美国财务概念框架NO2.docx
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美国财务概念框架NO2.docx
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美国财务概念框架NO2
StatementofFinancialAccountingConceptsNo.2
CON2StatusPage
QualitativeCharacteristicsofAccountingInformation
May1980
FinancialAccountingStandardsBoard
oftheFinancialAccountingFoundation
401MERRITT7,P.O.BOX5116,NORWALK,CONNECTICUT06856-5116
Copyright©1980byFinancialAccountingStandardsBoard.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionoftheFinancialAccountingStandardsBoard.
CONTENTS
SummaryofPrincipalConclusionsGlossaryofTerms
ParagraphNumbers
Introduction1–26
TheNatureofAccountingChoices6–20
TheObjectivesofFinancialReporting21–26
TheCentralRoleofDecisionMaking27–31
AHierarchyofAccountingQualities32–45
FeaturesandLimitationsoftheChart33–35
DecisionMakersandTheirCharacteristics36–39
UnderstandabilityandOtherUser-SpecificQualities40–41
RelativeImportanceandTrade-Offs42–45
Relevance46–57
FeedbackValueandPredictiveValueasComponentsofRelevance51–55
Timeliness56–57
Reliability58–97
RepresentationalFaithfulness63–80
DegreesofRepresentationalFaithfulness65–71
PrecisionandUncertainty72–76
EffectsofBias77–78
Completeness79–80
Verifiability81–89
ReliabilityandRelevance90
Conservatism91–97
Neutrality98–110
Comparability111–122
Consistency120–122
Materiality123–132
CostsandBenefits133–144
AppendixA:
BackgroundInformation145–151
AppendixB:
PrincipalRespectsinWhichThisStatementDiffersfromtheExposureDraftandOtherResponsestoLettersofComment
ontheExposureDraft152–160
AppendixC:
QuantitativeMaterialityConsiderations161–170
CON2:
QualitativeCharacteristicsofAccountingInformation
SUMMARYOFPRINCIPALCONCLUSIONS
ThepurposeofthisStatementistoexaminethecharacteristicsthatmakeaccountinginformationuseful.Thosewhoprepare,audit,andusefinancialreports,aswellastheFinancialAccountingStandardsBoard,mustoftenselectorevaluateaccountingalternatives.ThecharacteristicsorqualitiesofinformationdiscussedinthisStatementaretheingredientsthatmakeinformationusefulandarethequalitiestobesoughtwhenaccountingchoicesaremade.
Allfinancialreportingisconcernedinvaryingdegreeswithdecisionmaking(thoughdecisionmakersalsouseinformationobtainedfromothersources).Theneedforinformationonwhichtobaseinvestment,credit,andsimilardecisionsunderliestheobjectivesoffinancialreporting.Theusefulnessofinformationmustbeevaluatedinrelationtothepurposestobeserved,andtheobjectivesoffinancialreportingarefocusedontheuseofaccountinginformationindecisionmaking.
Thecentralroleassignedtodecisionmakingleadsstraighttotheoverridingcriterionbywhichallaccountingchoicesmustbejudged.Thebetterchoiceistheonethat,subjecttoconsiderationsofcost,producesfromamongtheavailablealternativesinformationthatismostusefulfordecisionmaking.
Evenobjectivesthatareorientedmoretowardsstewardshipareconcernedwithdecisions.Stewardshipdealswiththeefficiency,effectiveness,andintegrityofthesteward.Tosaythatstewardshipreportingisanaspectofaccounting'sdecisionmakingroleissimplytosaythatitspurposeistoguideactionsthatmayneedtobetakeninrelationtothestewardorinrelationtotheactivitythatisbeingmonitored.
AHierarchyofAccountingQualities
Thecharacteristicsofinformationthatmakeitadesirablecommoditycanbeviewedasahierarchyofqualities,withusefulnessfordecisionmakingofmostimportance.Withoutusefulness,therewouldbenobenefitsfrominformationtosetagainstitscosts.
User-SpecificFactors
Inthelastanalysis,eachdecisionmakerjudgeswhataccountinginformationisuseful,andthatjudgmentisinfluencedbyfactorssuchasthedecisionstobemade,themethodsof
decisionmakingtobeused,theinformationalreadypossessedorobtainablefromothersources,andthedecisionmaker'scapacity(aloneorwithprofessionalhelp)toprocesstheinformation.Theoptimalinformationforoneuserwillnotbeoptimalforanother.Consequently,theBoard,whichmusttrytocatertomanydifferentuserswhileconsideringtheburdensplacedonthosewhohavetoprovideinformation,constantlytreadsafinelinebetweenrequiringdisclosureoftoomuchortoolittleinformation.
Thehierarchyseparatesuser-specificqualities,forexample,understandability,fromqualitiesinherentininformation.Informationcannotbeusefultodecisionmakerswhocannotunderstandit,eventhoughitmayotherwiseberelevanttoadecisionandbereliable.However,understandabilityofinformationisrelatedtothecharacteristicsofthedecisionmakeraswellasthecharacteristicsoftheinformationitselfand,therefore,understandabilitycannotbeevaluatedinoveralltermsbutmustbejudgedinrelationtoaspecificclassofdecisionmakers.
