금융상품에 대한 분류와 회계처리는 기업의 재무상태와 경영성과에 막대한 영향을 미친다. 그러나 회계교육 현장에서 금융자산의 회계처리는 대부분 분개에 대한 설명에 집중되어 금융자산의 중요성이나 경제적 영향에 대해 실감하지 못하는 경우가 많다. 본 사례는 중급회계 정도의 회계지식을 갖춘 학생을 대상으로 금융자산의 회계처리 방법의 중요성과 재무제표에 미치는 영향에 대한 이해를 돕도록 작성되었다.
한편 2011년 전면 도입한 한국채택국제회계기준(K-IFRS)은 원칙중심의 회계기준으로서 영업이익에 대해서도 개별적인 정의를 따로 하지 않고 기업이 경제적 실질을 가장 잘 반영하는 방안을 택할 수 있도록 재량권을 확대하였다. 그런데 2012년 한국은 다시 과거 K-GAAP에서 사용하던 영업이익에 대한 규정을 재도입하게 되었다. 본 사례를 통하여 이러한 현상이 나타나게 된 원인에 대하여 직접 확인함으로써 회계규정이 실제 적용될 때 나타나게 될 수 있는 부작용과 이러한 문제를 극복하기 위한 방안에 대하여 생각해 보기로 한다.
2011년 1분기 이익 발표에서 ㈜선광은 매출액의 두 배가 넘는 영업이익을 보고하였다. 이러한 이례적인 현상이 나타나게 된 것은 선광의 1) 금융자산 회계처리와 2) 영업이익의 자의적 구분 때문이었다. 선광은 자회사인 화인캐피탈에 대한 지분을 ‘매도가능금융자산’에서 ‘지분법적용투자주식’으로 재분류하였다. 이 과정에서 기존에 발생했던 평가차익이 일시에 손익계산서에 반영되었다. 당시 K-IFRS에서는 영업이익에 대한 규정이 따로 없었기에, 선광은 평가차익을 기타수익이 아닌 영업이익으로 분류하였고 그 결과 매출액을 두 배나 초과하는 영업이익을 보고하게 되었다. 이후 2012년 K-IFRS 재개정으로 인하여, 선광은 2011년의 과도한 영업이익을 수정하였다.
본 사례는 선광의 화인캐피탈 지분 회계처리에 대한 사례로서 금융자산의 최초 분류와 회계처리, 공정가치 변동에 따른 후속 인식 및 지분법적용투자주식으로의 재분류과정을 다루고 있다. 특히 선광이 화인캐피탈 지분에 대한 회계처리로 원가법, 공정가치법, 지분법을 차례로 적용하였기에, 각 회계처리에 따라 선광의 재무제표에 미치는 영향을 비교하여 분석함으로써 금융자산 회계처리의 중요성에 대해 학습할 수 있을 것이다. 또한 영업이익의 자의적 구분에 대한 K-IFRS 재개정의 경제적 효과를 실제 사례에서 살펴보고 학습할 수 있는 기회를 제공함으로써, 원칙중심의 회계처리가 가질 수 있는 장단점에 대하여 살펴보고, 회계규정의 제정이 논리적인 연역적 과정 뿐 아니라 실제 현실을 반영하는 과정을 거친다는 것을 확인케 한다. 그리고 회계 학습자들에게 회사의 회계처리가 기계적인 과정이 아니라 회계 규정의 범위 안에서 체계적인 회사의 결정을 반영하고 있는 것임을 확인시키고, 새로운 회계제도 도입이 자동적으로 회계품질 향상을 보장하지 않으며 법적환경이나 정보에 대한 수요와 같은 환경적 요인에 영향을 받음을 일깨운다.
Several articles argue that the discretionary evaluation for financial instruments at fair value is one of the reasons for sub-prime mortgage crisis. Since fair value of financial instrument is highly fluctuated, its effect on fim’s financial position and performance can be substantial. Therefore, demanders and suppliers for accounting information should deeply understand the accounting method for financial instruments and its economic effect on financial statements.
