The Accounting Cycle and Accrual Accounting Concepts
Accounting Information System | Journal, Ledger Accounts, and Trial Balance | Cash-Basis Versus Accrual-Basis Accounting | Accrual Accounting Concepts | Adjusting Entries, Adjusted Trial Balance, and Closing | Self-Assessment
After learning about the income statement and the balance sheet in Chapters 1 and 2, we are now being introduced to the accounting cycle and certain underlying accounting concepts that influence the contents of those two financial statements. | | Accounting Information System | |
Just what, exactly, is the accounting information system? Is it a room full of computers and papers? Not necessarily. The accounting information system consists of data, papers to support the data, machines to process the data, and most importantly, people to report the resulting information to those who make decisions based on such information. Every organization that is engaged in transactions needs an accounting information system. This brings us to an important term used in accounting—a transaction! But what, exactly, is a transaction?

Identifying Business Transactions

A transaction is any event that involves an exchange or consumption of resources. A transaction could take place between a company and external parties (e.g., purchase of raw materials from suppliers or sale of merchandise to customers), or within a company itself (e.g., a company uses supplies that were purchased at a previous date and were held as an asset called Supplies until the date of use). Both events are recordable in the books of the organization. A Transaction Is an Economic Event | A transaction is an economic event that alters the financial position of the entities engaging in it. For example, when a company purchases a machine (or uses the services of another business) either by using its cash or on credit, it