be
of service. Good-day.”
“He doesn’t want us to come back,” Babbie declared hotly,
outside the door. “He’s afraid we wouldn’t pay the rent on time.”
“We probably shouldn’t, any such rents as those,” Madeline
assured her. “We acted like babes in the wood, I suppose. Never
mind. We’ll ask Bob Enderby and Dick. They’ll know what to do. You
were jolly right, Betty, about beginning on the essentials.”
That night Mrs. Bob’s sitting-room was the scene of a solemn
council of war. Dick Blake was scribe, Henri, the Enderbys’ cook,
who had once conducted what Dick irreverently described as the
slowest quick lunch place in town, was called in as an expert, along
with the girl in the top flat, because her two cousins had had a tea-
room, until one of them discovered that drawing caricatures of the
customers paid much better than selling them sandwiches and tea.
“But it was a splendid thing—that tea-room,” explained the girl
earnestly, “because Arline never knew she could draw until then. She
sat at the desk, you see, and took checks, and there wasn’t much
she could do, so she got to sketching and thought it was fun, and
went into an evening class, and now she’s got two things in the big
autumn exhibit.”
“Listen to that,” cried Mr. Bob with enthusiasm. “Which of you is
going to sit at the desk?”
“I suppose I am,” confessed Betty, “and I haven’t the least talent
for drawing, so there won’t be any great artist discovered in our tea-
room.”
“Well, my other cousin got married through the tea-room,”
explained the girl from the top flat, naively. “They sold candy there,
and she married the man they bought their candy boxes of. He’s a
millionaire.”
 “Hear! Hear!” cried Mr. Bob. “Now which of you is going to get the
millionaire?”
“Come, Bob, do be serious,” begged Madeline. “We want to get
at the facts.”
“A millionaire is a very valuable fact,” objected Mr. Bob flippantly.
“That’s all, Henri, except that we shall want an extra fine supper by
and by. Now, Miss Andrus, tell us some more about the profits of tea-
rooms, the legitimate ones, if Madeline insists upon it.”
But Miss Andrus was vague about “legitimate” profits. She only
knew that her cousin had had a darling shop, and had hated to give
it up. Then she went over to the piano and played dreamy music,
while Richard Blake and Mrs. Bob and the girls struggled with their
estimates.
When they had finished, Madeline’s brow puckered. “It’s going to
be too big for us to swing, I think. Mrs. Hildreth might give you all that
money, Babbie, but I don’t think we ought to take it.” She swept the
papers together. “Enjoy our society while you have it, ladies and
gentlemen. To-morrow we’re going up to Harding to open a tea-
room.”
“But, Madeline,” began Betty, “are you sure——”
“I’m not sure of anything except that rents are lower there,
because it would be absurd if they weren’t, and that those college
girls eat and eat, and they appreciate stunty features beyond
anything. Now Cuyler’s isn’t stunty and Holmes’s isn’t stunty. With
that china and the menu card that Bob is going to do for us—I forgot
to ask you before, Bob, but of course you will—and all the other
features that we can easily think up, why, at Harding our fortune is
made. I can’t see how we ever hesitated!”
“But if you go up there we can’t patronize you,” objected Mrs. Bob
forlornly.
“Oh, yes, you can,” Madeline assured her promptly, “you can
motor up. And Dick can see that your escapade gets into the society
columns of all the leading dailies. In a month it will be the fashion to
motor up from New York for a cup of tea.”
 “Madeline,” said Dick severely, “you’re a persuasive sophist. Who
holds the controlling interest in this tea-room, anyhow?”
“Babbie, I suppose,” admitted Madeline cheerfully. “Because she
furnishes all the money—or all that’s worth mentioning, at least. But
Betty furnishes the sense, and I furnish the inspirations. Now what’s
the matter with that combination?”
“Aren’t you about through with your business?” demanded Mr.
Bob irrelevantly, from his place by the piano. “Because Miss Andrus
is hungry, and I’m starved.”
Betty partook of Henri’s famous club sandwiches and Turkish
coffee in forlorn silence. She ought not to have come. She ought to
have realized that Madeline’s haphazard methods were splendid for
getting up college “shows,” but not to be relied on when one’s bread
and butter had to be earned. Madeline was in a corner by the fire
talking earnestly with Mrs. Bob, who was saying something that
made Madeline hug her and presently rush over to Betty and Babbie
to explain.
