Vestand Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2024. As discussed in the section titled “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2024.

Overview of Yoshiharu

Yoshiharu is a fast-growing Japanese restaurant operator and was borne out of the idea of introducing the modernized Japanese dining experience to customers all over the world. Specializing in Japanese ramen, Yoshiharu gained recognition as a leading ramen restaurant in Southern California within six months of our 2016 debut and has continued to expand our top-notch restaurant service across Southern California, currently owning and operating 15 restaurant stores with an additional 2 restaurant stores under construction/development/acquisition as of March 31, 2025.

We take pride in our warm, hearty, smooth, and rich bone broth, which is slowly boiled for over 12 hours. Customers can taste and experience supreme quality and deep flavors. Combining the broth with the fresh, savory, and highest-quality ingredients, Yoshiharu serves the perfect, ideal ramen, as well as offers customers a wide variety of sushi rolls, bento menu and other favorite Japanese cuisine. Our acclaimed signature Tonkotsu Black Ramen has become a customer favorite with its slow cooked pork bone broth and freshly made, tender chashu (braised pork belly).

Our mission is to bring our Japanese ramen and cuisine to the mainstream, by providing a meal that customers find comforting. Since the inception of the business, we have been making our own ramen broth and other key ingredients such as pork chashu and flavored eggs from scratch, whereby upholding the quality and taste of our foods, including the signature texture and deep, rich flavor of our handcrafted broth. Moreover, we believe that slowly cooking the bone broth makes it high in collagen and rich in nutrients. Yoshiharu also strives to present food that is not only healthy, but also affordable. We feed, entertain and delight our customers, with our active kitchens and bustling dining rooms providing happy hours, student and senior discounts, and special holiday events. As a result of our vision, customers can comfortably enjoy our food in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

We operate in a large and rapidly growing market. We believe the consumer appetite for Asian cuisine is widespread across many demographics and grants us the opportunity to expand in both existing and new U.S. markets, as well as internationally.

Our Growth Strategies

Pursue New Restaurant Development.

We have pursued a disciplined new corporate owned growth strategy. Having expanded our concept and operating model across varying restaurant sizes and geographies, we plan to leverage our expertise opening new restaurants to fill in existing markets and expand into new geographies. While we currently aim to achieve in excess of 100% annual unit growth rate over the next three to five years, we cannot predict the time period of which we can achieve any level of restaurant growth or whether we will achieve this level of growth at all. Our ability to achieve new restaurant growth is impacted by a number of risks and uncertainties beyond our control, including but not limited to landlord delays; competition in existing and new markets, including competition for restaurant sites; and the lack of development and overall decrease in commercial real estate due to macroeconomic decline. We believe there is a significant opportunity to employ this strategy to open additional restaurants in our existing markets and in new markets with similar demographics and retail environments.

Deliver Consistent Comparable Restaurant Sales Growth.

We have achieved positive comparable restaurant sales growth in recent periods. We believe we will be able to generate future comparable restaurant sales growth by growing traffic through increased brand awareness, consistent delivery of a satisfying dining experience, new menu offerings, and restaurant renovations. We will continue to manage our menu and pricing as part of our overall strategy to drive traffic and increase average check. We are also exploring initiatives to grow sales of alcoholic beverages at our restaurants, including the potential of a larger format restaurant with a sake bar concept. In addition to the strategies stated above, we expect to initiate sales of franchises in 2025.

Increase Profitability.

We have invested in our infrastructure and personnel, which we believe positions us to continue to scale our business operations. As we continue to grow, we expect to drive higher profitability both at a restaurant-level and corporate-level by taking advantage of our increasing buying power with suppliers and leveraging our existing support infrastructure. Additionally, we believe we will be able to optimize labor costs at existing restaurants as our restaurant base matures and AUV’s increase. We believe that as our restaurant base grows, our general and administrative costs will increase at a slower rate than our sales.

Heighten Brand Awareness.

We intend to continue to pursue targeted local marketing efforts and plan to increase our investment in advertising. We also are exploring the development of instant ramen noodles which we would distribute through retail channels. We intend to explore partnerships with grocery retailers to provide small-format Yoshiharu kiosks in stores to promote a limited selection of Yoshiharu cuisine.

Experienced Management Team Dedicated to Growth.

Our team is led by experienced and passionate senior management who are committed to our mission. We are led by our Chief Executive Officer, James Chae. Mr. Chae founded Yoshiharu in 2016 and leads a team of talented professionals with deep financial, operational, culinary, and real estate experience.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenues. Revenues represent sales of food and beverages in restaurants. Restaurant sales in a given period are directly impacted by the number of restaurants we operate and comparable restaurant sales growth.

