Financial reporting
refers to the way companies show their financial performance to investors, creditors, and other interested parties by preparing and presenting financial statements.
Role of financial statement analysis
use the information in a company’s financial statements, along with other relevant information, to make economic decisions.
Financial statement notes (footnotes)
include disclosures that provide further details about the information summarized in the financial statements.
* Basis of presentation
* Accounting methods and assumptions
* Further information on amounts in primary statements
* Acquisitions/disposals
* Contingencies
* Legal proceedings
* Stock options, benefit plans
* Significant customers
* Segment data
* Quarterly data
* Related-party transactions
Management’s commentary
Audit
independent review of company’s financial statements
Reasonable assurance that financial statements are free of material errors
Under US GAAP, must provide opinion on company’s internal controls
Ranking of Audit opinion
Standard auditor’s opinion includes
Supplementary sources of financial information
steps in the financial statement analysis framework
Objective of financial reporting
provide financial information about the reporting entity that is useful to existing and potential investors, lenders, and other creditors in making decisions about providing resources to the entity – IASB Conceptual framework (relevance and timely)
Standard setting bodies:
Financial reporting requirements and regulation:
SEC Fillings/forms
IFRS conceptual framework, two qualitative characteristics
Characteristics that enhance relevance and faithful representation
IFRS required reporting elements
Differences remain between US GAAP and IFRS
treatment of development costs, use of LIFO for inventory, reversal of inventory write downs
Types of income statement
single step (operating expense), multi-step (split out COGS and SGA)
Revenue Recognition Standards – five step model:
Revenue Recognition standards
Agent vs principal revenue recognition
There is a distinction between acting as an agent (revenue) vs acting as a principal (revenue + expenses)
Expense recognition:
Double declining depreciation (DDB) formula
= (2/useful life)(cost – accumulated depreciation)
Bad debt expense and warranty expense recognition
must estimate bad debts expense/warranty expense. Firm recognises this expense in period of sale rather than later period