“The lovely Mrs. Bob wants to invest in our tea-room,” she told
them. “You say your mother spoke of four hundred, Babbie. Well,
Mrs. Bob says she’ll put in the same, and after Betty’s salary is paid
and the other expenses, the profits are to be divided—that’s what
you said was right, isn’t it, Dick?”
“But half my profits go to Madeline,” Mrs. Bob took her up, “for
the inspirations.”
“Then I know mother will want half hers to go that way, too,” put
in Babbie, “and I shall take the other half, to pay her up for being
pessimistic about profits. She just laughed when I spoke of them.”
“Well, it will be all kinds of fun, anyway,” said Madeline.
“Goodness, but I feel as if the worst was over now! Does any one
know about early trains up to Harding? By the way, father hasn’t
cabled, so I suppose this domicile is to let. Just spread the report,
please, everybody, and I’ll come back in a few days to see about it.
It’s just as well, because I suppose I’ve got to live in Harding now. I
never could manage long-distance inspirations.”
 The three girls departed early to pack and telegraph Mary Brooks
Hinsdale that her “standing invitation” to come and visit her should
stand no longer unheeded by her little friends of old.
So perhaps it hadn’t been a wasted day after all, Betty thought,
falling asleep while Madeline was still busily discussing where they
should live in Harding, and how much they ought to pay the tea-shop
for their meals, if they ate them there.
 CHAPTER V
THE REAL THING

Mary’s “beamish” smile was dimmed when she met her guests
at the station.
“I’m just terribly glad to see you all,” she explained, “and to-
morrow we can begin to have some fun. But to-night I have an
awfully particular faculty dinner-party on, and what do you think? My
cook has gone and caught the jaundice.” Mary’s tone was positively
tragic.
“This is what you get for marrying a distinguished member of the
faculty,” Madeline told her, patting her shoulder sympathetically. “But
don’t you give that very particular dinner-party another thought, my
child. What’s the point of having a full-sized catering company
invade your happy little home if you don’t make use of them?”
“A catering company?” Mary stared. “There isn’t such a thing in
Harding.”
“Well, a tea-shop corporation then,” Madeline amended briskly.
“We are that, you know. We’ve come up here to establish ourselves.
Meanwhile we are not above displaying our talents for the benefit of
our very best friends. Betty says she can cook, and Babbie and I are
bursting with ideas for original menus and beautiful table
decorations. Have you a waitress?”
“Yes, but she’s very green and needs piles of coaching. Betty,
please explain a few of Madeline’s riddles.”
“Come up to Cuyler’s first,” suggested Babbie. “It’s such a very
long story.”
So the story was told, in all its ramifications, over many cups of
Cuyler’s hot chocolate, and Mary went into ecstasies over the idea of
a tea-shop in Harding, and into more ecstasies over the prospect of
having Betty, and probably Madeline, so near her. Then she returned
to the subject of her dinner.
“Would you really cook it, Betty?”
“Would you really trust her to cook it?” jeered Madeline.
“Yes, because there’s absolutely nothing else to be done,” said
Mary, so dismally that everybody else shrieked with laughter.
“Very well then,” agreed Madeline. “You and Betty go and do your
marketing, and Babbie and I will examine tea-room sites. We ought
not to lose any time, you know,” she added impressively, with a sly
glance at Betty.
“Don’t decide everything without me,” begged Betty innocently.
“Of course not,” Madeline promised, with a very solemn,
responsible air. “Come on, Babbie. Oh, I say, is that Polly Eastman
going into the bookstore?”
“Not at all likely,” laughed Babbie, rushing off. “I never knew Polly
to buy a book.”
