Parties interested in accounting informationAccounting information is of
interest to various persons who are directly or indirectly concerned with an
enterprise.
Owners:Although owners initiate in
contributing fund to the business yet they are the last to receive their claim
on equity's return on their investment. This is true not only in repaying but
also in rewarding their capital. After meeting all the charges including
employees' salaries and lender's interest profit if any can be distributed as a
reward on capital. Naturally, the owners are interested in the safety of their
capital as also for a reasonable return thereon, which rest on the concern' s
stability
and prosperity. Accounting reports (annual) not only appraise the past performance but also assist in assessing future prospects of the entity. Such information is also very important for would-be-owners. Management:A small business is generally
carried on by the sole trader or by the partners. But a large business is
usually conducted by an incorporated company which separates management from
ownership. Managers' responsibility is to operate the business efficiently and
maximize the return on capital without jeopardizing the fund.
Management needs accounting
information in
(i) selecting out of alternative
proposals;
(ii) controlling acquisition and
maintenance of inventories (stock) cash receipts and payments;
(iii) planning or budgeting for the
future
(iv) appraising the performance and
(v) devising remedial measures for
the deviations of the actual results from the budgeted targets.
Creditors:May be short-term viz, suppliers of
goods, lenders of temporary advance or long-terms viz. mortgages, debenture
holders etc. Although both are interested in the stability and earnings of the
debtor firm yet the former specially looks to its short-term solvency i.e.
liquidity whereas the latter is interested in long-term solvency of the
firm.
Employees:Steady employment and stability of
business go together. Again trade unions are interested in sharing the profit of
the firm in the form of bonus. Therefore, the employees are naturally interested
in the accounting information provided by the annual accounting
reports.
Government:Many products now-a-days are
subject to excise-duty and sales Lax. Also the government regulates the prices
of essential goods e.g.. drugs, vegetables, oil etc. So the Government is
interested to know the costing information to administer excise duties and to
regulate the prices of products. Government is also interested in the accounting
information on the profits for income tax purposes.
Consumers:Price-increase is disfavored in
almost all the quarters. Accordingly, a producer endeavors to reduce his product
cost as also its selling price. Recently consumer protection associations have
been formed to exercise control on the business and industry and also to make
them aware of the "Social responsibility" towards society. Thus consumers also
need accounting information.
Researchers:The financial statements, being a
mirror of business conditions are of inestimable value for research into
business affairs. These statements are therefore of great interest to scholars
undertaking research in accounting theory as well as business affairs and
practices.
The nature of business incomeOne of the main objectives of
financial accounting is to ascertain whether the business operations have been
profitable or not. Accounting enables us to find out whether a business has
earned profits or suffered losses during the
accounting period. |