LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING

Contents
1.0 Aims and Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Book- Keeping
1.2.1 Meaning
1.2.2 Definition
1.2.3 Objectives
1.3 Accounting
1.3.1 Meaning
1.3.2 Definition
1.3.3 Objectives
1.3.4 Importance
1.3.5 Functions
1.3.6 Advantages
1.3.7 Limitations
1.4 Methods of Accounting
1.4.1 Single Entry
1.4.2 Double Entry
1.4.3 Steps involved in double entry system
1.4.4 Advantages of double entry system
1.5 Meaning of Debit and Credit
1.6 Types of Accounts and its rules
1.6.1 Personal Accounts
1.6.2 Real Accounts
1.6.3 Nominal Accounts
1.7 Distinction between Book Keeping and Accounting
1.8 Branches of Accounting
1.8.1 Financial Accounting
1.8.2 Cost Accounting
1.8.3 Management Accounting
1.9 Let us Sum Up
1.10 Lesson-End Activities
1.11 Check your Progress
1.12 Points for Discussion
1.13 References
1.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
i) To know the Meaning ,Definition and objective of Book- Keeping
ii) To study the objectives, functions, importance and limitations of
Accounting
iii) To understand the methods of Accounting, kinds of Accounts and
Accounting rules.
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iv) To study the difference between Book- keeping and Accounting
v) To study the various branches of Accounting

1.1 INTRODUCTION
In all activities (whether business activities or non-business activities) and in
all organizations (whether business organizations like a manufacturing entity or
trading entity or non-business organizations like schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries,
clubs, temples, political parties) which require money and other economic resources,
accounting is required to account for these resources. In other words, wherever money
is involved, accounting is required to account for it. Accounting is often called the
language of business. The basic function of any language is to serve as a means of
communication. Accounting also serves this function.

