Annual Report 2011 - Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

46 Mandarin Oriental International Limited
Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements
Estimates and judgements used in preparing the financial statements are continually evaluated and are based on
historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable.
The resulting accounting estimates will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and
assumptions that have a significant effect on the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities are discussed below:
A Impairment of assets
The Group tests annually whether goodwill and other assets that have indefinite useful lives suffered any impairment.
Other assets such as development costs are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount of an asset or
a cash generating unit is determined based on the higher of its fair value less cost to sell and its value in use, calculated
on the basis of management’s assumptions and estimates. Changing the key assumptions, including the discount
rates or the growth rate assumptions in the cash flow projections, could materially affect the value-in-use calculations.
B Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Management determines the estimated useful lives and related depreciation charges for the Group’s tangible fixed
assets. Management will revise the depreciation charge where useful lives are different to those previously estimated,
or it will write-off or write-down technically obsolete or non-strategic assets that have been abandoned.
C Income taxes
The Group is subject to income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgement is required in determining
the worldwide provision for income taxes. There are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax
determination is uncertain during the ordinary course of business. Where the final tax outcome of these matters is
different from the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the income tax and deferred tax
provisions in the period in which such determination is made.
Provision of deferred tax follows the way management expects to recover or settle the carrying amount of the
related assets or liabilities, which the management may expect to recover through use, sale or combination of both.
Accordingly, deferred tax will be calculated at income tax rate, capital gains tax rate or combination of both.
Recognition of deferred tax assets, which principally relate to tax losses, depends on the management’s expectation
of future taxable profit that will be available against which the tax losses can be utilized. The outcome of their actual
utilization may be different.