LU2 Introduction to accounting Flashcards
Fundamental purpose of accounting
To provide accurate, useful and timely financial information in the form of financial statements, forecasts, budgets and many types of reports.
“accounting involves recording business transactions, analyzing business records and reports, and providing reliable information”.
Bookkeeping
The initial phase of accounting; the primary function is to record business transaction in the accounting records
Why financial statements are necessary
- Managers need timely and accurate information to make intelligent decisions if their business is to succeed.
- Investors need financial statements to analyze the quality of a potential investment or current stock holding.
- Banks need financial statements to identify any risk involved in doing business with customers on an open line of credit.
Users of Financial Statements
External users; those outside of the business, such as investors, banks and suppliers
Internal users; the management of the company, such as the board of directors, the president and other officers and the managers of the business
Financial accounting
Primarily concerned with recording and accumulating accounting information to be used in the preparation of financial statements for external users. Involves the basic accounting processes of recording, classifying and summarizing business transactions.
Managerial accounting
Concerned with recording and accumulating information s that financial statements can be prepared for internal users. Provides detailed information, such as performance reports that compare the actual results of operations with budget plans.
Business transaction
The exchange of merchandise, property, or services for cash or promise to pay.
Double entry-system
A business transaction that creates events that affect two or more bookkeeping accounting records.
Five classifications in Accounting Systems
Assets = cash, posessions, purchased rights
Liabilities = the debts of the business; claims on assets by outsiders
Owner’s equity = the owner’s financial interest in the business; claims on assets by owners
Revenue
Expense
Profit
Revenue/income-expenses
Financial statements
Balance sheet
Income statement
Consolidated Financial Statements
Fianancial statements that report results of multiple business in one. For corporations who have control over businesses through stock ownership.
Budgeting and forecasting
Deals with estimating a company’s future performance in the form called the budget.
Cost accounting
Relates to the recording, classification, allocation and reporting of current prospective costs.
Tax accounting
The discipline of preparing and filig tax forms required by various government agencies.
Internal auditing
Focuses on the review of company operations to determine compliance with managemeent policies.
GAAP
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
= accounting standards; guidelines and rules that ensure that members carry out their responsibilities in accordance with accepted quality standards.
Unit of measurement
Recording the results of business transactions in the prevailing monetary unit, for example euros in the Netherlands. A common unit of measurement permits the users of accounting data to make meaningfull comparisons between current and past business transactions.
Historical cost
The value of merchandise or services obtained through business transactions should be recorded in terms of acutal costs, not current market values. For example the financial statements will show how much was paid for the asset, not how much it is actually worth.
Going-concern
Continuity of the business unit; financial statement should be prepared under the assumpton that the business will continue indefinitely and thus carry out its commitments.
Conservatism
An accounting principle that serves to guide the decisions of accountants in areas that involve estimates and other areas that may call for professional judgment. Applied only when there is uncertainy in reporting factual results of business transactions.
Objectivity
All business transaction must be supported by objective evidence proving that the transactions did in fact occur.
Time period
Users of financial statements need timely information for decision-making purposes
Interim financial statements
Financial statements that are prepared during the business year
Realization principle
States that revenue resulting from business transactions should be recorded only when a sale has been made and earned.
Matching principle
States that all expenses must be recorded in the same accounting period as the revenue they helped to generate.
Cash accounting period
Records the results of a business transaction only when cash is received or paid out; does not comply with GAAP; used by small businesses
Accrual Accounting method
Adjust the accounting records by recording expenses that are incurred during an accounting period but that not actually paid until the following period
Materiality principle
States that an accounting standard can be ignored if the net impact of doing so has such a small impact on the financial statements that are reader of the financial staements that a reader of the financial statements would not be misled.
Consistency principle
States that the financial statements of a hospitality operation should be accompanied by explanatory notes.
Full disclosure principle
According to GAAP, the full disclosure principle ensures that the readers and users of a business’s financial information are not misled by any lack of information. … The reason for not disclosing information could be to manipulate their financial statements to look stronger than the business actually is.
Fair value principle
Fair value accounting uses current market values as the basis for recognizing certain assets and liabilities. Fair value is the estimated price at which an asset can be sold or a liability settled in an orderly transaction to a third party under current market conditions.
Basic Financial statements
The statement of income
The equity statement
The balance sheet
The statement of cash flows
Annual financial statements
Issued at the end of a companies business year
Fiscal year
Might be a calender year or a year consisting of 12 consecutive months
Interim financial statements
Issued during the business year
Interim financial statements
Issued during the business year
Statement of income
Shows revenue and expenses and provides information about the results of operations for a stated period of time. Shows a profit or loss for the time period.
Categories of Statements of Income
Revenue Cost of Sales Gross profit Operating Expenses Fixed chargers Net income
Revenue
Results when products and services are sold to guests. Revenue is not income. Revenue appears at the top of the income statement and net income appears at the bottom. Income results when total revenue exceeds total expenses.
Cost of Sales
Shows the cost of merchandise used in the selling process, it does not contain any cost for labor or employee meals.
Gross Profit
Calculated by subtracting cost of sales from net revenue. Sometimes referred to as gross margin on sales.
Operating expenses
Lists expenses that are most directly influenced by operating policy and management efficiency
Categories of Operating Expenses
Salaries and Wages Employee benefits China, glassware and silverwear Kitchel fuel Laundry and dry cleaning Operating Supplies Advertising/marketing Utilities Repairds and maintenance