HOW USEFUL IS ACCOUNTING INFORMATION?
5
The kind of information identified above is not really a substitute for accounting informa-
tion. Rather, it is best used in conjunction with accounting information to provide a clearer
picture of the financial health of a business.
Evidence on the usefulness of accounting
There are arguments, and convincing evidence, that accounting information is at least
per-
ceived
as being useful to users. Numerous research surveys have asked users to rank the
importance of accounting information, in relation to other sources of information, for deci-
sion-making purposes. Generally, these studies have found
that users rank accounting
information very highly. There is also considerable evidence that businesses choose to pro-
duce accounting information that exceeds the minimum requirements imposed by account-
ing regulations. For example, businesses often produce a considerable amount of accounting
information for managers that is not required by any regulations. Presumably,
the cost of
producing this additional accounting information is justified on the grounds that users find it
useful. Such arguments and evidence, however, leave unanswered the question of whether
the information produced is actually used for decision-making purposes, that is: does it
affect behaviour?
It is normally very difficult to assess the impact of accounting on decision-making behav-
iour.
One situation arises, however, where the impact of accounting information can be
observed and measured. This is where the
shares
(portions of ownership of a business) are
traded on a stock exchange. The evidence shows that, when a business makes an announce-
ment concerning its accounting profits, the prices at which shares are traded and the volume
of shares traded often change significantly. This suggests that investors are changing their
views about the future prospects of the business as a result of this new information becoming
available to them. This, in turn, leads them to make a decision either to buy or to sell shares
in the business.
What other sources of information might, say, an investment analyst use in an attempt
to gain an impression of the financial position and performance of a business? (Try to
think of at least four.) What kind of information might be gleaned from these sources?
Other sources of information available include:
■
meetings with managers of the business;
■
public announcements made by the business;
■
newspaper and magazine articles;
■
websites, including the website of the business;
■
radio and TV reports;
■
information-gathering agencies (for example, agencies that assess the creditworthiness
or credit ratings of the business);
■
industry reports; and
■
economy-wide reports.
These sources can provide information on various
aspects of the business, such as new
products or services being offered, management changes, new contracts offered or awarded,
the competitive environment within which the business operates, the impact of new technol-
ogy, changes in legislation, changes in interest rates and future levels of inflation.
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