LU2 Introduction to accounting Flashcards
Fundamental purpose of accounting
To provide accurate, useful and timely financial information in the form of financial statements, forecasts, budgets and many types of reports.
“accounting involves recording business transactions, analyzing business records and reports, and providing reliable information”.
Bookkeeping
The initial phase of accounting; the primary function is to record business transaction in the accounting records
Why financial statements are necessary
- Managers need timely and accurate information to make intelligent decisions if their business is to succeed.
- Investors need financial statements to analyze the quality of a potential investment or current stock holding.
- Banks need financial statements to identify any risk involved in doing business with customers on an open line of credit.
Users of Financial Statements
External users; those outside of the business, such as investors, banks and suppliers
Internal users; the management of the company, such as the board of directors, the president and other officers and the managers of the business
Financial accounting
Primarily concerned with recording and accumulating accounting information to be used in the preparation of financial statements for external users. Involves the basic accounting processes of recording, classifying and summarizing business transactions.
Managerial accounting
Concerned with recording and accumulating information s that financial statements can be prepared for internal users. Provides detailed information, such as performance reports that compare the actual results of operations with budget plans.
Business transaction
The exchange of merchandise, property, or services for cash or promise to pay.
Double entry-system
A business transaction that creates events that affect two or more bookkeeping accounting records.
Five classifications in Accounting Systems
Assets = cash, posessions, purchased rights
Liabilities = the debts of the business; claims on assets by outsiders
Owner’s equity = the owner’s financial interest in the business; claims on assets by owners
Revenue
Expense
Profit
Revenue/income-expenses
Financial statements
Balance sheet
Income statement
Consolidated Financial Statements
Fianancial statements that report results of multiple business in one. For corporations who have control over businesses through stock ownership.
Budgeting and forecasting
Deals with estimating a company’s future performance in the form called the budget.
Cost accounting
Relates to the recording, classification, allocation and reporting of current prospective costs.
Tax accounting
The discipline of preparing and filig tax forms required by various government agencies.
Internal auditing
Focuses on the review of company operations to determine compliance with managemeent policies.
GAAP
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
= accounting standards; guidelines and rules that ensure that members carry out their responsibilities in accordance with accepted quality standards.
Unit of measurement
Recording the results of business transactions in the prevailing monetary unit, for example euros in the Netherlands. A common unit of measurement permits the users of accounting data to make meaningfull comparisons between current and past business transactions.
Historical cost
The value of merchandise or services obtained through business transactions should be recorded in terms of acutal costs, not current market values. For example the financial statements will show how much was paid for the asset, not how much it is actually worth.
Going-concern
Continuity of the business unit; financial statement should be prepared under the assumpton that the business will continue indefinitely and thus carry out its commitments.
Conservatism
An accounting principle that serves to guide the decisions of accountants in areas that involve estimates and other areas that may call for professional judgment. Applied only when there is uncertainy in reporting factual results of business transactions.
Objectivity
All business transaction must be supported by objective evidence proving that the transactions did in fact occur.
Time period
Users of financial statements need timely information for decision-making purposes
Interim financial statements
Financial statements that are prepared during the business year