商誉及其摊销：规则与现实.docVIP

伯克希尔·哈撒韦有限公司　　Goodwill and its Amortization: The Rules and The Realities　　商誉及其摊销：规则与现实　　?　　?　　?　　This appendix deals only with economic and accounting Goodwill – not the goodwill of everyday usage. For example, a business may be well liked, even loved, by most of its customers but possess no economic goodwill. (ATT, before the breakup, was generally well thought of, but possessed not a dime of economic Goodwill.) And, regrettably, a business may be disliked by its customers but possess substantial, and growing, economic Goodwill. So, just for the moment, forget emotions and focus only on economics and accounting.　　?　　这篇附录探讨的只是经济和会计商誉，而不是日常所说的声誉。比如，一个公司可能被大多数客户喜欢，甚至热爱，但是却不具有任何经济商誉。（ATT在分拆前总的来说声誉很好，但没有一分钱的经济商誉。）遗憾的是，一个公司可能被其客户所不喜欢，但却具有大量，而且不断增长的经济商誉。所以，就目前而言，让我们先忘掉感情，只关注于经济和会计。　　?　　When a business is purchased, accounting principles require that the purchase price first be assigned to the fair value of the identifiable assets that are acquired. Frequently the sum of the fair values put on the assets (after the deduction of liabilities) is less than the total purchase price of the business. In that case, the difference is assigned to an asset account entitled excess of cost over equity in net assets acquired. To avoid constant repetition of this mouthful, we will substitute Goodwill.　　?　　当一个公司被并购时，会计准则要求并购价格首先分配给所并购的可确认资产的公允价值。资产的公允价值总和（经过扣除负债后）经常是少于公司的并购总价格。在这种情况，这两者的差异就被分配到一个资产帐户，称为“超出并购的净资产权益的额外成本”。为了避免不断的重复这一很长的说法，我们将用“商誉”来替代之。　　?　　Accounting Goodwill arising from businesses purchased before November 1970 has a special standing. Except under rare circumstances, it can remain an asset on the balance sheet as long as the business bought is retained. That means no amortization charges to gradually extinguish that asset need be made against earnings.　　?　　在1970年11月前购买公司所产生的商誉有不同的处理。除非在极少的情况下，只要仍然持有所购买的公司，商誉就可以存在于资产负债表上。这意味着不需针对盈利核算摊销费用而逐渐削减这项资产。　　?　　The case is different, however, with purchases made from November 1970 on. When these create Goodwill, i