The pursuit of Polly ended all serious business for that morning. It
transpired that she had just been elected a member of the senior
play committee, and she had resolved to buy a set of Shakespeare
in honor of the occasion. First Babbie and Madeline must help her
choose the books, then they must explain themselves, and as that
was “such a long story,” they all retired to Holmes’s to talk it over and
have ices. Then Polly had to hurry back for a noon recitation, and it
would be a shame not to rush up to the campus with her and say
hello to Georgia Ames. And Georgia, who also had a twelve o’clock
class, begged them, with tears in her big brown eyes, to hang
around till one, and then have “eats” with her down-town. So
Madeline wrote a note to Mary, who would be relieved not to have so
many people to lunch, and bribed a freshman friend of Georgia’s to
deliver it on her way home. And she and Babbie sat on the steps of
College Hall in the warm October sunshine, surrounded by a crowd
of friends, old and new, to all of whom Madeline confided, under the
strictest pledges of secrecy and with much delightful mystery as to
where and when and by whom, the fact that a new and particularly
“stunty” tea-shop was to be started right away in Harding.
“I should make my fortune as an advance advertising agent,” she
told Babbie complacently, as they hurried up to Mary’s after lunch.
“Getting everybody properly excited is awfully important, but I’m
afraid Betty won’t appreciate that, and will think we ought to have
found a place. Did you happen to notice any that would do?”
Babbie considered. “Why, any place down on Main Street would
do well enough, I should think, but they’re all full, aren’t they? I don’t
suppose any store would move out to let us in.”
“There must have been some vacant places that we didn’t
notice,” said Madeline cheerfully. “We’ll just tell Betty that we think
she ought to choose, as long as she’s going to run it. That will throw
the responsibility on her.”
“I don’t see how it will find us a place, though,” said Babbie
gloomily. “And we’ve forgotten the water-color paper for Mary’s
place-cards.”
Mary embraced her guests almost tearfully when, the dinner-
party having taken its staid departure, the cook and her assistants
returned to the “realms of day,” as Madeline poetically designated
the library.
“I had awful times explaining,” Mary told them. “They pricked up
their ears at the place-cards. The soup got them seriously interested,
and the salad positively went to their heads. I muttered something
about a new cook, and I could see every woman at the table
privately resolving to get her away from me forthwith.” Mary
chuckled. “When you get ready to establish a catering branch, I’ll
write you a screaming advertisement like this:
“Remember Mrs. Hinsdale’s Dinner and how
Envious it made you
And Patronize her Caterers, Betty Wales & Co.”
Betty smiled and then sighed. “We can’t establish branches until
we’ve started, can we? And we can’t seem——”
 “Reproach us not, fair maiden,” Madeline broke in. “You are
hereby elected committee on rooms, isn’t she, Babbie? You go
ahead and choose, and we’ll agree to anything you decide.”
Next morning the committee on rooms announced her plan for a
systematic campaign. “I wish you two would come and help look, but
if you do, remember that we can’t stop to talk with Georgia or any
one else we meet, and we can’t do any shopping or eating until after
half-past twelve.”
But a brisk walk the whole length of Main Street only served to
confirm Madeline’s and Babbie’s fears. Every building was occupied.
“We’ll go in somewhere and ask what to do when you want to
start something,” Betty decided, bound not to lose faith in systematic
procedure. “You do the talking, Madeline.”
“Why, you might persuade some property owner to build for you,”
suggested the jeweler’s clerk, whom Madeline rushed in upon with
her question.
“Thanks, but we want to move in about day after to-morrow,”
Madeline told him grandly.
“Well, I presume you’ve all heard the old saying, ‘If wishes were
horses every Harding girl would ride,’” retorted the clerk with a grin
and a wink.
“Horrid thing!” said Babbie, when they were outside. “He thinks
we’re college girls off on some kind of a queer lark. We’ll show him!
Where next, Betty?”
Betty was staring up the hill with an air of profound
discouragement. “I think we ought to look at the side-streets,” she
decided at last. “I don’t believe it’s any use considering up-stairs
rooms.”
“I feel like the senior play committee,” said Madeline, as they
began their conscientious tour, hoping against hope that they should
find just the right thing lurking around some corner off Main Street.
“We read all the impossible Elizabethan dramas that anybody could
hear of, we hunted up Hindu plays, and made frantic efforts to hunt
up Japanese ones; and some particularly earnest member even
wrote a play herself. And all the time we knew as well as anything
that Billy Shakespeare was our man.”
“Well, if that’s the way you feel about this, where, please, is our
Billy Shakespeare?” inquired Babbie a trifle irritably.
