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{{short description|Measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities}} | |||
'''Accountancy''' (]) or '''accounting''' (]) is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information primarily used by managers, investors, tax authorities and other decision makers to make resource allocation decisions within companies, organizations, and public agencies. The terms derive from the use of financial ]s. Accounting is also widely referred to as the "language of business". | |||
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'''Accounting''', also known as '''accountancy''', is the process of recording and processing information about ], such as ]es and ]s.<ref name="NP 2013">{{cite book |last1=Needles |first1=Belverd E. |title=Principles of Financial Accounting |last2=Powers |first2=Marian |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2013 |edition=12 |series=Financial Accounting Series}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |date=November 1940 |title=Accounting Research Bulletins No. 7 Reports of Committee on Terminology |url=http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/ref/collection/deloitte/id/9342 |publisher=Committee on Accounting Procedure, American Institute of Accountants |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-date=7 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107100208/http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/ref/collection/deloitte/id/9342 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including ]s, ]s, ], and ].<ref name = "UW Dept">{{cite web |url=http://www.foster.washington.edu/academic/departments/accounting/Pages/accounting.aspx |title=Department of Accounting |year=2013 |website=Foster School of Business |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-date=19 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319223850/http://www.foster.washington.edu/academic/departments/accounting/Pages/accounting.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Practitioners of accounting are known as ]s. The terms "accounting" and "]" are often used interchangeably.<ref name="Ias">{{cite journal |title=The introduction of International Accounting Standards in Europe: Implications for international convergence |date=2005 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0963818042000338013 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Online |doi=10.1080/0963818042000338013 |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403191956/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0963818042000338013 |url-status=live |last1=Schipper |first1=Katherine |journal=European Accounting Review |volume=14 |pages=101–126 |s2cid=153931720 }}</ref> | |||
] is one branch of accounting and historically has involved processes by which financial information about a business is recorded, classified, summarized, interpreted, and communicated; for public companies, this information is generally publicly-accessible. By contrast ] information is used within an organization and is usually confidential and accessible only to a small group, mostly decision-makers. Tax Accounting is the accounting needed to comply with jurisdictional tax regulations. | |||
Accounting can be divided into several fields including ], ], ] and ].<ref name = "WC 1981" /> Financial accounting focuses on the reporting of an organization's financial information, including the preparation of ]s, to the external users of the information, such as investors, regulators and ].<ref name = "HDF 2006"/> Management accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information for internal use by management to enhance business operations.<ref name = "NP 2013"/><ref name = "HDF 2006" /> The recording of financial transactions, so that summaries of the financials may be presented in financial reports, is known as ], of which ] is the most common system.<ref name = "L 2009">{{cite book |last=Lung |first=Henry |year=2009 |title=Fundamentals of Financial Accounting |publisher=Elsevier }}</ref> ]s are designed to support accounting functions and related activities. | |||
Practitioners of accountancy are known as ''']'''. There are many professional bodies for accountants throughout the world. Many allow their members to use titles indicating their membership or qualification level. Examples are ] (] or ]), ] (FCA, CA or ACA), ] (ACMA, FCMA or AICWA), ] (CPA) and Certified General Accountant (CGA). | |||
Accounting has existed in various forms and levels of sophistication throughout human history. The double-entry accounting system in use today was developed in medieval Europe, particularly in ], and is usually attributed to the Italian mathematician and Franciscan friar ].<ref name=jkdiwan>{{cite book|last=DIWAN|first=Jaswith|title=ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS & THEORIES|publisher=MORRE|location=LONDON|id=id# 94452|pages=001–002}}</ref> Today, accounting is facilitated by ] such as standard-setters, ] and ]. Financial statements are usually audited by accounting firms,<ref name = "Parliament Auditors 1"/> and are prepared in accordance with ] (GAAP).<ref name = "HDF 2006"/> GAAP is set by various standard-setting organizations such as the ] (FASB) in the United States<ref name = "NP 2013" /> and the Financial Reporting Council in the ]. As of 2012, "all major economies" have plans to ] towards or adopt the ] (IFRS).