Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Full download Corporate Financial Accounting 16th Edition Carl S. Warren file pdf all chapter on 2024
Full download Corporate Financial Accounting 16th Edition Carl S. Warren file pdf all chapter on 2024
https://ebookmass.com/product/financial-accounting-16th-edition-
carl-warren-christine-jonick-jennifer-schneider/
https://ebookmass.com/product/financial-and-managerial-
accounting-15th-edition-carl-s-warren/
https://ebookmass.com/product/accounting-27th-edition-carl-
warren/
https://ebookmass.com/product/ebook-pdf-accounting-28th-edition-
by-carl-warren/
Corporate Accounting P. Radhika
https://ebookmass.com/product/corporate-accounting-p-radhika/
https://ebookmass.com/product/managerial-accounting-16th-edition-
ray-garrison/
https://ebookmass.com/product/corporate-accounting-2nd-edition-m-
hanif/
https://ebookmass.com/product/horngrens-cost-accounting-16th-
edition-ebook-pdf/
https://ebookmass.com/product/financial-managerial-
accounting-18th-edition/
Corporate Financial
Accounting 16e
Carl S. Warren
Professor Emeritus of Accounting
University of Georgia, Athens
Jefferson P. Jones
Associate Professor of Accounting
Auburn University
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions,
some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed
content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right
to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For
valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate
formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for
materials in your areas of interest.
Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product
text may not be available in the eBook version.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Corporate Financial Accounting, 16th edition © 2022, 2019 Cengage Learning, Inc.
Carl S. Warren WCN: 02-300
Jefferson P. Jones
Unless otherwise noted, all content is © Cengage
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein
SVP, Higher Education & Skills Product:
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, except as
Erin Joyner
permitted by U.S. copyright law, without the prior written permission of the
VP, Higher Education & Skills Product: copyright owner.
Michael Schenk
Product Manager: Melody Sorkhabi Cengage Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706
or support.cengage.com.
Product Assistant: Matt Schiesl
For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all
Learning Designer: Kristen Meere
requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions.
Sr. Content Manager: Diane Bowdler
Designer: Chris Doughman than 125 countries around the world. Find your local representative at
www.cengage.com.
Text Designer: Ke Design/Trish Knapke
Cover Designer: Liz Harasymczuk To learn more about Cengage platforms and services, register or access
your online learning solution, or purchase materials for your course,
Cover Image Source: cybrain/ShutterStock.com visit www.cengage.com.
Throughout this text, real-world companies are used in the narrative, illustrations, and end-of-chapter assignments. These companies
are identified in boldface color type, and any data presented was adapted from or based upon annual reports, Securities and Exchange
Commission filings, or other publicly available sources. Any other individuals or companies used in illustrations and homework are
fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses or companies is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface
Inclusivity
A major objective of Warren/Jones Corporate Financial Accounting, 16e, is to create an inclusive
learning experience for all students that recognizes the wide diversity in student demographics,
abilities, and experiences. This edition has been revised with a learner-centric approach that
understands and acknowledges that a student’s learning experience may be influenced by a vari-
ety of mental, sensory, and physical factors. As a result, this edition and its ancillaries have been
designed to create an accessible learning experience for all students.
This edition also recognizes that students have unique backgrounds and perspectives. As a result,
chapter content, illustrations, and homework are designed to be respectful and inclusive of differ-
ences in student race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, age, and culture. The authors
welcome suggestions and comments on how to be even more inclusive in future editions.
New Features
This revision includes a range of new features that help Warren/Jones provide students with the
context to see how accounting is valuable to their careers and business. These new features include:
▪▪ Using Data Analytics
▪▪ Take It Further data analytic cases
▪▪ Journal entries with T accounts
▪▪ Illustration of why accrual accounting is required by GAAP
iii
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Customer Refunds Payable is a liability account
for estimated refunds and allowances.
Using Data Analytics examples have been added to each chapter, which describe an application
Check Up Corner
of data analytics to each chapter’s content.
Target has used data (predictive) analytics to improve the retail experience of its customers as well
as to increase its sales. For example, Target uses data analytics to decide which products should
earn shelf space in its brick-and-mortar stores and which are best serviced with its online sales app.
See TIF 5-8 for a homework assignment using data analytics.
Source: Dina Gerdeman, “On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website,” Forbes, December 4, 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/
hbsworkingknowledge/2018/12/04/on-target-rethinking-the-retail-website/#2690a20916fb.
Pathways Challenge
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface v
Inventory 9,250
Accounts Payable—Thomas Corporation 9,250
Purchased inventory on account.
Issuance of preferred stock and common stock at par value for cash.
Cash 1,500,000
Preferred Stock 500,000
Common Stock 1,000,000
Issued preferred stock and common
stock at par for cash.
Assets 5 Liabilities 1 Stockholders’ Equity
Cash Preferred Stock Common Stock
1,500,000 500,000 1,000,000
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
vi Preface
Exhibit 20
Accrual versus Cash Accrual Basis of Accounting
Basis of Accounting Increase (Decrease) Interpretation
for NetSolutions December November Amount Percent
Revenues $9,460 $7,500 $1,960 26.1%
NetSolutions is profitable and rapidly
Expenses (5,405) (4,450) 955 21.5%
expanding.
Net income (loss) $4,055 $3,050 1,005 33.0%
Under the accrual basis of accounting, revenues increased by 26.1% in December, while
This exhibit illustrates that accrual
expenses increased accounting
by only 21.5%. As aisresult,
required by GAAP
net income because
increased it These
by 33.0%. betterresults
matches
sug-
revenues and expenses and, thus, is a better indicator of a company’s
gest that NetSolutions is a profitable, rapidly expanding company. profitability.
Under the cash basis of accounting, revenues decreased by (6.9)%, while expenses increased
by 72.1%. As a result, NetSolutions reported a net loss of $(935) or a decrease of (132.2)% from
Existing Features
November’s net income of $2,900. These results suggest that NetSolutions is in trouble and may
not be able to continue as a viable company.
