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Accounting Processes' and Financial Statements

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Accounting Processes’ and Financial Statements

The purpose of this paper is to provide a foundation of knowledge for accounting and financial bookkeeping. To accomplish this, I will focus on two areas. First, I will provide some general definitions for common accounting processes and ideas; namely, generally accepted accounting principles, double entry accounting, historical cost, accrual basis versus cash basis accounting, and current assets and liabilities versus non-current items. Second, I will examine recent financial statements for three companies (i.e. Samsung, Lockheed Martin, and RTL Group), specifically their balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flow. This examination will include a prediction of future company trends concluding with which ever imparts a better sight picture for future financial and company growth, net income versus cash flow. Defining the aforementioned terms and examining our three companies will demonstrate some core foundational accounting principles and terminology. The term ‘generally accepted accounting principles’ (i.e. GAAP) has a very specific meaning for accountants and auditors. A code of professional conduct prohibits accountants from making statements that would imply or assert financial statements or other financial data conform to ‘generally accepted accounting principles,’ unless they actually fell within those principles promulgated by a body designated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The purpose of this body is to establish accepted principles throughout the profession to assure third-parties that financial information they view is free of bias and inconsistency, whether deliberate or not (fasab.gov). The concept of double entry accounting dates back to the 1500s and is a very simple yet powerful

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