Lecture one Flashcards
Fundamental qualitative characteristics of useful financial information
Faithful representation and relevance
financial info in general purpose financial statements
Financial information provided in general purpose financial reports should include information about the resources of the entity, the claims against the entity, and how effectively and efficiently the entity’s management and governing board have discharged their responsibilities to use the entity’s resources.
Realization concept
Revenues and gains are realized when assets are exchanged for cash or claims to cash. SFAC 5 para. 83.
matching
allocating overheard
Choice “d” is correct. Revenues and gains are realized when assets are exchanged for cash or claims to cash. SFAC 5 para. 83.
Choice “b” is incorrect. Assigning depreciation in a production department is an example of allocating overhead. There is no realization associated with the assignment.
CAREFUL The realization concept is integral to accounting for revenues and expenses and is not connected to collection of receivables.
Choice “a” is incorrect. Assignment of overhead costs to products and thus to cost of goods sold is an example of matching. There is no realization associated with this assignment.
Nature of operations and measurement of equipment
equipment should be measured at NRV
Choice “d” is incorrect. Historical cost is appropriate if operations were continuing.
Choice “b” is incorrect. Current reproduction cost (producing new and substantially identical assets, at current prices, adjusted for depreciation to date) is appropriate in optional supplemental price level financial statements.
Choice “a” is incorrect. Current replacement cost (acquiring new and substantially equivalent property at current prices, adjusted for estimated depreciation since acquisition) is appropriate in optional supplemental price level financial statements.
Enhancing Qualitative characteristics
Timeliness, understandability, comparability and verifiability are characteristics that enhance the usefulness of information that is relevant and faithfully represented.
SFAC defines the following elements of present value measurement identified by the mnemonic UVOTE:
U
The Price for Bearing Uncertainty.
V
Expectations about Timing Variations of Future Cash Flows.
O
Other Factors (e.g., Liquidity Issues and Market Imperfections).
T
Time Value of Money (the Risk-free Rate of Interest).
E
Estimate of Future Cash Flow
Rule of conservatism
the rule of conservatism states that revenues and gains should be recognized when the earnings process is complete, but that expenses and losses should be expensed immediately. Reporting inventory at the lower of cost or market requires the recording of a loss on inventory when market is lower than cost in the period the loss is sustained, rather than when the inventory is sold, consistent with the rule of conservatism.
relevarnce and faithful
Choice “c” is correct. Timeliness is a characteristic that enhances the usefulness of information that is relevant and faithfully represented.
Materiality is a component of relevance.
Predictive value is a component of relevance.
Neutrality is a component of faithful representation
periodicity
The periodicity assumption is that economic activity can be divided into meaningful time periods
monetary unit
The monetary unit assumption means that money is the common denominator for economic activity and provides an appropriate basis for accounting measurements and analysis.
Economic entity
The economic entity assumption has nothing to do with money per se. The economic entity assumption is that economic activity can be accounted for when considering an identifiable set of activities.
Replacement cost,fair value,historical cost, NRV
Choice “a” is correct. Replacement cost is defined as the amount of cash or its equivalent that would be paid to acquire or replace an asset currently. Replacement cost is an acquisition cost.
Choice “c” is incorrect. Current market value, or fair value, is the price to sell (not acquire) an asset.
Choice “b” is incorrect. Historical cost is the amount paid by a company to acquire an asset.
Choice “d” is incorrect. Net realizable value is the selling price of an asset less any disposal costs.
standards update knowledge
Choice “a” is correct. An Accounting Standards Update is issued only after a majority vote of the members of the FASB.
Choice “d” is incorrect. There is no necessity for the EITF to approve a discussion memorandum before it is disseminated to the public.
Choice “b” is incorrect. There is no necessity for an exposure draft to be modified per public opinion before issuing the discussion memorandum (a question can be raised here as to “what” discussion memorandum”). Exposure drafts are quite/most often modified before they are issued as FASB statements, but they do not have to be. Whether they are or are not modified is a function of whether the FASB thinks they should be modified, partly due to the public comments that have been received.
Choice “c” is incorrect. There is no way to rescind a new Accounting Standards Update, although, in reality, an ASU can be rescinded by the issuance of a new ASU on the same subject.
Relevance and faithful representation
Choice “a” is correct. To be relevant, information should have predictive value and/or confirming value, and must be material.
Choice “b” is incorrect. Completeness is a component of faithful representation.
Choice “c” is incorrect. Verifiability is a characteristic that enhances the usefulness of information that is both relevant and faithfully represented.
Choice “d” is incorrect. Neutrality is a component of faithful representation.
Useful info
Relevance and faithful representation are the fundamental qualitative characteristics of useful financial information.
hich of the following statements best describes an operating procedure for issuing a new International Financial Reporting Standard?
Before an exposure draft is issued for public comment, it must be approved by at least nine members of the IASB. Exposure drafts are issued for public comment.
relevance
Under the FASB and IASB conceptual frameworks, relevance is a fundamental qualitative characteristic, and materiality is a component of relevance.
FUNDAMENTAL qualitative characteristics of USEFUL financial information
Relevance and faithful representation
Relevance
Predictive value, confirming value and materiality (PCM)
Faithful representation ( reliable)
Completely neutral(free from bias) and free from error
ENHANCING qualitative characteristics
Compare to verify in time to understand . Comparability,verifiability( diff ppl can reach concensus that a particular depiction is faithfully represented,timeliness, understandability(classified, characterized and presented correctly
Discontinued operations
However, gains and losses from discontinued operations are included in the year they occur.Operating losses are included in gain/loss from discontinued operations, along with impairment losses and gains/losses on disposal.
Change in acc principle insperable from change an estimate
A change in method of accounting for demo costs is a change in accounting principle inseparable from a change in estimate. When a change in accounting principle is considered inseparable from a change in estimate, the change is handled as a change in estimate - prospectively. No cumulative effect adjustment is made.
Change in acc principle insperable from change an estimate
When the effect of a change in accounting principle is inseparable from the effect of a change in accounting estimate, the reporting treatment for the overall effect is as a change in estimate. Thus, the effect is reported prospectively as a component of income from continuing operations.
when to report as discontinued and when to report as continuing operations
Once the decision has been made to dispose of a component of a business and that component meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale, the operating results of the component FOR THE PERIOD REPORTED ON, and any gain or loss from the disposal, should be reported separately from continuing operations, net of tax. In this question, the component was classified as held for sale and was sold in the same year.
Extraordinary
Unussual in nature and occur infrequently
Cash basis is a gaap error
The cash basis for financial reporting is not a generally accepted accounting basis of accounting (GAAP); therefore, it is an error. Correction of an error from a prior period is a reported as prior period adjustment to retained earnings.
interest and advertising
Interest expense is classified as a separate line item on the income statement. Advertising is classified as a selling expense.
under U.S. GAAP, a material loss should be presented separately as a component of income from continuing operations when it is:
unusual in nature or occur infrequently but not both, are presented as a component of income from continuing operations.
Cumulative effect of change in acc principle is shown as
The cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle is shown as an adjustment to beginning retained earnings.