Chapter 1 (1.4) Flashcards
Financial Statements
What are the two main types of users of accounting information?
Internal users and external users
What are users (especially external users) particularly interested in regarding a company?
Financial position, financial performance, and capital structure
What does a company’s financial position include?
- Assets
- Liabilities
- Shareholders’ equity
- As well as its cash flow
What does a company’s financial performance include?
- Revenues
- Expenses
What does a company’s capital structure include?
- Components of liabilities
- Shareholders’ equity
Why is it customary to arrange info ( financial position, financial performance, and capital structure) into 4 different financial statements?
For external reporting purposes, it is the backbone of accounting
What is the primary purpose of the statement of income?
Reports revenues and expenses, showing how a company’s operations performed during a period
What does the statement of changes in equity show?
Changes in each component of shareholders’ equity (includ. common shares & retained earnings), as well as total equity during a period of time
What is presented in the statement of financial position?
Picture of what company owns (assets), owes (liabilities), and resulting difference (shareholders’ equity) at a specific point in time
What information does the statement of cash flows provide?
Where a company obtained cash during a period of time and how that cash was used
What additional information is reported in financial statements?
Notes to the financial statements that are cross-referenced to the 4 statements
What is the role of explanatory notes in financial statements?
Clarify information presented and provide additional detail
Why are notes to the financial statement important?
They are essential to understanding a company’s financial performance and position
Are there more than 4 financial statements?
Yes the 4 are the most commonly provided by publicly traded companies but there are other ones as well
What is a statement of comprehensive income?
Prepared when a public company reports other comprehensive income earned from certain items
What do private corporations prepare instead of a statement of changes in equity?
Statement of retained earnings
How often must public corporations produce financial statements?
Annually and quarterly
Why do some companies produce financial statements monthly?
For internal use
What is an accounting time period that is one year in length called?
Fiscal year
Fill in the blank: Quarterly financial statements are also called _______.
Interim financial statements
What is the common fiscal year end date for many companies?
December 31
Some companies choose different dates based on their inventory or operations.
Why do some companies choose to end their fiscal year when operations are low?
It allows for easier gathering of accounting information and counting of inventory, therefore reducing the cost of counting
Managers prefer to gather accounting data when business is slow.
What is a typical slow period for retailers after the holiday season?
After the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period
This period allows for easier inventory counting.
What fiscal year end does lululemon use?
Sunday closest to January 31
Many companies have unique fiscal year end dates.
What is the fiscal year end for Jean Coutu?
Saturday closest to February 29 or March 1
This variation helps in managing their accounting processes.
What fiscal year end does Canadian Tire follow?
Saturday closest to December 31
This allows them to align their fiscal reporting with seasonal business patterns.
What is the fiscal year end for Lions Gate Entertainment?
March 31
Different companies have different fiscal year ends based on their operations.
What is the fiscal year end for Shaw Communications?
August 31
This date helps them manage their accounting during a specific business cycle.
What fiscal year end do most governments and government-related entities use?
March 31
This date is commonly adopted for public sector accounting.
What are the 4 primary financial statements?
- Statement of income
- Statement of changes in equity
- Statement of financial position
- Statement of cash flows
What is a statement of income?
The main financial statement that reports a company’s financial performance during the period.
What is a statement of changes in equity?
A financial statement that summarizes the changes in total shareholders’ equity, as well as each component of shareholders’ equity, for a specific period of time.
What is a statement of financial position?
(also known as balance sheet) A financial statement that reports the assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity at a specific date.
What is a statement of cash flows?
A financial statement that provides information about the cash inflows (receipts) and cash outflows (payments) for a specific period of time.
What is a fiscal year?
An accounting period that is one year long
What does the statement of income report?
The success or failure of the company’s operations for a period of time.
How often can the statement of income be prepared?
Annually, quarterly, and/or monthly.
How does a statement of income indicate its reporting the results of operations for a period of one month?
Month Ended (insert month) (date), (year).
What comes first in the statement of income: expenses or revenue?
Revenues first and then its expenses
What is calculated by deducting expenses from revenues?