As shown in Exhibit 20, accrual accounting better reports the underlying operating perfor-
Some existing features
mance offrom previous
NetSolutions. editions
It does include:
this by better matching revenues and expenses. This is why accrual
accountingto
▪▪ Stepwise approach is accounting
required by generally
cycle accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
▪▪ Presentation style designed around the way students learn
▪▪ A Schema, or roadmap, at the start of each chapter.
▪▪ Links to theAnalysis
Opening Company for Decision Making
▪▪ Pathway Challenges
Objective
Describe ▪and
Working Capital and Current Ratio
▪▪ 7Check Up Corners
illustrate for Decision Making
▪ Analysis
the use of working The ability to convert assets into cash is called liquidity, while the ability of a business to
▪▪the
capital and Make a Decision
current pay its debts is called solvency. Two financial measures for evaluating a business’s short-term
ratio in evaluating a liquidity and solvency are working capital and the current ratio.
company’s financial
Working capital is the excess of the current assets of a business over its current liabilities:
condition.
Schema Working Capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities
Each chapter begins with a schema that shows students what they are going to learn and how
Current assets are more liquid than long-term assets, because they can be more readily
it is connected turned
to theintolarger
cash picture. In the early
to meet short-term chapters,
obligations. Thus,the schemainillustrates
an increase a company’show theassets
current steps
in the accounting cycle or
increases areimproves
interrelated. In later
its liquidity chapters,
because the are
these assets schema shows
available how
for uses each
other thanchapter’s
paying
current to
topics are connected liabilities.
the financial statements. The following are examples of the schema for
Chapters 4, 5, and A9.positive working capital implies that the business is able to pay its current liabilities and
is solvent. Thus, an increase in working capital increases or improves a company’s short-term
solvency.
To illustrate, NetSolutions’ working capital at the end of 20Y3 is $6,355, computed as fol-
lows from Exhibit 1:
Working Capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities
= $7,745 – $1,390
= $6,355
This amount of working capital implies that NetSolutions is able to pay its current liabilities.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface vii
Chapter
4 The Accounting Cycle
Chapter 1 Chapter 3
Transactions
ADJUSTING ENTRIES
Chapter 2 Account
Debits Credits
Chapter 4 Adjusted Accounts
RULES OF DEBIT AND CREDIT XXX XXX
Balance Sheet Accounts
Adjusted Balances
5 Accounting for
9 Long-Term Assets:
Chapter
Chapter
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Assets expenses 5
LiabilitiesCost of goods
(XXX)
Operating 1 sold Stockholders’
(XXX)Equity
Cash Sales
$ XXX
Operating income Gross profit $ XXX
1,800 1,800
Operating expenses (XXX)
Using the perpetual inventory system, the cost Operating income
of goods sold and the$ XXX
decrease in inventory
The also
are revenue activitiesInofthis
recorded. a service
way, business involveaccount
the inventory providing services to
indicates thecustomers.
amount On the incomeon
of inventory state-
hand
mentsold).
(not for a service business, the revenues from services are reported as fees earned. The operating expenses
viii Preface incurred in providing
To illustrate, assumethe services
that theare subtracted
cost of goodsfrom soldthe onfees earned
March 3 isto$1,200.
arrive atTheoperating
entry to income.
record the
costInofcontrast, the revenue
goods sold and theactivities
decrease ofin
a retail business involve
the inventory the buying and selling of merchandise.
is as follows:
A retail business first purchases merchandise to sell to its customers. When this merchandise is sold, the
revenue is reported as sales, and its cost is recognized as an expense. This expense is called the cost of
goods soldMar.or cost
3 ofCost
merchandise sold. The cost of goods sold is subtracted from
of Goods Sold 1,200sales to arrive at gross
254 profit.Chapter
This amount Inventory
is called
5 Accounting gross
for Retailprofit because it is the profit before deducting operating
Businesses 1,200 expenses.
The operating expenses areTosubtracted
record the from
cost ofgross
goods sold. to arrive at operating income.
Dollar Tree, Inc. profit
Merchandise on hand (not sold) at the end of an accounting period is called inventory or
Assets
SalesLiabilities Stockholders’ Equity
W
Exhibit 7 Journal Entries 5
for Customer Returns, Refunds,1 and Allowances
hen you are low on cash but need to pick up party supplies, must design its accounting system to not only record the receipt merchandise inventory. Inventory
Inventory
is reported as a current asset on the balance sheet.
Cost of Goods Sold
housewares, or other consumer items, where do you go? Many of goods for resale, but also to keep track of what merchandise is
1,200 1,200
shoppers are turning to Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR), a leading available for sale as well as where the merchandise is located. In
operator of discount variety stores with more than 15,000 stores in addition, Dollar Tree must record the sales and cost of the goods
SalesSales
may . .be
End-of-Period
On a recent income statement, Dollar Tree reported
be made to customers
Adjusting
the following Entries
(in billions):
using debit cards, sometimes XXX called bank cards. When
Link to
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sales
North America. Its stores operate under the brand names Dollar Tree
and Family Dollar. All merchandise is $1 at Dollar Tree stores, while
sold for each of its stores. Finally, Dollar Tree must record such
data as delivery costs, merchandise discounts, and merchandise a customerCost uses
of goods a debit sold .card, . . . . . . the
$ 22 .8
money Refunds
. . Customer
(15 .9) required Payable by the purchase is deductedXXX instantly from the Dollar Tree
Family Dollar offers merchandise for $10 or less. The stores typically returns. customer’s bank
Gross profitaccount. . . . . . . . . .For
. . . . .this $reason,
. .Estimated debitInventory
6 .9 Returns card sales are recorded XXXas cash sales.
carry more than 7,000 items, consisting of basic, everyday items as This chapter focuses on the accounting principles and SalesOperating
may also expenses be made . . . . to
. . . customers
(7 .9)
Cost of Goods using Sold credit cards such as Mastercard XXX or Visa. Credit
well as seasonal, closeout, and promotional items. concepts for a retail business. ln doing so, the basic differences card salesOperating
are normally income (loss) processed . . . $ by(1 .0)a clearinghouse that contacts the bank that issued the card.
