资产负债表相关介绍(英)

文章作者 100test 发表时间 2007:03:26 17:16:22
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网

什么是资产负债表？

The purpose of a Balance Sheet is to report the financial position of a company at a certain point in time. It is divided into two columns. The first lists what the company owns (assets) on the left. The second shows what the company owes (liabilities and net worth) on the right. At the bottom of each list is the total of that column. As the name implies, the bottom line of the balance sheet must always "balance." In other words, the total assets are equal to the total liabilities plus the net worth.

The particular elements of a balance sheet may vary significantly from day to day. Over time, these "snapshots" of a company, taken on a year-end or monthly basis, can reveal important information about the ability of the company to satisfy its creditors, manage inventory, and collect its receivables.

Another way to look at the balance sheet is in terms of the "sources" and "uses" of cash. Liabilities and net worth are sources of cash. They represent debt owed to creditors who have supplied cash or its equivalent. Assets are a use of cash. The company uses cash to purchase assets in order to make a profit.

Balance Sheet
Owns	Owes
Use of Cash	Source of Cash
Assets which are the most like cash	Obligations which must be paid to keep creditors happy
Assets which will turn into cash within one year	Obligations which will be due and payable within one year
Assets which may never mature into cash	Obligations which are the least nervous and never due
Total Assets	Liabilities &. Net Worth

Understanding the sources and uses of cash is critical to the survival and growth of a small business. Creditors (sources of cash) must be kept happy because they supply the inventory (use of cash) which is sold by the company to make a profit.

Current assets are those assets which will mature into cash during the next twelve months. They are a measure of the liquidity of a company, which is the amount of time it takes for an asset to be converted into cash.

This time period is referred to as the Operating Cycle. In other words, a company begins with cash, purchases inventory with the cash, sells the inventory which creates a receivable, and then collects the receivable which generates the cash. The cash is then used to purchase additional inventory and the cycle begins again. In terms of liquidity, cash is the highest quality current asset and inventory is the lowest quality. Whereas cash is immediately available to pay obligations, inventory must be converted into cash (through the operating cycle), before it is available to pay bills.

建立资产负债表

When constructing a balance sheet, assets and liabilities are listed in a specific order. Assets are listed in descending order with cash and assets most like cash first.

Liabilities are also listed in descending order with those obligations which are due soonest listed first. Current liabilities are those liabilities which must be paid within the next twelve months. Those liabilities which may never come due and payable (i.e., subordinated officer debt) are listed last. Liabilities are creditors who have provided cash to the company. They must be paid in a timely manner in order to keep them as sources of cash. For example, the company purchases inventory (use of cash) and an account payable (source of cash) is created with the supplier. The payable should be kept current so that the supplier will provide additional inventory in the future.

资本净值

Net worth simply represents the owners investment in the company. It is treated the same as a liability in that both creditors and owners are a source of cash for the company. The owners investment, however, is an obligation which may never have to be repaid. A positive net worth demonstrates that the owners have a financial commitment to the company that is subordinate to all other creditors.