What is the Acquisition and Payment Cycle? The Acquisition and Payment Cycle (also referred to as the PPP Cycle for Purchases, Payables, and Payments) consists mainly of two classes of transactions. The first class is the acquisition class. The typical journal entry for this class of transactions is a debit to inventory or an expense…
What are Current Assets? Current assets are all assets that a company expects to convert to cash within one year. They are commonly used to measure the liquidity of a company. A company’s assets on its balance sheet are split into two categories – current and non-current (long-term or capital assets). Current (Short-term) vs. Non-Current…
What are Internal Controls? Internal controls are policies and procedures put in place by management to ensure that, among other things, the company’s financial statements are reliable. Some internal controls relevant to an audit include bank reconciliations, password control systems for accounting software, and inventory observations. The objective of the auditor is to identify and…
What is an Operating Lease? An operating lease is an agreement to use and operate an asset without the transfer of ownership. Common assets that are leased include real estate, automobiles, aircraft, or heavy equipment. By renting and not owning, operating leases enable companies to keep from recording an asset on their balance sheets by…
What is an Operating Cycle? An Operating Cycle (OC) refers to the days required for a business to receive inventory, sell the inventory, and collect cash from the sale of the inventory. This cycle plays a major role in determining the efficiency of a business. Operating Cycle Formula The OC formula is as follows: Operating…
What is Days Payable Outstanding? Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) refers to the average number of days it takes a company to pay back its accounts payable. Therefore, days payable outstanding measures how well a company is managing its accounts payable. A DPO of 20 means that, on average, it takes a company 20 days to…
What is Inventory Shrinkage? Inventory shrinkage occurs when the number of products in stock are fewer than those recorded on the inventory list. The discrepancy may occur due to clerical errors, goods being damaged or lost, or theft from the point of purchase from a supplier to the point of sale. When a business discovers…
What are Notes Payable? Notes payable are written agreements (promissory notes) in which one party agrees to pay the other party a certain amount of cash. Alternatively put, a note payable is a loan between two parties. A note payable contains the following information: The amount to be paid The interest rate applied to the…
What is the Profitability Index? The Profitability Index (PI) measures the ratio between the present value of future cash flows and the initial investment. The index is a useful tool for ranking investment projects and showing the value created per unit of investment. The Profitability Index is also known as the Profit Investment Ratio (PIR)…
What are Revenue Streams? Revenue streams are the various sources from which a business earns money from the sale of goods or the provision of services. The types of revenue that a business records on its accounts depend on the types of activities carried out by the business. Generally speaking, the revenue accounts of retail…
