GBH210790 - Asm1 - 5038
GBH210790 - Asm1 - 5038
GBH210790 - Asm1 - 5038
1. Introduction...............................................................................................................2
2. Definition of accounting and purposes of the accounting function.............................2
2.1. Definition of accounting.......................................................................................................2
2.2. Purposes of the accounting function....................................................................................2
3. Main users of accounting information.......................................................................3
3.1. Internal users of accounting information.......................................................................3
3.2. External users of accounting information......................................................................4
4. Interrelationships of the accounting function and other functions.............................5
4.1. Accounting and Management.........................................................................................5
4.2. Accounting and Statistics...............................................................................................6
4.3. Accounting and Human Resource..................................................................................6
5. The roles and importance of accounting as an information system.............................6
6. A comparison between financial accounting and management accounting................7
7. Accounting principles, accounting constraints, and ethics in accounting...................9
7.1. Accounting principles.....................................................................................................9
7.2. Accounting constraints.................................................................................................10
Accounting constraints, also known as revision principles, are used to adjust accounting
assumptions and ideas to make accounting information in financial statements more helpful
to the user (Brown, 2014)..........................................................................................................10
The primary accounting limitations to consider while generating financial accounts are as
follows:......................................................................................................................................10
7.3. Ethics in accounting......................................................................................................11
8. Accounting regulations............................................................................................11
8.1. IFRS from IASB...........................................................................................................11
8.2. GAAP from FASB........................................................................................................12
8.3. VAS from VMoF..........................................................................................................12
9. A practical example to emphasize the role of accounting in informing decision-
making............................................................................................................................13
10. Conclusion...........................................................................................................14
References.......................................................................................................................15
1. Introduction
In the context of global development, with the advantage of the global economy, accounting
always plays an important role, directly affecting many social factors. According to Kevin
Parry (2021), Accounting is often referred to as "the language of business". Accounting is to
help stakeholders make better business decisions by providing them with financial
information. With solid growth demand reaching the Southeast Asian market and small
clients and fast growth potential, PwC's lead account manager asked to prepare a blog to
market and promote the products and accounting services of the company to new and existing
customers. This blog will cover the accounting function in the organization. Then, the context
and purpose of financial accounting and management accounting are also mentioned in the
Blog. Finally concluding the main idea creates the marketing attraction and promotion of the
company's accounting services to new and existing clients.
Management: The manager is the main internal user. They require thorough
performance data for each company segment to make ongoing modifications and
improvements to the organization. Their objective is to maintain consistent or rising
cash flow levels while minimizing debt risk. They may also require this information
to make acquisition or divestment choices.
The owners: Accounting information is used by investors to calculate their return on
investment based on the cash flow provided by the firm. Depending on the
conclusion, investors may decide to adjust their investment in the company, either
selling their existing stakes or purchasing new shares from others.
Employees: If employees have access to financial information (which is not always
the case), they can use it to evaluate the likelihood of the firm paying them enough
wages and funding any pension plans that the organization offers. This may lead to a
decision to stay with the firm or seek employment elsewhere.
Unions: Unions may utilize financial information from a company to gauge its
profitability and debt load. This data is valuable in determining how difficult it will be
to encourage pay growth and welfare in upcoming contract talks. When employers
disclose mediocre results, unions may press less, and vice versa.
(Bragg, 2022)
There are two major distinctions between financial accounting and managerial accounting.
The first distinction is that management accounting is given to the internal community of a
firm, whereas financial accounting is prepared for an external audience. Despite the
importance of financial accounting to current and potential investors, management
accounting is required for managers to make current and future financial choices for their
firm. The second distinction is that financial accounting is precise and must comply with
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), whereas management accounting might
be based on a guess or estimate because most managers do not have time to obtain exact
statistics by the time a decision is required (Bentley University, 2021).
The ultimate purpose of any set of accounting principles is to guarantee that a company's
financial statements are full, consistent, and comparable. This makes it easy for investors to
examine and extract important information from the company's financial records, such as
historical trend data. It also makes it easier to compare financial information between
organizations. Accounting principles also help to reduce accounting fraud by boosting
openness and identifying red flags. The ultimate purpose of standardized accounting
standards is to provide consumers of financial statements with confidence that the
information given in the report is comprehensive, consistent, and comparable (Tuovila,
2022).
Comparability refers to the ability of financial statement users to compare the financials of
several organizations side by side with the assurance that accounting principles have adhered
to the same set of standards. Accounting data is neither absolute nor tangible, therefore
standards are designed to mitigate the detrimental impacts of incorrect data. Without these
regulations, comparing financial statements among firms, even within the same industry,
would be exceedingly difficult. Inconsistencies and faults would likewise be more difficult to
detect (Tuovila, 2022).
Materiality Accounting Constraint: The notion of full disclosure requires the user of
financial statements to have access to all significant information. Non-important and
insignificant information can be removed or consolidated with other financial
information under the accounting constraint.
Conservative Accounting Constraint: A conservative or cautious accounting
constraint mandates that all potential losses be recorded in the financial statements,
but all potential gains are deleted.
Consistency Accounting Constraint: Assumptions and ideas utilized in financial
statement preparation must be implemented consistently from year to year. The user is
now able to draw relevant comparisons.
Cost Benefit Accounting Constraint: The costs of implementing an accounting
concept cannot exceed the advantages it provides. If the costs outweigh the benefits,
the concept should be adjusted.
Verifiable and Objective Evidence Accounting Concept: Each accounting transaction
should have thorough documentation evidence to back it, and this proof should be
neutral.
(Brown, 2014)
Accountants handle the financial details of people and businesses. Some can perform million-
dollar deals, while others help taxi drivers and social workers protect their retirement assets.
