Chapter 5
Main financial statements: The statement of financial position (balance sheet)
‘Creative accounting practices gave rise to the quip, “A balance sheet is very much like a bikini bathing suit. What it reveals is interesting, what it conceals is vital.”’
Abraham Briloff, Unaccountable Accounting, Harper & Row (1972). The Wiley Book of Business Quotations (1998), p. 351
Learning Outcomes
After completing this chapter you should be able to:
- Explain the nature of a statement of financial position.
- Understand the individual components of a statement of financial position.
- Outline the layout of a statement of financial position.
- Evaluate the usefulness of a statement of financial position.
Go online to discover the extra features for this chapter at www.wiley.com/college/jones
Chapter Summary
- One of three main financial statements.
- Consists of assets, liabilities and equity.
- Assets are most often non-current (e.g., property, plant and equipment such as land and buildings, plant and machinery, motor vehicles, and fixtures and fittings) or current (e.g., inventory, trade receivables, cash).
- Liabilities can be current (e.g., trade payables, short-term loans) or non-current (e.g., long-term loans).
- Listed companies have a special terminology and presentational format for ...
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