Role Of An Accountant

1963 Words8 Pages
Role of an Accountant Accounting is the study of how businesses track their income and assets over time. Accountants engage in a wide variety of activities besides preparing financial statements and recording business transactions. They also include computing costs and efficiency gains from new technologies, participating in strategies for mergers and acquisitions, quality management, developing and using information systems to track financial performance, and tax strategy. Most corporations, large and small, have an accounting group which prepares financial statements, track costs, handles tax issues, and works on international transactions. The work can offer leads to audit manager, tax manager, cost accounting manager, and controller on the accounting side or to manager of financial planning and analysis, and treasurer on the finance side. To decide to be an accountant is no more different than deciding to be a doctor. Obviously, there are many specialty areas. Many accountants engage in the practice of "public" accounting, which involves providing audit, tax, and consulting services to the general public. To engage in the practice of public accounting usually requires one to be licensed as a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Auditing involves the examination of transactions and systems that underlie an organization's financial reports, with the ultimate goal of providing an independent report on the appropriateness of financial statements. Tax services relate to the providing of help in the preparation and filing of tax returns and the rendering of advice on the tax consequences of alternative actions. Consulting services can vary dramatically, and include such diverse activities as information systems engineering to evaluating production methods. Many accountants are privately employed directly by small and large businesses (i.e., "industry

More about Role Of An Accountant

Open Document