美国财务概念框架NO2.docx

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