Accounting professionals choose to follow ethical rules to improve their profession, preserve
public trust, and display honesty and fairness. People who join organizations and obtain
certifications to present themselves to the public as CPAs or Certified Internal Auditors
(CIAs) work hard to safeguard the profession's reputation (University of West Florida, 2022).
8. Accounting regulations
8.1. IFRS from IASB
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are issued by the International
Accounting Standards Board (IASB). More than 120 nations, including those in the European
Union, utilize these standards (EU). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the
United States government body in charge of safeguarding investors and preserving order in
the securities markets, has indicated an interest in moving to IFRS. However, due to the
discrepancies between the two standards, the United States is unlikely to transition shortly
(Tuovila, 2022).
The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) define how businesses must keep
records and report their costs and revenue. They were designed to provide a worldwide
accounting language that investors, auditors, government regulators, and other interested
parties could understand (Palmer, 2022).
However, the FASB and the IASB continue to collaborate to publish comparable standards
on specific accounting difficulties when they emerge. For example, the FASB and IASB
jointly released new revenue recognition guidelines in 2014. Because accounting methods
change around the globe, investors should use caution when comparing financial statements
from different nations. In more established markets, the issue of various accounting rules is
less of a concern. Nonetheless, there is still room for number distortion under many sets of
accounting standards (Tuovila, 2022).
While privately owned businesses are not obligated to follow GAAP, publicly traded
businesses must publish GAAP-compliant financial statements to be listed on the stock
market. Chief executives and independent auditors of publicly listed firms must attest that the
financial statements and accompanying notes were produced in compliance with GAAP.
Privately held enterprises and nonprofit organizations may also be forced to produce GAAP-
compliant financial statements by lenders or investors. Most banking institutions, for
example, require annual audited GAAP financial statements as a loan covenant. As a result,
even though it is not a legal obligation, most corporations and organizations in the United
States use GAAP (Tuovila, 2022).
VAS presently lacks a regulation that allows assets and liabilities to be revalued at their fair
values at the time of reporting. The absence of applicable standards decreases the financial
statements' accuracy and reasonableness and is inconsistent with IAS / IFRS (Crowe
Vietnam, 2021).
Accounting rules are also available for credit institutions, insurance businesses, securities
firms, fund managers, investment funds, oil and gas operators, lottery companies, regulators,
and public sector organizations (Asia Briefing, 2022).
9. A practical example to emphasize the role of accounting in
informing decision-making
How does Accounting Information affect conform to IAS on Fair and Transparent Decision-
making?
(Vokshi and Krasniqi, 2017)
Exact accounting information is required, particularly by the entity's shareholders. They want
to be educated about their financial condition so that they can determine whether or not the
investment they made will be worthwhile. Such information is required for all unit investors,
who must decide whether to grow or decrease their investment based on the financial status
of the unit, which condition they discover from public accounting information (Vokshi and
Krasniqi, 2017).
10. Conclusion
In summary, the blog has carefully analyzed the characteristics of accounting and the
function of the accounting department as well as mentioned the accounting function in the
organization. Financial accounting, as well as management accounting, are also compared
clearly and highlight the context and purpose. In addition, the laws applicable in the
accounting or accounting department are also discussed in the blog. They are used to market
and promote the company's accounting services for the existing merchandise of new and
potential customers.
References
Asia Briefing (2022) Vietnam Guide - Vietnam Accounting Standards, Asia Briefing Country
Guide Portal. Available at: https://www.asiabriefing.com/countryguide/vietnam/taxation-
and-accounting/accounting-standards (Accessed: November 30, 2022).
Bentley University (2021) What are the Differences Between Financial Accounting and
Management Accounting?, Bentley University. Available at:
https://www.bentley.edu/news/what-are-differences-between-financial-accounting-and-
management-accounting (Accessed: November 29, 2022).
Crowe Vietnam (2021) VAS and IFRS, Crowe Vietnam. Available at:
https://www.crowe.com/vn/insights/accounting-publications/faq/c7-vas-and-ifrs (Accessed:
November 29, 2022).
Cruz, V. (2016) What is accounting? Definition and history of accounting, Market Business
News. Available at: https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/accounting-
definition-meaning/ (Accessed: November 29, 2022).
Donald, O. (2019) “Relationship Between Accounting And Other Disciplines,” Blogger, 10
September. Available at: https://www.trendingaccounting.com/2019/09/relationship-between-
accounting-and.html (Accessed: November 29, 2022).
Francis, A. (2013) Management Case Studies, MBA Knowledge Base. Available at:
https://www.mbaknol.com/financial-management/the-importance-of-accounting-information-
systems/ (Accessed: November 30, 2022).
Jonah (2018) Objectives and Functions of Accounting: Historical & Managerial Functions,
Toppr-guides. Available at: https://www.toppr.com/guides/principles-and-practice-of-
accounting/meaning-and-scope-of-accounting/objectives-and-functions-of-accounting/
(Accessed: November 29, 2022).
Matos, L. (2022) What are the 10 generally accepted accounting principles?, bgambrell.
Available at: https://www.accounting.com/resources/gaap/ (Accessed: November 29, 2022).
Tuovila, A. (2022) “Accounting Principles Explained: How They Work, GAAP, IFRS,”
Investopedia, 30 October. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accounting-
principles.asp (Accessed: November 28, 2022).
University of West Florida (2022) The Importance of Ethics in Accounting, UWF Online.
Available at: https://getonline.uwf.edu/business-programs/mba/accounting/ethics/ (Accessed:
November 28, 2022).
Vokshi, N.B. and Krasniqi, F.X. (2017) Role of Accounting Information in Decision-Making
Process, the Importance for its Users, Ssrn. Available at:
https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/delivery.php? (Accessed: November 30, 2022).