disclosed the following:
DISPOSITIONS
Last year, the Company sold certain assets and liabilities of the Lender’s Bagels
business to Aurora Foods Inc. for $275 million in cash. As a result of this transaction,
the Company recorded a pretax charge of $178.9 million ($119.3 million after tax or
$.29 per share). This charge included approximately $57 million for disposal of other
assets associated with the Lender’s business, which were not purchased by Aurora.
Disposal of these other assets was completed during the current year. The original
reserve of $57 million exceeded actual losses from asset sales and related disposal costs
by approximately $9 million. This amount was recorded as a credit to other income
(expense), net during the current year.
Required:
Explain how the Kellogg transactions described could be interpreted as an example of
earnings management.
Z Company has included in its consolidated financial statements this year a subsidiary
acquired several years ago that was appropriately excluded from consolidation last year.
This results in:A. An accounting change that should be reported prospectively.
B. A correction of an error.
C. An accounting change that should be reported by restating the financial statements of
all prior periods presented.
D. Neither an accounting change nor a correction of an error.