The need for an organization to keep accurate financial records is essential for the effective running of the business and as an indicator of performance and the economic health of the company. This can be achieved in one of two ways; the cash basis method or the accrual basis method.
The former captures expenses at the time they are paid and revenues when payment for goods or services is received. This is perhaps more familiar to those without knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, because it more closely resembles personal financial management. Although credit and other fiscal instruments are used in some cases by individuals in their personal matters, most people generally manage personal financial statements on a cash basis. This method is effective for an individual, or perhaps a very small business with a small number of accounts and minimal transactions to record.
There are, however, a number of disadvantages with this method; chiefly among these is the difficulty it causes businesses in associating operating expenses to revenues. Cash flows alone do not accurately reflect the operating activities of the organizations, and “The accrual basis of accounting overcomes the chief limitation of the cash basis – a possible mismatch of revenue and expenses.” (Ristea, Doros, Ioanas, & Morega, 2010, p. 208).
When employing the accrual basis of accounting, financial events are recorded at the time they occur. For example; when a service is rendered to a customer, the company will generate an invoice and record this revenue at this time, even though it may be several weeks before payment is collected. This is done using the double entry bookkeeping method, in this example, with an entry in both an accounts receivable account and a service revenue account.
In the same way, the operating expenses for the company would also be recorded within the period