ACCOUNTING TERMS - ACCOUNTING DICTIONARY - ACCOUNTING GLOSSARY
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BRITISH-AMERICAN MODEL Definition
BRITISH-AMERICAN MODEL is an accounting model. There are other accounting systems which differ from the U.S. accounting model. U.S. GAAP and FASB standards are not the only accounting principles used internationally; for example, many countries reverse the U.S. debit and credit system. Many countries with high rates of inflation account for inflation in financial reports much more than the U.S. does. Also, for any company operating internationally there is the currency exchange translation problem when consolidating financial statements.
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CASH SHORT/OVER ACCOUNT, in retail sales, is where any differences between the cash register tape totals and the actual cash receipts is charged against the cash short and over account. If the ending balance of the account is a debit it is shown on the Income Statement as a miscellaneous expense. If the ending balance of the account is a credit it is shown on the Income Statement as Other Revenue.
CAPITALIZATION OF MAINTAINABLE EARNINGS is a valuation method; perhaps the most generally accepted method that involves capitalizing the future maintainable earnings by the application of a suitably chosen capitalization rate or multiple. The definition of earnings may be profit after tax ("PAT") or earnings before interest and tax ("EBIT"). This methodology, which in reality is a surrogate for the discounted cash flow method, requires consideration of several factors, including: a. an estimate of future maintainable earnings having regard to historical operating results and forecasts of future earnings; b. determination of an appropriate capitalization rate which will reflect the risks inherent in the business including sensitivity to industry risk factors, growth prospects, the general economic outlook and alternative investment opportunities; and c. a separate assessment of any surplus or unrelated assets and liabilities which are not essential to the continuing earning capacity of the business operations.

