Chapter 1 Flashcards
Who are the providers of financial information?
- Profit-oriented companies
- Not-for-profit entities (e.g. government entities, charitable organizations, schools)
- Households
What is the primary focus of financial accounting?
The primary focus of financial accounting is on the information needs of investors and creditors.
Who are the external user groups?
- Investors
- Creditors
- Employees
- Labor Unions
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Government regulatory agencies
- Financial intermediaries
Shareholders receive cash through:
- Dividends
2. Sale of Stock
Creditors receive cash through:
- Interest
2. Repayment of Principle
Accounting information should help investors and creditors evaluate the __________, __________, and __________ of the enterprise’s future cash flows.
- amount
- timing
- uncertainty
How are revenue and expenses recognized in cash basis accounting?
- Revenue is recognized when cash is RECEIVED.
2. Expenses are recognized when cash is PAID.
How are revenue and expenses recognized in Accrual accounting?
- Revenue is recognized when EARNED.
2. Expenses are recognized when INCURRED.
What is the main objective of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)?
It’s main objective is to develop a single set of high quality, understandable, and enforceable global accounting standards to help participants in the world’s capital markets and other users make economic decisions.
To be useful for decision making, information should possess the qualities of __________ and/or __________.
- Relevance
2. Faithful representation
What is relevance?
Relevance means that information must possess predictive value and/or confirmatory value, typically both. (i.e. the ability of reported earnings to predicting a company’s future earnings)
When is information considered material?
Information is material if it has an effect on decisions.
What is faithful representation?
Faithful representation means agreement between a measure and a real-world phenomenon that the measure is supposed to represent.
Faithful representation requires that information be __________, __________, and __________.
- Complete
- Neutral
- Free from error
When is a depiction complete?
A depiction is complete if it includes all information necessary for faithful representation.
What is neutrality?
Neutrality implies freedom from bias.
What does it mean when information is free from error?
It means that there are no errors or omissions in the description of the amount or the process used to report the amount.
What is conservatism?
Conservatism means that accountants require greater verification before recognizing good news than bad news.
However, conservatism is inconsistent with neutrality.
Identify the four enhancing qualitative characteristics accounting information should possess:
- Comparability (including consistency)
- Verifiability
- Timeliness
- Understandibility
What is comparability?
Comparability helps users see similarities and differences between events and conditions.
What is consistency?
Accounting information is consistent if it is measured and reported the same way in each time period.
What is verifiability?
Information is verifiable if different measurers would reach consensus about whether it is representationally faithful.
What is timeliness?
Information is timely if it is available to users before a decision is made.
What is understandability?
Information is understandable if users can comprehend it.
When is information considered cost effective?
Information is cost effective only if the benefit of increased decision usefulness exceeds the costs of providing that information.
What are the 10 elements of financial statements?
- Assets
- Liabilities
- Equity (or net assets)
- Investments by owners
- Distribution to owners
- Comprehensive income
- Revenues
- Expenses
- Gains
- Losses
What are assets?
Probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by a particular entity as a result of past transactions or events.
What are liabilities?
Probably future sacrifices of economic benefits arising from present obligations of a particular entity to transfer assets or provide services to other entities in the future as a result of past transactions or events.
What is equity (or net assets)?
Called shareholder’s equity or stockholder’s equity for a corporation, it is the residual interest in the assets of an entity that remains after deducting its liabilities.
What are investments to owners?
Increases in equity of a particular business enterprise resulting from transfers to it from other entities of something of value to obtain or increase ownership interests in it.
What are distributions to owners?
Decreases in equity of a particular enterprise resulting from transfer to owners.
What is comprehensive income?
The change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non owner sources. It includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from investments by owners and distribution to owners.
What are revenues?
Inflows or other enhancements of assets of an entity or settlements of its liabilities during a period from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or other activities that constitute the entity’s ongoing major or central operations.
What are expenses?
Outflows or other using up of assets or incurrences of liabilities during a period from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or other activities that constitute the entity’s ongoing major or central operations.
What are gains?
Increases in equity from peripheral or incidental transactions of an entity.