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.
The shareholders require information on the value of their investment and income that is derived from their shareholding.
External users utilize accounting information to make informed decisions regarding their interest in a business. Investors assess a company's financial health and performance to determine potential profitability and risks associated with their investments. Creditors evaluate financial statements to decide on lending terms and to gauge the risk of default. Additionally, regulatory agencies and analysts use this information for compliance and to provide insights into market trends.
Investors and analysts use accounting information to assess a company's financial performance, including its net income, to predict potential stock price movements. By analyzing earnings reports, financial ratios, and trends, they evaluate the company's profitability, growth prospects, and overall financial health. This information helps them make informed decisions about buying, holding, or selling stock, as an increase in net income often signals a positive outlook that may drive stock prices higher.
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.
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 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.
The shareholders require information on the value of their investment and income that is derived from their shareholding.
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.
Prospectus
investors
The role Of Accounting StandardsAccounting standards are necessary to promote high quality financial reporting. The fundamental role of accounting is to communicate economic information about businesses and other organization to various stakeholders including government, investors, shareholders, suppliers, lenders, customers and the general public. These stakeholders use such information to take decisions and to assess the stewardship of people appointed to manage such organizations. If this information is not of a high quality standard, then the stakeholders would be unable to take effective decisions that will benefit them. For example, if a financial report is manipulated to show higher profits, investors would hold on to their shares with the belief that the company is doing well.Accounting standards came to be developed from the mid sixties onwards to promote the integrity of the accounting profession by way of ensuring uniformity in the way accountants report transactions in their books and also in their preparation of the final accounts of businesses. This is by and large aimed at boosting the confidence of stakeholders, particularly shareholders and potential investors in the accounting profession.Good and useful information should have the essential characteristics of understandability, comparability, relevance and reliability in order to play its role effectively.Accounting standards serve to promote the understandability , comparability, relevance and reliability of financial reports.
Internal to a company, accounting provides management with insight into the past profitability, cash flows, assets, and liabilities of the company expressed in the terms of generally accepted accounting principles. Externally, it provides potential lenders and investors a tool for judging the past profitability, cash flows, assets, and liabilities of the company.
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...
A Key Information Memorandum (KIM) is a document prepared by mutual funds that provides essential information about the scheme to potential investors, such as investment objective, performance, risk factors, fees, and expenses. It aims to help investors make informed decisions before investing in the mutual fund scheme.
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.
people likely to invest in a business