a goodwill write-off

English translation: accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	a goodwill write-off
Selected answer:	accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts
Entered by:	Dave Calderhead

15:58 Aug 28, 2006

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Management / merger

English term or phrase: a goodwill write-off

Vivendi Universal finished 2001 with 13.6 billion euros loss, the largest corporate loss in France’s history. Operating profits were positive, but Vivendi had to take a goodwill write-off of 15.2 billion euros reflecting the reduced value of many of its acquisitions. Investors were furious. In April 2002, a Bloomberg news report captured the strength of feeling against Messier’s strategy by quoting hapless Vivendi investor: “Messier hasn’t created anything since taking over…. He’s acted more as an investment banker than a merger.” In fact, Messier used to be a banker (at what is now Lazard LLC), and it’s fair to infer that his years of training on the other side of table influenced his deal-making decisions.

alen botica (X) KudoZ activity Questions: 150 (none open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 105
Local time: 21:36

accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts

Explanation:
goodwill being an amount exceeding the net asset value of an acquired company

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Note added at 7 mins (2006-08-28 16:05:35 GMT)
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in this case many acquisitions

Selected response from:

Dave Calderhead
Netherlands
Local time: 21:36

Grading comment

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

5 +4

accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts

Dave Calderhead

profit cancellation or loss realisation

zax

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts

Dave Calderhead
Netherlands
Local time: 21:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

11 mins confidence:

profit cancellation or loss realisation

Explanation:
due to reduced value of its acquisitions

zax
Local time: 15:36
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Arabic,

English

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a goodwill write-off

English translation: accounting for a loss by writing goodwill off the accounts

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