...The Purpose of Accounting ACC 290 September 13, 2012 Deborah Adams When discussing the purpose of accounting one must know what accounting is. According to dictionary.com accounting is the theory and system of setting up, maintaining, and auditing the books of a firm; art of analyzing the financial position and operating results of a business house from a study of its sales, purchases, overhead, etc. Accounting is very important concerning to the business world and keeping up with the money coming in and going out of the company, also a good sign for the people that invest in the business. Accounting helps to tell if it is worth investing in. there are four basic financial statements concerning to accounting, they are balance sheet, income statement, statement of retained earnings, and statement of cash flow. A balance sheet reports the financial position or snapshot of an accounting entity at a particular point. The balance sheet contains things such as amount of assets, liabilities, and stockholders equity. When completing a balance sheet since each asset must have a source of financing, a company’s assets must by definition equal the combined total of its liabilities and stockholders equity. Assets are the economic resources owned by the company. Liabilities are the company’s debts or obligations like bills, or credits owed. Stockholders equity indicates the amount of financing provided by the owners of the business and earnings. ("The Four Basic...
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...Purpose of Accounting Accounting serves as one of the most important functions of a company. Without proper accounting many businesses like Microsoft, Pepsi, or Home Depot would not be as successful as they are today. Accounting focuses on the economic events of a company and informs internal and external users. The focus of this paper is to define the purpose of accounting; identify the four basic financial statements; and explain how they are interrelated with each other and useful to managers, creditors, investors, and employees. The purpose of accounting is to identify, record, and communicate economic events of an organization to interested users (Weygandt, 2008) which then helps such users to understand the financial direction of a company. The first step in accounting is to identify economic events which may include payment of wages or the sale of a computer. Once specific economic events are identified relevant to a specific business the company accountant or bookkeeper then record the events to have a history of financial activities (Weygandt, 2008). After recording economic events of a company the accounting department will communicate the information to interested users consisting of CEO’s, CFO’s, investors, management, and officers. The accounting information provided by a company is helpful to both internal and external users. Internal users consisting of managers, officers, and directors use the information to make decisions to buy or sell stock, increase or decrease...
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... Running head: Accounting Understanding Accounting and Financial Statements 23 September 2010 ACC 280/ Michael Pagano Understanding Accounting and Financial Statements Businesses can be impressive institutions. There are many factors that are combined to make a successful business. These businesses usually have strict code of conducts and ethics that guide the company in its daily practices. Some areas of the business receive more attention than others. One department that receives constant attention is the accounting or finance department. This is a department that is responsible for many aspects of the business. This department gives managers and employees the monetary status of the company enabling them to make important decisions to guide the company. It is important that individuals are able to understand basics of accounting and the four basic financial statements. Purpose of Accounting Accounting serves many important functions in a business. First an individual needs to have a basic understand of accounting. Accounting consists of three very basic activities which are identifies, records, and communicates financial information within a given period. The first activity is to identify events relevant to the company during that time period. Accounting also records events in order to provide history of its financial activities. This activity of records must be systematic and in chronologically. The last major activity that accounting demonstrates is the...
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...Purpose of accounting For this assignment, I am going to describe the purpose of accounting in a business. First of all I will explain what accounting is. Accounting refers to recording the transactions of the business in order to create financial information. This information can then be used to do numerous things including analysing the business and evaluating how successful it is. There are five main reasons to why a business would want accounting and these are to record transactions, monitor activities, controlling the business and it would also help in managing the business. It can also be used to measure the financial performance of the business. I am going to explain each of these in more detail below. Record transactions One reason as to why businesses record transactions is because they have to report their financial performance to the HMRC. The HMRC will then calculate how much tax the business needs to pay. The business needs to ensure that the information that they report is accurate or else the amount of tax they pay will be wrong and possibly more than they had to pay. In order to record transactions, the bookkeeper has to record the income and expenditure of the business. If the information is not recorded, the business might forget to pay their bills, chase payments and they might get into trouble with the HMRC. Monitoring activities In order to monitor their activities, businesses can create a cash flow forecast or break-even analysis. A cash flow forecast...
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...Purpose of Managerial Accounting M B Colorado Technical University Online August 26, 2014 Purpose of Managerial Accounting The purpose of this presentation is to convey the importance and purpose of managerial accounting, how the managerial accountants support the strategic decisions, ways strategies can be implemented by management and strategy implementation steps that managers can take. As the Board of Directors you will be charged with interpretation of information provided by the accountants. As a board using the financial and managerial accountants’ reports and feedback will assist with the planning and execution of decision that will strategically allow all employees from management down to the front line to operate efficiently. The purpose of managerial accounting is to take historical information, such as financial statements, budgets and operations reports to create a plan focus inwardly within the company. Managerial accounting is a system of providing and measuring financial and operational information. The system is designed to motivate behaviors, guides managerial action, and support and create necessary cultural values needed to achieve an organization’s strategic objectives (Geense, 2005). Managerial accounting is comprised of 4 ideas that are the key to its definition. The ideas capture the purpose, scope, attributes and nature of managerial accounting. Cost and operational information, including some financial information define the scope. Reaching...
