RE:Obligations come in many formsGood thought provoking post Zimmer...as for the accounting questions...
1. remuneration paid in the period, usually a month, is considered an expense and recorded on the income statement.
2. If the remuneration is payable in the period but not paid for some reason, then it becomes a payable or liability...could be called a debt.
3. Is a liability a debt? Just remember the basic accounting equation....asset = liabilities plus owners equity. Yes a libility is a debt in that it is something that a company owes..
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In financial accounting, a liability is definedas an obligation of an entity arising from past transactions or events, the settlement of which may result in the transfer or use of assets, provision of services or other yielding of economic benefits in the future.
"A reader could conclude that Bonus = Liability = Debt. A=B=C. Is debt bad? No, it's a part of every companies balance sheet."
Not quite right but on the right track.......A bonus would be considered an expense if paid in the current period and recorded on the income statement (IS). IS is a seperate ledger from the balance sheet that records the Income and expenses of the firm for a given period. The net of Income and expenses is called the Retained Earnings and appears on the balance sheet as owners equity.(or loss).
BTW this is elementary accounting that they likely teach in high school these days.
Are we sure that the shares that Charar received have a 4month hold?
In any event it makes one wonder if Charar took the shares because he is aware of a cash shortage and if he personally still believes that ZEN will eventually get teh metallurgy figured out. In their conversations with SGS they obviously must believe that there are other things they can try to achieve the purity that customers demand. The last resort could be using acid....but I am no metallurgist so thsi is just a guess.
jimmer10 wrote: What is a bonus? If your employer tells you are entitled to a bonus based on certain milestones in you employment agreement; and you achieve them, is an organization obligated to pay the bonus? If it was a period end, how would an accountant record that on the financials? Asset? Maybe a liability? Probably. Is a liability a debt? If you are not sure, the CICA handbook is a good start, or some online documentation on accounting.
Now, the organization has a conversation with you and asks if you would like the bonus in cash or shares? What if you say shares? Ok, now to issue shares from the treasury, the organization needs approval from the TSX. Do they, A) apply Policy 4.3 Shares for Debt, or B) apply Policy X.X Shares for Employee Bonus, or C) other?
A reader could conclude that Bonus = Liability = Debt. A=B=C. Is debt bad? No, it's a part of every companies balance sheet.
The big question is why a bonus in shares and not cash? From an organization's perspective, this could be interpreted as they are preserving cash for liabilities to 3rd party organizations that normally do not exchange shares for service (i.e. RPA, SGS). The other perspective is that they are as "broke as a joke". Both perspectives equally plausible.
As an employee, you are typically out to protect your own self interests. If you are working for an organization and they approach you with the option to take shares (4 month hold) in lieu of cash payment, what would you do? Is cash today worth more than the shares will be in 4 months? Or will the shares be worth more? Are you concerned that the company won't be able to even make your monthly salary? What would you do if you worked for a cash-strapped company with a suspect future? Quit? Stay to the bitter end? Other?
Only thing we know is that Chahar chose to take shares (with a 4 month hold) in lieu of cash as a bonus.