Small Business Chapter 13

Variable costs

Those costs that change with each unit produced, for example, raw materials.

Fixed costs

Those costs that remain constant regardless of quantity of output, for example, rent.

Pro forma

indicates estimated or hypothetical information

Cost-volume-profit analysis

-A managerial accounting technique which looks at the fixed and variable costs of a business to arrive at a number of unit sales (volume) to maximize profits. -Variable, fixed costs

GAAP

-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are the standardized rules for accounting procedures -used in all audits and submissions of accounting reports to the government.

Master budget (comprehensive budget)

A budget which consists of sets of budgets that detail all projected receipts and spending for the budgeted period.

Financial flexibility

A business's ability to manage cash flows in such a manner that the company can respond appropriately to unexpected opportunities and needs.

Expense

A decrease in owners' equity caused by consuming your product or service

Budget

A financial plan for the future, based on a single level of operations; a quantitative expression of the use of resources necessary to achieve a business's strategic goals.

Financial accounting

A formal, rule-based set of accounting principles and procedures intended for use by outside owners, investors, banks, and regulators.

Liquidity

A measure of how quickly a company can raise money through internal sources by converting assets to cash.

Cost of goods sold budget

A schedule that shows the predicted cost of product actually sold during the accounting period.

Cash flow statement

A statement of the sources and uses of cash in a business for a specific period of time.

Balance sheet

A statement of what a business owns (assets), what it owes to others (liabilities), and how much value the owners have invested in it (equity).

Income statement

A statement that lists revenues and expenses and shows the amount of profit a business makes for a specified period of time.

Managerial accounting

Accounting methods that are specifically intended to be used by managers for planning, directing, and controlling a business.

Operating activities

Activities involved in producing and selling goods and services.

Financing activities

Activities through which cash is obtained from and paid to lenders, owners, and investors.

Tax accounting

An accounting approach based on specific accounting requirements set by governmental taxing agencies.

Activity-based cost estimates

An accounting method which assigns costs based on the different types of work a business does in order to sell a particular product or service.

Internal (cost) factors

Aspects of or choices within the business which could cause the business's costs to change.

External (cost) factors

Aspects of the world outside the business which could cause the business's costs to change.

Financial statements

Formal summaries of the content of an accounting system's records of transactions.

Depreciation

Regular and systematic reduction in income that transfers asset value to expense over time.

Going concern concept

The accounting concept that a business is expected to continue in existence for the foreseeable future.

Financial strength

The ability of a business to survive adverse financial events.

Business entity concept

The concept that a business has an existence separate from that of its owners.

Articulate

The concept that information flows from the income statement through the statements of retained earnings and owners' equity to the balance sheet.

Variance

The difference between an actual and budgeted revenue or cost

Breakeven point

The point at which total costs equal gross revenue.

Variance analysis

The process of determining the effect of price and quantity changes on revenues and expenses.

Investing activities

The purchase and sale of land, buildings, equipment, and securities.

Accounting equation

The statement that assets equal liabilities plus owner's equity (assets = liabilities + owners' equity).

Retained earnings

The sum of all profits and losses, less all dividends paid since the beginning of the business.

Cost

The value given up to obtain something that you want.

Liability

a legal obligation to pay some amount at a time in the future

(MACRS) Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System

lets taxpayers depreciate more of the cost earlier

Asset

something the business owns that will have value in the future

Owners' equity

whatever value is left after all liabilities have been paid

Favorable variances

would result in profits being greater than budgeted, all other things being equal;

Unfavorable variances

would result in profits being less than budgeted, all other things being equal.