1.2. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF BOOK- KEEPING

1.2.1 Meaning
Book- keeping includes recording of journal, posting in ledgers and balancing
of accounts. All the records before the preparation of trail balance is the whole subject
matter of book- keeping. Thus, book- keeping many be defined as the science and art
of recording transactions in money or money’s worth so accurately and systematically,
in a certain set of books, regularly that the true state of businessman’s affairs can be
correctly ascertained. Here it is important to note that only those transactions related
to business are recorded which can be expressed in terms of money.
1.2.2 Definition
“Book- keeping is the art of recording business transactions in a systematic
manner”. A.H.Rosenkamph.
“Book- keeping is the science and art of correctly recording in books of
account all those business transactions that result in the transfer of money or money’s
worth”. R.N.Carter
1.2.3 Objectives of Book- keeping
i) Book- keeping provides a permanent record of each transactions.
ii) Soundness of a firm can be assessed from the records of assets and abilities
on a particular date.
iii) Entries related to incomes and expenditures of a concern facilitate to know
the profit and loss for a given period.
iv) It enables to prepare a list of customers and suppliers to ascertain the amount
to be received or paid.
v) It is a method gives opportunities to review the business policies in the light
of the past records.
vi) Amendment of business laws, provision of licenses, assessment of taxes etc.,
are based on records.
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1.3 ACCOUNTING
1.3.1 Meaning of Accounting
Accounting, as an information system is the process of identifying, measuring
and communicating the economic information of an organization to its users who need
the information for decision making. It identifies transactions and events of a specific
entity. A transaction is an exchange in which each participant receives or sacrifices
value (e.g. purchase of raw material). An event (whether internal or external) is a
happening of consequence to an entity (e.g. use of raw material for production). An
entity means an economic unit that performs economic activities.
1.3.2 Definition of Accounting
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) which defines
accounting as “the art of recording, classifying and summarizing in a significant
manner and in terms of money, transactions and events, which are, in part at least, of a
financial character and interpreting the results thereof”.
1.3.3 Objective of Accounting
Objective of accounting may differ from business to business depending upon
their specific requirements. However, the following are the general objectives of
accounting.
i) To keeping systematic record: It is very difficult to remember all the
business transactions that take place. Accounting serves this purpose of record
keeping by promptly recording all the business transactions in the books of account.
ii) To ascertain the results of the operation: Accounting helps in
ascertaining result i.e., profit earned or loss suffered in business during a particular
period. For this purpose, a business entity prepares either a Trading and Profit and
Loss account or an Income and Expenditure account which shows the profit or loss of
the business by matching the items of revenue and expenditure of the some period.
iii) To ascertain the financial position of the business: In addition to profit,
a businessman must know his financial position i.e., availability of cash, position of
assets and liabilities etc. This helps the businessman to know his financial strength.
Financial statements are barometers of health of a business entity.
iv) To portray the liquidity position: Financial reporting should provide
information about how an enterprise obtains and spends cash, about its borrowing and
repayment of borrowing, about its capital transactions, cash dividends and other
distributions of resources by the enterprise to owners and about other factors that may
affect an enterprise’s liquidity and solvency.
v) To protect business properties: Accounting provides upto date
information about the various assets that the firm possesses and the liabilities the firm
owes, so that nobody can claim a payment which is not due to him.
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vi) To facilitate rational decision – making: Accounting records and
financial statements provide financial information which help the business in making
rational decisions about the steps to be taken in respect of various aspects of business.
vii) To satisfy the requirements of law: Entities such as companies, societies,
public trusts are compulsorily required to maintain accounts as per the law governing
their operations such as the Companies Act, Societies Act, and Public Trust Act etc.
Maintenance of accounts is also compulsory under the Sales Tax Act and Income Tax
Act.
1.3.4 Importance of Accounting
i) Owners: The owners provide funds or capital for the organization. They
possess curiosity in knowing whether the business is being conducted on sound lines
or not and whether the capital is being employed properly or not. Owners, being
businessmen, always keep an eye on the returns from the investment. Comparing the
accounts of various years helps in getting good pieces of information.
ii) Management: The management of the business is greatly interested in
knowing the position of the firm. The accounts are the basis, the management can
study the merits and demerits of the business activity. Thus, the management is
interested in financial accounting to find whether the business carried on is profitable
or not. The financial accounting is the “eyes and ears of management and facilitates
in drawing future course of action, further expansion etc.”
iii) Creditors: Creditors are the persons who supply goods on credit, or
bankers or lenders of money. It is usual that these groups are interested to know the
financial soundness before granting credit. The progress and prosperity of the firm,
two which credits are extended, are largely watched by creditors from the point of
view of security and further credit. Profit and Loss Account and Balance Sheet are
nerve centres to know the soundness of the firm.
iv) Employees: Payment of bonus depends upon the size of profit earned by
the firm. The more important point is that the workers expect regular income for the
bread. The demand for wage rise, bonus, better working conditions etc. depend upon
the profitability of the firm and in turn depends upon financial position. For these
reasons, this group is interested in accounting.
v) Investors: The prospective investors, who want to invest their money in a
firm, of course wish to see the progress and prosperity of the firm, before investing
their amount, by going through the financial statements of the firm. This is to
safeguard the investment. For this, this group is eager to go through the accounting
which enables them to know the safety of investment.
vi) Government: Government keeps a close watch on the firms which yield
good amount of profits. The state and central Governments are interested in the
financial statements to know the earnings for the purpose of taxation. To compile
national accounting is essential.
vii) Consumers: These groups are interested in getting the goods at reduced
price. Therefore, they wish to know the establishment of a proper accounting control,
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which in turn will reduce to cost of production, in turn less price to be paid by the
consumers. Researchers are also interested in accounting for interpretation.
viii) Research Scholars: Accounting information, being a mirror of the
financial performance of a business organization, is of immense value to the research
scholar who wants to make a study into the financial operations of a particular firm.
To make a study into the financial operations of a particular firm, the research scholar
needs detailed accounting information relating to purchases, sales, expenses, cost of
materials used, current assets, current liabilities, fixed assets, long-term liabilities and
share-holders funds which is available in the accounting record maintained by the
firm.
Check Your Progress 1
List out five objectives of Accounting.
Notes: (a) Write your answer in the space given below.
(b) Check your answer with the ones given at the end of this Lesson
(pp. 13).
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1.3.5 Functions of Accounting
i) Record Keeping Function: The primary function of accounting relates to
recording, classification and summary of financial transactions-journalisation, posting,
and preparation of final statements. These facilitate to know operating results and
financial positions. The purpose of this function is to report regularly to the interested
parties by means of financial statements. Thus accounting performs historical
function i.e., attention on the past performance of a business; and this facilitates
decision making programme for future activities.
ii) Managerial Function:Decision making programme is greatly assisted by
accounting. The managerial function and decision making programmes, without
accounting, may mislead. The day-to-day operations are compared with some pre-
determined standard. The variations of actual operations with pre-determined
standards and their analysis is possible only with the help of accounting.
iii) Legal Requirement function: Auditing is compulsory in ca s e o f
registered firms. Auditing is not possible without accounting. Thus accounting
becomes compulsory to comply with legal requirements. Accounting is a base and
with its help various returns, documents, statements etc., are prepared.
iv) Language of Business: Accounting is the language of business. Various
transactions are communicated through accounting. There are many parties-owners,
creditors, government, employees etc., who are interested in knowing the results of the
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firm and this can be communicated only through accounting. The accounting shows a
real and true position of the firm or the business.

