Chapter 8
Investing Activities
8-13
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b. An investing firm consolidates the VIE when it absorbs the majority of the enti-
ty’s expected losses if they occur, receives a majority of the entity’s expected
residual returns if they occur, or both. The consolidating firm is labeled the pri-
mary beneficiary. The firm considers the rights and obligations conveyed by its
variable interests and the relationship of its variable interests to variable interest
held by other firms to determine whether it will absorb a majority of expected
losses, receive a majority of expected residual returns, or both. If one firm
absorbs a majority of the expected losses and another firm receives a majority
of the expected residual returns, the firm absorbing a majority of the losses con-
solidates the variable-interest entity.
c. Cost of goods sold for Molson Coors includes all costs that the firm incurred for
producing, bottling, and canning its beers. Although the firm performs most of
these services in-house, it does outsource some to the three consolidated VIEs.
However, the accounting that Molson Coors followed is not precise because the
amount credited to cost of goods sold for the VIEs is net of revenues and costs,
whereas the cost of goods sold incurred in-house only includes the costs of pro-
duction, bottling, and canning.
d. The parent does not always own 100% of the voting stock of a consolidated sub-
sidiary. Accountants refer to the owners of the remaining shares of voting stock
as the minority interest. These shareholders have a proportionate interest in the
net assets (total assets – total liabilities) of the subsidiary as shown in the subsid-
iary’s separate corporate records. The shareholders also have a proportionate in-
terest in the earnings of the subsidiary. The amount of the minority interest in the
subsidiary’s income results from multiplying the subsidiary’s net income by the
minority’s percentage of ownership. The consolidated income statement shows
the proportion of consolidated income applicable to the parent company (net in-
come before minority interest) and the proportion of the subsidiary’s income ap-
plicable to the minority interest (minority interest in earnings). Typically, the
minority interest in the subsidiary’s income appears as a subtraction in calculat-
ing consolidated net income.
e. If RMBC, RMMC, and Grolsch did not qualify as VIEs, GAAP would require
them to account for minority, active investments (generally those in which own-
ership is between 20% and 50%) using the equity method. Under the equity me-
thod, the firm owning shares in another firm recognizes as revenue (expense)
each period its share of the net income (loss) of the other firm. The line “Equity
Income from Affiliates” would include Molson Coors’ share of the earnings in
50%-owned affiliates. The firm would treat dividends received from the inves-
tee as a return of investment, not as income. The statement of cash flows would
report Equity Income from Affiliates as a deduction from operating cash flows,
net of any cash dividends received from the affiliates.