Kellogg Company and its subsidiaries are engaged in the manufacture and marketing of
ready-to-eat cereal and convenience foods. In its annual report to shareholders, Kellogg
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.
Hawk Corporation purchased 10,000 shares of Diamond Corporation stock in 2013 for
$50 per share and classified the investment as securities available for sale. Diamond’s
market value was $60 per share on December 31, 2014, and $65 on December 31, 2015.
During 2016, Hawk sold all of its Diamond stock at $70 per share. In its 2016 income
statement, Hawk would report:
a. A gain of $ 50,000.
b. A gain of $150,000.
c. A gain of $200,000
d. A gain of $300,000.