Financial Disclosure Of A Company

Publicly traded companies are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). The laws that govern the securities industry were established to provide transparency to investors, creditors and shareholders alike. According to Hoyle, Schaefer & Doupnik, (2015) there are seven major disclosure requirements, the first being a five-year summary of operations to encompass sales, assets, income from continuing operations. Followed by a description of business activities, a three year summary of industry segments to include foreign and domestic operations, a list of company directors and executives, quarterly market price of common stock for the last two years, restrictions on the company’s ability to continue paying dividends, and finally, an analysis of the company’s financial condition, changes in the conditions and results of operation.

For authoritative guidance on accounting rules, one must turn to the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Codification. Since 2009, FASB has arranged the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) into an easier to access format, known as the Codification. One of these pronouncements is FASB 235- Notes to Financial Statements (FASB, ASC 235-10, 2009). In this pronouncement, the overall required structure of disclosure notes is discussed.

Financial statements of the company are significant for the investors who would like to venture into the business operation. It gives them the insight whether the business is making profits or it is doomed to fail;

Full disclosure requires companies to report existing accounting policies, any changes to the policies, for instance, method of asset valuation. In full disclosure, companies give information about the nature and justification of changes in the accounting principles, encumbered assets, non-monetary transactions, asset retirement obligations, goodwill impairment circumstances, and lower of cost or market rule material losses. Accounting policies include the specific practices, rules, conventions, bases, and principles an entity uses to prepare and present its financial statements. Accounting policies should be selected and applied consistently for similar transactions, other conditions and events, unless otherwise stated by IFRS.

This report is written as a response to the monograph in which the ICAEW published on how financial accounting disclosures can be improved. The aim of this report is to critically discuss and evaluate the worthwhileness of the recommendations made from a financial investor’s perspective. It is done by reviewing recommendations put forward by the ICAEW and analysing if each of the disclosure recommended is worth the effort while putting in perspective what effects these recommendations have on professional investors who are one of the primary users and consumers of financial statements. The report contains information mainly from the ICAEW report and the CFA institute report

The requirements according to the respective accounting standard related to disclosures of sources of estimation uncertainty and judgments in applying accounting policies

Financial statement Disclosure Notes under US GAAP the full disclosure principle is one of the basic accounting principles, which is an exchange of all material information integral to financial information for the company. Companies should provide disclosure notes when they provide the financial statement. Full disclosure notes give full information about the statements for investors and creditors to make decisions because this note is connected with the financial statements. And also, the notes help for managerial decisions for the next plan year. All United States companies follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) disclosure rules. Under US GAAP the required disclosures are the summary of significant accounting policy, subsequent event, and related party transaction.

The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on the company’s common stock. This increase in dividend was payable to shareholders of record on closed of business on May 11, 2016. In the first quarter of this year, the company brought back 1.0 million shares of its common stock at a cost of $50.0 million, with the expectation that it will return its free cash flow to shareholders in this year in the form of dividends and share of repurchases. The Cheesecake Factory knows the importance of success, therefore they schedule conference calls and webcast live on the company’s website throughout May 26, 2016. This ensure stakeholders that the company was not in the red, and continue to profit.

The “financial statements are formal reports providing information on a company's financial position, cash inflows and outflows, and the results of operations” (Hermanson, p.22). There are four main components that make up a financial statement. The four parts are, balance sheet, income statements, cash flow and, statement of owner’s equity. The balance sheets role is to define the company’s assets liabilities and revenue of the business. The income statement shows the income within the company. Cash flow reviews the position of the company by cash payments and receipts. Lastly, the statement of owner’s equity shows the amount of earnings, stock and other capitals of people in the company. (Hermanson, p.34-35).

Full disclosure is crucial in how markets recognize financial reporting. Investors and users of financial reporting rely on companies to provide complete, truthful, and transparent financial reporting without misleading information. The full disclosure principle is essential for an organization to

The Purpose of Financial Statements The financial statements of a business are used to provide information about the status of the business, set performance targets and impose restrictions on the managers of the firm as well as provide an easier method for financial planning. The financial statements consist of the Profit and Loss Account, Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow Statement. There are four areas of information, which we can collect from a company's financial statements. They are: Ÿ

Financial statements provide information of value to company officers and various external parties, such as investors and lenders of funds. Publicly owned companies are required to publish general-purpose financial statements that include a balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Financial statements issued for external distribution are prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

FMC Corporation is a chemical manufacturer with its headquarter locating in Philadelphia. John Bean created FMC Corporation in 1883. The company’s very first product was an innovative pesticide spray that was designed to battle against a fast-growing infestation that was endangering the orchards in California (FMC.com). In 1943, FMC officially launched its chemical business, making clear that the company is established to serve the global agricultural market by providing innovative and customized solutions and high-quality products. In 1966, FMC Corporation’s annual revenue exceeded one billion USD for the first time in history. In the

The financial statements that a company produces can be used to help evaluate the financial condition of the company. The main statements are the income statement, the balance sheet and the statement of cash flows (Harper, 2012). The company's performance can be evaluated in a number of different ways. The most important are that the company can be evaluated against its own past performance, and it can also be evaluated against other firms in the same industry.

Earnings play a key role in providing critical information for investors. Most investment decisions are made with reliance on performance forecasts reported by analysts. Company public earnings announcements are important for financial statement users, as it directly affects their decision to invest. This puts a lot of pressure on directors to try and meet or beat these forecasts.