ACCA F3/FFA - Financial Accounting: Chapter: 1 – Introduction to Accounting Topics List

Chapter: 1 – Introduction to Accounting

Topics List

  1. The purpose of financial reporting
  2. Types of business entity
  3. Nature, principles and scope of financial reporting
  4. Users’ and stakeholders’ needs
  5. The main elements of financial reports

1.       The Purpose of Financial Reporting

1.1          What is Financial Reporting?

       Financial reporting is a way of recording, analyzing and summarising financial data.

2.       Types of Business Entity

2.1          What is a Business?

       Businesses of whatever size or nature are exists to make a profit.

There are a number of ways of looking at a business. Some are listed below.

v  A business is a commercial or industrial concern which exists to deal in manufacture, re-sale or supply of goods and services.
v  A business is an organisation which uses economic resources to create goods or services which customers will buy.
v  A business invests money in resources in order to make even more money for its owners.

2.2          Types of Business Entity

There are three main types of business entities.

v  Sole traders

A sole trader-ship is a business owned and run by the one individual, perhaps employing one or two assistants and controlling their work. The individual’s business and personal affairs are, for legal and tax purposes, identical.

v  Partnerships

Arrangements between individuals to carry on business in common with a view to profit. A partnership, however, involves obligations to others, and so a partnership is usually governed by a partnership agreement. Unless it is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), partners will be fully liable for debts and liabilities.

v  Limited Liability Companies

Limited liability status means that the business’s debts and the personal debts of the business’s owners (shareholders) are legally separate. The shareholders cannot be sued for the debts of the business unless they have given some personal guarantee.

3.       Nature, Principles and Scope of Financial Reporting

       Financial accounting and management accounting are different. The F3/FFA syllabus focuses on financial accounting.

v  Financial Accounting

Financial accounting is mainly a method of reporting the financial performance and financial position of a business.

They provide historical information.

4.       Users’ and Stakeholders’ needs

4.1          The Need for Financial Statements

       There are various groups of people who need information about the activities of a business.

v  Objective

“The objective of financial statements is to provide information about the Financial Position, Performances and Changes in Financial Position of an entity that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions.” – Framework, IASB

4.2          Users of the financial statements and accounting information

       Managers of the company
       Shareholder of the company
       Trade contacts (Suppliers and Customers)
       Providers of the finance to the company
       Taxation authorities
       Employees of the company
       Financial analysts and advisors
       Government and their agencies
       The public

5.       The Main Elements of Financial Reports

The principle financial statements of a business are the statement of financial position and statement of profit or loss.

v  Statement of Financial Position

q  Assets

v  A resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity
v  Classify as either a current or non-current asset to include in the statement of financial position

q  Liabilities

v  A present obligation of the entity arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow from the entity of resources embodying economic benefits
v  Classify as either a current or non-current liability to include in the statement of financial position
q  Capital or Equity

v  ‘the residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting all its liabilities’
v  this is the amount due to the owners or the proprietor of a business after liabilities have been paid
v  it is included in the statement of financial position

v  Statement of Profit or Loss

q  Revenues
v  income consists of both revenue and gains
v  revenue arises from a business’s ordinary activities such as the sale of goods or provision of services
v  gains represent increases in economic benefits such as a gain on disposal of non-current assets
v  revenue and gains are taken to the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income

q  Expenses

v  expenses are losses such as a those arising on disposal of a non-current asset as well as expenses that arise in the normal course of business such as cost of sales, wages and depreciation
v  expenses and losses are taken to the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income



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