Prepare a report (4-6 pages) that analyzes aspects of a potential partnership arrangement.

Introduction

In this assessment, you will investigate aspects of partnership formation, operation, and termination, as well as certain elements of the Securities and Exchange Commission's reporting requirements pertaining to corporations.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Apply advanced accounting techniques to organizational situations.
  • Create a schedule showing how a partnership income would be allocated to each of the partners using interest allowances and salary allowances.
  • Create a schedule showing how a partnership loss would be allocated to each of the two partners to make loss-sharing as fair as possible.
  • Discuss how the Securities and Exchange Commission's segment reporting requirements apply to corporations.
• Competency 4: Apply quantitative models to create and manage budgets and forecasts and evaluate budget performance.
  • Create a schedule that shows how partnership assets would be allocated in the event of a liquidation.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.
  • Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

Scenario

A client of yours is considering going into a partnership with a business associate. The partnership would own a retail gourmet ice cream shop. Your client anticipates investing $150,000 and working ten hours a week. His business associate will invest $50,000 and work forty hours a week. Your client has requested your informed perspective on a number of items before he commits to the business partnership.

Your Role

You are a self-employed accountant.

Requirements

Your client has requested the following be included in a report (4–6 pages) that he can study while considering how to approach this business opportunity:

1. Your client does not think that splitting the partnership income 50-50 will be fair to either partner. He has asked you to recommend clauses in the partnership agreement that stipulate partnership income and loss allocations.
   • Create a recommended income allocation schedule using interest allowances at 10 percent a year and salary allowances at $25 an hour. For the sake of example, assume partnership income of $100,000.
   • Create a recommended loss allocation schedule. For the sake of example, assume partnership losses of $40,000.
2. Your client would also like you to create a schedule that shows what happens if this partnership is successful and the two partners agree to sell the company in 10 years.
   • For the sake of this calculation, pretend that the partnership's assets in 10 years are $900,000, liabilities are $200,000, your client's capital is $400,000 and his associate's capital is $300,000.
   • Pretend that the partnership assets are sold for $1,200,000, and the liabilities are settled for the existing value of $200,000.
3. The company's flagship location would be in Buffalo, New York, but the potential partners have already discussed opening additional locations in Toronto, Canada. The client knows that as a partnership they would not have to meet the Securities and Exchange Commission's segment reporting requirements, but the client wants to know what happens if they reorganize as a corporation when they move into the Canadian market. Discuss how the Securities and Exchange Commission's segment reporting requirements apply to corporations.

Deliverable Format

Since you plan to deliver this report to a paying client, you want this document to be clear, well-organized, and readable. You decide that the report should be 4–6 pages so that you have enough space to respond to your client's concerns and provide some scholarly and/or professional context.

• Communication: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the needs and expectations of your client. Professional standards dictate that your work be original and free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Your report is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines, including single-spaced paragraphs.
• Resources: At least three resources that are scholarly and/or professional. So that your client may locate more information about partnership operation and SEC corporate reporting requirements, include a reference page at the end of your report.
• Report length: Minimum of 4–6 pages, not including reference pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 pt.

Faculty will use the scoring guide to review your deliverable as if she or he were your client. Review the scoring guide prior to developing and submitting your assessment.