Final answer:
The question involves applying the dollar-value LIFO inventory method to adjust the year-end inventory for inflation, ensuring accurate valuation. It requires calculating the adjusted value of inventory considering changes in price levels to determine real changes in inventory quantity. Additionally, accounting profit is mentioned as a basic calculation of revenue minus expenses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the dollar-value LIFO (Last-In, First-Out) method, a technique used in accounting to value inventory and measure changes in the cost of products due to inflation. Under this method, a company measures and reports changes in the value of its inventory considering the price level changes. The inventory value at the beginning is given as $390,700 with a price level index of 100. By the end of the year, the inventory value is reported as $369,600 with a price level index of 112. To adjust the ending inventory to compare it fairly with the beginning inventory, we must account for the inflation using the given price indices. This involves converting the ending inventory value to the base year's price level.
To do this, we calculate the inflation-adjusted inventory value by dividing the December 31, 2020, inventory value by the price level index for that date (112) and then multiplying by the base price level index (100). This calculation adjusts the inventory value to reflect what it would have been in the base year, allowing a fair comparison to determine whether there has been a real increase or decrease in inventory quantity. Using this method ensures that the inventory valuation is not inflated merely due to increased prices, thereby providing a more accurate measure of inventory levels for financial reporting and analysis.
Accounting profit is another important concept in business, often calculated as sales revenue minus expenses. For instance, if a firm had sales revenue of $1 million and spent $600,000 on labor, $150,000 on capital, and $200,000 on materials, the firm's accounting profit would be $50,000, which is the remaining amount after subtracting total expenses from sales revenue.