<ref name=globalcon>{{Cite web|publisher=] and ] |website=ifrs.org |url=http://www.ifrs.org/Use+around+the+world/Use+around+the+world.htm?WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished |title=The move towards global standards |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225111828/http://www.ifrs.org/Use+around+the+world/Use+around+the+world.htm?WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished |archive-date=25 December 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The importance of high quality accounting standards |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/113ef6fb20852f7024ae491923c7e84c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=3330 |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403192502/https://www.proquest.com/openview/113ef6fb20852f7024ae491923c7e84c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=3330 | via=ProQuest |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] is a related but separate discipline, with two sub-disciplines: ] and ]ing. External auditing is the process whereby an independent auditor examines an organization's financial statements and accounting records in order to express an opinion as to the truth and fairness of the statements and the accountant's adherence to ] (GAAP), or ] (IFRS), in all material respects. Internal auditing aims at providing information for management usage, and is typically carried out by auditors employed by the company, and sometimes by external service providers. | |||
==History== | |||
Accounting/accountancy attempts to create accurate ] that are useful to managers, regulators, and other ]s such as ]s, ]s, or owners. The day-to-day record-keeping involved in this process is known as ]. | |||
{{main article|History of accounting}} | |||
]'', painted by ], 1495 (])]] | |||
Accounting is thousands of years old and can be traced to ] ]s.<ref name = "R 1992">Robson, Keith. 1992. "Accounting Numbers as 'inscription': Action at a Distance and the Development of Accounting." ''Accounting, Organizations and Society'' 17 (7): 685–708.</ref><ref name="NYSSCPA 2003">{{Citation | url =http://www.nysscpa.org/trustedprof/archive/1103/tp24.htm | title =A History of ACCOUNTANCY | publisher =New York State Society of CPAs | date =November 2003 | access-date =28 December 2013 | archive-date =1 January 2015 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150101061851/http://www.nysscpa.org/trustedprof/archive/1103/tp24.htm | url-status =live }}</ref><ref name="UniSA 2013">{{Citation | url =http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/about/exhibitions/historyacc.aspx | title =The History of Accounting | publisher =University of South Australia | date =30 April 2013 | access-date =28 December 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131228180919/http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/about/exhibitions/historyacc.aspx | archive-date =28 December 2013 | url-status =dead }}</ref> One early development of accounting dates back to ancient ] and is closely related to developments in ], ] and ];<ref name = "R 1992" /> there is also evidence of early forms of ] in ancient ],<ref name = "G 1980">{{cite book|last=کشاورزی|first=کیخسرو|title=تاریخ ایران از زمان باستان تا امروز (Translated from Russian by Grantovsky, E.A.) | year=1980 | pages=39–40 | language=fa}}</ref><ref name = "OD 2008">Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair: ''Themes in the history of bookkeeping'', The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-415-41094-6}}, Chapter 5, p. 96</ref> and early ] systems by the ancient ] and ].<ref name = "NYSSCPA 2003" /> By the time of Emperor ], the ] had access to detailed financial information.<ref name="O 1995">{{Cite journal|last=Oldroyd |first=David |title=The role of accounting in public expenditure and monetary policy in the first century AD Roman Empire |journal=The Accounting Historians Journal |volume=22 |issue=2 |date=December 1995 |pages=117–129 |publisher=Academy of Accounting Historians |doi=10.2308/0148-4184.22.2.117 |jstor=40698165}}</ref> | |||
Many concepts related to today's accounting seem to be initiated in medieval's Middle East. For example, Jewish communities used ] in the early-medieval period<ref>Parker, L. M., "Medieval Traders as International Change Agents: A Comparison with Twentieth Century International Accounting Firms", The Accounting Historians Journal, 16(2) (1989): 107–118.</ref><ref>''Medieval Traders as International Change Agents: a Comment'', Michael Scorgie, The Accounting Historians Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1 (June 1994), pp. 137–143</ref> and Muslim societies, at least since the 10th century also used many modern accounting concepts.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hamid |first1=Shaari |last2=Craig |first2=Russell |last3=Clarke |first3=Frank |title=Bookkeeping and accounting control systems in a tenth-century Muslim administrative office |journal=Accounting, Business & Financial History |date=January 1995 |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=321–333 |doi=10.1080/09585209500000049 }}</ref> | |||
] is the academic discipline which studies accounting/accountancy. | |||
The spread of the use of ], instead of the ] historically used in Europe, increased efficiency of accounting procedures among Mediterranean merchants,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Danna |first1=Rafael |title=The spread of Hindu-Arabic numerals in the tradition of European practical mathematics: A socio-economic perspective, thirteenth-sixteenth centuries |journal=Conference: The Economic History Society |date=5–7 April 2019}}</ref> who further refined accounting in ].<ref name="logica.ugent.be">{{cite web |last=Heeffer |first=Albrecht |title=On the curious historical coincidence of algebra and double-entry bookkeeping |work= Foundations of the Formal Sciences |publisher=] |date=November 2009 | page=11 |url=http://logica.ugent.be/albrecht/thesis/FOTFS2008-Heeffer.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://logica.ugent.be/albrecht/thesis/FOTFS2008-Heeffer.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> With the development of ], accounting split into ] and ]. | |||
