AccountingQA Latest Questions

Mehak
Mehak
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  2. Mehak

    Everyone must have heard about the term “cooking the books”. This term is generally associated with Creative accounting. In simple words, Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management tries to show a better picture of the business than the reality. Let us now understand thisRead more

    Everyone must have heard about the term “cooking the books”. This term is generally associated with Creative accounting. In simple words, Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management tries to show a better picture of the business than the reality. Let us now understand this concept in detail.

    What is Creative accounting?

    Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management manipulates the books of accounts by finding loopholes to showcase a better image of the business.

    It is a practice of using accounting loopholes to make a company’s financial position look better than it really is. It is not exactly illegal but it is more of a gray area.

    For example, a business may delay reporting expenses to increase the profits to present a better short-term position.

    The goal of creative accounting is to impress the shareholders, investors, get loans or boost stock prices.

    However, this can also be very risky and have serious consequences. It can reduce the trust of the investors and customers. In some cases, like Enron and WorldCom the world has seen how creative accounting lead to legal consequences.

    Common Techniques of Creative Accounting

    Some of the common techniques used by the business to manipulate the financial position are as follows:

    1. Revenue Recognition: Techniques such as recognizing revenue before it is actually earned is a method of creative accounting.
    2. Expense manipulation: Delaying the recognition of expenses to show a better position of the business in a short-term.
    3. Undervaluing liabilities: Undervaluing the liabilities of the business by not recognizing any future costs such as insurance or warranty etc.
    4. Asset Valuation: Overstating the value of asses or high amount of depreciation can be some ways of manipulating the value of assets.
    5. Tax avoidance: This is a way of reducing the tax liability by manipulating the financial statements to lower the profits.
    6. Cookie jar accounting: This is a method in which profits in the good years are saved in excess to use in the years of difficulty.

    Ethical implications of Creative Accounting

    There are several ethical implications with respect to creative accounting. Some of these are discussed below:

    1. Misleading Stakeholders: Creative accounting is a method to mislead the stakeholders including the investors, creditors, government, etc. This can lead to loss of trust.
    2. Loss of trust: The shareholders will lose trust over the company if the manipulation is discovered. Creative accounting breaches the fundamental of honesty.
    3. Non – compliance: Creative accounting leads to the non-compliance of the rules and regulations of the country which requires the businesses to follow certain accounting and reporting standards.
    4. Unfair competition: Creative accounting can make a company look more profitable and stable than it actually is, misleading investors and customers. This can leave honest businesses, who follow the rules, at a disadvantage.
    5. Moral responsibility: Management and business has the moral responsibility of working in the best interest of the society and the stakeholders.

    Conclusion

    The key takeaways from the above discussion are as follows:

    1. Creative accounting is the practice of using accounting loopholes to make a company’s financial position look better than it really is.
    2. The goal of creative accounting is to impress the shareholders, and investors, get loans, or boost stock prices.
    3. Revenue recognition, expense manipulation, and asset valuation are some of the common techniques of Creative accounting.
    4. The ethical implications of creative accounting include misleading stakeholders, eroding trust, compromising regulatory compliance, promoting unfair competition, neglecting moral responsibility, etc.

     

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Aditi
Aditi
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  2. Mehak
    This answer was edited.

    What is Inventory? Inventory refers to the stock of goods or raw materials a business uses to produce the final goods sold to the customers. What is the Inventory Turnover Ratio? Inventory Turnover Ratio is the financial ratio that shows how efficiently a business sells and replenishes its inventoryRead more

    What is Inventory?

    Inventory refers to the stock of goods or raw materials a business uses to produce the final goods sold to the customers.

    What is the Inventory Turnover Ratio?

    Inventory Turnover Ratio is the financial ratio that shows how efficiently a business sells and replenishes its inventory. It shows how well a business manages its inventory.

    Inventory Turnover ratio is calculated as follows:

    Inventory Turnover Ratio = Cost of goods sold / Average Inventory 

    where Average Inventory = (Inventory at the beginning of the year + Inventory at the end of the year) / 2

    If inventory turnover is high, it means products are selling quickly. But if it’s too high, the company might not have enough stock, leading to fewer sales.

    If turnover is low, there are slow sales or too much stock. That can lead to higher storage costs and obsolete products. It is important to find the right balance between the two.

    Why is the Cost of Goods Sold taken as a numerator instead of revenue while calculating the Inventory Turnover Ratio?

    The cost of goods sold is the sum of all the direct costs involved in the production of goods. On the other hand, Revenue is the total amount of money earned through the sale of goods and services.

    The cost of goods sold (COGS)  includes materials, labor, and overhead costs. Inventory consists of these costs and hence, it is better to take (COGS) as the numerator.

    Revenue, however, considers things like markups, discounts, and other adjustments that don’t directly relate to the actual cost of inventory.

    Let us understand it better with the help of an example:

    Suppose the opening inventory is 20,000 and the closing inventory is 10,000. Average inventory can be calculated as (20,000 + 10,000)/2 = 15,000.

    If the cost of goods sold is 45,000 the Inventory turnover ratio comes out to be 45,000/15,000 = 3.