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...Financial Statements - Purpose of Accounting ACC 280 May 17, 2011 Carol Harker Financial Statements - Purpose of Accounting Every business has a need to generate profit and remain in the black. In today’s business world, it is important to have the means to track and monitor the gain or increase of income and profits within the organization. According to Weygandt, “Accounting can be defined as activity that is used to identify, record, and communicate the economic events of a business.” (Weygandt. 2008.) Included in the report we will discuss the purpose of accounting and identify the four basic types of financial statements that are used. Finally we will discuss how the core financial statements of accounting are connected to each other and their uses for all stakeholders in a company. The purpose of accounting is to keep track of economic events for a business. “Accountants are primarily employed to track the flow of money through an organization” (QuickMBA, 2010). Good accounting practices make it easy to keep track of finances for any type of business. “Keeping an accurate balance sheet is a fundamental part of running even the most basic of an organization” (QuickMBA, 2010). Activities such as sales, purchases, and any interest earned from investments are classified as economic and posted to a specified account record. Accountants have a code of ethics that they must adhere to ensure integrity in the reporting process. The use of an accounting system for a business...
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...preservation of systematic records, is only one aspect of accounting. Accounting also involves structuring the information so that it can be used to evaluate the performance of the company and make decisions about the future. b. True. Accounting is designed around the tabulation of numerical information. Also, accounting data relate primarily to a company’s financial activities; information about personnel matters, community relations, etc. must come from other information systems. c. False. Managerial accounting information is used by internal users; financial accounting information is provided to external users. d. False. The balance sheet is a listing of a company’s assets, liabilities, and owners’ equity. The income statement reports net income which is the excess of revenues over expenses. e. True. Financial analysts closely follow large companies and publicly report any indications of unusual financial performance. Small companies are not followed by analysts, so investors must do more homework themselves. f. False. Accounting standards in the United States are set by the FASB. The IRS has no direct connection with financial accounting standards. g. False. The IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) is an international body formed to create a common set of worldwide accounting standards. h. True. A CPA (certified public accountant) is an accountant who has received college-level accounting training, passed the CPA exam, and satisfied other state...
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...Introduction Today’s technology has offered business organizations multiple methods to communicate. Some forms of communications are more effective than others. Communication is one of the most important elements of a successful business. When writing a business communication it is crucial that you know who the members of your audience are and communicate with the visible purpose. Effective communication achieves its objective to persuade, respond or gain information by considering the style, format, purpose, organization and by tailoring the communication style to meet the audience requirements. Purpose Learning Team A was given five different accounting scenarios with limited amount of information on the JJJ Company, Riordan Mfg, Ad hoc Committee, CEO and the employees. Each team member was assigned a role from the accounting scenario and instructed to write and effective communiqué based on that roles. The communiqués could be n the form of a formal memo, email, power point, and text message. The types of communiqués were based on the information, i.e., formal, informal, long report, short report format, email, power point presentation, or memo, etc. Then each team member had to evaluate the business communication written by the other members and determine its effectiveness by using the following questions as a guide. 1) How well did the communication convey the intended message? 2) Would another type of communication have been more appropriate? Why? 3) Is the...
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...things that eventually expire. So, basically Expense is the amount of cost which has expired and Cost is the amount of expense which has not yet expired. Understanding Expenses Expenses are incurred, used as a measure for accounting purposes, which measure the financial performance of an organization. Accounting for expense is standardized by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to provide shareholders, regulators, and management a standard and comparable view of financial information across diverse industries. Technically, an expense is a specific accounting event related to the outflow of cash reducing corporate equity. Expense simply record the event and used to understand ‘what happened’ from an accounting perspective. Understanding Costs Costs are derived, used as a measure for economic purposes, which measure the economic performance across multiple dimensions of business, (organization, product, customer, etc.). A cost is a derived value of money consumed to produce a current or future outcome; hence, costs provide management a decision supporting view to improve business economics. Costs are expressed as a value measured in relationship to a causal volume of consumption. The Difference between Cost Accounting and Financial Accounting are as follows: Cost...
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...MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING [SUMMARY] What is Management Accounting? Management Accounting is the process within an organization that provides information used by an organization’s managers in planning, implementing and controlling the organization’s activities. Management Accounting as One Type of Information Information is a fact, datum, observation, perception or nay other thing that adds to knowledge. An organization’s day-to day activities requires a considerable amount of operating information. This information provides the raw materials for the summarized information that is reported in the financial accounting and management accounting processes. Management Accountants Those employees of an organization who are responsible for the design and operation of the management accounting system are called management accountants. Treasurer – responsible for more outward directed tasks such as arranging loans and other external sources of funds. Steps to become a Certified Management Accountant File an application for admission and register for the CMA examination Pass all four parts of the CMA examination within a three year period Satisfy the experience requirement of two continuous years of professional experience in management and/or financial accounting prior to or within seven years of passing the CMA examination. Comply with the standards of ethical conduct for practitioners of management accounting and financial...