==Modern accounting/accountancy== | |||
Accounting is the measurement of financial transactions which are transfers of legal property rights made under contractual relationships. Non-financial transactions are specifically excluded due to conservatism and materiality principles. | |||
The first published work on a ] was the '']'', published in ] in 1494 by ] (the "Father of Accounting").<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mariotti/so-who-invented-double-en_b_3588941.html|title=So, Who Invented Double Entry Bookkeeping? Luca Pacioli or Benedikt Kotruljević?|last=Mariotti|first=Steve|date=12 July 2013|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=3 August 2018|archive-date=10 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910062611/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mariotti/so-who-invented-double-en_b_3588941.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name = "LW 1994">{{Cite journal|last1=Lauwers |first1=Luc |last2=Willekens |first2=Marleen |title=Five Hundred Years of Bookkeeping: A Portrait of Luca Pacioli |journal=Tijdschrift voor Economie en Management |year=1994 |volume=XXXIX |issue=3 |page=302 |format=PDF download |publisher=] |url=https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/119065/1/TEM1994-3_289-304p.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820033441/https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/119065/1/TEM1994-3_289-304p.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Accounting began to transition into an organized profession in the nineteenth century,<ref name="ICAEW 2013">{{Citation | url =https://www.icaew.com/en/library/subject-gateways/accounting-history/resources/timeline | title =Timeline of the History of the Accountancy Profession | publisher =Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales | year =2013 | access-date =28 December 2013 | archive-date =11 October 2014 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141011141621/http://www.icaew.com/en/library/subject-gateways/accounting-history/resources/timeline | url-status =live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sazeff/PDF/Horizons,%20Part%20I%20(print).pdf |title=How the U.S. Accounting Profession Got Where It Is Today: Part I |author=Stephen A. Zeff |journal=Accounting Horizons |pages=189–205 |volume=17 |issue=3 |date=2003 |doi=10.2308/acch.2003.17.3.189 |access-date=16 May 2020 |archive-date=21 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721003409/http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sazeff/PDF/Horizons,%20Part%20I%20(print).pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> with local ] in England merging to form the ] in 1880.<ref name="Perks16">{{cite book |author=Perks, R. W. |year=1993 |title=Accounting and Society |publisher=Chapman & Hall |location=London |isbn= 978-0-412-47330-2 |page=16 }}</ref> | |||
At the heart of modern financial accounting is the ]. This system involves making at least two entries for every transaction: a '']'' in one account, and a corresponding '']'' in another account. The sum of all debits should always equal the sum of all credits, providing a simple way to check for errors. This system was first used in medieval ], although claims have been made that the system dates back to ] or ]. | |||
==Etymology== | |||
According to critics of ]s, it has changed little since. ] measures of some kind have been taken in each generation to attempt to keep ] relevant to capital assets or production capacity. However, these have not changed the basic principles, which are supposed to be independent of ] as such. In recent times, the divergence of accounting from economic principles has resulted in controversial reforms to make financial reports more indicative of economic reality. | |||
]]] | |||
Both the words "accounting" and "accountancy" were in use in ] by the mid-1800s and are derived from the words ''accompting'' and ''accountantship'' used in the 18th century.<ref name = "LN 2009">Labardin, Pierre, and Marc Nikitin. 2009. "Accounting and the Words to Tell It: An Historical Perspective." ''Accounting, Business & Financial History'' 19 (2): 149–166.</ref> In ] (used roughly between the 12th and the late 15th century), the verb "to account" had the form ''accounten'', which was derived from the Old French word ''aconter'',<ref name = "B 1984">Baladouni, Vahé. 1984. "Etymological Observations on Some Accounting Terms." ''The Accounting Historians Journal'' 11 (2): 101–109.</ref> which is in turn related to the ] word ''computare'', meaning "to reckon". The base of ''computare'' is ''putare'', which "variously meant to prune, to purify, to correct an account, hence, to count or calculate, as well as to think".<ref name = "B 1984"/> | |||
The word "]" is derived from the French word {{lang|fr|compter}}, which is also derived from the Italian and ] word {{lang|la|computare}}. The word was formerly written in English as "accomptant", but in process of time the word, which was always pronounced by dropping the "p", became gradually changed both in ] and in ] to its present form.<ref>Pixley, Francis William: Accountancy—constructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd, London, 1900), p4</ref> | |||
==History of accounting== | |||
===Early history=== | |||