    On the other hand, if the revenue of 60,000 is taken as the numerator, the Inventory turnover ratio comes out to be 60,000/15,000 = 4

    A high inventory turnover ratio shows that the inventory is moving faster than it is which is misleading for the stakeholders.

    Hence, the Cost of goods sold is taken as the numerator for the calculation of the Inventory turnover ratio.

     

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Aditi
Aditi
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  2. Mehak
    This answer was edited.

    Revenue and income are two accounting terms that are often used interchangeably. However, it is important to understand that these two terms are different. Let us know the difference between the two through the discussion below: What is Revenue? Revenue is the total amount of a business's sales. ItRead more

    Revenue and income are two accounting terms that are often used interchangeably. However, it is important to understand that these two terms are different. Let us know the difference between the two through the discussion below:

    What is Revenue?

    Revenue is the total amount of a business’s sales. It is the total amount earned by a business before deducting any expenses. Revenue is recognized in accounting as soon as a sale happens, even if the payment hasn’t been received yet.

    For example, XYZ Ltd sold 100 pens at a selling price of 10 per pen. The total revenue of the business is hence 1,000.

    What is Income?

    Income is the amount earned by a business after deducting any direct or indirect expenses. It is the amount that is left after subtracting all expenses, taxes and other costs from Revenue.

    Which is a broader term between the two?

    Revenue is a broader term as it includes the total earnings a business generates before deducting any expenses. It includes all sales of goods or services during a specific period.

    On the other hand, income is calculated after deducting certain expenses like taxes, interest, etc. This makes it more specific and refined than revenue.

    Revenue provides a measure of a company’s ability to generate sales and income reflects the efficiency in managing costs and generating profits.

     

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Aditi
Aditi
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  2. Mehak

    To understand the difference in Revenue recognition under IFRS and GAAP , it is important to understand what are IFRS and GAAP. Both of these are accounting standards accepted globally.  These are discussed below: What is IFRS? IFRS is a set of accounting standards developed by the International AccRead more

    To understand the difference in Revenue recognition under IFRS and GAAP , it is important to understand what are IFRS and GAAP. Both of these are accounting standards accepted globally.  These are discussed below:

    What is IFRS?

    IFRS is a set of accounting standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board. These standards are globally accepted accounting standards.

    They were developed and implemented with the objective of providing a consistent, transparent and reliable framework for the presentation and reporting of financial statements.

    IFRS ensure uniformity and this helps in comparability of financial statements across the companies of different countries.

    Some examples of IFRS Standards are : IFRS 2 – Share based payments, IFRS 9 – Financial Instruments, IFRS 16 – Leases, etc.

    What is GAAP?

    GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. GAAP is primarily used in the USA. These are a set of accounting principles, rules and procedures which are crucial for providing consistency and transparency in the presentation and reporting of financial statements.

    Some examples of GAAP Standards are: ASC 606: Revenue Recognition, ASC 842: Leases, ASC 740: Income Taxes, etc.

    Difference in Revenue Recognition under IFRS and GAAP

    Though both of these standards have the main goal of promoting consistency and uniformity, there are certain differences in the Revenue Recognition under IFRS and GAAP.

    This is because of the fact that the nature of IFRS and GAAP is different as IFRS is more principle- based and GAAP is rule based.

     

     

     

     

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Aditi
Aditi
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  2. Mehak

    The terms outstanding expenses and accrued expenses are two accounting terms which are often used interchangeably. However, these two terms are not the same and have different meanings. The difference between these two terms is given below: What are Outstanding expenses? As the name suggests, outstaRead more

    The terms outstanding expenses and accrued expenses are two accounting terms which are often used interchangeably. However, these two terms are not the same and have different meanings. The difference between these two terms is given below:

    What are Outstanding expenses?

    As the name suggests, outstanding expenses are the expenses that are due but have not been paid yet. It means that the business is supposed to pay the amount due but it has not paid the same at the end of the accounting period.

    Outstanding expenses are recognized as a current liability because the business is liable to pay such expenses. These expenses are recorded in the books of accounts but the payment is still pending.

    Some examples of outstanding expenses are:

    1. The electricity bill is due for the month of January but has not yet been paid on 31st January.
    2. Salaries of employees of 50,000 is due for the month of March but have not been paid yet by the business.

    What are Accrued expenses? 

    Accrued expenses are the expenses that a business has incurred during the accounting period but they have not yet been recorded in the books of accounts because the bill has not yet been received or the payment is not due yet.

    The concept of Accrued expenses helps in complying with the accrual basis of accounting which says that the expense shall be recognised at the time it occurs regardless of the fact that payment is received or not.

    Examples of accrued expenses are:

    1. The electricity bill for December is received in the month of January. However, it shall be recognised as an expense in the month of December.
    2. The salaries of the employees for the month of April are paid in May. However, this expense shall be recognized in April.

     

    Key differences between outstanding expenses and accrued expenses

    To summarise the above discussion, the key differences between outstanding expenses and accrued expenses are given in the table below:

     

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