Interested Parties (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Accounting)

Revision Note

Dan Finlay

Written by: Dan Finlay

Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham

Who are the interested parties for accounting information?

  • The interested parties are the people or organisations that use the accounting information for decision-making

  • There are internal and external interested parties

  • The accounting information might not always be available to all interested parties

    • Sole traders and partnerships can keep their financial statements private

    • Whereas public limited companies publish their financial statements to the public

      • Private limited companies have to publish some financial information

Internal Parties

Why might internal parties of a business be interested in the accounting information?

Interested party

Reason for their interest in accounting information

Owners

  • To compare the performance with previous years

  • To plan for the future

  • To make decisions about which areas need action

Managers

  • To check on the efficiency of the business

  • To check on the progress of the business compared to previous years

Employees

  • To check that the business is profitable and likely to continue to trade so that they have job security

External Parties

Why might external parties of a business be interested in the accounting information?

Interested party

Reason for their interest in accounting information

Trade receivables (and customers)

  • To check on the probability that their goods will continue to be supplied by the business

Trade payables (and suppliers)

  • To check whether the business can pay for its supplied goods as agreed

  • To examine the trade payables turnover to identify how long, on average, it takes the business to pay for its goods

  • To look at the trade receivables to assess whether there is still a demand for the supplied goods

Banks

  • To assess whether the business is suitable for an overdraft or a bank loan

  • To assess the value of the assets owned by the business so that they can be used as security against loans

Investors

  • To assess the profitability of the business

  • To assess the likelihood of the investors making money if they invested in the business

Competitors

  • To compare the profitability of the business against their own business

  • To identify gaps in the market

Club members

  • To assess whether the club is likely to continue to operate so that they can continue to use the facilities available

Government and tax authorities

  • To calculate how much tax is owed

  • To gather data for the government statistics

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Dan Finlay

Author: Dan Finlay

Expertise: Maths Lead

Dan graduated from the University of Oxford with a First class degree in mathematics. As well as teaching maths for over 8 years, Dan has marked a range of exams for Edexcel, tutored students and taught A Level Accounting. Dan has a keen interest in statistics and probability and their real-life applications.

Lucy Kirkham

Author: Lucy Kirkham

Expertise: Head of STEM

Lucy has been a passionate Maths teacher for over 12 years, teaching maths across the UK and abroad helping to engage, interest and develop confidence in the subject at all levels.Working as a Head of Department and then Director of Maths, Lucy has advised schools and academy trusts in both Scotland and the East Midlands, where her role was to support and coach teachers to improve Maths teaching for all.