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...Accounting Cycle Paper ACC/421 Accounting Cycle Paper In this paper I will outline the purpose of both accounting and financial reporting within an organization in general. I will also give a description of the people, processes, and systems that are a part of the accounting and financial reporting processes followed by a conclusion. Purpose of Accounting The purpose of accounting to gather and report on any financial information within the organization about things such as: the performance of the company, their financial position, and the cash flows of the company. With this information the company can then make business decisions about management of their business, investments to be made, or money they can lend. All of this information is known as the accounting records and accounting transactions and recorded as invoices for either suppliers or customers of the company. Once the financial information has been added to the accounting records it is all put together into financial statements to include the following: income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, statement of retained earnings, and any disclosures. Purpose of Financial Reporting Documents, or the financial reports, are gathered in order to keep track of money going in or going out. Essentially, there is a record of how much money your business is making or losing. Anyone investing in the business has the right to know how their money is being used and can know this by looking at the financial...
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...Introduction to Accounting and Financial Reporting for Governmental and Not-for-Profit Entities True / False Questions 1. Special purpose governments generally provide a wider range of services to their residents than do general purpose governments. True False 2. Examples of general purpose governments include cities, towns, and public schools that receive tax revenue to finance the services they provide. True False 3. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) is the body authorized to establish accounting principles for all state and local governments, both general purpose and special purpose. True False 4. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) is the body authorized to establish accounting principles for all government entities. True False 5. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the body authorized to establish accounting principles for all colleges and universities and health care entities. True False 6. Neither governmental nor not-for-profit entities have residual equity that can be distributed to owners. True False 7. A characteristic common to governmental and not-for-profit organizations is that they do not exist to provide goods or services at a profit or profit equivalent. True False 8. The needs of users of government financial reports are the same as those of users of business entity financial reports. True False 9. The Federal Accounting Standards...
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...main purpose is the management and enforcement of all internal revenue laws and for the collection of taxes. The next regulatory body is the Securities Exchange commission (SEC). The SEC main goal is to observe public companies to ensure these public companies are following the generally accepted accounting principles when reporting their company’s financial data. The administration and finances of several regulatory boards and councils such as the financial accounting standards board, the financial accounting standards advisory council, governmental accounting standards advisory council, and the governmental accounting standards board is the responsibility of Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) (Weygandt, Kimmel, & Kieso, 2008). The Financial Accounting Standards Board (GASB) main purpose is the developing, enforcing the standards in accounting and reporting for all non-governmental entities. The formulation of Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) was because of the need for all government levels to have standard accounting principles. The GASB created and implemented the generally accepted accounting principles. This board mirrored the financial accounting standard board on state and local levels. The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) is a regulatory body whose main purpose is to distribute the federal accounting standards to all users of federal financial information. The formulation of the International Accounting Standards...
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...Statement of Accounting Concepts SAC 3 (8/90) Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information Prepared by the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board of the Australian Accounting Research Foundation and the Accounting Standards Review Board Issued by the Australian Accounting Research Foundation on behalf of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and by the Accounting Standards Review Board The Australian Accounting Research Foundation was established by the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and undertakes a range of technical and research activities on behalf of the accounting profession as a whole. A major responsibility of the Foundation is the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts and Accounting Standards. The Public Sector Accounting Standards Board is one of the boards of the Foundation. The Accounting Standards Review Board was established by the Ministerial Council for Companies and Securities. It has responsibility for the development of Approved Accounting Standards for application by companies, and for the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts and Australian Accounting Standards. Copies of this Statement are available for purchase from the offices of the Australian Accounting Research Foundation, 211 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield, Victoria 3162, Australia...
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...(a) A number of accounting concepts and conventions have been used by the accountant as a guide in preparing the accounts. These concepts and conventions have been derived over the years from the general accounting practices. Critically discuss the purpose of accounting concepts and conventions and its importance and contribution towards preparing the accounting reports. Purpose of Accounting Concepts The main aim for accounting concept is to maintain the uniformity and consistency in accounting records. These concepts constitute the very basic and premise of accounting. All the concepts have been created and developed throughout the years from experience and consequently they are all around acknowledged tenets. Accounting supposition and concept offer the bases in preparing, presenting and displaying even in interpreting general-purpose financial statements. There are some important accounting concepts that support the readiness and preparation of any accounting arrangement or financial statements such as Going Concern Concept, Consistency Concept, Prudence Concept, and Accruals Concepts. For example, Going Concern Concept is a company or organizations will not be going to bankrupt unless there have a confirmation and evidence to the contrary and this is supported by accountants. Purpose of Accounting Conventions An accounting convention refer to regular and common practices which are all around followed in recording and exhibiting accounting data and information...
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