Accounting Definitions Flashcards
Basic terms to know
Predictive Value
information is useful in predicting the future
Relevance
pertinent to the decision at hand
Timeliness
information is available prior to the decision
Distribution to owners
decreases in equity resulting from transfers to owners
Confirmatory Value
information confirms expectations
Understandability
users understand the information in the context of the decision being made
Gain
increases in equity from peripheral or incidental transactions of an entity
Faithful representation
agreement between a measure and the phenomenon it purports to represent
Comprehensive Income
the change in equity from nonowner transactions
Materiality
concerns the relative size of an item and its effect on decisions
Comparability
important for making interfirm comparisons
Neutrality
the absence of bias
Recognition
the process of admitting information into financial statements
Consistency
applying the same accounting practices over time
Cost Effectiveness
requires consideration of the cost and value of information
Verifiability
implies consensus among different measures
Expense Recognition
record expenses in the period the related revenue is recognized
Periodicity Assumption
the life of an enterprise can be divided into artificial time periods
Historical Cost Principle
the original transaction value upon acquisition
Revenue Recognition
criteria usually satisfied for products at point of sale
Going Concern Assumption
the entity will continue indefinitely
Monetary Unit Assumption
a common denominator is the dollar
Economic Entity Assumption
the enterprise is separate from its owners and other entities
Full-Disclosure Principle
all information that could affect decision should be reported