Accountancy's infancy dates back to the earliest days of ] ] and ] (the ] in ]), when the need to maintain accurate records of the quantities and relative values of agricultural products first arose. Simple accounting is mentioned in the ] (New Testament) in the ], in the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:19). The Islamic ] also mentions simple accounting for trade and credit arrangements (Quran 2: 282). | |||
=== Terminology === | |||
] CE Arab writer ] mentioned in his book '']'' (literally, "verification" or "calculation") detailed accounting systems used by ] as early as in the mid-] CE. These accounting practices were influenced by the ] and the ] civilizations that Muslims interacted with. The most detailed example Ibn Taymiyyah provides of a complex governmental accounting system is the Divan of ], the second ] of ], in which all revenues and disbursements were recorded. The Divan of ] has been described in detail by various Islamic historians and was used by ] rulers in the Middle East with modifications and enhancements until the fall of the ]. | |||
'''Accounting''' has variously been defined as the keeping or preparation of the financial records of transactions of the firm, the analysis, verification and reporting of such records and "the ] and procedures of accounting"; it also refers to the ] of being an ].<ref name = "Cambridge Business Accounting">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/accounting |title=accounting noun – definition in the Business English Dictionary |year=2013 |website=Cambridge Dictionaries Online |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=2 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702062650/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/accounting |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name = "Cambridge British Accounting">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/accounting?q=accounting |title=accounting noun – definition in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus |year=2013 |website=Cambridge Dictionaries Online |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=2 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102082918/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/accounting?q=accounting |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name = "MW 2013 accounting">{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accounting |title=accounting |year=2013 |website=Merriam-Webster |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=23 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723235833/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accounting |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
'''Accountancy''' refers to the ] or ] of an accountant,<ref name = "MW 2013 accountancy">{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountancy |title=accountancy |year=2013 |website=Merriam-Webster |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729092830/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accountancy |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name = "Cambridge Business Accountancy">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/accountancy?q=accountancy |title=accountancy noun – definition in the Business English Dictionary |year=2013 |website=Cambridge Dictionaries Online |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=19 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019020532/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/accountancy?q=accountancy |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name = "Cambridge British Accountancy">{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/accountancy?q=accountancy |title=accountancy noun – definition in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus |year=2013 |website=Cambridge Dictionaries Online |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=19 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019014728/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/accountancy?q=accountancy |url-status=live }}</ref> particularly in ].<ref name = "Cambridge Business Accounting" /><ref name = "Cambridge British Accounting" /> | |||
===Luca Pacioli and the birth of modern accountancy === | |||
The first book on accounting was written by a ]n merchant ], who is also known as Benedikt Kotruljević, from the city of ]. During his life in ] he met many merchants and decided to write ''Della Mercatura et del Mercante Perfetto'' (''On Trade and the Perfect Merchant'') in which he elaborated on the principles of modern, ]. He finished his lifework in ]. However, his work was not published until ], as a result of which his contributions to the field have been overlooked by the general public.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
== Topics == | |||
For this reason, ] (1445 - 1517), also known as Friar Luca dal Borgo, is credited for the "birth" of accounting. His ''Summa de arithmetica, geometrica, proportioni et proportionalita'' (''] on arithmetic, geometry, proportions and proportionality'', ] ]), a synthesis of the mathematical knowledge of his time, includes the first published description of the method of keeping accounts that Venetian merchants used at that time, known as the ]. Although Pacioli codified rather than invented this system, he is widely regarded as the "Father of Accounting". The system he published included most of the accounting cycle as we know it today. He described the use of journals and ledgers, and warned that a person should not go to sleep at night until the debits equalled the credits! His ledger had accounts for assets (including receivables and inventories), liabilities, capital, income, and expenses — the account categories that are reported on an organization's ] and ], respectively. He demonstrated year-end closing entries and proposed that a trial balance be used to prove a balanced ledger. His treatise also touches on a wide range of related topics from accounting ethics to cost accounting. | |||