The accounting for a retailer, like Dollar Tree, is more between retail and service company activities are highlighted. Cash Refund Paid to the retailer’s bank account. Credit Memorandum Issued
TheOnissuing bank
its balance sheet, then electronically
it reported inventorytransfers
of $3 .5 billion . cash directly 4
Since
complex than for a service company. This is because a service The financial statements of a retail business and accounting for
company sells only services and has no inventory. Dollar Tree merchandise transactions are also described and illustrated. the retailer normally
Customer returns receives cashCustomer within Refunds
a few days Payable of making the sale, credit
. . . . . XXX card sales
Customer arePayable
Refunds also . . . . . XXX
recordedmerchandise
as cash sales. Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXX Accounts Receivable . . . . . . . . . . XXX
C
merchandise Cash . is
. . a . .service
. . . . . . .business
. . . . . . . . . . . . XXX Lowe’s Companies,
Accounts Receivable . Inc. . . . . . . . . . XXX
omcast Corporation (CMCSA)
If a that offersallows
retailer cable communications,
customers to use broadcast debit or televisioncredit cards to pay for purchases, Condensed Income the retailer Statement
may be(NBC television),
charged filmed entertainment
processing fees by the (Universal
clearinghouse Pictures), or issuing bank. Such fees are (in periodically
millions)
and themeasparks
recorded (UniversalTo
an expense. Parks) to its customers .
illustrate, assume that Lowe’s a companySales pays . . .credit
. . . . . . . card
. . . . . .processing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . fees
. . . . . .of . . . . . . . . . . . $ 71,309
Companies, Inc. (LOW) is a large
fees home
wouldimprovement retailer . Cost of goods sold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (48,401)
$4,150
Link to
on October 31. These
Although
The differences in the operations all sales
of a service andare
be recorded
retailfinal, business Dollar
as follows:
are Tree Grosswill
profit “exchange”
. . . . . . . . . . .any
. . . . .unopened
. . . . . . . . . . . .item
. . . . . .with
. . . . . the original
. $ 22,908
Dollar Tree receipt .
illustrated in their recent income statements, as follows: Selling, general, and administrative expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . (17,413)
Oct. 31 Comcast
Credit Card Expense
Corporation Depreciation expense
4,150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1,477)
CashIncome Statement
Condensed Operating income . . . . . . 4,150
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 4,018
(inTo record service charges on credit
millions) Source: Lowe's Companies, Inc ., Form 10-K for a Recent Fiscal Year Ended February 1.
Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .card
. . . . sales
. . . . . for
. . . the
. . . .month.
. . . . . . . $108,942
Assets Ethics in Action
Programming and production expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (34,440)
5 Liabilities 1 As a retail company,
Stockholders’Lowe’s
Equity subtracts cost of goods sold from sales to
©KIT LEONG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Selling and administrative Cashexpenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (40,424) disclose gross profit .
Credit As a service company, Comcast does not show
Card Expense
ETHICS
The Case
Depreciation and amortization of the 4,150 Fraudulent
expenses . . . . . . . . Price Tags
. . . . . . (12,953) merchandise
cost of goods sold, nor abought
4,150 or obtained
gross profit elsewhere .
line . Rather, The couple then
service expenses
Chapter 9 Long-Term Assets: Fixed and Intangible
Operating
One of 467
incomethe challenges . . . . . . . . . . . .for
. . . .a . .retailer
. . . . . . . . is . . . . . . $ its
. . .policing 21,125
sales return returned
are subtracted the cheaper
from revenue goods
straight and received
to operating income . the substantially
Instead of using Mastercard or Visa, a customer may use a credit card that is not issued by a bank.
Source:policy .
ComcastThere areForm
Corporation, many
10-K ways in Fiscal
for a Recent which Yearcustomers
Ended Decembercan
31 . unethi- higher refund amount . Company security officials discovered
Exhibit 13 summarizes the characteristics of intangible assets. For example, a customer might use an American Express card. If the seller uses a clearinghouse, the
cally or illegally abuse such policies . In one case, a couple was the fraud and had the couple arrested after they had allegedly
clearinghouse will collect the receivable and transfer the cash to the retailer’s bank account, similar
accused of attaching a company’s store price tags to cheaper bilked the company for more than $1 million .
to the way it would have if the customer had used Mastercard or Visa. Large businesses, however,
Source: Jack L . Hayes International, Inc ., 28th Annual Retail Theft Survey, 2016 .
Exhibit 13
Intangible CyberSource is one of the major credit card clearinghouses. For a more detailed description of how credit card sales are processed, see the
4
Comparisonfollowing
of CyberSource web page: www.cybersource.com, click on Products, and under Payment Processing, click on Payment Cards, and then on
Asset Description Amortization Period Periodic Expense
Link to Dollar Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 239, 241, 247, 248, 251, 254, 265, 268 Intangible Assets
How it Works.
Patent Exclusive right to benefit Estimated useful life not Amortization expense
Analysis for Decision Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 269–270
from an innovation to exceed legal life Check Up Corner 5-2 Sales Transactions
Make a Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 304
Copyright Exclusive right to benefit Estimated useful life not Amortization expense
On December 30, Burrows Inc . sold $12,000 of merchandise to Wall Company on account, with terms n/30 . The
from a literary, artistic, or to exceed legal life merchandise cost Burrows $8,000 . On January 3, Wall determines that a portion of the merchandise received does
musical composition not operate properly, and Burrows issues a credit memo for the returned items . The invoice amount of the returned
merchandise is $3,000, which cost Burrows $2,000 . Journalize the entries by Burrows to record (a) the December 30 sale,
Trademark Exclusive use of a name, None Impairment loss if fair 237 (b) the January 3 return, and (c) the receipt of the amount due from Wall on January 6 .
term, or symbol value less than carrying
value (impaired)
Goodwill Excess of purchase price of None Impairment loss if fair
a business over the fair value less than carrying
value of its net assets
(assets ] liabilities) Pathways Challenges value (impaired)
Pathways Challenge encourages students’ interest in accounting and emphasizes the critical
thinking aspect of accounting. A suggested answer to the Pathways Challenge is provided at
the end of the chapter.
