Chapter 1 Introduction to International Accounting

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following groups is a supranational organization?

A) United Nations
B) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
C) International Federation of Accountants
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 1

2. Determination of net present value involves:

A) forecasting future profits and cash flows.
B) discounting future cash flows back to their present value.
C) analysis on an after-tax basis.
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 1

3. International accounting can be defined in terms of which the

following levels?
A) Supranational organizations
B) Company
C) Country
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 1

4. The factor used to convert from one country's currency to another

country's currency
is called the:
A) Interest rate.
B) Cost of capital.
C) Exchange rate.
D) Strike price.
Answer: C Level: Easy LO: 2

5. What is the term used to describe the possibility that a foreign currency
will decrease
in US$ value over the life of an asset such as Accounts Receivable?
A) foreign exchange translation
B) foreign exchange risk
C) hedging
D) foreign currency options
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2

6. Foreign exchange risk arises when:

A) business transactions are denominated in foreign currencies.
B) sales are made to customers in a foreign country.
C) goods or services are purchased from suppliers in a foreign country.
D) accounting reports are prepared in a foreign currency.
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 2

7. As used in international accounting, a “hedge” is:

A) a business transaction made to reduce the exposure of foreign
exchange risk.
B) the legal barrier between the various divisions of a multinational
company.
C) the loss in US$ resulting from a decline in the value of the US$
relative to foreign currencies.
D) one form of foreign direct investment.
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 2

8. Purchasing an option to buy foreign currency at a predetermined

exchange rate in
order to reduce exchange risk is called:
A) transfer pricing.
B) hedging.
C) translating.
D) cross-listing.
Answer: B Level: Easy LO: 2

9. What term is used to describe the process of reducing foreign exchange

risk?
A) international accounting
B) exposure
C) hedging
D) harmonization
Answer: C Level: Easy LO: 2

10. The ownership and control of foreign assets such as a manufacturing

plant is called:
A) a hedge.
B) foreign direct investment.
C) exposure.
D) derivatives.
Answer: B Level: Easy LO: 3

11. What is a “greenfield” investment?

A) Farm land held for speculation
B) Foreign direct investment whereby a new facility is constructed abroad
C) Purchasing an existing facility as a foreign direct investment
D) A foreign investment that has been approved by the Environmental
Protection Agency
Answer: B Level: Easy LO: 3

12. Which of the following is an example of a greenfield investment?

A) Nike contracts with a footwear company in China to make athletic
shoes.
B) A Chinese oil company buys a U.S. oil company.
C) Toyota, a Japanese automaker, builds an assembly plant in Ohio.
D) Daimler, a German automaker, merges with Chrysler, a U.S.
automaker.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 3

13. Which of the following is a reason for foreign direct investment?

A) Reduce costs of doing business
B) Protect domestic markets
C) Protect foreign markets
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 3

14. A translation adjustment may be necessary when:

A) notes to financial statements are converted from one language to
another.
B) foreign currency financial statements are converted to another
currency.
C) consolidated financial statements are prepared.
D) hedging foreign currency.
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2, 3

15. What is “transfer pricing?”

A) The cost to convert from one country's GAAP to another country's
GAAP
B) The value of sales made in a foreign country
C) The method of recording transactions between divisions within the
same company
D) The taxes paid on sales in a foreign country
Answer: C Level: Easy LO: 3
16. ABCO Corporation has a parts division in country A. Its assembly
division is in country B, which has a higher tax rate than country A. To
minimize the corporation's overall income tax, how should ABCO set its
transfer prices between its parts and assembly divisions?
A) The parts division should sell parts to the assembly division at low
prices.
B) The parts division should sell parts to the assembly division at high
prices.
C) It doesn't matter what transfer price is used because the divisions are
part of the same company.
D) Transfer pricing has nothing to do with the total tax paid by the
corporation.
Answer: B Level: Hard LO: 3

17. What is the term used to refer to creating one set of financial
accounting standards
throughout the world?
A) GAAP
B) Transfer pricing
C) Consolidation
D) Harmonization
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 5

18. In 2006 the country with the largest amount of exports was:
A) the United States of America.
B) China.
C) Japan.
D) Germany.
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 6

19. The multinationality index (MNI) includes the following ratio:

A) foreign working capital to total working capital
B) foreign cash to total cash
C) foreign employment to total employment
D) foreign loans to total loans
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 6

20.The number of companies involved in international trade has grown

significantly in recent years. What percent of U.S. exporters are relatively
small (i.e. less than 500 employees)?
A) Less than 5%
B) 10%
C) 25%
D) more than 95%
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 6

21. What is the advantage of foreign direct investment?

A) Retain advantage over competition
B) Reducing transportation costs
C) Creating a company tailored to a foreign market's unique
characteristics
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 2

