Garrison 14th Edition Topic 2 Solutions (Garrison Chapter 1 and Appendix 2b)

1-1 Financial accounting is concerned with reporting financial information to external parties, such as stockholders, creditors, and regulators. Managerial accounting is concerned with providing information to managers for use within the organization. Financial accounting emphasizes the financial consequences of past transactions, objectivity and verifiability, precision, and companywide performance, whereas managerial accounting emphasizes decisions affecting the future, relevance, timeliness, and segment performance. Financial accounting is mandatory for external reports and it needs to comply with rules, such as generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and international financial reporting standards (IFRS), whereas managerial accounting is not mandatory and it does not need to comply with externally imposed rules.

1-3 The quantitative analysis would focus on determining the potential cost savings from buying the part rather than making it. The qualitative analysis would focus on broader issues such as strategy, risks, and corporate social responsibility. For example, if the part is critical to the organization’s strategy, it may continue making the part regardless of any potential cost savings from outsourcing. If the overseas supplier might create quality control problems that could threaten the end consumers’ welfare, then the risks of outsourcing may swamp any cost savings. Finally, from a social responsibility standpoint, a company may decide against outsourcing if it would result in layoffs at its domestic manufacturing facility.

1-8 Planning, controlling, and decision making must be performed within the context of a company’s strategy. For example, if a company that competes as a product leader plans to grow too quickly, it may diminish quality and threaten the company’s customer value proposition. A company that competes in terms of operational excellence would select control measures that focus on time-based performance, convenience, and cost. A...