Pathways Challenge
This is Accounting!
Economic Activity
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is the largest wireless service provider in the United States
with over 114 million retail subscribers. To deliver its products and services, Verizon must have access to
spectrum—the radio frequencies that carry sound, data, and video to wireless devices. However, spectrum
is a limited resource that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses to businesses for a period
of 10 years, subject to renewal. In a recent year, Verizon acquired almost $10 billion in wireless licenses.
Critical Thinking/Judgment
How should Verizon account for its acquisition of wireless licenses?
What is the useful life of a wireless license?
Should Verizon expense (amortize) the cost of its wireless licenses?
Suggested answer at end of chapter.
Pathways Challenge
This is Accounting!
Information/Consequences
Because a wireless license does not exist physically, Verizon’s (VZ) wireless licenses are intangible assets.
All of the costs of acquiring a wireless license should be recorded as an asset. In a recent year, Verizon report-
ed almost $87 billion of wireless licenses, representing 35% of its total assets.
Even though the FCC license is granted for a 10-year period, Verizon considers this license to have an indef-
inite useful life. This is because the license is subject to renewal at a low cost and, historically, the FCC has
renewed Verizon’s licenses.
Verizon does not expense (amortize) the cost of its wireless licenses. Instead, the licenses are reviewed for
any impaired value.
25/09/17 5:38 PM
Suggested Answer
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface ix
Check Up Corners
Throughout each chapter, Check Up Corners provide students with step-by-step guidance on
how
462 to Chapter
solve problems. Problem-solving
9 Long-Term Assets: Fixed and Intangibletips help students avoid common errors.
a. $95,000
b. $105,000
Solution:
a. Equipment sold for $95,000:
Cash 95,000
Accumulated Depreciation—Equipment 240,000
Loss on Sale of Equipment 5,000 Long-Term Assets: Fixed and Intangible
Equipment 340,000
McDonald’s Corporation
Balance Sheet
Selling Price – Book Value = Link to
Accumulated
December 31
$95,000 – $100,000
McDonald’s
Depreciation at
the End of Year 3
b. Equipment sold for $105,000: (in millions)
Assets
Cash 105,000
Accumulated
Property Depreciation—Equipment
and equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240,000
$ 39,050.9
Equipment
Accumulated depreciation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (14,890.9)340,000
Gain
Net on Saleand
property of equipment.
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,000
$24,160.0 Selling Price – Book Value =
Goodwill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,677.4 $105,000 – $100,000
Analysis for Decision Making highlights how businesses use accounting information to make
The4cost and relatedNatural
the health Resources
Objective accumulated depletion
decisions
Describe
and evaluate ofofamineral rights are normally shown as part of the
business. This provides students with context of why
theassets” section of the balance sheet. The mineral rights may be shown net of depletion on
“Fixed
accounting
accounting is
forof
the face important
natural
the to
balance sheet. In a business.
such cases, a supporting note discloses
Some businesses own natural resources such the accumulated
as timber,depletion.
minerals, or oil. The characteristics of
resources, including natural resources are as follows:
the journal entry for
depletion. Analysis for Decision
▪▪ Naturally Making
Occurring: An asset that is created through natural growth or naturally through
the passage of time. For example, timber is a natural resource that naturally grows over time.
▪▪ Removed for Sale: The asset is consumed by removing it from its land source. For
Fixed Asset Turnover example, timberRatio is removed for use when it is harvested, and minerals Objective 7
are removed when
Describe and illustrate
The fixed asset turnover they are measures
ratio mined. the number of sales dollars earned per dollar of the fixed asset
▪▪ Removed
fixed assets. The higher and
the ratio, the Sold
more over More
efficiently Than isOne
a company Year:
using Theassets
its fixed natural
in resource
turnoverisratio
removed
to and sold
generating sales. The ratio is computed
over a period asof follows:
more than one year. assess the efficiency
of a company’s use of
Sales
FixedNatural resources
Asset Turnover Ratio = are classified as a type of fixed asset. The cost ofits
a fixed
natural resource includes
assets.
the cost of obtaining Average Book Value of
and preparing itFixed
for Assets
use. For example, legal fees incurred in purchasing a
To illustrate, the natural
followingresource are included
data (in millions) were as part
taken of its
from cost. financial statement
a recent
of McDonald’s Corporation As natural resources
(MCD) : are harvested or mined and then sold, a portion of their cost is debited to an
e account called depletion$21,076.5
expensSales expense.
Fixed assets (net):
Beginning of year 22,842.7
End of year 24.160.0
McDonald’s fixed asset turnover ratio for the year is computed as follows (rounded to one
decimal place):
Sales
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio =
Average Book Value of Fixed Assets
$21,076.5
=
($22,842.7 + $24,160.0) ÷ 2
$21,076.5
= = 0.9
98169_ch09_rev02_442-493.indd 462 $23,501.4 16/08/17 5:12 pm
Is 0.9 efficient? To answer this question, McDonald’s fixed asset turnover ratio can be com-
pared to other quick-service restaurant companies, as shown in Exhibit 13. Yum! Brands (YUM)
operates KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell quick-service restaurants. The other restaurants are likely
familiar by name.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
x Preface
Make a Decision
Make a Decision in the end-of-chapter material gives students a chance to analyze and compare
real 502
companies.
Chapter 9 Long-Term Assets: Fixed and Intangible
Make a Decision
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio
a. Compute the fixed asset turnover ratio for each company. Round to one decimal place.
b. Which company is more efficient in generating sales from fixed assets?
c. Interpret your results.
MAD 9-2 Analyze and compare Alaska Air, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines Obj. 7
REAL Alaska Air Group (ALK), Delta Air Lines (DAL), and Southwest Airlines (LUV) reported
WORLD
the following financial information (in millions) in a recent year:
a. Determine the fixed asset turnover ratio for each airline. Round to one decimal place.
b. Based on the fixed asset turnover ratio, which airline appears to be the most ef-
ficient in the use of its fixed assets?
c. The most important fixed asset to an airline is the aircraft. Given this, what factors
might influence the efficient use of fixed assets for an airline?
