If so, should the basic accounting data be adjusted to allow for it?

As far as this chapter is concerned, there are two situations in which you might find yourself: (1) a set of financial accounts will have been interpreted for you; and (2) you might have to do it for yourself. In the first situation you might like to ask the person who has prepared the report the following questions. In the second situation you could ask yourself. The idea is to give you confidence about the information that you have used and the results that you have obtained in interpreting a set of financial accounts.