Ch 2 Consolidation: Business Combination Flashcards
Consolidated financial statements
Financial statements that represent more than one corporation
Business combination
Separate organizations tied together through common control
Subsidiaries
Companies controlled by parent corporation
What is the usual condition for controlling financial interest?
Ownership of majority voting interest
How can the power of control exist with lesser percentage of ownership? 3 possible
1 governance contracts
2 leases
3 agreement with other stockholders
Purchase and pooling interest methods after 2009
No longer allowed except in the footnotes
Acquisition method required instead
What was the number and value of mergers and acquisitions globally in 2012?
2) value in the US
42,000 for value of $2.6 trillion
2) $773 billion in US
Business combinations can be part of an overall managerial strategy to…
Maximize shareholder value
Business combinations: increase scale to produce larger profits
Coordinating business lines (raw materials, manufacturing, delivery)
Significant cost savings can occur
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: vertical integration of one firm’s output and another firm’s…
Distribution or further processing
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: cost savings through…
Elimination of duplicate facilities and staff
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: quick entry for new and existing…
Products into domestic and foreign markets
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: greater efficiency and negotiating power due to…
Economies of scale
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: ability to access…
Financing at more attractive rates
In terms of obtaining financing, as firm size increases…
Negotiating power with financial institutions can also increase
characteristic business combinations may share to increase profitability: diversification of…
Business risk
Business combination also occur because many firms seek continuous…
Expansion of their organizations, often into diversified areas
Expansion of organizations into diversified areas allows for entry of parent into new industries without having to do 4 things?
1 construct facilities
2 develop products
3 train management
4 create market recognition
The primary motivation for many business combinations can be traced to…
An increasingly competitive environment
Motivation for Campbell soup to acquire bolt house Farms
Acquisition positions Campbell into rapidly growing market of
Healthy packaged fresh foods
Motivation for Microsoft to acquire Skype
Expansion into internet consumer market designed to increase
Accessibility of realtime video and voice communications
3 motivations for Duke Energy’s acquisition of Progress Energy
1 With falling demand for energy, utilities companies are turning
To consolidations for cost saving
2 rising cost with compliance Regulation
3 spread fixed costs over larger asset platform
When does the consolidation of financial information into a single set of statements become necessary?
When business combination of 2 or more companies creates
single economic entity
Consolidated statements are necessary for fair presentation of financial information when one or more entities in consolidated group…
Directly or indirectly has controlling interest in the other entities
What 3 questions explain the process of preparing consolidated financial statements for a business combination?
1 how is a business combination formed?
2 what constitutes a controlling financial interest?
3 how is the consolidation process carried out?
Business combination refers to a transaction or other event in which an acquirer obtains…
Control over 1 or more businesses
Statutory merger
Business combination in which only one of the original companies continues to exist
Statutory merger through a share acquisition: what’s required? 2 things
1 100% control of all shares, target corp is given cash, liabilities
stock and other assets as compensation (combination)
2 Dissolve target corporation
How does a statutory merger occur with asset acquisition?
Acquirer obtains assets, liabilities or some stock (combination)
Target company is dissolved
Statutory consolidation
2 or more companies transfer either their assets or capital stock
To a newly formed corporation
Both original companies are dissolved leaving only new
organization in existence
Business combination: one company achieves legal control over another by acquiring a majority of voting stock,
describe control and existence of entities.
Although control is present, no dissolution takes place
Each company remains in existence as an incorporated operation
Maintaining an independent information system for a subsidiary often…
Often enhances its market value for an eventual sale or IPO
Business combination: one company achieves legal control over another by acquiring a majority of voting stock
How is this accounted for by the parent? By the target?
Acquiring company enters takeover into its own records
establishing a single investment asset account
Target corp omits any recording of this event
VIE
Variable interest entity
Control of variable interest entity (VIE)
Control is exercised through contractual arrangements with
sponsoring firm
VIE: sponsoring firm
Sponsoring firm technically may not own VIE, becomes its primary
Beneficiary with rights to its residual profits
Variable interest entity VIE: form of contracts to rights to residual profits, 4 things
1 leases
2 participation rights
3 guarantees
4 other interests
Why is past use of VIEs criticized 2
1 Provide sponsoring firms with off balance sheet financing
2 questionable profits on sales to VIEs
VIEs: Current GAAP expands notion of control and thus requires…
Consolidation of VIEs by their primary beneficiary
Type of Combination: statutory merger through asset acquisition
1 action of acquiring company
2 action of acquired company
1 acquiring company acquires assets and often liabilities
2 target company dissolves and goes out of business
Type of Combination: statutory merger through capital stock acquisition
1 action of acquiring company
2 action of acquired company
1 acquirer acquires all stock and then transfers assets and
liabilities to its own books
2 target dissolves as separate corporation, often remaining
As division of acquiring company
Type of Combination: Acquisition of more than 50% of voting stock
1 action of acquiring company
2 action of acquired company
1 acquirer acquires stock that is recorded as an investment;
Controls decision making of acquired company
2 target remains in existence as legal corp. although now
subsidiary of acquirer
Type of Combination: control through ownership of variable interests
1 action of acquiring company
2 action of acquired company
1 acquirer establishes contractual control over a variable interest
Entity to engage in a specific activity
2 target remains in existence as separate legal entity (often a trust
Or partnership)
In the business combination where control through ownership of variable interests risks and rewards often flow to…
A sponsoring firm that may or may not hold equity shares
How is control of one firm by another most often achieved?
Through acquisition of voting shares
By exercising majority voting power, one firm can literally dictate… 2 things
Financing and operating activities of another firm
Control
Direct or indirect ability to determine the direction of management
And policies through ownership, contract or otherwise
Several parties may participate in directing the activities of another entity in order to what?
Reduce their risk
Ex, parent with majority ownership may grant certain decision rights to no controlling shareholders in exchange for economic support
When one company gains control over another…
A business combination is established
3 objectives of consolidation, to report for the combined entities:
1 financial position
2 results of operations
3 cash flows
As part of the process of consolidation reciprocal accounts and intra entity transactions must be…
Adjusted or eliminated to ensure that all reported balances truly
Represent the single entiy
For a statutory merger or a statutory consolidation, when the acquired company (companies) are legally dissolved…
Only once accounting consolidation ever occurs
For a statutory merger or statutory consolidation, after the balances have been transferred to the survivor, what happens to the financial records of the target corp?
Financial records are permanently closed out as part of dissolution
In a combination when all companies retain incorporation, what set of consolidation procedures are appropriate?
Each corporation continues to maintain its accounting records
No permanent consolidation of account balances is ever made
Consolidation must be carried out each time entity files financials
When separate record keeping is maintained, what is the unique problem faced by the accountant?
Financial info must be brought together periodically without
Disturbing the accounting systems of individual companies
Financial info must be brought together periodically without
Disturbing the accounting systems of individual companies. How is this process expedited?
Use of worksheets to organize and adjust information
Legal characteristics of business combination have significant impact on…
Approach taken in consolidation process
What is to be consolidated if dissolution takes place?
appropriate account balances are physically consolidated in
surviving company’s financials
What is to be consolidated if separate incorporation is maintained
Only financial statement info (not actual records) is consolidated