End of Year
Beginning of
Year
(in millions) (in millions)
This edition includes a variety of Property,
student learning
plant, and equipment aids in $ 265,734
addition $to the Check Up Corners,
252,835
Accumulated depreciation (173,819) (163,549)
including the following: Property, plant, and equipment (net) $ 91,915 $ 89,286
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Preface xi
New Appendixes
Two new end-of-text appendixes have been added to this Each topic is designed as a self-contained learning module
edition. with its own assignment materials. The modules have been
written so that instructors have the flexibility of covering one
Appendix B: Selected Topics. This appendix allows instruc-
or more of the modules at a variety of different places in
tors the flexibility to cover a variety of topics that might be
their course depending upon their students’ needs.
relevant to their students. The topics include the following:
Topic 1: Investments Appendix C: Nike Annual Report (10-K). This appendix
Topic 2: Foreign Currency Transactions includes excerpts from a recent Nike annual report (10-K).
Topic 3: Corporate Taxes New to this appendix are student assignments for each
Topic 4: Reporting Unusual Items and Comprehensive chapter. An instructor could use all of the chapter assignments
Income as an “annual report” project. The annual report assignments
Topic 5: Revenue Recognition are referenced at the end of each chapter following the Take
Topic 6: International Accounting Standards It Further section.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xii Preface
Chapter 7 Chapter 12
▪▪ Updated Ethics in Action box on employee fraud. ▪▪ New exhibit on the effects of dividends and stock splits
▪▪ Updated Business Insight box to include remote deposits. has been added.
Chapter 8 Chapter 14
▪▪ Updated discussion of the allowance method for uncol- ▪▪ The opening company has been changed from Nike to
lectible accounts to reflect the new standard on current The Walt Disney Company.
expected credit losses. ▪▪ Appendix on the reporting of unusual items was moved
to Appendix B: Special Topics.
Chapter 10 ▪▪ Appendix on the concepts of fair value and comprehen-
▪▪ Updated W-4 Form to reflect recent changes. sive income was moved to Appendix B: Special Topics.
CengageNOWv2
CengageNOWv2 is a powerful course management and online homework resource that provides
control and customization to optimize the student learning experience. Included are many proven
resources, such as algorithmic activities, a test bank, course management tools, reporting and
assessment options, and much more.
Excel Online
Cengage and Microsoft have partnered in CengageNOWv2 to provide students with a uniform, authentic
EXCEL Excel experience. It provides instant feedback, built-in video tips, and easily accessible spreadsheet
ONLINE
work. These features allow you to spend more time teaching accounting applications and less time
troubleshooting Excel.
These new algorithmic activities offer pre-populated data directly in Microsoft Excel Online. Each
student receives his or her own version of the problem to perform the necessary data calculations
in Excel Online. Their work is constantly saved in Cengage cloud storage as a part of homework
assignments in CengageNOWv2. It’s easily retrievable so students can review their answers without
cumbersome file management and numerous downloads/uploads.
MindTap eReader
The MindTap eReader for Warren/Jones Corporate Financial Accounting is the most robust
digital reading experience available. Hallmark features include:
▪▪ Fully optimized for the iPad.
▪▪ Note taking, highlighting, and more.
▪▪ Embedded digital media.
▪▪ The MindTap eReader also features ReadSpeaker®, an online text-to-speech application that
vocalizes, or “speech-enables,” online educational content. This feature is ideally suited for
both instructors and learners who would like to listen to content instead of (or in addition
to) reading it.
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
About the Authors
Carl S. Warren
Dr. Carl S. Warren is Professor Emeritus of Accounting at the University of Georgia, Athens. Dr.
Jefferson P. Jones
xiii
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Brief Contents
xiv
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents
1 Introduction to Accounting
and Business 2
Analysis for Decision Making 82
Horizontal Analysis 82
3
Opportunities for Accountants 8
2
Take It Further 157
Analyzing Pathways Challenge 131, 159
Transactions 58
Using Accounts to Record Transactions 61
Chart of Accounts 62
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xvi Contents
6
Continuing Problem 228
Comprehensive Problem 1 229
Inventories 308
Make a Decision 231
Take It Further 233 Control of Inventory 310
Pathways Challenge 177, 235 Safeguarding Inventory 310
Reporting Inventory 311
5
Inventory Cost Flow Assumptions 311
Accounting for Retail Inventory Costing Methods Under
Businesses 236 a Perpetual Inventory System 313
First-In, First-Out Method 313
Last-In, First-Out Method 315
Nature of Retail Businesses 238 Weighted Average Cost Method 317
Operating Cycle 238
Financial Statements 239 Inventory Costing Methods Under
Merchandise Transactions 240 a Periodic Inventory System 319
First-In, First-Out Method 319
Chart of Accounts for Retail Business 240
Last-In, First-Out Method 319
Subsidiary Ledgers 241
Weighted Average Cost Method 320
Purchases Transactions 241
Sales Transactions 246 Comparing Inventory Costing Methods 323
Freight 256
Summary: Recording Inventory Transactions 258 Reporting Inventory in the Financial
Dual Nature of Merchandise Transactions 259 Statements 324
Sales Taxes and Trade Discounts 259 Valuation at Lower of Cost or Market 324
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Contents xvii
Inventory on the Balance Sheet 326 Direct Write-Off Method for Uncollectible
Effects of Inventory Errors on the Financial Statements 327 Accounts 412
Analysis for Decision Making 330 Allowance Method for Uncollectible Accounts 413
Inventory Turnover and Days’ Sales in Inventory 330 Write-Offs to the Allowance Account 413
Appendix Estimating Inventory Cost 332 Estimating Uncollectibles 415
Retail Method of Inventory Costing 332 Comparing Direct Write-Off and Allowance Methods 422
Gross Profit Method of Inventory Costing 333
Notes Receivable 423
Make a Decision 355 Characteristics of Notes Receivable 423
Take It Further 356 Accounting for Notes Receivable 424
Pathways Challenge 327, 358 Reporting Receivables on the Balance Sheet 427
Analysis for Decision Making 428
7
Accounts Receivable Turnover and Days’ Sales in Receivables 428
9
Internal Control 364
Objectives of Internal Control 364
Long-Term Assets:
Elements of Internal Control 364 Fixed and Intangible 454
Control Environment 365
Risk Assessment 366
Control Procedures 366
