Chapter 6: Accounting for Merchandising Operations Instructor’s Manual, p. 2
merchandise inventory, management must forecast its future cash needs and arrange for
borrowing as needed during the nancing period, which is the period of time from the
purchase of inventory until it is ultimately sold and payment is collected, less the amount of
time creditors give the company to pay for the inventory.
Most large companies and many small companies engage in international transactions.
When a transaction involves two di6erent currencies, one currency has to be stated in terms
of the other. When a company engages in a transaction in a foreign currency, an exchange
gain or loss will occur if there is a change in the exchange rate between the date of sale and
the date of payment.
Relevant Examples and Exhibits
Exhibit 12 Cash Flows in the Operating Cycle
Exhibit 13 The Financing Period
Teaching Strategy
Ask students to give examples of service businesses and merchandising businesses. Use
Exhibit 12 to lead students through the operating cycle and Exhibit 13 to discuss the
+nancing period. Short Exercise 10 will help students understand the major issues presented
in this section.
Discuss with students that most businesses engage in international transactions. Go through
the examples in the textbook to show how exchange rate di6erences occur and how a gain
or loss related to exchange rates are calculated.
Student Engagement Tactics
1. Divide the students into teams of three and have them go to a retail business, such
as a bookstore, clothing shop, gift shop, grocery store, hardware store or car
dealership, in your local shopping area or a shopping mall. Have them ask to speak to
someone who is knowledgeable about the store’s inventory methods.
2. Have each team of students determine the following:
Merchandise Accounting: Is the company part of a chain or is it a small business?
Does the company sell only merchandise or a combination of merchandise and
services? How are sales recorded? Does the company sell on credit? If so, who
decides who gets credit and what are the typical terms? Does the company buy
merchandise or in the case of a chain, does it order merchandise? If it purchases
merchandise, how are purchases recorded?
Inventory Systems: How is each item of inventory identi+ed? Does the business
have a computerized or manual inventory system? Which inventory system,
periodic or perpetual, is used? How often do employees take a physical inventory?
What procedures are followed in taking a physical inventory? What kinds of
inventory reports are prepared or received?
3. Go over the activity in class to make sure students understand what is required.
Preparation is essential so that the store manager’s time is not wasted. This brie+ng
should include the following:
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