The general accounts are a useful tool for the company and are intended as a source of information. This information has to follow a set of rules and principles and must be recorded using the principle of double-entry bookkeeping. The finance department’s guiding principle is to "maximize the long-term economic value for shareholders." To generate economic value in the long term, the returns obtained from management of the assets in the normal course of business must exceed the financial cost of the resources funding them.

This technical note explains how concepts of accounting are particularly useful to obtain certain financial information. It talks about general accounting and its guiding principles, the profit and loss account, the balance sheet, accounting statements, liabilities, equity, assets, accounting records, depreciation, provisions, investment and financing decisions and finally cash flows, weighted average cost of capital and discounted cash flow.