Accountants focus on creating financial statements, whereas finance professionals use these statements to evaluate a firm and answer questions about its performance. Indicate which financial statement you would refer to when answering the questions in the following table: Income Statement Statement of Retained Earnings

How profitable has the firm been?
How much of the firm's earnings are left as balance after the firm pays out dividends to its shareholders?

If compensation for senior management is based on short-term performance of the firm, in the short run the firm is likely to:
a. Overstate its earnings
b. Understate its earnings

1. Indication of financial statement to refer to when answering questions in the following table:

Question                                                   Financial Statement

How profitable has the firm been?         Income Statement

How much of the firm's earnings are     Statement of Retained Earnings

left as balance after the firm pays out

dividends to its shareholders?

2. If compensation for senior management is based on short-term performance of the firm, in the short run the firm is likely to:

a. Overstate its earnings

Explanation:

Company A's Income Statement shows its profit performance at different levels.  At one level is the gross profit, which shows the difference between the net sales or service revenue and the cost of sales/service.  At another level is the operating income, which is the income before interest and taxes.  The next important level is the net income, which is the profit after taxes.  This shows the earnings available for distribution to stockholders.  The Statement of Cash Flows classifies the cash flows generated into operating, investing, and financing activities, and shows the non-cash flow adjustments.