Which of the following best describes financial reporting and financial statement analysis?
A) |
Financial reports assess a company’s past performance in order to draw conclusions about the company’s ability to generate cash and profits in the future. | |
B) |
Financial reporting refers to how companies show their financial performance and financial analysis refers to using the information to make economic decisions. | |
C) |
The objective of financial analysis is to provide information about the financial position of an entity that is useful to a wide range of users. | |
Financial reporting refers to the way companies show their financial performance to investors, creditors, and other interested parties by preparing and presenting financial statements. The objective of financial statements, not analysis, is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an entity that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions. The role of financial statement analysis, not reporting, is to use the information in a company’s financial statements, along with other relevant information, to assess a company’s past performance in order to draw conclusions about the company’s ability to generate cash and profits in the future. |