Food and beverage. Food and beverage costs are variable in nature, change with sales volume and are influenced by menu mix and subject to increases or decreases based on fluctuations in commodity costs. Other important factors causing fluctuations in food and beverage costs include seasonality and restaurant-level management of food waste. Food and beverage costs are a substantial expense and are expected to grow proportionally as our sales grow.

Labor. Labor includes all restaurant-level management and hourly labor costs, including wages, employee benefits and payroll taxes. Similar to the food and beverage costs that we incur, labor and related expenses are expected to grow proportionally as our sales increase. Factors that influence fluctuations in our labor and related expenses include minimum wage and payroll tax legislation, the frequency and severity of workers’ compensation claims, healthcare costs and the performance of our restaurants.

Rent and utilities. Rent and utilities include rent for all restaurant locations and related taxes.

Depreciation and amortization expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses are periodic non-cash charges that consist of depreciation of fixed assets, including equipment and capitalized leasehold improvements. Depreciation is determined using the straight-line method over the assets’ estimated useful lives, ranging from three to ten years.

Delivery and service fees. The Company’s customers may order online through third party service providers such as Uber Eats, Door Dash, Grubhub and others. These third-party service providers charge delivery and order fees to the Company.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses include expenses associated with corporate and regional supervision functions that support the operations of existing restaurants and development of new restaurants, including compensation and benefits, travel expenses, stock-based compensation expenses for corporate-level employees, legal and professional fees, marketing costs, information systems, corporate office rent and other related corporate costs. General and administrative expenses are expected to grow as our sales grows, including incremental legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses incurred as a public company.

Advertising and marketing expenses. Advertising and marketing expenses include expenses associated with marketing campaigns and periodic advertising. Advertising and marketing expenses are expected to grow leading up to the planned openings of restaurant locations and is expected to stabilize as an average by location as our sales grow.

Interest expense. Interest expense includes non-cash charges related to our capital lease obligations and bank notes payable.

Income tax provision (benefit). Provision for income taxes represents federal, state and local current and deferred income tax expense.

Results of Operations

Three months ended March 31, 2025 Compared to three months ended March 31, 2024

The following table presents selected comparative results of operations from our unaudited financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to three months ended March 31, 2024. Our financial results for these periods are not necessarily indicative of the financial results that we will achieve in future periods. Certain totals for the table below may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Revenues. Revenues were $3.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $2.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing an increase of approximately $0.7 million, or 24.9%. The increase in sales for the three-month period was primarily driven by from the acquisition of three restaurants in Las Vesgas in second quarter 2024.

Food, beverage and supplies. Food, beverage and supplies costs were approximately $946 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $668 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing an increase of approximately $278 thousand, or 41.6%. The increase in costs for the three-month period was primarily driven by increases in revenues from the three new restaurants in Las Vegas, and a general increase in food material costs compared to last year. As a percentage of sales, food, beverage and supply costs decreased to 26.9% in the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to 23.8% in the three months ended March 31, 2024. The decrease in costs as a percentage of sales was primarily driven by the market.

Labor. Labor and related costs were approximately $1.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing an increase of approximately $0.3 million, or 21.1%. The increase in costs was largely driven by additional labor costs incurred with respect to the three new restaurants acquired. As a percentage of sales, labor and related costs was 44.4% in the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to 45.8% in the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Rent and utilities. Rent and utilities expenses were approximately $557 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $319 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing an increase of approximately $238 thousand, or 74.8%. The increase was primarily a result of three new restaurants acquired. As a percentage of sales, rent and utilities ratio for the three months ended March 31, 2025 increased to 15.9% compared to 11.3% in the prior period due to the increase utility expenses in the three months ended March 31, 2025.

Delivery and service fees. Delivery and service fees incurred were approximately $130 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $143 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing a decrease of approximately $14 thousand or 9.6%, primarily due to a decrease in food sales via delivery during the comparable period due to the post COVID effect. As a percentage of sales, delivery and service fees ratio for the period ended March 31, 2025 decreased due to increase in sales percentage of the dining-in compared to take-out.

Depreciation and amortization expenses. . Depreciation and amortization expenses incurred were approximately $171 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to $227 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2025, representing an increase of approximately $56 thousand, or 33.0%. The increase was primarily due to the three new restaurants in the three months ended March 31, 2025.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses were approximately $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024, representing an increase of approximately $0.4 million or 37.5%. This increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to the $0.3 million increase in professional fees during the three months ended March 31, 2025. The Company raised capital during the period from numerous equity deals including debt structuring, private placements for common stock and warrants. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expenses increased to 36.0% in the three months ended March 31, 2025 from 32.7% in the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Related party compensation: Compensation to James Chae was approximately $42 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As a percentage of sales, related party compensation was 1.2% in the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 1.5% in the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary uses of cash are for operational expenditures and capital investments, including new restaurants, costs incurred for restaurant remodels and restaurant fixtures. Historically, our main sources of liquidity have been cash flows from operations, borrowings from banks, and sales of common shares.