However, studies on financial instruments in academic areas mostly focus on the techniques for book-keeping. Therefore, students have the sparse opportunity to study the importance of financial instruments and their economic consequences on financial statements. The purpose of the case is to enable students who have intermediate-level accounting knowledge to understand financial instruments; especially, the accounting method for equity investments and its effect on financial statements. Furthermore, this case provides educational opportunity for improving an ability to choose which accounting method is the best way in reflecting an economic substance of certain transaction among its alternatives. This ability of the choice becomes more important under K-IFRS which emphasizes on principals rather than rules.
Under K-IFRS, firms do not have specific rules on reporting operating income in the Income Statements because K-IFRS emphasizes the discretion of managers. However, in 2012, K-IFRS established the rules for recognizing operating income following the definition of prior K-GAAP. This case analyzes the reasons for this revision of K-IFRS and raises several issues regarding the application of new rules to real situations.
In the earnings announcement of the first quarter in 2011, Sunkwang Co. reported an operating income of more than twice its sales. This exceptional situation results from the accounting method of Sunkwang for financial instruments and from the discretionary definition of operating income. In 2011, as the voting right of Sunkwang in Fine Partner co. increased, Sunkwang reclassified the equity investments in Fine Partner co. from ‘Available-for-sale equity’ to ‘Investment in equity’. In the course of this reclassification, Sunkwang realized unrecognized gains from the increase in fair value, following the rule of reclassification adjustments. Moreover, the firm included the realized gain from fair value adjustment in the calculation of operating income, which firms can discretionarily define under K-IFRS. Accordingly, the firm earned an exceptionally high operating income in 2011. In year 2012, Sunkwang reduced its operating income of 2011 following the revision of K-IFRS.
This case deals with the definition, initial recognition, fair value adjustment, and reclassification adjustment of financial instruments based on the equity investments of Sunkwang. As Sunkwang applied three accounting methods for the equity investment of Fine Partners, which were the Cost, Fair value, and Equity method, this case analyzes how each accounting method differently influences financial statements. In addition, this case provides an opportunity to study the economic impacts of K-IFRS revision with regard to the definition and disclosure of operating income.
Based on these points, students can learn the advantages and disadvantages of principal-based accounting compared to rule-based accounting and can recognize the fact that accounting rules have to consider not only theoretically deductive reasoning but also political reasoning, which captures the characteristics of the real world. Also, this case can teach students that a firm’s accounting practices can reflect strategic management decisions beyond simple and mechanical book-keeping processes. Furthermore, this case shows that new rules do not always improve accounting quality. Accounting environments in a country can be an important factor that determines the effectiveness of new rules on accounting quality.
This case has several contributions. First, this case supports the empirical results in the previous literature about accounting method for financial instruments. The prior researches document that Fair value accounting provides more value relevant information than Cost method. (Ahmed and Takeda 1995; Barth 1994; Barth et al. 1996; Eccher et al. 1996; Nelson 1996; Venkatachalam 1996; Graham et al. 2003; Song 2012). However, firm’s managers have a demand for manipulating their earnings by using recongnition of financial instruments which are reported at fair value (Wyatt 1991) and this type of earnings management has low detection risk in audit process (Kwon et al. 1998; Song 2012; etc.). This case helps to easily understand the previous findings by showing an impact of accounting method of financial instrument on reported earnings. Second, this case confirms that definition of operating income can affect financial statement and market participants’ behavior. Firm’s manager want to affect investor’s decision by discretionary classification of operating income (Kinney and Trezevant 1997; Bradshaw and Sloan 2002). Under K-IFRS before 2012, firms do not have specific rules on reporting operating income in the Income Statements. As a result, comparability of financial statements is declined and classification of operating income is used for earnings manipulation (Kim and Cheon 2012; Moon 2013). This case provides a practical evidence for the previous empirical findings. Finally, this case provides several implications for regulators. The regulators should pay attention to firm’s accounting method and evaluation for financial instruments to avoid the firm’s earnings management related with financial instruments. Also, the regulators need a research for accounting standards that allow firm’s discretions for better reflecting an economic substance as well as protect investors from firm’s manipulation. In addition, the regulators need strong monitoring in order to encourage companies to establish a good governance and auditors to provide high quality of audit.