CASE 2-6 (Continued) Events that can give rise to recognition of revenue are: the completion of a sale; the performance of a service; the production of a standard interchangeable good with a guaranteed market, a determinable market value and only minor costs of marketing, such as precious metals and certain agricultural commodities; and the progress of a construction project, as in shipbuilding. The passing of time may be the "event" that establishes the recognition of revenue, as in the case of interest revenue or rental income. As a practical consideration, there must be a reasonable degree of certainty in measuring the amount of revenue recognized. Problems of measurement may arise in estimating the degree of completion of a contract, the net realizable value of a receivable or the value of a nonmonetary asset received in an exchange transaction. In some cases, while the revenue may be readily measured, it may be impossible to estimate reasonably the related expenses. In such instances revenue recognition must be deferred until proper periodic income measurement can be achieved through the matching process. (c)
No. The factor apparently relied upon by Sulu Associates is that revenue is recognized as the services giving rise to it are performed. The firm has completed the construction of the building, obtained financing for the project, and secured tenants for most of the space. Management of the project is yet to be rendered and Sulu did not accrue revenue for this service. However, another factor must be considered. Since the fee for Sulu's services has as its source the future profits of the project, on May 31, 2004 there is no way to measure objectively the amount of the fee. Setting the amount at the commercial value of the services might be a reasonable approach were it not for the contingent nature of the source of the fees. That an asset, contracts receivable, exists as a result of this activity is outweighed by the inability to measure it objectively. Revenue recognition at this time is unwarranted because of the contingent nature of the revenue and the likelihood of overstating the assets. Thus, revenue recognition at this point would not be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because revenue cannot be recognized, the related expenses should be deferred so that they can be amortized over the respective periods of revenue recognition. With a reasonable expectation of future benefit, the deferred costs conform to the accounting concept of assets.
CASE 2-7 (a) Some costs are recognized as expenses on the basis of a presumed direct association with specific revenue. This presumed direct association has been identified both as "associating cause and effect" and as the "matching concept." Direct cause-and-effect relationships can seldom be conclusively demonstrated, but many costs appear to be related to particular revenue, and recognizing them as expenses accompanies recognition of the revenue. Generally, the matching concept requires that the revenue recognized and the expenses incurred to produce the revenue be given concurrent periodic recognition in the accounting records. Only if effort is properly related to accomplishment will the results, called earnings, have useful significance concerning the efficient utilization of business resources. Thus, applying the matching principle is a recognition of the cause-and-effect relationship that exists between expense and revenue. Examples of expenses that are usually recognized by associating cause and effect are sales commissions, freight-out on merchandise sold, and cost of goods sold or services provided.
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