Income (or loss) before income tax.
Where is the income tax expense shown in the statement of income?
Separately, but immediately following the income (or loss) before the income tax line.
How is net income (or net loss) determined?
By deducting the income tax expense from income (or loss) before income tax.
What are alternative terms for the statement of income?
- Income statement
- Statement of earnings
- Statement of profit and loss
What does the heading of every statement identify?
- The company
- The type of statement
- The time period covered by the statement
Why is another line sometimes added to the heading of a statement?
To indicate the unit of measure. When it is used, this fourth line usually indicates that the amounts presented are in thousands or millions of dollars.
What is the significance of cents in financial statements?
Cents are not included in financial statements but are used in internal accounting records.
Financial statements typically round amounts to the nearest dollar, thousand dollars, or million dollars for reporting purposes.
Why do companies round amounts in their external reports?
To condense and simplify information for easier understanding by the reader.
For example, North West rounds amounts to the nearest thousand dollars.
How can financial statement amounts be rounded for financial reporting purposes?
Normally rounded to the nearest dollar, thousand dollars, or million dollars, depending on the size of the company
Does the presentation format of data in financial statements matter?
No, companies use various formats based on preference and reader comprehension.
This may include presenting data in one or two columns.
Why are financial statement users interested in a company’s net income?
Because these numbers provide information that may help predict future income
Users can use the statement of income to determine if a company was profitable, in that its revenues exceeded its expenses
What is income required for (in terms of funding the company)?
Income is required to generate cash to fund growth, repay debt, and pay dividends
What do investors expect from a company’s performance?
If expected that company will be even more successful in the future, and this success will translate into a higher share price, you should buy Sierra’s shares.
Buy and sell shares based on their expectations about the future performance of a company
Why do creditors analyze the statement of income?
To predict a company’s future profitability and ability to repay loans.
Banks lend money based on their belief that the company will be able to repay it.
What if a bank thought a loan wouldn’t be repaid?
It would not lend the money
How do users determine if a company is profitable?
By analyzing the statement of income to see if revenues exceed expenses.
What must a bank’s loan officer predict before lending money?
Whether the company will stay in business long enough, be profitable enought, and to generate cash required to repay the loan and interest charges.
How does reporting recurring and increasing income affect a company?
It makes it easier for the company to raise additional cash through borrowing or by issuing shares.
What is shareholder’s equity?
The shareholders’ claim on total assets, represented by the investments of the shareholders (share capital) and undistributed earnings (retained earnings) generated by the company
What is share capital?
Shares representing the ownership interest in a corporation. If only one class of shares exists, it is known as common shares
What changes does the statement of changes in equity show?
The changes in total shareholders’ equity for the period, as well as the changes in each component of shareholders’ equity during the period
How does the statement of changes in equity start and end?
Starts with the account balances at the beginning of the period and ends with the account balances at the end of the period
What is the time period for the statement of changes in equity?
Same as for the statement of income—for the year, quarter, or month
What is the ownership interest in a company known as?
Shareholders’ equity
What does total shareholders’ equity include in its simplest form?
- share capital
- retained earnings
What can shareholder’s equity include aditionally?
Other types of accounts, such as accumulated other comprehensive income
What does share capital represent?
Represents amounts received from the shareholders when the shares were initially issued by the company
Are common shares optional?
No, all companies must have common shares
What are the 2 classes of shares?
- Common shares
- Preferred shares
Together, what do the 2 classes of shares combine to form?
The company’s share capital
What is the calculation of changes in common shares?
Common shares, beginning of period + common shares issued (sold) - common shares repurchased = Common shares, end of period
What does the statement of changes in equity starts with?
The beginning balance of share capital—common shares
What does the statement of changes in equity then goes on to add?
Any changes in share capital due to new shares issued (or to deduct any changes in share capital due to shares repurchased) during the period to arrive at the ending balance of share capital
What are retained earnings?
The amount of accumulated net income (less net losses, if any) from the prior and current periods that has been retained and reinvested in the corporation for future use and not distributed to shareholders as dividends.