Madeline smiled mysteriously. “We shall find him before the set of
sun,” she declared oracularly. “I have a leading to that effect.”
“Couldn’t you make it before high noon, just as well?” sighed
Babbie. “I’ve got on new shoes.”
Betty looked troubled. “Go home and rest, Babbie dear,” she
begged. “Two of us can do this just as well as three.”
So Babbie went off, after a few polite protests, and Madeline and
Betty finished up the cross-streets without seeing anything that could
possibly be turned into a “stunty” tea-room.
“Well, can there be anything up nearer the college that we
haven’t noticed?” asked Betty, trying to keep up the businesslike air
appropriate to systematic research, but feeling very silly and
completely discouraged.
“All boarding-houses, isn’t it, right down to the theatre?” said
Madeline.
“Shall we go and look?” suggested Betty timidly. “I can’t quite
remember what’s between the florist’s and that little white house that
a crowd of juniors had last year.”
“Nothing,” returned Madeline promptly, as they started up the hill.
“Don’t you know—there’s a wide lawn, and you go back across it to
that big barn that the riding man had for his horses? He’s moving
out, by the way. I met him yesterday, and he assured me that ’e
missed them queer moon-lighters most hawfully. He’s going to move
somewhere where he can have a big ring and some hurdles in a
meadow. I’m afraid I rather led him to suppose”—Madeline looked
properly conscience-stricken—“that we might be up this afternoon to
have a lesson in jumping. But it looks as if we should be too busy.”
 “Do you think there’s any use hunting much longer?” demanded
Betty, who was fast losing courage.
“Of course,” Madeline shot back unhesitatingly. “Something will
turn up; it always does—if you turn it. Let’s make perfectly sure
about this nearer-the-campus proposition.”
But there was nothing there, and Madeline, not daring to suggest
refreshing themselves at Cuyler’s, after Betty’s strict prohibitions, led
the way up the high terrace to the back steps of Science Hall, where
they could rest and consider what to do next. Right across from them
was the little white house with the big barn looming up behind it.
“What a shame that isn’t a house,” said Betty sadly. “How did
such a tiny house ever happen to have such a big barn, I wonder?”
“It didn’t,” explained Madeline. “The barn went with the house
over on that other street—the one that used to be a big mansion—
and now is only part of a factory. But if the barn were a house, Miss
Wales, the riding-master wouldn’t be moving out of it. It would have
been appropriated long ago by some thrifty boarding-house keeper,
and we shouldn’t be sitting here staring at it and wondering whether
the owner could be persuaded to make it over into a house in hurry-
up order.”
“I wasn’t wondering that,” said Betty simply. “I was wondering if
we could possibly use it as it is. There’s nothing else that I can see,
and it’s an awfully nice barn. Don’t you remember how Mr. Ware
showed us through once when he first moved in, and how proud he
was that it was all paneled in solid oak, with those lovely great
beams in the ceiling? And afterward the pickle heiress’s father
wanted to buy the beams for his library, and he would have, too, only
the owner was in Europe and the pickle man couldn’t wait to cable.”
“Yes, I remember,” agreed Madeline. “It’s a beautiful barn, but it’s
a barn nevertheless, with stalls and mangers and grain-bins and
——” Madeline paused abruptly and stared across at the barn
through half-shut eyes for a long minute. “Why, of course it will do,”
she announced briskly. “Of all the idiots—to sit here gaping! Come
on!” And grasping Betty’s arm, she dragged her in a headlong race
down the terrace, across the road, and up the drive to the big barn.
“Oh, I’m so glad it’s open,” she exclaimed breathlessly. “Now I
can show you. I see it all myself plain as anything. Long narrow
tables in the stalls—ideal nooks for romantic couples. Big sociable
round tables out here. Ferns and oak branches in the mangers. Bins
transformed into linen and china cupboards. Old sporting prints on
the walls—father has some beauties tucked away somewhere.
Gargoyles and candlesticks and Flemish lamps scattered around in
dark corners. Lights—let me see—oh, yes, carriage lamps for lights.
An open fire—we simply must have that—it’s the one thing lacking.
