英語翻譯
Company law
specifies that shareholders must be given certain financial information.
Companies generally include three financial statements in their annual reports.
The profit and
loss account (GB) or income statements (US) shows earnings and expenditure.It
usually gives figures for total sales or turnover,and costs,expenses and
overheads.The first figure should obviously be the highest,i.e.there should
be a profit.Part of the profit goes to the government in taxation,part is
usually distributed to shareholders (stockholders) as a dividend,and part is
retained by the company.
The balance sheet
shows a company’s financial situation on a particular date,generally the last
day of the financial year.It lists the company’s assets,its long-term and
short-term liabilities,and shareholders’ (stockholders’) funds.A business’s
assets include account receivable as it is assumed that these will be paid.
Companies also have intangible assets,whose value is difficult to quantify or
turn into cash,such as goodwill,patents,copyrights and trade marks.Liability
include accounts payable,as these will
have to be paid.Long-term liabilities are usually loans and bonds; short-term
liabilities include accrued or accumulated expenses that have not yet been paid
such as taxes and interest.Negative items on financial statements,such as
creditors,taxation,and dividends paid,are either enclosed in brackets or
preceded by a minus sign.