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Why do stockholders and potential investors use accounting information?
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Users of accounting data?
Users of accounting data include shareholders, potential investors and suppliers. All of these shareholders want to make sure that the business is profitable before they do business with the company.
How do potential shareholders use accounting information?
The shareholders require information on the value of their investment and income that is derived from their shareholding.
What is defition of financial accounting?
Financial accounting is the art of preparing and presenting financial information about a firm to users outside the firm. This information is usually presented in the form of financial statements (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flows, etc). This information helps various stakeholders such as current and potential shareholders, current and potential creditors, and professional analysts make various decisions about what direction the firm is heading in and what their decisions relative to the firm should be. I always raise the caution that historical financial information should NOT be the only factor used in making investment decisions (just because a firm was profitable for the last three years does not mean it will stay profitable). However, accounting information, in conjunction with various market and industry analyses, is a useful tool when making these decisions.
What are the main characteristics of accounting information?
Understandability This implies the expression, with clarity, of accounting information in such a way that it will be understandable to users - who are generally assumed to have a reasonable knowledge of business and economic activities Relevance This implies that, to be useful, accounting information must assist a user to form, confirm or maybe revise a view - usually in the context of making a decision (e.g. should I invest, should I lend money to this business? Should I work for this business?) Consistency This implies consistent treatment of similar items and application of accounting policies Comparability This implies the ability for users to be able to compare similar companies in the same industry group and to make comparisons of performance over time. Much of the work that goes into setting accounting standards is based around the need for comparability. Reliability This implies that the accounting information that is presented is truthful, accurate, complete (nothing significant missed out) and capable of being verified (e.g. by a potential investor). Objectivity This implies that accounting information is prepared and reported in a "neutral" way. In other words, it is not biased towards a particular user group or vested interest.
Why do people use accounting?
Asking that question of an accountant is like asking a farmer why we need rain. We need accounting because it's the only way for business to grow and flourish. Accounting is the backbone of the business financial world. After all, accounting was created in response to the development of trade and commerce during the medieval times.Italy is our first recorded source for accounting entries, and the first published accounting work in 1494 was by a Venetian monk. So you see accounting as an organized method for record-keeping has been around almost as long as the trade and business industries. Another interesting fact is the knowledge and principles upon which the first accounting practices were established, have changed very little in the many hundreds of years that accounting has been in use. The concepts of assets, liabilities, and income and the need to reconcile these areas is still the basis for all accounting functions today.The process for recording those transactions, and the many reports generated by the compilation of that information has evolved over the last two hundred years. Thanks to the creation of computers, many of the bookkeeping functions that are vital to accounting, but somewhat repetitive are performed by data entry clerks, and the reports generated come from the IS Department. The end result is still the same: accounting gives us the financial snapshot we need in order to make solid business decisions about the current status or projected future health of our businesses.There are two basic categories of accounting: financial accounting and managerial accounting. Financial accounting is comprised of information that companies make available to the general public: stockholders, creditors, customers, suppliers, and regulatory commissions. Managerial accounting deals with information that is not made public. Information such as salary costs, Cost of goods produced, profit targets, and material control information. The knowledge supplied by managerial accounting is for the use of department heads, division managers, and supervisors to help them make better decisions about the day-to-day operations of the business.Now, what about the "accountability" part of the accounting process? Why do we need that and how do we enforce it? Businesses need to be held accountable for the methods they use to run a business because the potential for greed, theft, and dishonesty exist in every business. You have only to read the current events section of the newspaper to realize how rampant corporate abuse is in business today. We have Enron, HEALTHSOUTH, and Martha Stewart examples to show us just how extensive the problem has become. There are specialized areas of accounting, that when correctly enforced, eliminate the possibility for fraud. Auditing and income taxation, when used correctly, force business to account for all business income, transactions, and transfers, and then to pay their fair share of the tax burden. The catch here is that the principles must be correctly enforced.Accounting is the conscious of the business world. When handled with care and with respect, it performs as expected. When abuse occurs, and the system is circumvented or overridden because of dishonesty and greed, it doesn't work correctly. Accounting is much like all other systems in place, they are only as good as the people using them
Who uses Accounting Data?
Who uses accounttiing datta? Users Applications Owners, Stockholders Potential Investors, Creditors Management Employees, Union Officials Lenders, Suppliers Government Agencies, Economic Planners Consumer Groups
Users of accounting data?
Users of accounting data include shareholders, potential investors and suppliers. All of these shareholders want to make sure that the business is profitable before they do business with the company.
How do potential shareholders use accounting information?
The shareholders require information on the value of their investment and income that is derived from their shareholding.
An investment report to potential investors is a?
Prospectus
How non users can benefit from accounting Practices?
Accounting practices. are the set of activities done by accountants in the field of financial accounting. They are what accountants do, these include recording transactions, Classifying transactions, summarizing transactions, reporting transactions and interpreting reports. The posting of transactions from the source documents to the preparation of income and financial statements takes the large fraction of what accountants do.Users of Accounting Practices. The accountants, financial managers, petty cashiers, auditors, accounting intellectuals, and other related individuals who are knowledgeable and have accounting expertise (i.e qualified accounting personnel) are said to be the users of Accounting Practices.Non-users of Accounting Practices. The group of individuals who wait for the outcomes/results of the Accounting Practices are said to be non-users of accounting practices. Because they lack accounting knowledge, skills and expertise, they are not in a good position to do what accountants do. This means they can not practice and cant be involved in the process of recording transactions, Classifying transactions, summarizing transactions, preparing income and financial statements, reporting transactions, sometimes they might lack the competence to interpret the given financial reports, unless assisted by the qualified accounting personnel.Non-user of accounting Practices include: Customers, general public, potential investors and shareholders without accounting skills.How do they benefit from accounting practices? Accounting information is the outcome of accounting practices, what qualified accounting personnel do ( accounting practices) provide information to enable them make decisions.Costomers. They need accounting information to be able to rely and establish a confidence in the firm they purchase, otherwise they may decide to sacrifice the firm and start a new tie with another company if they observe poor performance in the accounting information at hand.General public. They need the accounting information for social economic needs like employment opportunities, environmental and legal consideration and lawful dealings of the firm. The general public has the obligation of maintaining justice, fair play and balance in respect of the firm in their area.Potential/ present investors and shareholders without accounting expertise. They need accounting information to be able make decisions like, sacrificing more fund for investment into the firm, if it is performing better or withdraw their fund if the firm is performing poor. A good performing company is said to attract new investors and shareholders. The performance of the firm is measured by the financial accounting reports (information) given after the financial accounting practices.
A group of small investors seeking to make profits on companies with rapid growth potential?
investors
Hiro was using the database to prepare information for a presentation to potential investors. Which tool is he likely to use?
reports
Is potential a noun or a verb?
Potential is a noun or an adjective; it is not a verb.Example used as a noun:The potential for our new product is unlimited.Example used as an adjective;The potential revenue from this product will please the stockholders.
Are shareholders internal or external users of accounting information?
Internal users would be managers so that they can make decisions about how to manage and also see how effectively they have managed. External users would be potential investors, the Government, lenders, the public, unions...
What are potential investors?
people likely to invest in a business
An investment report to potential investors is called what?
Prospectus.
What is an investment report that is given to potential investors?
prospectus.
