How useful is accounting information?

No one would seriously claim that accounting information fully meets all of the needs of every various user groups. Accounting is still a developing subject and we still have much to learn about user requirements and the ways in which these needs must be met. Yet, information contained in accounting reports must help users make decisions relating to the business. Information must reduce uncertainty about financial position and performance of the business. It must help to answer questions concerning the availability of funds to pay owners a return, to repay loans, to reward employees and so on. Mainly, there is no close substitute for information provided by the financial statements. Hence, if users can't glean required information from the financial statements, it's often unavailable to them. Other sources of information concerning financial health of a business are generally much less useful.