Accounting services in Singapore provide information on the financial state of companies and other entities to stakeholders. The information is usually categorised as public information, usually in the form of financial statements and intended for external consumers such as shareholders, lenders, and investors. The second category is private information, intended for management’s use in the decision making processes.

During times of financial crises, both sets of information are crucial to the end users. They use the information to make critical decisions which could have a profound impact on the entity’s well-being.

Here’s a brief look into the role of accounting during a financial crisis, from a managers’ perspective.

The Different Branches Of Accounting

To get a full appreciation of the role of accounting in a financial crisis, it is imperative to get a good understanding of the branches of accounting and what they mean to you as a manager.

First is financial accounting. It reflects the wealth and health of a company. It indicates the movements of assets and liabilities and tracks key parameters such as cash flows and profitability. Second is management accounting or cost accounting. It is the dynamic part of accounting and is concerned with seeking solutions to better the management of resources owned by the firm in order to enhance the company’s results.

In times of crisis, these two sets of accounting information are invaluable to a manager or entrepreneur. Here’s how the information will help you.

It Helps You To Monitor Relationships With Third Parties

During times of crises, it is imperative to monitor your relationships with third parties, be they lenders, debtors or creditors, and analyse the trends and possible eventualities.

If the financial crisis is a universal crisis, it is especially crucial to monitor your debtors and identify those who are financially stable and able to meet their obligations. This will help you know those to continue doing business with and who t drop. On the other hand, your analysis of creditors must consider the retention of debt, the fluctuation of costs and possibilities of delaying payments.

It Helps You Become A Better Controls Manager

Accounting services help you to keep tabs with the material and financial values of your company. You’ll know how they are stored and managed with the information provided in the accounting records. This function of accounting helps you to uncover factual inconsistencies between what is on the script versus that which is on the shelf and correct them. It’ll help you protect the reputation of the company by ensuring that integrity remains intact.

It Helps You In Forecasting

One thing that keeps entrepreneurs going and their companies as well, during times of crises, is the hope for a better tomorrow. In times of crisis, it is extremely difficult to forecast or make estimates since the entire economy is marked with financial instability.

In such a state, accounting information relating to the company, opinions of authoritative external parties on the economic situation and government policies will help you get a more realistic forecast.

To conclude, accounting information is only useful to a manager if you understand it and can analyse it well. However, if you are experiencing challenges in your analysis, you can reach out to the many excellent accounting services in Singapore.