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Accounting Information system- what it's importance
Describe the role of accounting in the modern world
Importance of accounting in society
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In our society the role of accounting continues to have an impact on our daily lives whether it is budgeting our homes, managing a business, or investing. In every aspect of business we are surrounded by decisions that circulates around the concepts of accounting. Accounting has gained the reputation of being the language of business. I believe that accounting has earned this reputation due to its function of being an information system that measures financial activities, assist in data reporting, and the measuring of performance within a business (Harrison, 2014). In my opinion, this language of business communicates from one accounting statement to another.
The core of accounting orbits around the basic financial statements of an organization
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The primary users in financial accounting are external users such as stockholders, creditors and government regulators. The primary accounting products used are financial statements, which fulfils the mission of helping the external users in making economical decisions concerning lending and investing. The operations in financial accounting is regulated by the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which determines the content and the formatting of each financial statement (Braun, and Tietz, 2014). The financial data is based on its external users’ historical transactions, however the data must be objective and reliable. These historical transactions are seen as the “unit” of the collaboration of all the financial statements providing a snap shot of the business as a whole (Braun, and Tietz, 2014). It is important to recognize that the reports are generated quarterly and yearly, then audited by an independent certified public accountant. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sanction all public companies to disclose annual audited reports of their financial statements. According to history, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), was create by United States Congress to regulate exchanges, brokers, and markets, while monitoring financial disclosures (Foner, 1991). I believe these audit measures are necessary to protect the public investing and lending …show more content…
The SOX’s mission is to restore the public’s trust and confidence in investing and trading, while holding corporations, their managers, and their auditors accountable for any unethical actions.( ……..). It is with great expectation that regulations such as SOX, continue to develop and sustain the integrity of accounting practices. I believe that prevention is the key in decreasing the activities of fraud.
As we operate in business and study the structures of accounting, it is necessary to focus on the current trends. Recently, the sustainability and the social responsibility of corporations and consumers have be magnified in the recent
It has been a decade since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act became in effect. Obviously, the SOX Act which aimed at increasing the confidence in the US capital market really has had a profound influence on public companies and public accounting firms. However, after Enron scandal which triggered the issue of SOX Act, public company lawsuits due to fraud still emerged one after another. As such, the efficacy of the 11-year-old Act has continually been questioned by professionals and public. In addition, the controversy about the cost and benefit of Sarbanes-Oxley Act has never stopped.
In 2002, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) to strengthen corporate governance and restore investor confidence. The act’s most important provision, §404, requires management and independent auditors to evaluate annually a firm’s internal financial-reporting controls. In addition, SOX tightens disclosure rules, requires management to certify the firm’s periodic reports, strengthens boards’ independence and financial-literacy requirements, and raises auditor-independence standards.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the SOX Act, is created in response to the series of deceptive and outright fraudulent activities of the big business in the 1990s. Sarbanes-Oxley, or SOX, is a federal law that is a complete reform of business practices. The Act points specifically at public accounting firms that take part in audits of corporations and it is passed in response to a number of corporate accounting scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Tyco and Arthur Andersen. It sets new standards for the corporate management, corporate boards of directors, and public accounting firms. Almost all the scandals involved accusations of presumed “creative accounting,” or complicated
Marshall, M.H., McManus, W.W., Viele, V.F. (2003). Accounting: What the Numbers Mean. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.
The rise of Enron took ten years, and the fall only took twenty days. Enron’s fall cost its investors $35,948,344,993.501, and forced the government to intervene by passing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) 2 in 2002. SOX was put in place as a safeguard against fraud by making executives personally responsible for any fraudulent activity, as well as making audits and financial checks more frequent and rigorous. As a result, SOX allows investors to feel more at ease, knowing that it is highly unlikely something like the Enron scandal will occur again. SOX is a protective act that is greatly beneficial to corporate America and to its investors.
Financial and Managerial accounting are used for making sound financial decisions about an organization. They provide information of past quantitative financial activities and are useful in making future economic decisions. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002) The same financial data is used to derive reports for each accounting process yet they differ in some ways. Financial accounting primarily provides external reports for external users such as stock holders, creditors, regulating authority and others. (Garrison, Noreen, & Brewer, 2010) On the other hand Managerial accounting is concern with providing information that deals with the internal viability of the organization and is tailored to meet the needs of an individual organization. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002)
According to the conceptual framework, the potential users of financial statements are investors, creditors, suppliers, employees, customers, governments and agencies, and the general public (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2006). The primary users are investors, creditors, and those who advise them. It goes on to define the criteria that make up each potential user, as well as, the limitations of financial reporting. The FASB explicitly states that financial reporting is “but one source of information needed by those who make investment, credit, and similar resource allocation decisions. Users also need to consider pertinent information from other sources, and be aware of the characteristics and limitations of the information in them” (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2006). With this in mind, it is still particularly difficult to determine whom the financials should be catered towards and what level of prudence is necessary for quality judgment.
Marshall, D. H., McManus, W. W, & Viele, D. (2002). Accounting: What the Numbers Mean. 5th ed. San Francisco: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
The SOX is to restore confidence and reassurance to the American people and notice to corporate America, unethical business practices will not be tolerated (Ferrell, et al, 2013). All key players in an organization such as the top executives, lawyers, accountants, banks, board of directors, and employees all have an obligation to do the right thing and report any wrong-doings (Ferrell, et al,
AAF001-6 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT 2 INDIVIDUAL REPORT MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING FOR “ASDA” Written and Submitted by: NAME – Saikat Panja Student ID - 1223846 SUBMISSION DATE: Monday 23RD JANUARY 2015
Accounting dates back as far as first centuries, is the language of business. As everything has gone through many changes, accounting has also changed many times through out the centuries. It went from the use of abacus to the most advanced softwares, and computers. With these drastic improvements nowadays accounting, financial accounting and management are facing big challenges. From the presentation of the reports to communication to the users, investors, and owners, the accounting field has gained totally a new shape from two decades ago. Today with the dynamic change in every aspect of life, the accounting field has to act fast and be able to adapt these new changes and challenges in order to survive.
At a glance, accounting might appear as a repetitive cycle of preparing and examining financial statements. However, a brief exposure to accounting has taught me how chaotic it can be for accountants. An accountant captures and represents the information of businesses. By reviewing financial operations, an accountant helps a business run efficiently. This profession can be intellectually stimulating and rewarding. After learning about accounting, I cannot help but be interested and desire to work toward a degree in accountancy. In my studies, I have learned accountants require a plethora of qualities to be successful. And to mature from a student to a professional, I must resolve to strengthen my weaknesses. There is much I must learn and achieve, but a degree in accounting is well worth the time spent.
Accounting aids the government and organisations in decision making for their financial stability. This numerical data helps solve real life problems and contributes to how the economy and businesses perform.
Accounting is a very important term to our modern society. It is the career for men and women who at the start have their eyes set on top positions in industry, management, government, and general business. Accounting is a basic need of every businessman, from the operator of a filling station to the government of the United States. It's so important to our society. None of the business organization can operate without is. They are there-somewhere-in every business. In small business, people use pen, ink and skill keep the records. In large business, modern accounting machines are used to operate. Men and women are directing these machines in the accounting process. Wise businessmen enter business must have some accounting knowledge.
Accounting itself is a system that people has been using for thousands of years, the system records financial information about a person or business, businesses use it in order to be able to keep and track their financial accounts and other financial information in a safe and efficient way. (Brooks, 2012)