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In accounting, a basis of accounting is a method used to define, recognise, and report financial transactions. [1] The two primary bases of accounting are the cash basis of accounting, or cash accounting, method and the accrual accounting method. A third method, the modified cash basis, combines elements of both accrual and cash accounting.
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. [1] [2] Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators. [3]
Prior to 1929 no group – public or private – was issuing or responsible for any accounting [4] standards. After the 1929 stock market crash, a call to regain the public's confidence and investor's trust was demanded and the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 was passed resulting in public companies being supervised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The accounting equation is the mathematical structure of the balance sheet. It relates assets, liabilities, and owner's equity: Assets = Liabilities + Equity (in financial accounting, the term equity, not Capital, is used) Liabilities = Assets − Equity Equity = Assets − Liabilities. Assets are reported on the balance sheet. [11]
Two types of balancing accounts exist to prevent fictitious profits and losses that might arise when cash is paid out in different accounting periods than when expenses are recognised. According to the matching principle in accrual accounting, expenses are recognised when obligations are incurred, regardless of when cash is paid. Cash can be ...
Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics and is part of business ethics and human ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting was introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent ...
Accounting standards prescribe in considerable detail what accruals must be made, how the financial statements are to be presented, and what additional disclosures are required. Some important elements that accounting standards cover include identifying the exact entity which is reporting, discussing any "going concern" questions, specifying ...
Critics argue that the 2006 SFAS 157 contributed to the 2008 financial crisis by easing the mark-to-market accounting rule and allowing valuation of assets based on their current market price, rather than the purchase price. Critics claim FASB changes to mark-to-market accounting were made to accommodate "banks with toxic assets on their books ...