LEDGER Definition

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LEDGER is a book of accounts in which data from transactions recorded in journals are posted and thereby classified and summarized. The ledger is typically divided up into (traditionally physical separate books): a. Purchases/Creditors Ledger is the subsidiary ledger in which creditors accounts are recorded; also known as the bought ledger. Each creditors account is credited with purchases and debited with cash paid, discounts received and returns outward. The detail in the creditors ledger is summarized in the creditors ledger control account kept in the general ledger; b. Sales/Debtors Ledger is the subsidiary ledger in which debtors accounts are recorded; also known as the sold ledger. Each debtors account is debited with sales and credited with cash received, discounts allowed and returns inward. The detail in the debtors ledger is summarized in the debtors ledger control account kept in the general ledger; c. General/Impersonal Ledger is a book of final entry summarizing all of a companys financial transactions, through offsetting debit and credit accounts, e.g. liability, reserve, capital, income and expense accounts; and d. Private Ledger is confidential and records items such as capital, loans, mortgages, directors salaries and awards, etc.

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STEPPED COSTS is a cost that increases by a reasonably constant sum each time volume or activity increases by a predictable, constant, multiple. The smallest step costs are variable costs, which increase by a discrete amount each time output or activity increases by one unit. Larger steps will consist of what are, effectively, fixed costs over a particular range of output. Some costs increase, or decrease, in significant steps when output or activity passes certain limits. For instance, if a bus company regularly has more passengers on a route than can be carried by a single vehicle it may be necessary to use an additional bus. Running an additional bus will double the cost of operating on that route. Similarly, a manufacturing firm may have a policy of employing one supervisor for every ten production workers. In which case the firm will need one supervisor for 1-10 employees, two supervisors for 11-20 employees, and so on. So, if demand rises to the point where 21 production employees are required an extra supervisor must be employed. Costs that behave in this way are called stepped costs.

CASH is money, in the form of notes and coins, which constitutes payment for goods at the time of purchase.

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