On August 21, 2024, we received a notification letter (the “Letter”) from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that its amount of stockholders’ equity has fallen below the $2,500,000 required minimum for continued listing set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). On February 18, 2025, we received another notification letter (the “2nd Letter”) from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it has scheduled the Company’s securities for delisting from The Nasdaq Capital Market. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5800 series, we appealed Nasdaq’s determination to a Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) and a hearing request has stayed the suspension of the Company’s securities and the filing of the Form 25-NSE pending the Panel’s decision after a hearing scheduled for April 1, 2025.

On January 5, 2024, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with Alumni Capital LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Alumni”) whereby we sold to Alumni 45,000 shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for $118 thousand on November 20, 2024. This Purchase Agreement terminated on December 31, 2024.

On January 6, 2025, the Company issued and sold to Crom Structured Opportunities Fund I, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Crom”) a 10% OID promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $1,100,000 (the “Note”) for a purchase price of $1,000,000. The Company repaid such Note on March 7, 2025 with the proceeds from a loan made to the Company on or about March 6, 2025. Also on January 6, 2025, we entered into an equity purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Crom (the “Investor”) pursuant to which the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to sell to the Investor up to $10,000,000 (the “ELOC Shares”) of the Company’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”). However, we have not yet been able to access capital under this agreement since we must first register shares issuable under the Purchase Agreement, which we may only do after the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

On March 12, 2025, we entered into private placements with three investors for the sale of Class A common stock at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $714,000. However, we are obligated to register those shares and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those shares at the price we had sold them for. On March 17, 2025 we sold penny warrants at a price of $2.50 per share for gross proceeds of $1,200,000. We are obligated to register the shares underlying such warrants and if we fail to do so in accordance with those agreements, we may be forced to repurchase those warrants for the price we sold them for.

On March 17, 2025, the Company sold 480,000 warrants for a purchase price of $1,200,000, or $2.50 per share. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock pursuant to the terms of a warrant agreement dated as of March 17, 2025. Pursuant to the terms of the Warrant Agreement, in the event that the Company has not obtained stockholder approval, the Company may not issue upon exercise of the Warrants a number of shares of Common Stock, which, when aggregated with any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the subscription agreements executed contemporaneously between the Company and other investors or holders of Warrants (whether for Common Stock or Warrants) would equal twenty (20%) percent or more of the Common Stock or twenty (20%) percent or more of the voting power of the Company outstanding before the issuance. The Company is also obligated to file a registration statement to the SEC within thirty (30) calendar days following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC. If the Company fails to (i) submit the registration statement within the timeline specified above or if the registration statement is denied, withdrawn or not declared effective by the SEC within one-hundred twenty (120) days from the filing date or (ii) fail to obtain the requisite stockholder approval within 75 days from the date of the Subscription Agreements, the investors will have the option, in their sole discretion, to: (1) with respect to (i), require the Company to assist it in filing for an exemption under Rule 144 or other applicable SEC regulations to remove the transfer restrictions from the Shares, or, if such exemption is unavailable, demand the Company to repurchase the Warrants or underlying shares at the original purchase price; or (2) demand a full refund of the subscription amount, subject to the Company’s financial capability as verified by an independent audit conducted within 15 days of the demand.

On March 25, 2025, the Company entered into Subscription Agreements with certain investors pursuant to which the investors agreed to pay $1,650,000 in aggregate to purchase an aggregate of 660,000 warrants. The Subscription Agreements contain customary representations, warranties, and indemnification provisions and were entered into in reliance on self-certification as an accredited investor pursuant to Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), at an exercise price of $0.01 (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of warrant agreements dated as of March 24, 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company is obligated to file a registration statement to register these shares with the SEC within thirty (30) calendar days following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC. If the Company fails to submit the registration statement within the timeline specified above or if the registration statement is denied, withdrawn or not declared effective by the SEC within one-hundred twenty (120) days from the filing date, Good Mood Studio will have the option, in its sole discretion, to: (1) require the Company to assist it in filing for an exemption under Rule 144 or other applicable SEC regulations to remove the transfer restrictions from the shares, or, if such exemption is unavailable, demand the Company to repurchase the shares at the original purchase price or (2) demand a full refund of the subscription amount subject to the Company’s financial capability as verified by an independent audit conducted within 15 days of the demand.

On March 27, 2025, Nasdaq notified the Company that it had regained compliance with Rule 5550(b)(1). As a result, the hearing scheduled for April 1, 2025 has been cancelled and the Company’s securities will continue to be listed and traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market.

