LIFO and Statistical Sampling—A Case Study

Abstract

A growing number of case studies, describing the increasing number of applications of statistical sampling methods to accounting problems, have appeared in accounting literature. A substantial number, although not all, of these case studies have tended to emphasize the statistical aspects of the particular problem being described, at the neglect of accounting considerations. This is understandable in the sense that statistical techniques are relatively new to the accounting profession and new techniques, rather than the old, require exposition. However, the fruitful use of statistics in accounting requires full consideration of both statistical and accounting aspects of any particular problem. With this point of view, the following case study describing the statistical and accounting problems encountered in an adoption of the LIFO method of valuing inventory is presented.