22. OECD is an important supranational entity. What do the letters

OECD stand for?
A) Organization of Electrical Companies Directorate
B) Oil Exporting Countries and Developers
C) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
D) Oil Exporting Corporations and Divisions
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 6

23. What percent of the 100 largest multinational companies are located
in the United States, Japan, or the European Union?
A) 29%
B) 62%
C) 75 %
D) 85%
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 6

24. What is the Euro-zone?

A) This is another term for the European Union.
B) The countries of the European Union that use the Euro as its currency.
C) This is Europe's sphere of political and economic influence.
D) The Euro-zone refers to the original 15 members of the European
Union.
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 6

25. Foreign companies whose stocks are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) must report their income in terms of:
A) International Accounting Standards.
B) the GAAP of their home country.
C) the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States.
D) All of the above.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 4
26. Which of the following is a reason a company might cross-list itself
on a foreign stock exchange?
A) It wants to hedge against currency fluctuations.
B) It is less expensive than listing itself solely on a domestic exchange.
C) It wants to obtain acquisition currency for acquiring a foreign
company.
D) It is a means of accomplishing foreign direct investment.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 4

27. What is KPMG?

A) It is a Dutch manufacturing company with plants in over 50 countries
worldwide.
B) It is an international public accounting firm.
C) It is the largest of the multinational corporations listed on the NYSE.
D) It is a governmental agency whose aim is promoting international
business.
Answer: B Level: Easy LO: 3, 4

28. Which of the following is true about foreign direct investment?

A) It is a means of reducing transportation costs.
B) Since the 1980's foreign direct investment has been relatively stable
worldwide.
C) Only very large corporations are undertaking foreign direct
investment.
D) Foreign direct investment refers only to the amount of money U.S.
corporations
put into non-U.S. businesses.
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 6

29. In 2004, the top corporation in terms of multinationality was

headquartered in which country?
A) The United States of America
B) The Netherlands
C) Canada
D) Germany
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 6

30. Why would a company want its stock cross-listed on the stock
exchanges of several countries?
A) To make financial reporting less burdensome for its accounting firm
B) In order to use International Financial Reporting Standards
C) To gain access to more financial resources than are available in its
home country
D) All of the above
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 4

31. Which functional areas are included in the study of international

accounting?
A) Financial reporting
B) Accounting information systems
C) Taxation
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 1

32. How should we recognize the difference between the value of a

receivable in a foreign currency at the time it was recorded and the time
the cash was received?
A) As an adjustment to stockholders' equity
B) As an adjustment to sales revenue
C) As an extraordinary gain or loss
D) As a prior period adjustment
Answer: A Level: Hard LO: 2

33. What currency is used in the United Kingdom?

A) Crown
B) Euro
C) Pound
D) UK dollar
Answer: C Level: Easy LO: 2

34. Which of these European countries does NOT use the Euro as its
domestic currency?
A) France
B) United Kingdom
C) Ireland
D) The Netherlands
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2

35. What term is used to describe combining the financial statements of

all subsidiaries,
both foreign and domestic, into the financial statements of the parent?
A) Harmonization
B) Hedging
C) Consolidation
D) Incorporation
Answer: C Level: Easy LO: 2

36. Which of the following statements is true about U.S. taxation of

foreign subsidiaries?
A) The U.S. does not tax income generated on subsidiaries incorporated
in foreign
countries.
B) U.S. multinationals pay tax on their worldwide income as soon as it is
earned.
C) Transfer pricing will eliminate taxes by the U.S. government on
multinational
corporations.
D) U.S. tax on foreign operations does not have to be paid until the
income is brought
back to the United States.
Answer: D Level: Hard LO: 2

37. Why is auditing a multinational corporation potentially more difficult

than auditing an
entity that has only domestic operations?
A) Language differences
B) Cultural differences
C) Multiple sets of accounting standards
D) All of the above
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 2, 5, 6

38. What is the entry point for most companies into the world of
international business?
A) Shanghai
B) exporting
C) foreign direct investment
D) cross-listing on international stock exchanges
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2

39. In terms of multinational corporation international trade and

investment, the United States, Japan, and the European Union are referred
to together as:
A) the G8.
B) the Commonwealth
C) the triad.
D) the OECD.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 6
40. Many countries have recently liberalized their investment laws. What
is the primary reason for these actions?
A) To make it more difficult for multinational companies to compete with
domestic
corporations
B) To encourage foreign direct investment
C) To enable funds to flow out of their country more easily
D) To make taxing foreign companies easier
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 3, 6

41. Multinational companies generate what share of the world's Gross

Domestic Product (GDP)?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 50%
D) 75%
Answer: A Level: Hard LO: 6

42. What group is primarily responsible for harmonization of accounting

standards?
A) Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
B) American Accounting Association (AAA)
C) International Federation of Accountants (IFA)
D) International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 5

