Sorting Out Your Accounts

Why Your Business Needs A Commercial Accountant

by Lydia Washington

If you own a capitalist business or company, you need an economic management method to help you compare the costs of economic activities and the results. This process enables you to maximise your profits and reduce the capital used. Commercial accountants handle such tasks for businesses and ensure your business rationalises the use of money and justifies establishing labour rates, among other costs. The modern nature of commodity production and the law of value in competitive foreign and domestic markets makes commercial accounting an absolute necessity for businesses. This article discusses a few benefits of commercial accounting for any business. 

Investigation of Anomalies

Financial anomalies occur when the actual outcomes of an economic activity differ significantly from the assumptions in a model. In simple terms, your business may make losses or profits below or over the predicted amount. Anomalies prove to your accountants and strategists that their predictions do not hold up in practice. A pricing anomaly occurs when an item such as a stock has a different price than the amount predicted by a model. If all the information available in the market showed a specific price yet the expected price differed, your business might make huge losses. Commercial accountants investigate these anomalies and remodel your predictions to prevent future errors. 

Reporting 

Financial reporting is an essential part of organising, managing and understanding your firm's finances. Commercial accounting helps you present your company's finances in a standardised manner. First, your firm needs an income statement to show its revenues, profits and expenses. This statement tells you how much money your firm made or lost in the financial period. Another essential document in the financial report is the balance sheet that reveals the value of your equity as the owner, the company's liabilities and assets. Commercial accountants also prepare a statement of retained earnings, which shows how your capital grew within a financial period. Your firm also requires a cash flow statement that gives you an idea of your firm's cash and debt payment management. Ultimately, financial reporting helps you make critical business decisions and ensure the firm is compliant. 

Variance Analysis

Variance analysis is where the commercial accountant measures the spread of figures in a dataset. If your labour, overhead and material costs become noticeable, variance analysis is mandatory. However, variance analysis is not compulsory in most cases, but your investors may ask for it to see the investment's risk. You also require this report to compare the performance of each asset in a portfolio. Therefore, you can allocate your assets accordingly. 

Contract Negotiations

Business contracts require a certain level of disclosure. If you plan on merging with another firm, the management might request to see your books and ensure your firm is not a going concern. You also need to prove to your lenders that you have sufficient revenues, assets and efficiency to repay them. Similarly, your partners and shareholders require specific details revealed in financial statements before they commit their money. Therefore, commercial accounting facilitates business contracts. 

Commercial accounting is essential in investigating financial anomalies, reporting, conducting variance analysis and negotiating business contracts. 

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