1.3.6 Advantages of Accounting

The following are the advantages of accounting to a business:
i) It helps in having complete record of business transactions.
ii) It gives information about the profit or loss made by the business at the
close of a year and its financial conditions. The basic function of
accounting is to supply meaningful information about the financial
activities of the business to the owners and the managers.
iii) It provides useful information form making economic decisions,
iv) It facilitates comparative study of current year’s profit, sales, expenses
etc., with those of the previous years.
v) It supplies information useful in judging the management’s ability to
utilise enterprise resources effectively in achieving primary enterprise
goals.
vi) It provides users with factual and interpretive information about
transactions and other events which are useful for predicting, comparing
and evaluation the enterprise’s earning power.
vii) It helps in complying with certain legal formalities like filing of income-
tax and sales-tax returns. If the accounts are properly maintained, the
assessment of taxes is greatly facilitated.
1.3.7 Limitations of Accounting
i) Accounting is historical in nature: It does not reflect the current financial
position or worth of a business.
ii) Transactions of non-monetary mature do not find place in accounting.
Accounting is limited to monetary transactions only. It excludes
qualitative elements like management, reputation, employee morale,
labour strike etc.
iii) Facts recorded in financial statements are greatly influenced by
accounting conventions and personal judgements of the Accountant or
Management. Valuation of inventory, provision for doubtful debts and
assumption about useful life of an asset may, therefore, differ from one
business house to another.
iv) Accounting principles are not static or unchanging-alternative
accounting procedures are often equally acceptable. Therefore,
accounting statements do not always present comparable data
v) Cost concept is found in accounting. Price changes are not considered.
Money value is bound to change often from time to time. This is a
strong limitation of accounting.
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vi) Accounting statements do not show the impact of inflation.
vii) The accounting statements do not reflect those increase in net asset
values that are not considered realized.
1.4 Methods of Accounting
Business transactions are recorded in two different ways.
1.4.1 Single Entry
1.4.2 Double Entry
1.4.1. Single Entry: It is incomplete system of recording business transactions. The
business organization maintains only cash book and personal accounts of debtors and
creditors. So the complete recording of transactions cannot be made and trail balance
cannot be prepared.
1.4.2 Double Entry: It this system every business transaction is having a two fold
effect of benefits giving and benefit receiving aspects. The recording is made on the
basis of both these aspects. Double Entry is an accounting system that records the
effects of transactions and other events in atleast two accounts with equal debits and
credits.
1.4.3 Steps involved in Double entry system
(a) Preparation of Journal: Journal is called the book of original entry. It
records the effect of all transactions for the first time. Here the job of recording takes
place.
(b) Preparation of Ledger: Ledger is the collection of all accounts used by a
business. Here the grouping of accounts is performed. Journal is posted to ledger.
(c) Trial Balance preparation: Summarizing. It is a summary of ledge
balances prepared in the form of a list.
(d) Preparation of Final Account: At the end of the accounting period to
know the achievements of the organization and its financial state of affairs, the final
accounts are prepared.
1.4.4 Advantages of Double Entry System
i) Scientific system: This system is the only scientific system of recording
business transactions in a set of accounting records. It helps to attain the objectives of
accounting.
ii) Complete record of transactions: This system maintains a complete
record of all business transactions.
iii) A check on the accuracy of accounts: By use of this system the accuracy
of accounting book can be established through the device called a Trail balance.
iv) Ascertainment of profit or loss: The profit earned or loss suffered during
a period can be ascertained together with details by the preparation of Profit and Loss
Account.
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v) Knowledge of the financial position of the business: The financial
position of the firm can be ascertained at the end of each period, through the
preparation of balance sheet.
vi) Full details for purposes of control: This system permits accounts to be
prepared or kept in as much detail as necessary and, therefore, affords significant
information for purposes of control etc.
vii) Comparative study is possible: Results of one year may be compared
with those of the precious year and reasons for the change may be ascertained.
viii) Helps management in decision making: The management may be also
to obtain good information for its work, specially for making decisions.
ix) No scope for fraud: The firm is saved from frauds and misappropriations
since full information about all assets and liabilities will be available.
1.5 Meaning of Debit and Credit
The term ‘debit’ is supposed to have derived from ‘debit’ and the term ‘credit’ from
‘creditable’. For convenience ‘Dr’ is used for debit and ‘Cr’ is used for credit.
Recording of transactions require a thorough understanding of the rules of debit and
credit relating to accounts. Both debit and credit may represent either increase or
decrease, depending upon the nature of account.
1.6 Types of Accounting
Types of Accounts
The object of book-keeping is to keep a complete record of all the transactions
that place in the business. To achieve this object, business transactions have been
classified into three categories:
(i) Transactions relating to persons.
(ii) Transactions relating to properties and assets
(iii) Transactions relating to incomes and expenses.
The accounts falling under the first heading are known as ‘personal Accounts’.
The accounts falling under the second heading are known as ‘Real Accounts’, The
accounts falling under the third heading are called ‘Nominal Accounts’. The accounts
can also be classified as personal and impersonal. The following chart will show the
various types of accounts:
Accounts