43. Which of the following is an advantage of having a single set of

accounting standards
used worldwide?
A) Reduce the accounting costs for multinational corporations
B) Increase the power of the FASB
C) Reduce the number of multinational corporations on the NYSE
D) Increase the diversity of accounting methods used by multinational
corporations
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 5

44. What does “multinationality” mean?

A) How internationally widespread a company's investment and business
operations
are
B) The diversity of languages spoken at a company's headquarters
C) The number of stock exchanges where a company's shares are listed
D) None of the above
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 6

45. Assume that ABCO is a U.S. multinational corporation. Its foreign

subsidiaries must
report income in their respective countries according to GAAP in those
countries.
How must ABCO report its consolidated financial statements?
A) ABCO must choose any one country's accounting standards and
combine the
subsidiary reports into the parent company's statements using that one
country's
GAAP.
B) Since the company is operating in several different countries, the
International
Accounting Standards must be used for the consolidated financial
statements.
C) Since ABCO is a U.S. corporation, U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles
must be used for the consolidated financial statements.
D) On the consolidated financial statements, each subsidiary's financial
results must
be shown in the currency of the country where the subsidiary is located.
Answer: C Level: Hard LO: 5

46. For a U.S. multinational corporation, consolidating the financial

statements of foreign
subsidiaries requires two steps. First, the foreign subsidiary's statements
must be
restated according to U.S. GAAP. The next step is to:
A) convert the account balances into U.S. dollars.
B) determine the exchange rate gain or loss.
C) calculate the translation adjustment.
D) restate the income using international accounting standards.
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 2, 5

47. When setting transfer prices among international subsidiaries, the

corporation must:
A) make sure that the total tax is minimized.
B) ensure that the transfer prices are acceptable to the taxing authorities
in the
countries involved.
C) do whatever it takes to make taxes paid in the United States as low as
possible.
D) follow the transfer pricing policy used for domestic transfers.
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2

48. What is the primary provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act?
A) To specify which corrupt practices are acceptable under U.S. law
B) It prescribes how to account for bribes paid by U.S. corporations to
obtain
business from foreign governments.
C) It informs internal auditors how to detect fraud in multinational
corporations.
D) To prohibit U.S. companies from paying bribes to foreign government
officials to
obtain business
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 2

49. What is the primary objective of a company's performance evaluation

system?
A) To determine how much to pay executives in bonuses and other
compensation
B) To control decentralized operations
C) To control foreign subsidiaries
D) To assess the effect of foreign exchange rates on published financial
statements
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 2

50. What is the primary role of internal auditing in a multinational

corporation?
A) To assist the external auditors in completing the financial statement
audit in a
timely fashion
B) To make sure that employees comply with local customs and
traditions
C) To ensure that corporate policies and procedures are being followed
and to assess
operating efficiency
D) To prepare the consolidated financial statement of the corporation in
compliance
with international accounting standards
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 2
51. Which of the following statements is true about international transfer
pricing?
A) It is a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
B) It is accomplished using guidelines set up by the FASB.
C) It is used to minimize the amount of worldwide taxes.
D) Most countries do not regulate it.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 3

52. What percentage of world trade is represented by manufactured

products?
A) 70%
B) 35%
C) 19%
D) 90%
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 6

53. In 2005 the most popular location for inbound FDI among OECD
countries was:
A) France
B) China
C) the United Kingdom
D) Luxembourg
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: 6

54. XYZ Corporation, with a division located in Germany, must translate

its financial
statements from euros to U.S. dollars. What is the major issue involved in
translation?
A) Most accountants are not conversant in foreign currency exchange.
B) U.S. GAAP may differ from German GAAP.
C) The U.S. dollar has been steadily falling relative to the euro.
D) The resulting balance sheet may not balance.
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 2

55. The three most multinational U.S. companies in 2004 were AES
Corporation, Coca-Cola and:
A) General Electric.
B) McDonald’s.
C) International House of Pancakes.
D) Starbuck’s.
Answer: B Level: Medium LO: 6
56. What is the equivalent of U.S. balance sheet common stock on the
balance sheet of a British company?
A) Capital redemption reserve
B) Share premium account
C) Own shares held
D) Called-up share capital
Answer: D Level: Medium LO: 1

57. Which of the following is not a problem caused by accounting

diversity?
A) Lack of qualified international auditors
B) Preparation of consolidated financial statements
C) Access to foreign capital markets
D) Comparability of financial statements
Answer: A Level: Medium LO: 2

58. Differences in legal systems used in various countries have been cited
as one reason for diversity in accounting practice. What are the major
types of legal systems?
A) commercial law and accounting law
B) rules and regulations
C) written law and unwritten law
D) common law and code law
Answer: D Level: Easy LO: 3

59. The accounting standards in code law countries tend to be:

A) very detailed.
B) formulated by organizations such as the FASB.
C) stated broadly without much guidance on accounting procedures.
D) very conservative.
Answer: C Level: Medium LO: