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PART E: PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS 
 
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6.4.1 The accounting records 
The accounting ledgers provide an excellent source of information regarding what has happened in the 
past. This information may be used as a basis for predicting future events eg budgeting. 
Accounting records can provide more than purely financial information. For example, an inventory 
control system includes purchase orders, goods-received notes and goods-returned notes that can be 
analysed to provide information regarding the speed of delivery or the quality of supplies. Receivables 
ledgers can provide sales information for the marketing function. 
6.4.2 Other internal sources 
Much information that is not strictly part of the accounting records nevertheless is closely tied in to the 
accounting system. 
(a) Information 
about 
personnel
will be linked to the 
payroll
system. Additional information may be 
obtained from this source if, say, a project is being costed and it is necessary to ascertain the 
availability and rate of pay of different levels of staff, or the need for and cost of recruiting staff 
from outside the organisation. 
(b) 
Much information will be produced by a 
production
department about machine capacity, fuel 
consumption, movement of people, materials, and work in progress, set up times, maintenance 
requirements, and so on. A large part of the traditional work of cost accounting involves ascribing 
costs to the 
physical information
produced by this source. 
(c) Many 
service
businesses, notably accountants and solicitors, need to keep detailed records of the 
time spent
on various activities, both to justify fees to clients and to assess the efficiency and 
profitability of operations. 
Staff
themselves are one of the primary sources of internal information. Information may be obtained 
either informally in the course of day-to-day business or through meetings, interviews or questionnaires. 
6.5 External information