On April 2, 2025, the Company entered into two new securities subscription agreements and amended one securities subscription agreement (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors pursuant to which the investors purchased an aggregate of 400,000 additional warrants for a purchase price of $1,000,000. The Subscription Agreements contain customary representations, warranties, and indemnification provisions and were entered into in reliance on self-certification as an accredited investor pursuant to Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of warrant agreements dated as of April 2, 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”).

On April 9, 2025, Yoshiharu Global Co., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) entered into two new securities subscription agreements (the “Subscription Agreements”) with certain investors pursuant to which the investors purchased an aggregate of 400,000 additional warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $1,000,000. The Subscription Agreements contain customary representations, warranties, and indemnification provisions and were entered into in reliance on self-certification as an accredited investor pursuant to Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. Each warrant is exercisable for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 (the “Shares”) pursuant to the terms of warrant agreements dated as of April 9, 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”).

Notwithstanding our current belief that our expected cash flow from operations, and the proceeds from the Purchase Agreement and from the private placements set forth above (including our belief that we will satisfy our registration requirements so that we are not forced to redeem the equity previously sold to such private placement investors) will be adequate to fund operating lease obligations, capital expenditures and working capital obligations for at least the next 12 months and thereafter, there are no assurances that we will be able to do so. If we fail to generate adequate capital, we may be forced to curb our operations or cease to continue our operations altogether.

Summary of Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:

Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities during the three-month period ended March 31, 2025 was $863,204 which resulted from net loss of $1,424,886, non-cash charges of $240,323 for depreciation and amortization with gain on disposal of fixed assets of $50,000, and net cash inflows of $371,359 from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net cash inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily the result of increases in due to related party by $192,876 and accounts payable and accrued expenses by $68,386 and a decrease in accounts receivable by $26,371 which was offset by an increase in inventory by $3,759 and a decrease in other payables by $36,734.

Net cash used in operating activities during the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $373,196 which resulted from net loss of $876,205, non-cash charges of $170,682 for depreciation and amortization and net cash inflows of $332,327 from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net cash inflows from changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily the result of an decrease in other assets by $346,962 and increases in accounts payable and accrued expenses by $26,707 and due to related party by $56,921, which was offset by the increases in accounts receivable by $94,135 and inventory by $4,128.

Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 was $32,622 and $356,642, respectively. These expenditures in each period are primarily related to purchases of property and equipment in connection with current and future restaurant openings.

Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $3,051,698 primarily due to $4,614,000 of cash received through private placements and warranty subscriptions and $1,100,000 of cash received from borrowings, which was offset by $1,462,302 of repayment of bank borrowings and loan payable to financial institutions and $1,200,000 of repayment of convertible notes.

Net cash provided by financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 was $623,250 due to $812,000 cash received through bank borrowings, offset by $252,899 of repayment of bank borrowings and loan payable to financial institutions.

Contractual Obligations

The following table presents our commitments and contractual obligations as of March 31, 2025, as well as our long-term obligations:

Income Taxes

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal and California state jurisdictions.

We are considered a U.S. corporation and a regarded entity for U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. Accordingly, a provision will be recorded for the anticipated tax consequences of our reported results of operations for U.S. federal, state and foreign income taxes.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and may take advantage of certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements for up to five years or until we are no longer an emerging growth company, whichever is earlier. The JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period under the JOBS Act. Accordingly, our financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of public companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2025, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to utilize estimates and make judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The estimates are evaluated by management on an ongoing basis, and the results of these evaluations form a basis for making decisions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Although actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, management believes that the estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements are reasonable. The critical accounting policies affecting our financial reporting are summarized in Note 2 to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

We have determined that all other issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements are inapplicable or insignificant to us and once adopted are not expected to have a material impact on our financial position.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by 17 C.F.R. 229.10(f)(1) and are not required to provide information under this item.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), as of March 31, 2024. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of March 31, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act (a) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules and forms and (b) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding any required disclosure.

Management has identified control deficiencies regarding inadequate accounting resources, the lack of segregation of duties and the need for a stronger internal control environment. Management of the Company believes that these material weaknesses are due to the small size of the Company’s accounting staff. The small size of the Company’s accounting outsourced staff may prevent adequate controls in the future due to the cost/benefit of such remediation.

To mitigate the current limited resources and limited employees, we rely heavily on direct management oversight of transactions, along with the use of external legal and accounting professionals. As we grow, we expect to increase our number of employees, which will enable us to implement adequate segregation of duties within the internal control framework.

These control deficiencies could result in a misstatement of account balances that would result in a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to our financial statements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In light of this material weakness, we performed additional analyses and procedures in order to conclude that our financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q were fairly stated in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, management believes that despite our material weaknesses, our financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 are fairly stated, in all material respects, in accordance with GAAP.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

This annual report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of the company’s registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission for newly public companies.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.