Exam Revision Flashcards
What is accounting?
Accounting is an information system of recording and reporting transactions by collecting input (data) and giving an output. Accounting identifies, records and communicates the economic events of an entity to interested users.
Why is accounting important?
It is important as it assists people/users either internal and external to the entity by giving them insight in order to make informed decisions. Without reliable financial information, managers would not be able to evaluate how well their business is going or to make decisions about the best way to make their business grow.
Internal users are:
employees within the entity such as managers.
External users are:
people outside the entity such as investors, creditors (suppliers), banks or regulatory bodies (ATO, ASIC).
Accounting Process Step by Step:
- Identify - events that are considered evidence of economic activity and relevant to particular business entity.
- Record - to provide a permanent history of the financial activities of the entity. This consists of keeping a chronological diary of these measured events in an orderly and systematic manner.
- Communicate - Information is communicated through the preparation and distribution of accounting reports (financial reports). A vital element in this step is the accountants ability to analyse and interpret the reported information.
What is the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?
Bookkeeping usually involves only the recording of economic events (transactions) which is only one part of the accounting process. Accounting involves the entire process of ‘identifying, recording and communicating’ economic events as well as it involves the use of considerable judgement.
What is Triple Bottom Line Reporting?
TBLR includes the social, environmental and economic components of business activities. It also focuses on not only on the determination of profit, but also information regarding social and environmental costs resulting from business activity.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting?
CSRR is the reporting and management of non-financial performance. It focuses on the impact of the operations of the entity have on the society and the environment.
Sustainability means
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Social responsible investors are
stakeholders that want more than just financial statements, rather they want to know how they entity is impacting society at large.
Steps to solve an ethical dilemma:
- Recognise an ethical issue
- Identify the stakeholders (people that will be directly affected) and how the issue affects them
- Identify the alternatives and judge the impact they will have on the stakeholders
Role of Corporate Governance is to
govern how a business is directed or controlled, managed and administrated. It relates to how the objectives of a company are set and achieved, how risk is managed and performance optimised and ensures that goals and decisions made by managers are aligned with stakeholders.
The Global Reporting Initiative is an
international organisation that helps businesses, governments and other organisations understand and communicate the impact of business on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, corruption and many others.
What is Integrated Reporting?
IR is a strategic and future orientated communications system about how organisations draw on six capitals. IR allows organisations to consider how their strategies and plans use and impact the capitals.
What are the 6 capitals that IR use?
- Financial
- Manufactured
- Intellectual
- Human
- Social and Relationship
- Natural
Sole Proprietorship:
Ownership: An individual or one person
Life: Dies with owner
Tax: Personal Income Rate
Liability: Unlimited liability, liable for debts
Partnership:
Ownership: Two or more people
Life: Dies with any single partner
Tax: Personal Income Rate
Liability: Unlimited liability, liable for debts
Company:
Ownership: Unlimited number of people
Life: Unlimited, shares can be transferred freely
Tax: Company Tax rate
Liability: Limited liability, shareholders not liable for debts
What is the Monetary Unit Assumption?
It is when only data that can be expressed in terms of money is included in the accounting records. It assumes unit of measure stays constant over time.
What is the Economic Entity Assumption?
It can be any organisation or unit in society. Activities of the entity must be kept seperate and distinct from activities of the owner and all other economic entities.
What is an asset?
As asset is a resource controlled by the entity that will generate future economic benefit for the entity and exists as a result of a past transaction.
What are liabilities?
Liabilities are the claims against assists or present obligations of an entity arising from a past event; the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow of resources or economic detriment.
What is Owners Equity?
It is the residual claim of ownership of the business. OE is increased by capital and revenue and decreased by drawings and expenses.
What is capital?
Assets contributed to the entity by the owner.
What is drawings?
Withdrawals of assets from the entity by the owner.
What is revenue?
Gross increases in OE from business activities entered into for the purpose of earning income.
What are expenses?
They are the cost of assets consumer or services used in the process of earning income. They are decreases in OE that result from operating the business.
What does recognition of the elements mean?
It means that only items that meet the definition of an element may be included in the financial statements.
What two criteria must be satisfied for recognition?
- It is probable that the event or transaction will result in an increase or decrease of economic benefit.
- The item has a cost or value that can be reliably measured.
What is the accounting equation?
Assets = Liabilities + Owners Equity
What is a transaction?
A transaction is a record of an economic event or entity. This record may be internal or external. A transaction must affect two or more components of the basic accounting equation.
A transaction analysis is
the process of identifying the specific effects of transactions and events on the accounting equation.
What are the 4 financial statements?
Income Statement
Statement of changes in equity
Statement of financial position/Balance sheet
Statement of Cash flows
Income Statement purpose and content:
The income statement takes the total net revenues minus total net expenses to give net profit or loss. The income statement presents the income and profit or net loss for the specific period of time.