Volunteer experts help businesses

IN DEVELOPING ECONOMICS

Before you listen to the following broadcast match the key words and expressions in the left column with their translation in the right one.

1. retired person 2. accountant 3. financial record keeping 4. business executive 5. accounting method 6. medium sized businesses 7. financial reporting 8. financial statement

a) финансовый отчет b) лицо, прекратившее работу (по старости, по инвалидности); пенсионер c) финансовая отчетность d) бухгалтер e) предприятия среднего бизнеса f) финансовый (бухгалтерский) учет; ведение учета g) управляющий деловым предприятием; член правления делового предприятия h) метод бухгалтерского учета; метод бухгалтерской отчетности

 

Listen to the text; answer the questions below using the abovementioned key words.

1. Who is the main hero of the broadcast? Describe briefly his business? What was his job position and profession up to his retirement?

2. What was his decision after four years of retirement? Describe his actions in order to realize his decision.

3. What can you tell about International Executive Service Corporation? What do you know about the other Peace Corps for business people? Describe the main activities of such non-profit groups.

4. Which volunteer’s business did Abu Mirza run in Ghana? Which business was of great importance for bankers and businesspeople in Africa?

5. Do you think that accounting and budgeting are of so great importance for running the business? Prove your answer using the examples from the text.

Listen to the text again; check your answers; name the main idea and retell the story.

II. Read and translate the following texts and be ready for their discussion on the basis of active vocabulary, key terms quiz, review and discussion questions.

THEY SAID IT:

“I have no use for bodyguards, but I have a very special use for two highly trained certified public accountants.”

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) – American singer

 

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES INVOLVING ACCOUNTING

The natural progression of a business begins with financing, involves investing, and leads to operating the business. All businesses, profit and non-profit, perform these three basic activities. Accounting plays a key role in each.

1. Financing activities are necessary to provide the funds to start a business and to expand it in the future. The implications of firm’s financial status go beyond the accounting statements.

2. Investing activities are needed to provide valuable assets required to run a business.

3. Operating activities focus on the sale of goods and services, but also consider expenses as an important part of sound financial management.

ACCOUNTING

Accounting is the process of measuring, interpreting, and communicating financial information to enable other inside and outside the firm to make informed decisions. Accounting deals with financial transactions between a firm and its employees, customers, suppliers, owners, bankers, and various government agencies. Weekly payroll checks result in cash outflows for the compensation of employees. A payment to a supplier results in the receipt of needed materials for the production process. Cash, check and credit purchases by customers generate funds to cover the costs of operations and to earn a profit. Prompt payment of bills preserves the firm’s credit rating and its ability to obtain future loans. This procedural cycle, used by accountants in converting individual transactions to financial statements, is called accounting process. It involves recording, classifying, and summarizing transactions in order to produce financial statements for the firm’s management and other interested parties.