Required:
a. Discuss the role that managerial intention plays in the accounting treatment of equity securities that have a readily determinable fair value under SFAS No. 115.
b. What income statement effect. If any, would the change in classification have for Qtip?
c. Discuss the ethical considerations of this case.
d. Opponents of SFAS No.115 contend that allowing a change in classification masks effects of unrealized losses and results in improper matching of market-value change with accounting periods. Describe how the accounting treatment and the proposed change in classification would result in this sort of mismatching.