Accounting Harnischfeger Corporation Case

From Financial Note 2, we know that, in 1984, the corporation had computed depreciation expenses on plants, machinery and equipment using straight-line method for financial reporting purpose. Prior to 1984, the corporation used principally accelerated methods for its U.S operating plants.The cumulative effect of this change, which was applied retroactively to all assets previously subjected to accelerated depreciation, increased net income for 1984 by $11.0 million or $0.93per common and common equivalent share. The impact of the new method on income for the year 1984 before the cumulative effect was insignificant.
Answer number 2: I can also identify changes is the following:
Changes in the sales calculation, by including the re-sales of products from Kobe Steel Ltd company in the Corporation sales
Changes in the depreciation method mentioned before
LIFO inventories liquidation boosted the net income by $2.4MM
The effect from changes in allowance for doubtful accounts
The funding of R&D expenses by Kobe Steel Ltd company
The restructure of the pension plan reducing the expenses by $4.0MM
I believe the net income could have been roughly around: $17.3MM Net Loss
Answer number 3: the reasons I think why management made this changes within the company are:
Some of the executive board members hold some shares of the corporation. Evidently, a better net income would have booted the price of share.
There was a 40% compensation opportunity for some on the most decision influence members by the end of the year in case of the company exceeds the expectation.
There are several requirements the company needs to meet in order to keep the three year loan agreement for its working