Nature of Fixed Assets 456
Classifying Costs 456
Monitoring 368
The Cost of Fixed Assets 458
Information and Communication 368
Leasing Fixed Assets 459
Limitations of Internal Control 369
Cash Controls over Receipts and Payments 370 Accounting for Depreciation 460
Factors in Computing Depreciation Expense 460
Control of Cash Receipts 370
Straight-Line Method 461
Control of Cash Payments 373
Units-of-Activity Method 463
Bank Accounts 374 Double-Declining-Balance Method 465
Bank Statement 374 Comparing Depreciation Methods 466
Using the Bank Statement as a Control over Cash 376 Partial-Year Depreciation 469
Revising Depreciation Estimates 470
Bank Reconciliation 377
Repair and Improvements 471
Special-Purpose Cash Funds 381
Disposal of Fixed Assets 473
Financial Statement Reporting of Cash 382 Discarding Fixed Assets 473
Selling Fixed Assets 474
Analysis for Decision Making 383
Days’ Cash on Hand 383 Natural Resources 475
Make a Decision 403 Intangible Assets 477
Patents 477
Take It Further 404 Copyrights and Trademarks 478
Pathways Challenge 383, 406 Goodwill 478
8
Fixed and Intangible 480
Analysis for Decision Making 481
Receivables 408 Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio 481
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
xviii Contents
12 Corporations: Organization,
Vacation Pay 517
Pensions 518
Postretirement Benefits Other than Pensions 520 Stock Transactions, and
Installment Notes 520 Dividends 596
Issuance 520
Periodic Payments 520
Nature of a Corporation 598
Contingent Liabilities 523 Characteristics of a Corporation 598
Probable and Estimable 523 Forming a Corporation 599
Probable and Not Estimable 523
Reasonably Possible 524 Paid-In Capital from Stock 601
Remote 524 Characteristics of Stock 601
Types of Stock 602
Reporting Liabilities 526 Issuing Stock 604
Analysis for Decision Making 527 Premium on Stock 605
Short-Term Liquidity Analysis 527 No-Par Stock 606
11
Reporting Stockholders’ Equity 614
Liabilities: Bonds Stockholders’ Equity on the Balance Sheet 614
Payable 556 Reporting Retained Earnings 615
Statement of Stockholders’ Equity 617
Reporting Stockholders’ Equity for Alphabet 618
Nature of Bonds Payable 558 Analysis for Decision Making 619
Bond Characteristics and Terminology 558
Earnings per Share 619
Proceeds from Issuing Bonds 559
Comprehensive Problem 4 637
Accounting for Bonds Payable 561
Bonds Issued at Face Amount 561 Make a Decision 639
Bonds Issued at a Discount 562
Take It Further 640
Amortizing a Bond Discount 562
Bonds Issued at a Premium 564 Pathways Challenge 604, 643
Amortizing a Bond Premium 565
Bond Redemption 567
Copyright 2022 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
the Emperor? Did the pagans attribute divine assistance to
Constantine throughout this critical campaign? The answer is
unmistakable. They did so most unequivocally. Nazarius tells us[52]
that all Gaul was talking with awe and wonder of the marvels which
had taken place, how the soldiers of Constantine had seen in the sky
celestial armies marching in battle array and had been dazzled by
their flashing shields and glittering armour. Not only had the dull eyes
of earthly men for once availed to look upon heavenly brightness;
Constantine’s soldiery had also heard the shouts of these armies in
the sky, “We seek Constantine; we are marching to the aid of
Constantine.”[53] Clearly the pagan as well as the Christian world
insisted upon attributing divine assistance to Constantine and had its
own version of how that succour came. Nazarius’s explanation was
simple. According to him, it was Constantius Chlorus, the deified
Emperor, who was leading up the hosts of heaven, and such
miraculous intervention was due to the supreme virtue of the father,
which had descended to the son.
The question at once arises whether this is merely a pagan
version of the Christian legend. Unable to deny the miracle, did the
pagans, in order to rob the Christians of this wonderful testimony to
the truth of their religion, invent the story of Constantius and the
heavenly hosts? Such a theory is absolutely untenable. It leaves out
of sight the all-important fact that public opinion in the fourth century
—as indeed for many centuries both before and after—was not only
willing to believe in supernatural intervention at moments of great
crisis, but actually insisted that there should be such intervention.
The greater the crisis, the more entirely reasonable it was that some
deity or deities should make their influence especially felt and turn
the scale to one side or the other. Every Roman believed that Castor
and Pollux had fought for Rome in the supreme struggle against
Hannibal. Julius believed that the favour of Venus Genetrix, the
special patroness of the Julian House, had helped him to win the
battle of Pharsalus. Augustus was just as certain that Apollo had
fought on his side at Philippi and at Actium. It was easy—and
modest—for the winner to believe in his protecting deity’s strength of
arm.
One curious phrase employed by Nazarius is worth noting. It is
that in which he claims that the special interference of Heaven on
behalf of Constantine was not merely an extraordinary and gratifying
tribute to the Emperor’s virtues, but that it was no more than his due.
In short, the crisis was so tremendous that Heaven would have stood
convicted of a strange failure to see events in their just proportion if it
had not done “some great thing,” and wrought some corresponding
wonder. Such was the idea at the back of Nazarius’s mind; we
suspect that it was not wanting in the mind of Eusebius or of
Constantine. We may put the matter paradoxically and say that a
miracle in those days was not much considered unless it was a very
great one. People who were accustomed to see—or to think that
they saw—statues sweating blood, and to hear words proceeding
from lips of bronze or marble, and were accustomed to treat such
untoward events merely as portents denoting that something
unusual was about to happen, must have been difficult people to
surprise. Naturally, therefore, legends grew more and more
marvellous with repetition after the event. The oftener a man told
such a story the less appeal it would make to his own wonder, unless
he fortified it with some new incident. But to impress one’s auditors it
is above all things necessary to be impressed oneself. Hence the
well-garnished narrative of Nazarius. The idea of armies marching
along the sky was common enough. Any one can imagine he sees
the glint of weapons as the sun strikes the clouds. But this does not
satisfy the professional rhetorician. He bids us see the proud look in
the faces of the heavenly hosts, and distinguish the cries with which
they move to battle. But if Nazarius is suspect, why not Eusebius
and Constantine? Unless, indeed, there is to be one standard for
pagan and another for Christian miracles!
