b'86 Mercia Asset Management PLC Annual Report & Accounts 2022Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued1. Accounting policies continuedSegmental reportingAn operating segment is a component of an entity that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same entity), whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the entitys Chief Operating Decision Maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and for which discrete financial information is available. Operating segments are aggregated into reporting segments where they share similar economic characteristics. Note 3 to these consolidated financial statements gives further details on the Groups segmental reporting.2. Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertaintyIn the application of the Groups accounting policies described in note 1, the Directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods, if the revision affects both current and future periods.The Directors have made the following judgements and estimates, which have had the most significant effect on the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities in these consolidated financial statements.Fair value measurements and valuation processesThe judgements required to determine the appropriate valuation methodology of unquoted equity investments mean there is risk of a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities. These judgements include a decision on whether or not to impair or uplift investment valuations.The fair value of unlisted securities is established using the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation Guidelines (IPEVCVG) as revised in December 2018, with consideration given to the Coronavirus Special Valuations Guidance issued in March 2020.Investments are measured at fair value at each measurement date. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A fair value measurement assumes that a hypothetical transaction to sell an asset takes place in the principal market or, in its absence, the most advantageous market for the asset. For quoted investments, available market prices will be the exclusive basis for the measurement of fair value for identical instruments. For unquoted investments, the measurement of fair value requires the valuer to assume the underlying business or instrument is realised or sold at the measurement date, appropriately allocated to the various interests, regardless of whether the underlying business is prepared for sale or whether its shareholders intend to sell in the near future.In estimating fair value for an investment, the valuer should apply a methodology that is appropriate in light of the nature, facts and circumstances of the investment in the context of the total investment portfolio and should use reasonable current market data and inputs, combined with reasonable market participant assumptions.The price of recent investment can be used to estimate the enterprise value, before allocating to the various interests. The Group believes that this is still the most relevant technique to measure fair value for early-stage investments. However, it has also taken into consideration time elapsed, performance since the investment round and external market events to help inform its judgements.'