Accounting Basic Accounting for the results of your business activities requires keeping your records organized and consistent. While businesses differ greatly, the basic accounting concepts critical to running any business remain the same. Accounting, simply defined, is the method by which financial information is collected, processed, and summarized in financial statements and reports. An accounting system can be represented by the following graph, which is explained below. 1. Each accounting entry is based on a business transaction, which is usually evidenced by a business document, such as a check or bill of sale. 2. A journal is a place to record the transactions of a business. Typical journals used to record chronological day-to-day transactions are a sales and cash receipts journal and a cash disbursement journal. A general journal is used to record special entries at the end of an accounting period. 3. ...