But was there some unusual manifestation in the sky which was
the common basis of the stories of Eusebius and Nazarius? It is not
unreasonable to suppose so. Scientists say that the natural
phenomenon known as the parhelion not infrequently assumes the
shape of a cross, and Dean Stanley, while discussing this possible
explanation in his Lectures on the Eastern Church, instanced the
extraordinary impression made upon the minds of the vulgar by the
aurora borealis of November, 1848. He recalled how, throughout
France, the people thought they saw in the sky the letters L. N.—the
initials of Louis Napoleon—and took them as a clear indication from
Heaven of how they ought to vote at the impending Presidential
election, and as an omen of the result. That was the interpretation in
France. In Rome—where the people knew and cared nothing for
Louis Napoleon—no one saw the Napoleonic initials. The lurid gleam
in the sky was there thought to be the blood of the murdered Rossi,
which had risen to heaven and was calling for vengeance. In Oporto,
on the other hand, the conscience-stricken populace thought the fire
was coming down from heaven to punish them for their profligacy. If
such varying interpretations of a natural if rare phenomenon were
possible in the middle of the nineteenth century, what interpretation
was not possible in the fourth? The world was profoundly
superstitious. When people believe in manifest signs they usually
see them. Some Polonius, gifted either with better vision or livelier
imagination than his fellows, declares that he can distinguish clear
and definite shapes amid the vague outline of the clouds; the report
spreads; the legend grows. And when legends are found to serve a
useful purpose the authorities lend them countenance, guarantee
their accuracy, and even take to themselves the credit of their
authorship. At the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war a strange
story came from St. Petersburg that the Russian moujiks were
passing on from village to village the legend that St. George had
been seen in the skies leading his hosts to the Far East against the
infidel Japanese. Had Russian victories followed, what better “proof”
of celestial aid could have been desired? But as disaster ensued, it
is to be supposed that St. George remembered midway that he also
had interests in the Anglo-Japanese alliance, and remained strictly
neutral.
But though we may be justly sceptical of the circumstances
attending the conversion of Constantine, there is no room to doubt
the conversion itself. We do not believe that he fought the battle of
the Milvian Bridge as the avowed champion of Christianity, but the
probabilities are that he had made up his mind to become a Christian
when he fought it. The miraculous vision in the heavens, the dream
in the quiet of the night, the appearance of Christ by the bedside of
the Emperor—as to these things we may keep an open mind, but the
fashioning of the Labarum—the sacred standard which was
preserved for so many centuries as the most precious of imperial
heirlooms and was seen and described as late as the ninth century
—this was the outward and visible proof of the change which had
come over the Emperor. He had abandoned Apollo for Christ. The
sun-god had been the favourite deity of his youth and early
manhood, as it had been of Augustus Cæsar, the founder of the
Empire, and the originator of the close association between the
worship of Apollo and the worship of the reigning Cæsar.
Constantine would not fail to note that many of the most gracious
attributes of Apollo belonged also to Christ.
He soon manifested the sincerity of his conversion. After a short
stay in Rome, he went north to Milan, where he gave the hand of his
sister, Constantia, to his ally, Licinius. Diocletian was invited, but
declined to make the journey. The two Emperors, no doubt, desired
to secure the prestige of his moral support in their mutual hostility to
the Emperor of the East, and the benefit of his counsel in their
deliberations upon the state of the Empire. But even if Diocletian had
been tempted to leave his cabbages to join in the marriage festivities
and the political conference at Milan, we imagine that he would still
have declined if he had been given any hint of the intentions of
Constantine and Licinius with respect to the great question of
religious toleration or persecution. He might have been candid
enough to admit the failure of his policy, but he would still have
shrunk from proclaiming it with his own lips. For, before the festivities
at Milan were interrupted by the news that Maximin had thrown down
the gage of battle, Constantine and Licinius issued in their joint
names the famous Edict of Milan, which proclaimed for the first time
in its absolute entirety the noble principle of complete religious
toleration. Despite their length, it will be well to give in full the more
important clauses. They are found in the text which has been happily
preserved by Lactantius[54] in the original Latin, while we also have
the edict in Greek in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius (x. 5). It
runs as follows:
Then follow the most explicit instructions for the restoration to the
Christians of the properties of which they had been robbed during
the persecutions, though the robbery had been committed in
accordance with imperial command. Whether a property had been
simply confiscated, or sold, or given away, it was to be handed back
without the slightest cost and without any delays or ambiguities
(Postposita omni frustratione atque ambiguitate). Purchasers who
had bought such properties in good faith were to be indemnified from
the public treasury by grace of the Emperor.
But the abiding interest of this celebrated edict lies in the general
principles there clearly enunciated. Every man, without distinction of
rank or nationality, is to have absolute freedom to choose and
practise the religion which he deems most suited to his needs
(Libera atque absoluta colendæ religionis suæ facultas). The phrase
is repeated with almost wearisome iteration, but the principle was
novel and strange, and one can see the anxiety of the framers of this
edict that there shall be no possible loophole for misunderstanding.
Everybody is to have free choice; all previous anti-Christian
enactments are annulled; not only is no compulsion to be employed
against the Christian, he is not even to be troubled or annoyed (Citra
ullam inquietudinem ac molestiam). The novelty lay not so much in
the toleration of the existence of Christianity,—both Constantine and
Licinius had two years before signed the edict whereby Galerius put
an end to the persecution,—but in its formal official recognition by
the State.
