NCERT Solutions Class 12, Accountancy Part-II, Chapter- 3, Financial Statements of a Company
Short Answers
1. State the meaning of financial statements.
Solution:
Financial statements are the end products of an accounting process It provides a true picture of the performance of the company over a time period, and such a statement is used by different users of accounting information. These statements are prepared annually.
2. What are the limitations of financial statements?
Solution:
The limitations are
1. Financial statements reflect historical data, i.e., it reflects the original price of the items or the price at which items were acquired. It fails to highlight the current price of items as per market and also inflated prices due to rising inflation in the market. Hence, data and information are historical in nature.
2. Financial statements do not portray the qualitative aspects of any transaction, the aspects such as size, colour, quality and capabilities. Only quantitative data, which can be expressed in monetary value, are considered
3. Financial statements are biased in nature, as they are dependent on human interference.
4. It becomes difficult to assess the performance of another company.
5. It will be difficult to forecast, as the statement is prepared based on historical data.
3. List any three objectives of financial statements.
Solution:
The objectives of preparing financial statements are
1. A financial statement provides timely and reliable information on the economic status of a company on a periodical basis. It also makes information available to external users or stakeholders who do not have direct access to the information.
2. A financial statement helps in revealing the true financial position of a company. It contains information related to liquidity, profitability, financial viability and solvency of an organisation.
3. A financial statement is helpful in evaluating the earning capacity of a firm.
4. State the importance of financial statements to
(i) shareholders
(ii) creditors
(iii) government
(iv) investors
Solution:
The following are the importance of financial statements for
1. Shareholders: For a shareholder, a financial statement is helpful in determining the viability and profit-making capacity of a business. It provides businesses with sufficient data to analyse the financial health and performance of the business.
2. Creditors: A financial statement is essential for a creditor to understand the creditworthiness of the business along with liquidity. It helps them to decide whether further investments can be done in this business.
3. Government: A financial statement helps the government in determining GDP, national income, industrial growth etc., which leads to the formulation of various policies and addressing problems like poverty, unemployment, etc.
4. Investors: For Investors who have invested or those planning to invest, a financial statement is necessary. The financial statement helps determine the prospects and viability of new investments.
5. How will you disclose the following items in the Balance Sheet of a company;
(i) Current assets, inventory
(ii) Contigent liabilities in notes to accounts
(iii) Shareholders Funds, Reserve and Surplus
(iv) Fixed Assets, Intangible Assets
(v) Proposed Dividend for the current year
(vi) Non Current Liabilities
(vii) Arrears of Dividend on Commulative Preference Shares.
Solution:
The following items will be disclosed in the balance sheet as-
(i) Inventories- Sub-head,
Current Assets- Main Head.
(ii) Contingent Liability- Main Head in Notes to Accounts.
(iii) Shareholders Fund- Main Head,
Reserves and Surplus- Sub head.
(iv) Fixed Assets- Sub-head,
Intangible Assets- A part of Sub-head.
(v) Proposed Dividend for the current year- Under the head Current Liabilities and Sub-head Short term Provision.
(vi) Non-Current Liabilities- Main Head.
(vii) Arrears of Dividend on Cumulative Preference Shares- Under the head Current Liabilities and Sub-head Other Current Liabilities.
Long Answers
1. Explain the nature of the financial statements.
Solution:
The nature of financial statements are
1. A financial statement records facts about the items at the original price at which they were purchased. It does not take into account the prevailing market price and also does not include price fluctuations due to inflation.
2. The financial statements are created based on various accounting conventions such as the Prudence convention, matching concept, etc. and adhering to such conventions results in the statements being easy to understand, compare and reflect the fair and true financial situation of the organisation.
3. A financial statement is based on many concepts, such as the going concern concept, realisation concept, and money measurement concept. A financial statement adheres to all these concepts when financial statements are prepared.
4. In preparing financial statements, personal judgements play an important role. For example, when determining which method to charge depreciation and recording of stock at market value or cost price. All these are based on personal judgement.
2. Explain in detail the significance of the financial statements.
Solution:
Importance of financial statements
1. They provide information to various users of accounting information which can be both internal and external. Users derive information as per their needs from such statements. For example, they provide shareholders with an idea about the viability of the business while the same statement can be used by tax authorities to determine the tax payable by an organisation.
2. They help management in comparing performance which can be on both inter and intra-firm basis, it helps in determining the viability of the business and also is helpful in the framing of policies for business. It enhances the decision-making capabilities of the management.
3. Financial statements help creditors and investors determine the state of solvency of a business which influences the decision to offer loans and credit.
4. Financial statements help provide information on different policies, methods, best practices and accounting processes. Disclosing accounting policies simplifies financial statements and gives users of accounting information.
5. The government uses accounting information to determine various parameters of national growth like GDP, National Income, Industrial growth, etc.
6. Investors need information on business solvency and profitability to offer further loans and invest in the business, and such information is obtained from financial statements.
3. Explain the limitations of financial statements.
Solution:
The limitations are
1. Financial statements reflect historical data, i.e., they reflect the original price of the items or the price at which items were acquired. It fails to highlight the current price of items as per market and also inflated prices due to rising inflation in the market. Hence, data and information are historical in nature.
2. Financial statements do not portray the qualitative aspects of any transaction, the aspects such as size, colour, quality and capabilities. Only quantitative data which can be expressed in monetary value are considered.
3. Financial statements are biased in nature, as they are dependent on personal judgement regarding the way transactions are recorded
4. It becomes difficult to assess the financial performance of one company with another due to differences in practices and methods adopted by each company.
5. It will be difficult to forecast, as the statement is prepared based on historical data, as it fails to capture inflation rates.
6. The company can manipulate the data to show a better liquidity position, which can give a false impression to the investors leading to project cancellation.