Exam 1 Flashcards
why does accounting matter
accounting is the language of business
global economic systems depend on reliable and accurate financial reporting
it is a technical skill above just typical business knowledge
warren buffet has said it is the most important topic in business schools
what is accounting
accounting identifies and records the economic events of an organization and communicates the information to interested users
what are internal users
people within the business such as management or employees that use the information to make decisions such as whether or not to pursue a project
what are the primary external users
investors and creditors
what are some non primary external users
tax authorities, regulatory agencies, customers, labour unions, economic planners, communities, suppliers
what makes accounting behaviour ethical
actions need to be legal and responsible
actions should consider the organizations interest
what is a proprietorship
you are the sole owner of a business and the income is in your name and included in your own personal income taxes
what are the characteristics of a proprietorship
simple to set up
owner has control
unlimited liability
income is included in individuals tax return
what is a partnership
similar to proprietorship but owned by more than one person
what is a corporation
a company operating as a separate legal entity owned by shareholders
what are the characteristics of a corporation
indefinite life
shareholders have limited liability
may be public or private
separate legal entity with it’s own tax return
corporations have their own credit scores
how doe new corporations get loans early on
often shareholders give a personal guarantee meaning they are putting up their own assets to secure the loan
what is a manufacturing business
uses raw materials, components, and parts to assemble finished goods
what is a merchandise business
sells goods to customers
what is a service business
performs tasks for the benefit of customers
what are financing activities
obtaining and repaying funds to finance the operations of the business through either debt or equity financing
what are investing activities
obtaining the resources or equipment needed to operate the business for the longterm
what are operating activities
main day to day activities of the business that generate revenues and expenses
what are financial statements
the business documents that companies use to report the results of their activities to various groups
what are the statements under ASPE
income statement, statement of retained earnings, balance sheet, cash flow statement
what are the statements under IFRS
statements of income, statement of changes in equity, statement of financial position, statement of cashflows
what is the statement of income
reports the results of operations for a specific period of time by showing revenues and working down through all associated expenses to a final net income after tax
what are revenues and expenses
revenues arise from the sale of a product or service in regular operations
expenses are the cost of assets consumed or services used to generate revenue
what are gains and losses
extra income or expenses arising from one time events that are not int he course of regular operations
what is the formula for net income
revenue + gains - expenses - losses
what is the statement of changes in equity
shows changes in each component of shareholders equity for a period
what is share capital and retained earnings
share capital is the amount contributed by shareholders and can be common or preferred class
retained earnings is the cumulative profit retained in the company minus any dividends paid to shareholders
what is the statement of financial position
shows the resources owned by a business(assets), the obligations a business owes(liabilities), and the shareholders equity in the business
what is the statement of cashflows
reports the cash inflows and outflows over a period of time to reconcile net income to the actual change in cash
what is the accounting equation
assets = liabilities + shareholders equity
economic resources = claims on economic resources
what are the components of retained earnings
previous retained earnings + net income - dividends paid = new retained earnings
what are generally accepted accounting principals
rules and practices for the preparation of financial statements
what is the top down pyramid of the conceptual framework for financial reporting
objectives of reporting(why we report)
qualities of accounting info and elements of info
principles used to apply the framework
what is the objective of financial reporting
providing info that is both useful and decision relevant for allocation of resources
allow people to determine how managers are performing(management stewardship)
what are the fundamental qualitative characteristics of accounting information
info must be both relevant and representationally faithful
what is relevance
the info makes a difference in decision making, has predictive and confirmatory value, includes all material info
what is representational faithfulness
the info is complete, neutral, free from material error, substance over form meaning it shows the economic side of a transaction not the legal side
what are the enhancing characteristics
comparability, verifiability, timeliness, understandability