PrimaryDecision-SpecificQualities
Relevanceandreliabilityarethetwoprimaryqualitiesthatmakeaccountinginformationusefulfordecisionmaking.Subjecttoconstraintsimposedbycostandmateriality,increasedrelevanceandincreasedreliabilityarethecharacteristicsthatmakeinformationamoredesirablecommodity—thatis,oneusefulinmakingdecisions.Ifeitherofthosequalitiesiscompletelymissing,theinformationwillnotbeuseful.Though,ideally,thechoiceofanaccountingalternativeshouldproduceinformationthatisbothmorereliableandmorerelevant,itmaybenecessarytosacrificesomeofonequalityforagaininanother.
Toberelevant,informationmustbetimelyanditmusthavepredictivevalueorfeedbackvalueorboth.Tobereliable,informationmusthaverepresentationalfaithfulnessanditmustbeverifiableandneutral.Comparability,whichincludesconsistency,isasecondaryqualitythatinteractswithrelevanceandreliabilitytocontributetotheusefulnessofinformation.Twoconstraintsareincludedinthehierarchy,bothprimarilyquantitativeincharacter.Informationcanbeusefulandyetbetoocostlytojustifyprovidingit.Tobeusefulandworthproviding,thebenefitsofinformationshouldexceeditscost.Allofthequalitiesofinformationshownaresubjecttoamaterialitythreshold,andthatisalsoshownasaconstraint.
Relevance
•Relevantaccountinginformationiscapableofmakingadifferenceinadecisionbyhelpinguserstoformpredictionsabouttheoutcomesofpast,present,andfutureeventsortoconfirmorcorrectpriorexpectations.Informationcanmakeadifferencetodecisionsbyimprovingdecisionmakers'capacitiestopredictorbyprovidingfeedbackonearlierexpectations.Usually,informationdoesbothatonce,becauseknowledgeabouttheoutcomesofactionsalreadytakenwillgenerallyimprovedecisionmakers'abilitiestopredicttheresultsofsimilarfutureactions.Withoutaknowledgeofthepast,thebasisforapredictionwillusuallybelacking.Withoutaninterestinthefuture,knowledgeofthepastissterile.
•Timeliness,thatis,havinginformationavailabletodecisionmakersbeforeitlosesits
capacitytoinfluencedecisions,isanancillaryaspectofrelevance.Ifinformationisnotavailablewhenitisneededorbecomesavailablesolongafterthereportedeventsthatithasnovalueforfutureaction,itlacksrelevanceandisoflittleornouse.Timelinessalonecannotmakeinformationrelevant,butalackoftimelinesscanrobinformationofrelevanceitmightotherwisehavehad.
Reliability
•Thereliabilityofameasurerestsonthefaithfulnesswithwhichitrepresentswhatitpurportstorepresent,coupledwithanassurancefortheuserthatithasthatrepresentationalquality.Tobeuseful,informationmustbereliableaswellasrelevant.Degreesofreliabilitymustberecognized.Itishardlyeveraquestionofblackorwhite,butratherofmorereliabilityorless.Reliabilityrestsupontheextenttowhichtheaccountingdescriptionormeasurementisverifiableandrepresentationallyfaithful.Neutralityofinformationalsointeractswiththosetwocomponentsofreliabilitytoaffecttheusefulnessoftheinformation.
•Verifiabilityisaqualitythatmaybedemonstratedbysecuringahighdegreeofconsensusamongindependentmeasurersusingthesamemeasurementmethods.Representationalfaithfulness,ontheotherhand,referstothecorrespondenceoragreementbetweentheaccountingnumbersandtheresourcesoreventsthosenumberspurporttorepresent.Ahighdegreeofcorrespondence,however,doesnotguaranteethatanaccountingmeasurementwillberelevanttotheuser'sneedsiftheresourcesoreventsrepresentedbythemeasurementareinappropriatetothepurposeathand.
•Neutralitymeansthat,informulatingorimplementingstandards,theprimaryconcernshouldbetherelevanceandreliabilityoftheinformationthatresults,nottheeffectthatthenewrulemayhaveonaparticularinterest.Aneutralchoicebetweenaccountingalternativesisfreefrombiastowardsapredeterminedresult.Theobjectivesoffinancialreportingservemanydifferentinformationuserswhohavediverseinterests,andnoonepredeterminedresultislikelytosuitallinterests.
ComparabilityandConsistency
•Informationaboutaparticularenterprisegainsgreatlyinusefulnessifitcanbecomparedwithsimilarinformationaboutotherenterprisesandwithsimilarinformationaboutthesameenterpriseforsomeotherperiodorsomeotherpointintime.Comparabilitybetweenenterprisesandconsistencyintheapplicationofmethodsovertimeincreasestheinformational
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