1. The purpose of accounting information (?)

1.1 What is accounting?

Accounting is a way of recording, analyzing and summarizing transactions of a business.

1.2 The need for accounts

Double-entry bookkeeping 復式記賬法（F3）

involves entering every transaction as a debit in one account and a corresponding credit in another account, ensuring that they ‘balance’. (有借必有貸，借貸必相等)

1.3 Users

ü Managers (need the most information, have 'special' access to information)

ü Shareholders

ü Trade contacts (suppliers, customers)

ü Providers of finance

ü Revenue and Customs 英國稅務及海關總署

ü Financial analysts and advisers

ü Governments and their agencies

ü The public

1.4 Qualities of good information（F3）

①  Relevance 相關性

②  Comprehensibility (understandability) 可理解性

③  Reliability 可靠性 (the accounts published by limited companies should be verified by auditors審計師)

④  Completeness 完整性

⑤  Objectivity (free from bias) 客觀性

⑥  Timeliness 及時性

⑦  Comparability 可比性

1.5 The structure of the accounting function (?)

The head of the accounting management structure is usually the finance director/CFO 財務總監(jiān).

The CFO has a seat on the BOD and is responsible for routine accounting matters and also for broad financial policy.

①     Financial Controller 財務主管

Some responsibilities of the Financial Controller

ü Routine accounting 日常財務會計

ü Providing accounting reports for other departments

ü Cashiers’ duties and cash control 現(xiàn)金出納

②     Management Accountant 管理會計

ü Cost accounting 成本會計

ü Budgets and budgetary control 預算

ü Financial management of projects 項目管理

③     Treasurer 司庫

A very large organization might have a Treasurer

ü Raising funds by borrowing 籌資

ü Investing surplus funds on the money market or other investment markets 投資

ü Cash flow control 現(xiàn)金流控制

雙雙老師敲黑板

我們要能夠區(qū)分以下三者的工作范圍：

①  Financial Controller: 做賬,、編報表

②  Management Accountant: 成本,、預算,、項目財務管理

③  Treasurer: 融資,、投資,、現(xiàn)金流