LECTURE 6: Accounting for Business Combination-Absorption of Companies


Objectives

At the end of this lecture you will be able to:
§  Explain the reasons for absorption in businesses
§  Describe the implication of absorption to a new business
§  Prepare books of accounts for the new business

Contents

§  Motives behind absorption of companies
§  Absorption a Practical illustration
§  Preparation of books of account of a vendor company
§  Preparation of Financial Statements of a new company after Absorption

1.1 Introduction

This topic has a relationship with amalgamation; because the two are under one umbrella of ‘business combination’. Meaning involving a joining force and enjoying a combination of two entities.
Where one company acquires the business of another then later company going into liquidation and its separate existence being terminated, the transaction is described as amalgamation by absorption. Usually the purchasing company acquires the whole undertaking i.e. he takes over the whole of the assets and also discharges the liabilities but in some cases only the assets are transferred and the liabilities being paid by the vendor company.
In absorption, one company will be purposely taken over completely by another company and it disappears completely. The shareholders are paid their cash and they leave the business. This is slightly different from amalgamation when two companies decide to join power, and they intentionally form another company, which is stronger than the two separate companies

1.2 Purchase Consideration on Absorption

A practical point which arises in absorption is that, the vendor company’s business may be a valuable one and the sale of it results in a profit to shareholders. Such profit may arises due to:
a) Higher price being paid for higher than the amount at which it stands in the market. (Goodwill)
b) Reserves being no longer required
c) The market value of the purchasing company shares being greater than their nominal value.
With the purchasing company however, different considerations arise and the shares issued in payment must be dealt with on the basis of their nominal value.
For example:  
If company X whose £1 shares stand at a premium, of 50tshs per share, purchases the undertaking of Company Y for Tshs150,000. Payable in fully paid 1000/= shares and the net assets acquired at tshs230,000. The purchasing company apparently makes a profit of Tshs. 80,000/= as it acquires assets worth that amount in excess of the purchase price. The real effect of the transaction is that Company X issues shares of the total nominal value of 150,000 at a premium of 80,000/= and the later amount must be credited to the premium on shares account.  The true intrinsic value of a share is not its nominal value but its market value. i.e the price a t which it may be bought or sold. And it will be seen that, the shareholders of the vendor company receive approximately the true value of the assets transferred.

1.3 Illustration:

Engineers Ltd Company agreed to acquire Goodwill and assets other than cash of Metals Ltd as at 31 January 2007. A summary of the statement of financial position of Metals Ltd in 2007 was as follows
Goodwill                                                                                 5,000,000
Land and Buildings                                                                  6,700,000
Inventory                                                                                10,400,000
Accounts Receivables                                                               3,800,000
Cash in hand                                                                            2,800,000
Assets total                                                                             89,000,000
Share capital of Tshs.1 fully paid for                                      50,000,000
General reserve                                                                       18,000,000
Profit and Loss                                                                         9,000,000
Accounts Payables                                                                    2,000,000
Total                                                                                        89,000,000

The consideration payable by engineers Ltd was agreed as follows:
(i)                 A cash payments equal to Tshs. 0.5 for every  Tshs. 1 ordinary share in Metal Ltd
(ii)               The issue of Tshs. 80,000 ordinary shares fully paid in Engineers Ltd having an agreed value of Tshs. 1.25 per share
(iii)             The issue of such an amount of fully paid 6% debentures to Engineers Ltd at Tshs. 96,000 as it is sufficient to be charged the 8% debentures  of Metal Ltd at Tshs. 120,000
(iv)             The liabilities of Metals Ltd other than debenture were discharged by that company
(v)               When computing the agreed consideration, the directors of Engineers valued Land, Buildings and Plant at Tshs. 115,000,000; Inventory at 9,000,000 and Accounts Receivables at the amount stated on the book value of Metals Ltd subject to an allowance of 5% to cove doubtful debts.
(vi)             On the sale of its Assets, Metals Ltd went into voluntary liquidation. The ordinary shareholders receiving cash and ordinary shares in Engineers Ltd as repayments of their capital in Metals Ltd.
Required:
a)      Prepare journal entries to record the acquisitions in the books of Engineers Ltd
b)      Close off the books of Metals Ltd

Solution
Calculation of Purchase Price                                          Tshs
Cash payments            Tshs.0.5 x 50,000,000                         . 25,000,000
Ordinary shares           Tshs. 1.00 (80,000,000 x 1.25/=)        100,000,000
6% Debentures            10,000,000/100 = 100 x120                   12,000,000
                                                                                                 137,000,000
Closing Entries in the books of Metals Ltd

Dr.
Cr.
Realisation account
        Goodwill
         Land, buildings and Plant
          Inventory
          Accounts receivables
86,200,000


5,000,000
67,000,000
7,400,000
3,800,000
Engineers Ltd
           Realisation
137,000,000

137,000,000
Bank
Ordinary Shares in Engineers Ltd
Debentures in Engineers Ltd
            Engineers Ltd
 25,000,000
100,000,000
 12,000,000



137,000,000
Accounts Payables
           Bank
2,000,000

2,000,000
Ordinary Share capital
General Reserve
Profit and Loss
Realisation
        Sundry Shareholders
50,000,000
18,000,000
48,000,000
  9,000,000





125,800,000
8% Debentures
Realisation
     Sundry Shareholders
10,000,000
  2,000,000


12,000,000
Sundry shareholders
        Ordinary shares in Engineers Ltd
           Bank
125,000,000

100,000,000
  25,000,000
Sundry debenture holders
        6% debentures in Engineers Ltd
12,000,000

12,000,000

Recording Acquisitions in the Books of Engineers Ltd

Dr
Cr
Goodwill
Land, buildings and Plant
Inventory
Accounts receivables
      Provision for doubtful debts
       Liquidators of Metals Ltd
   9,390,000
115,000,000
    9,000,000
    3,800,000





      190,000
137,000,000
Liquidators of Metals Ltd
Discounts on debentures
         6% Debentures
         Ordinary share capital
          Share Premium
           Bank
137,000,000
       500,000



12,500,000
80,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000

1.4 Summary of the Topic

In this topic we have explained the reasons for absorption in businesses, and the distinction between amalgamation and absorption. In absorption, one company dies completely but in amalgamation the new company will be formed and it will always have the owners of the liquidated company. The implication of absorption to a new business is the existence of one new business after it has totally taken over/buying the other business
The preparation of the books of accounts for the new business is similar to that one of amalgamation where a purchase consideration will be discussed and paid either in cash or in shares. There are reasons for absorption to both the seller and the purchasing company