Why, Betty Wales, there’s nothing like it anywhere! People will go
crazy over it, and we shall make our everlasting fortunes. See, this
little room back here—it’s a harness-room, I suppose—is just the
thing for the kitchen. Why, it’s perfect, and the rent will be a mere
song. Come and tell Babbie this minute.
“And to think that it was Betty and not I who had the inspiration!”
Madeline sighed, as she ended her enthusiastic recital to Babbie and
Mary. “When Mrs. Bob and Mrs. Hildreth are paying me for supplying
them, too. It’s disgraceful.”
“But, Madeline”—it was the first chance Betty had had to get in a
word—“I only said I wondered if it would do, and I’m not sure yet.
Where could we put the range and the sink in that harness-room?
Barns don’t have furnaces, do they? Even if there could be an open
fire, that wouldn’t make it warm enough in winter; and I doubt if
carriage lamps would make it light enough. Those things are even
more important than your beloved features.”
“Betty,” said Madeline severely, “what is the matter with you? You
ought to be dancing around on one foot in your childish glee. You’re
not a practical person. You weren’t, I mean, when I knew you.”
“She’s growing up, silly,” Mary Brooks answered, with an arm
around Betty. “And it’s very lucky she is, if you’re going into this thing
seriously. Now you telephone your riding-man to see who owns this
stable, and then we can make sure it’s not already rented again, and
that the rent isn’t beyond you. And if everything is all right so far,
Betty and I will go and look the place over in the true scientific spirit.
You and Babbie can come along if you like, but I don’t consider it
necessary.”
“Hear the experienced-housekeeper-wife-of-an-experimental
psychologist talk!” jeered Madeline. “Run along and cast your evil
eye on my scheme if you want to. But it will work, practical or not
practical. It’s simply too lovely not to work.”
“I adore your logic, Madeline,” declared Mary admiringly. “You’d
better come too, after all.”
So, first having assured themselves about the rent, the four set
out. Babbie sniffed daintily as they went inside.
“Everything is to be varnished over,” Madeline explained, “walls,
floor, everything. Some of the rough places should be planed down a
little, but we’ll leave the dents alone. It will be a stunning effect in the
lamplight—quite like an old English castle.”
“The stalls are too narrow for two rows of chairs and a reasonably
wide table,” announced Mary, from the depths of one of them. “The
romantic couples will knock plates.”
“Then don’t have chairs. Build in benches on the sides, and take
away the mangers in some stalls to make more room for big parties
who prefer to be by themselves—the getting-into-societies
celebrations and all that kind of thing.”
“That sounds possible. Now about the kitchen,” pursued Mary.
“Betty, come and look at this harness-room again. I believe it might
do. There’s running water here and——”
Babbie sat down on the steps leading to the loft. “I’ve only said
‘oh’ and ‘ah’ so far, like the chorus in a Greek play, but just watch me
work at getting us started. And I may have a bright thought some
day.”
Just then the agent arrived, Mary and Betty came back, and all
four girls fired questions and suggestions at the poor man so fast
and furiously that he lost his head and yielded every point, promising
to shellac the whole interior, put up a stove that would “heat the
place red-hot,” and carriage lamps with reflectors that would make it
“blaze with light,” and a big fireplace at one end of the room, since
Madeline declared it to be an absolute necessity. And he guaranteed
to have the barn swept and garnished and ready for occupancy
within ten days. Meanwhile the girls could install the kitchen fittings,
and order their furniture.
“And engage a cook and decent waitresses,” added Mary
portentously. “And if you do that in ten days I shall be green with
envy.”
But Babbie did it, without, as she expressed it, lifting a little finger.
She happened to meet Belden House Annie on the campus, and
during their interview it developed that Annie had a pretty sister
Nora, who would gladly come and be waitress, and an Aunt Bridget,
who could “cook to the quane’s taste, or the prisidint’s.”
“We’ll have ‘quane’s’ style Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,”
suggested Madeline, “and ‘prisidint’s’ style the rest of the time. That
is, if that idiotic carpenter ever gets the tables right.”
The carpenter, Madeline declared, was wearing her to a thread;
but Babbie, who was pricking her pretty fingers hemming table-linen,
and Betty, immersed in lists of pots and kettles, groceries and
silverware, heartlessly refused to come to her rescue.
