Conceptual framework

Objectives of financial reporting

The primary objective of financial reporting is to provide useful information to users for making economic decisions.

This may Incl:

creditors

regulatory bodies

investors

other stakeholders

Useful information must have the following characteristics

Reliability

🏴Comparability

Relevance

🏴Understandability

Information must be capable of making a difference in users' decisions by helping them assess 🏴the future impacts of past and present events.

Information must be free from material errors and bias, and be:

Faithful

Neutral

🏴Verifiable

information must be capable of comparison with other financial information, either within the same entity or across different entities or periods.

Information must be clear, concise, and expressed in a manner that is understandable to users who have a reasonable knowledge of business and economic activities.

Financial reporting must also consider the needs of users who have different levels of expertise and decision-making authority and ensure that information is presented in a balanced and complete manner.

Financial reporting must also comply with relevant laws, regulations, and accounting standards, and be subject to appropriate oversight and enforcement mechanisms.

Qualitative Characteristics of Financial Information

The qualitative characteristics refer to the attributes that make financial information useful for decision-making.

The Two Primary Characteristics are

Relevance

Faithful Representation.

Relevance means that the information is

Capable of making a difference in the decisions of users

Must have Predictive Value, Confirmatory Value, or Both.

Faithful representation means that the information faithfully represents the economic phenomena that it purports to represent, must be:

complete

neutral

free from error.

Other characteristics of useful financial information include

Verifiability

Timeliness

Comparability

Understandability

means that information is comparable across different entities, periods, or industries, allowing users to make meaningful comparisons.

means that different knowledgeable and independent observers can reach a consensus that the information faithfully represents the economic phenomena it purports to represent.

means that information is available to users in a timely manner, allowing them to make decisions before the opportunity to act on the information passes.

means that information is presented in a clear, concise, and comprehensible manner, so that users can understand its significance.

Elements of Financial Statements

The elements of financial statements include:

Equity

Income

Liabilities

Expenses

Assets

Are economic resources that are controlled by an entity as a result of past events, and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity

A present obligation of the entity to transfer an economic resource as a result of past events.

Represents the residual interest in the assets of an entity after deducting liabilities. It represents the claims of the owners of the entity.

Refers to increases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of inflows or enhancements of assets or decreases of liabilities, that result in increases in equity

Represent decreases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of outflows or depletions of assets or incurrences of liabilities that result in decreases in equity

Definition Requirements

Asset

Liability

The three requirements for the definition of an asset are:

Future economic benefits:

Past transaction or event:

Control:

This means that the owner can decide how the asset is used, when it is used, and who can use it.

The asset should be expected to provide future economic benefits to the owner.

The asset should have arisen from a past transaction or event that has already occurred

The owner of the asset should have the ability to control the access, use, and disposition of the asset.

This means that the asset can generate cash flows or other economic benefits, either by producing goods or services or by increasing in value over time

This means that the asset is the result of a previous transaction or event, such as:

exchange

investment

purchase

The three requirements for the definition of an Liability are:

To Transfer an Economic Resource

Result of past events

Entity has an Present OBLIGATION

This means that the company has a legal or constructive duty to settle the obligation at the present time, or in the future.

This means that the company will have to use some of its assets, such as cash or other resources, to settle the obligation.

This means that something has happened in the past that has created a binding obligation for the company to pay or perform a certain action in the future.

Recognition and Derecognition

Recognition

Derecognition

Recognition criteria may vary depending on the type of transaction or event, but generally include

It involves the application of accounting principles and standards to determine when and how to record a transaction or event in the financial statements.

Recognition refers to the process of identifying and recording a financial transaction or event in an organization's financial statements.

Once a transaction or event is recognized

reliability

materiality

relevance

it becomes part of an organization's financial statements and is used to evaluate its financial performance and position.

This can occur when an asset is sold or disposed of, when a liability is settled, or when a financial instrument expires or is cancelled.

The criteria for derecognition depend on the type of asset or liability being removed, but generally include

Derecognition refers to the process of removing a previously recognized asset, liability, or other financial instrument from an organization's financial statements.

Derecognition is important because it ensures that an organization's financial statements accurately reflect its current financial position and performance by removing assets and liabilities that are no longer relevant or reliable.

the absence of continuing involvement

the realization of all or substantially all of the asset's or liability's carrying amount.

transfer of control

Measurement

Measurement Basis

Assets

Liabilities

Fair value

Value-in-use

Historical cost:

Current cost:

Transaction-based measurement, involves recording assets at their original cost; which includes:

shipping fees

taxes

purchase price

other associated costs

Fair value is a market-based measurement, involves recording assets at their current market value, which may be higher or lower than their historical cost

This method is entity-specific, involves estimating the future cash flows an asset will generate, discounting them to their present value, and recording the asset at that value.

Method is useful for companies that have assets with a short useful life, This basis involves recording assets at the cost that would be incurred to replace them at current market prices

Fair value:

Fulfilment value:

Historical cost:

Current cost:

Involves recording liabilities at their original cost, which could include:

Deferred costs

Discounts

Interest

Premiums

Involves recording liabilities at their current market value, reflects the amount that would be paid to settle the liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.

method is entity-specific, involves estimating the amount that would be required to settle the liability based on the current expectations of the company regarding future cash flows

Method is useful for companies that have liabilities with a short remaining life, Similar to current cost for assets, this basis involves recording liabilities at the cost that would be incurred to replace them at current market prices

Selecting a measurement should be solely to satisfy this

Selecting a Measurement Basis is Based on these Factors

Relevance

Faithful representation

Consideration of relevance:

1.) Characteristics of the asset or liability

2.) Contribution to future cash flows:

Variability of cash flows

Sensitivity of the value to market factors or other risks

Whether cash flows are produced directly or indirectly in combination with other economic resources

The nature of the entity's business activities

Consideration of faithful representation

1.) Measurement inconsistency

2.) Measurement Uncertainty

Measurement inconsistency can lead to financial statements that do not accurately represent the entity's financial position and performance

If uncertainty is too high, consider choosing a different measurement basis

Presentation and Disclosure

OCI stands for Other Comprehensive Income

Statement of profit or loss is the primary source of information about an entity's financial performance

OCI includes items that have not yet been realized, such as changes in the value of available-for-sale securities

OCI items can be reclassified to profit or loss at a later time.

It is a separate category of income and expenses that are not included in the statement of profit or loss