What motives, then, are assigned by the Emperors for this notable
change of policy? Certainly not humanity. Nothing is said of the
terrors of the late persecutions and the horrible sufferings of the
Christians—there is merely a bald reference to previous edicts which
the Emperors consider “unjust and alien from the spirit of our
clemency” (Sinistra et a nostra clementia aliena esse). There is no
appeal to political necessity, such as the exhaustion of the world and
its palpable need of rest. The motives assigned are purely religious.
The Emperors proclaim religious toleration in order that they and
their subjects may continue to receive the blessings of Heaven. One
of them at least had just emerged victoriously from the manifold
hazards of an invasion of Italy. Surely we can trace a reference to
the battle of the Milvian Bridge and the overthrow of Maxentius in the
mention of “the Divine favour towards us, which we have
experienced in affairs of the highest moment” (Divinus juxta nos
favor quem in tantis sumus rebus experti). What Constantine and
Licinius hope to secure is a continuance of the favour and
benevolence of the Supreme Divinity, the patronage of the ruling
powers of the sky. The phraseology is important. The name of God is
not mentioned—only the vague “Summa Divinitas,“ ”Divinus favor,”
and the still more curious and non-committal phrase, “Quicquid est
Divinitatis in sede cœlesti.” In Eusebius the same phrase appears in
a form still more nebulous (ὅτι ποτέ ἐστι θειότης καὶ οὐρανίου
πράγματος). A pagan philosopher, more than half sceptical as to the
existence of a personal God, might well employ such language, but it
reads strangely in an official edict.
But then this edict was to bear the joint names of Constantine and
Licinius. Constantine might be a Christian, but Licinius was still a
pagan, and Licinius was not his vassal, but his equal. He would
certainly not have been prepared to set his name to an edict which
pledged him to personal adherence to the Christian faith.
Constantine, in the flush of triumph, would insist that the persecution
of the Christians should cease, and that the Christian religion should
be officially recognised. Licinius would raise no objection. But they
would speedily find, when it came to drafting a joint edict, that the
only religious ground common to them both was very limited in
extent, and that the only way to preserve a semblance of unity was
to employ the vaguest phraseology which each might interpret in his
own fashion. If we can imagine the Pope and the Caliph drafting a
joint appeal to mankind which necessitated the mention of the Higher
Power, they would find themselves driven to use words as cloudy
and indistinct as the “Whatever Divinity there is and heavenly
substance” of Eusebius. No, it was not that Constantine’s mind was
in the transitional stage; it was rather that he had to find a common
platform for himself and Licinius.
But to have converted Licinius at all to an official recognition of the
Christians and complete toleration was a great achievement, for the
principle, as we have said, was entirely new. M. Gaston Boissier, in
discussing this point, recalls how even the broad-minded Plato had
found no place in his ideal republic for those who disbelieved in the
gods of their fatherland and of the city of their birth. Even if they kept
their opinions to themselves and did not seek to disturb the faith of
others, Plato insisted upon their being placed in a House of
Correction—it is true he calls it a Sophronisterion, or House of
Wisdom—for five years, where they were to listen to a sermon every
day; while, if they were zealous propagandists of their pernicious
doctrines, he proposed to keep them all their lives in horrible
dungeons and deny their bodies after death the right of sepulture.
How, one wonders, would Socrates have fared in such a state? No
better, we fancy, than he fared in his own city of Athens. But,
throughout antiquity, every lawgiver took the same view, that a good
citizen must accept without question the gods of his native place who
had been the gods of his fathers; and it was a simple step from that
position to the stern refusal to allow a man, in the vigorous words of
the Old Testament, to go a-whoring after other gods. “For I, thy God,
am a jealous God.” The God of the Jews was not more jealous than
the gods of the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, or the Romans
would like to have been, had they had the same power of concise
expression.
What was the theory of the State religion in Rome? Cicero tells us
in a well-known passage in his treatise On the Laws, where he
quotes the ancient formula, “Let no man have separate gods of his
own: nor let people privately worship new gods or alien gods, unless
they have been publicly admitted.”[55] Nothing could be more explicit.
But theory and practice in Rome had a habit of becoming divorced
from one another. It is a notorious fact that, as Rome’s conquering
eagles flew farther afield, the legions and the merchants who
followed in their track brought all manner of strange gods back to the
city, where every wandering Chaldæan thaumaturgist, magician, or
soothsayer found welcome and profit, and every stray goddess—
especially if her rites had mysteries attached to them—received a
comfortable home. In a word, Rome found new religions just as
fascinating—for a season or two—as do the capitals of the modern
world, and these new religions were certainly not “publicly admitted”
by the Pontifex Maximus and the representatives of the State
religion. Occasionally, usually after some outbreak of pestilence or
because an Emperor was nervous at the presence of so many
swarthy charlatans devoting themselves to the Black Arts, an order
of expulsion would be issued and there would be a fluttering of the
dove-cotes. But they came creeping back one by one, as the storm
blew over. While, therefore, in theory the gods of Rome were
jealous, in practice they were not so. The easy scepticism or
eclecticism of the cultured Roman was conducive to tolerance.
Cicero’s famous sentence in the Pro Flacco, “Each state has its own
religion, Lælius: we have ours,” shews how little of the religious
fanatic there was in the average Roman, who stole the gods of the
people he conquered and made them his own, so that they might
acquiesce in the Roman domination. The Roman was tolerant
enough in private life towards other people’s religious convictions: all
he asked was reciprocity, and that was precisely what the Christian
would not and could not give him. If the Christian would have
sacrificed at the altars of the State gods, the Roman would never
have objected to his worship of Christ for his own private
satisfaction. There lies the secret of the persecutions, and of the
fierce anti-Christian hatreds.
Constantine and Licinius, by their edict of recognition and
toleration, “publicly admitted” into the Roman worship the God of the
Christians.
CHAPTER VII
THE DOWNFALL OF LICINIUS
“God most High, we call upon Thee; Holy God, we call upon Thee.
We commend to Thee all justice; we commend to Thee our safety;
we commend to Thee our sovereignty. Through Thee we live;
through Thee we gain victory and happiness. Most High and Holy
God, hear our prayers. We stretch out our arms to Thee. Hear us,
Most High and Holy God.”