Formats of Financial Statements Fro Different Industries

851 Words4 Pages
1 List out and describe the key financial statements prepared by a Company, and compare appropriate formats of financial statements for different types of business (AC 4.1 and 4.2 : Discuss the main financial statements Compare appropriate formats of financial statements for different types of business) ANSWER: Four types of Financial statements are widely used by businesses. These are the balance sheet, the income statement, cash flow statement and retained earnings statement. Balance Sheet: It shows the financial position of a firm at one given time. The left side of the balance sheet is called the debit side and it shows the resources of the company which is called the assets and the right side is called the credit side which shows how these resources are funded. The funding is by the owners or by investors called equity and liabilities respectively. More debt and equity shows that the company can buy more assets. Paying accounts payable, repaying loans, buying back shares and paying dividends reduces assets. It is not possible to find out a performance of a firm from a balance sheet. This is because performance of a firm has to be measured over a period of time. The cash flow statement and the income statement are used for this purpose. Income Statement: It shows the change in equity because of expenses and revenue. Thus, it shows performance of a firm over a period of time. Typically this period is a quarter or a year. The income statement is used to find out profitability since the expenses in the period are deducted from the revenue. When the net income is positive it means there is profit and if it is negative, it means it’s a loss. The income statement is also called the profit and loss statement. The balance sheet has a direct relation with the income statement. Net income increases when assets increase related to liabilities. Cash Flow

More about Formats of Financial Statements Fro Different Industries

Open Document