In your opinion, are CEO raises and pay levels justified? Are they “optimal”? How would you define an optimal pay package?
If you were part of management, what criteria would be included in your decision about share repurchases?
If you were CFO, would you consider such factors in which financial statement you place first in your 10-K? How would you determine the “geographical” position of your financial disclosures, including the note disclosures? Do you think it matters? If so, to whom and why?
If you were a research analysts on an earnings call, would you take part in the groveling? Why exactly? If you were the CFO on the call, would you purposely not take questions from “non-grovelers”?
Do you think that the proposed CHOICE act, if passed, would lead to an increase of financial fraud cases? Why or why not? If you were the CFO of a “smaller” company, would you still want your internal controls audited?
So Staples’ results were impacted by goodwill impairment and restructuring charges. What are the economic implications of these accounting charges? What are the recognition criteria for these accounting charges?
Does this issue (shortage of “technical accountants”) affect your career decision? Does this type of work appeal to you?
Does Snap’s share structure, in particular, no-voting rights, affect valuation of the stock? Why or why not?
Given the fast growth of “robo” investment advisers, is it worth a student’s time even to study so-called “financial statement analysis”?
Why shouldn’t firms be able to provide non-GAAP measures as long as they reconcile them to GAAP? Do you agree with the author’s opinion in the last sentence that criticizes the presentation of non-GAAP measures?
What are the costs of changing the threshold for a firm to have an audit of its internal control? What are the benefits? What do you think are some of the characteristics of firms that are more likely to have internal control weaknesses?
What is your opinion about the acting head of the SEC removing subpoena authority from some of the SEC’s senior enforcement officials? What to you perceive as being some of the potential benefits? Potential costs?
In its non-GAAP EPS, Allergan removed “more than half of all operating expenses,” according to the SEC. If the non-GAAP EPS is reconciled to the GAAP EPS, does it matter what or how much they removed? Why or why not?
How can a write-down on oil reserves be beneficial to Exxon’s executives (i.e., “bail them out”)? How would you determine if a probe into accounting practice were “politically motivated”?
What would be your next move if you were CEO at Wholefoods? Cutting prices to compete better and appeal to wider base squeezes margins. So . . . what would you do?
Facebook had an accounting change that resulted in a $900 million boost to earnings. The FASB now requires “excess tax benefits” from stock options to flow through the income statement, rather than APIC. Does the change improve financial reporting? How?
Do you think the disclosure requirement mandated by the SEC re: conflict minerals should be abandoned by the SEC? Why or why not? What are some of the unintended consequences of the rule?
In your opinion, should all shares of publicly traded companies have equal voting rights? Should all directors be voted on annually? Why do you think Google and other tech firms have dual class shares?