Personal Impersonal
Accounts

Natural Artificial Groups/

or Legal Representative
Real Nominal

Tangible Intangible
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1.6.1 Personal Accounts: Accounts recording transactions with a person or group of

persons are known as personal accounts. These accounts are necessary, in particular,
to record credit transactions. Personal accounts are of the following types:
(a) Natural persons: An account recording transactions with an individual
human being is termed as a natural persons’ personal account. eg., Kamal’s account,
Mala’s account, Sharma’s accounts. Both males and females are included in it
(b) Artificial or legal persons: An account recording financial transactions
with an artificial person created by law or otherwise is termed as an artificial person,
personal account, e.g. Firms’ accounts, limited companies’ accounts, educational
institutions’ accounts, Co-operative society account.
(c) Groups/Representative personal Accounts: An account indirectly
representing a person or persons is known as representative personal account. When
accounts are of a similar nature and their number is large, it is better tot group them
under one head and open a representative personal accounts. e.g., prepaid insurance,
outstanding salaries, rent, wages etc.
When a person starts a business, he is known as proprietor. This proprietor is
represented by capital account for all that he invests in business and by drawings
accounts for all that which he withdraws from business. So, capital accounts and
drawings account are also personal accounts.
The rule for personal accounts is: Debit the receiver
Credit the giver
1.6.2 Real Accounts
Accounts relating to properties or assets are known as ‘Real Accounts’, A
separate account is maintained for each asset e.g., Cash Machinery, Building, etc.,
Real accounts can be further classified into tangible and intangible.
(a) Tangible Real Accounts: These accounts represent assets and properties
which can be seen, touched, felt, measured, purchased and sold. e.g. Machinery
account Cash account, Furniture account, stock account etc.
(b) Intangible Real Accounts: These accounts represent assets and properties
which cannot be seen, touched or felt but they can be measured in terms of money.
e.g., Goodwill accounts, patents account, Trademarks account, Copyrights account,
etc.
The rule for Real accounts is: Debit what comes in
Credit what goes out
1.6.3 Nominal Accounts
Accounts relating to income, revenue, gain expenses and losses are termed as
nominal accounts. These accounts are also known as fictitious accounts as they do not
represent any tangible asset. A separate account is maintained for each head or
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expense or loss and gain or income. Wages account, Rent account Commission
account, Interest received account are some examples of nominal account
The rule for Nominal accounts is: Debit all expenses and losses
Credit all incomes and gains

1.7 DISTINCTION BETWEEN BOOK-KEEPING AND ACCOUNTING

The difference between book-keeping and accounting can be summarized in a
tabular from as under:
Basis of
Book-keeping Accounting
difference
Transactions Recording of transactions To examine these
in books of original entry. recorded transactions in
order to find out their
accuracy.
Posting To make posting in ledger To examine this
posting in order to
ascertain its accuracy.
Total and Balance To make total of the To prepare trial balance
amount in journal and with the help of
accounts of ledger. To balances of ledger
ascertain balance in all the accounts.
accounts.
Income Statement Preparation of trading, Preparation of trading,
and Balance Sheet Profit & loss account and profits and loss account
balance sheet is not book and balance sheet is
keeping included in it.
Rectification of These are not included in These are included in
errors book-keeping accounting.
Special skill and It does not require any It requires special skill
knowledge special skill and knowledge and knowledge.
as in advanced countries
this work is done by
machines.
Liability A book-keeper is not liable An accountant is liable
for accountancy work. for the work of book-
keeper.