ACCOUNTING CONVENTIONS - Convention of Disclosure

The convention of disclosure implies that accounts must be honestly prepared and all
material information must be disclosed therein. The notion is so important (because of divorce
between ownership and management) that the Companies Act makes ample provisions for
the disclosure of essential information in company accounts. The contents of balance sheet and
profit and loss account are prescribed by law. These are designed to make disclosure of all
material facts compulsory.

The term disclosure does not imply that all information that anyone could conceivably
desire is to be included in accounting statements. The term only implies that there is to be a
sufficient diclosure of information which is of material interest to proprietors, present and
potential creditors and investors. The practice of appending notes relative to various facts or
items which do not find place in accounting statements is in pursuance to the convention of
full disclosure of material facts. Examples are :
(a) Contingent liabilties appearing as a note,
(b) Market value of investments appearing as a note.
Business is now increasingly managed by stewards (managers) and they owe a duty to
make a full disclosure to the persons who have cotributed the capital. Financial accounting,
while reporting on stewardship, has to make full disclosure. ‘Openness in company affairs is
the best way to secure responsible behaviour. Because of the wide recognition of this principle
now there is an “Accounting Standard” which requires the disclosure of all significant
accounting policies adopted in the preparation of financial statements, due to the effect of such
policies on the financial statements. The accounting principle of ‘Going Concern’, ‘Consistency
and ‘Accrual’ are considered fundamental in the preparation of financial statements and need
not be disclosed. Only when the assumption is not followed the fact should be disclosed. Apart
from disclosure of accounting policies, A.S. – 1 deals with information to be disclosed in financial
statements.
The concept of disclosure also applies to events occurring after the balance sheet date and
the date on which the financial statements are authorised for issue. Such events include bad
debts, destruction of plant and equipment due to natural calamities, major acquisition of another
enterprise and the like. Such events are likely to have a substantial influence on the earnings
and financial position of the enterprise. Their non-disclosure would affect the ability of the
users of such statements to make proper evaluations and decisions.