So Madeline relieved her mind by much grumbling, and in the
intervals of her supervision developed new “features” with a joyous
abandon that threatened to reduce the Hinsdales’ scholastic ménage
to chaos. Dr. Hinsdale came home one afternoon to find his study
darkened, the floor and table strewn with bits of multi-colored paper
and paste-board, and Madeline, in a studio apron, trying the effect of
her latest inspiration in candle-shades on the desk lamp.
“I’m going to make a different design for each stall,” she
explained cheerfully, without looking up when the door opened. “That
will be more interesting to make, and when a thing is interesting to
make it’s more likely to turn out well, isn’t it now? Oh, I thought it was
only Mary! I beg your pardon. I know I shouldn’t have come in here,
but they had table-cloths and dish-towels spread around everywhere
else. The first day it rains we’ll treat you to a free lunch, Dr. Hinsdale,
to pay up. Oh, you’ve got—there’s some one else! Why didn’t you
tell me?”
As Madeline fled precipitately, she heard “Prexy’s” pleasant
laugh.
“We’re disgraced forever,” she announced tragically to the
sewing-party. “Prexy will probably proclaim a boycott upon us at to-
morrow’s chapel.”
But he sent word instead, by Professor Hinsdale, that he wanted
to be counted in for the free lunch.
“He may, if he’ll let us tack our posters on the campus trees,”
agreed Madeline calmly.
“Posters!” cried Betty and Babbie in a breath.
Madeline nodded. “I’m designing one. It’s stored under the sofa in
Mary’s pink and gold reception room. I’ll get it. It’s all done but the
name.”
“Why, we haven’t any name!” cried Babbie.
“I thought you called yourselves Betty Wales & Co.,” put in Mary.
“That’s what we are, of course,” agreed Madeline, reappearing
with her poster, “so we’d better call ourselves something else, hadn’t
we? Everybody can see that Betty is a regular feature. A name
should bring out unexpected qualities. Besides, Betty wouldn’t want
her name to be stuck up on a sign.”
“That’s a good theory about the unexpected qualities,” said Mary,
“but I’d like to see you work it.”
Madeline sighed plaintively. “As if it was anything against a theory
that you can’t work it. I furnish the theory. It’s only fair for some one
else to furnish the name.”
“Old Barn Tea-Shop,” suggested Mary.
“Sounds sentimental,” objected Babbie.
“And rickety,” laughed Betty.
 “The Coach-and-Four Tea-Shop,” from Mary again. “That’s
certainly the height of elegance.”
“But it’s humpy to say,” Madeline told her, “and possibly a little too
elegant for us to live up to.”
“The Saddle and Stirrup,” was Dr. Hinsdale’s offering.
“That’s lovely,” declared Madeline, “just like a quaint old English
inn. But it’s too—well, too sophisticated for us. College girls wouldn’t
take to it.”
“Tally-ho Tea-Shop sounds rather neat,” said Babbie reflectively,
“but I don’t know that it brings out any of Madeline’s unsuspected
features.”
“Why, yes, it does,” Madeline declared. “It suggests dash and
pleasant glitter and snap—and general stuntiness.”
“And ear-splitting horns,” added Mary sarcastically.
“But college girls love to blow horns,” Betty reminded her.
Mary grinned. “I adore it myself,” she admitted, “but I try to live up
to the dignity of my position.”
Madeline had been sketching in some letters rapidly on her
poster. “Tally-ho Tea-Shop fills the space I left most beautifully. I’ll
copy this in oils on thin wood, and we’ll nail a gargoyle to the big tree
in our front yard and let the sign dangle out of his mouth. Mary, be a
jewel and lend us your gargoyle. Ours are all needed inside.”
It was certainly a strenuous week.
“If anybody had made us slave the way we have over this tea-
shop,” Babbie declared, “we should have called it cruelty to animals
and children. And I don’t believe we could have done it except up
here at Harding, where everybody throws things together between
classes.”
Just to be sure that everything was “thrown together,” they gave a
private view, on the evening before the opening day, for the
Hinsdales, Georgia, Polly Eastman, and a few other chosen spirits,
who pronounced the Tally-ho Tea-Shop “very neat,” “a gem,”