Accounting has several subfields or subject areas, including ], ], ], ] and ]s.<ref name = "WC 1981">Weber, Richard P., and W. C. Stevenson. 1981. "Evaluations of Accounting Journal and Department Quality." The Accounting Review 56 (3): 596–612.</ref> | |||
=== |
===Financial accounting=== | ||
{{main article|Financial accounting}} | |||
The first known book in the ] on accounting was published in ], ] by John Gouge (or Gough) in ]. It is described as ''A Profitable Treatyce called the Instrument or Boke to learn to knowe the good order of the kepyng of the famouse reconynge, called in Latin, Dare and Habere, and, in English, Debitor and Creditor''. | |||
Financial accounting focuses on the reporting of an organization's financial information to external users of the information, such as investors, potential investors and creditors. It calculates and records business transactions and prepares ]s for the external users in accordance with ] (GAAP).<ref name = "HDF 2006">{{Citation | |||
| last1 = Horngren | |||
| first1 = Charles T. | |||
| author-link1= Charles Thomas Horngren | |||
| last2 = Datar | |||
| first2 = Srikant M. | |||
| author-link2= Srikant Datar | |||
| last3 = Foster | |||
| first3 = George | |||
| title = Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis | |||
| place = New Jersey | |||
| publisher = Pearson Prentice Hall | |||
| year = 2006 | |||
| edition = 12th | |||
}}</ref> GAAP, in turn, arises from the wide agreement between ] and practice, and changes over time to meet the needs of decision-makers.<ref name = "NP 2013" /> | |||
Financial accounting produces past-oriented reports—for example financial statements are often published six to ten months after the end of the accounting period—on an ] or quarterly basis, generally about the organization as a whole.<ref name = "HDF 2006" /> | |||
A short book of instructions was also published in 1588 by ] of ], ], in which he says, "I am but the renuer and reviver of an ancient old copie printed here in London the 14 of August 1543: collected, published, made, and set forth by one Hugh Oldcastle, Scholemaster, who, as appeareth by his treatise, then taught Arithmetics, and this booke in Saint Ollaves parish in Marko Lane." Mellis refers to the fact that the principle of accounts he explains (which is a simple system of double entry) is "after the forme of Venice". | |||
===Management accounting=== | |||
A book described as ''The Merchants Mirrour, or directions for the perfect ordering and keeping of his accounts formed by way of Debitor and Creditor'', after the (so termed) Italian manner, by Richard Dafforne, accountant, published in ], contains many references to early books on the science of accountancy. In a chapter in this book, headed "Opinion of Book-keeping's Antiquity," the author states, on the authority of another writer, that the form of book-keeping referred to had then been in use in Italy about two hundred years, "but that the same, or one in many parts very like this, was used in the time of Julius Caesar, and in Rome long before." He gives quotations of Latin book-keeping terms in use in ancient times, and refers to "ex Oratione Ciceronis pro Roscio Comaedo"; and he adds: | |||
{{main article|Management accounting}} | |||
:"That the one side of their booke was used for Debitor, the other for Creditor, is manifest in a certain place, ''Naturalis Historiae Plinii'', lib. 2, cap. 7, where hee, speaking of Fortune, saith thus: | |||
Management accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information that can help managers in making decisions to fulfill the goals of an organization. In management accounting, internal measures and reports are based on ], and are not required to follow the generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP).<ref name = "HDF 2006" /> In 2014 CIMA created the . The result of research from across 20 countries in five continents, the principles aim to guide best practice in the discipline.<ref name=FT>{{cite news|last=King|first=I.|title=New set of accounting principles can help drive sustainable success|newspaper=Financial Times|date=23 October 2014|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b595a98-59fa-11e4-8771-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk#axzz3Q8Lp1OP9|publisher=ft.com|access-date=28 January 2015}}</ref> | |||
: ''Huic Omnia Expensa.'' | |||
: ''Huic Omnia Feruntur accepta et in tota Ratione mortalium sola.'' | |||
: ''Utramque Paginam facit."'' | |||
Management accounting produces past-oriented reports with time spans that vary widely, but it also encompasses future-oriented reports such as ]. Management accounting reports often include financial and non financial information, and may, for example, focus on specific products and departments.<ref name = "HDF 2006" /> | |||
An early ] writer appears to have suggested that double-entry book-keeping was even in existence among the Greeks, pointing to scientific accountancy having been invented in remote times. | |||
===Intercompany accounting=== | |||
There were several editions of Richard Dafforne's book - the second edition in 1636, the third in 1656, and another in 1684. The book is a very complete treatise on scientific accountancy, beautifully prepared and containing elaborate explanations. The numerous editions tend to prove that the science was highly appreciated in the 17th century. From this time on, there has been a continuous supply of literature on the subject, many of the authors styling themselves accountants and teachers of the art, and thus proving that the professional accountant was then known and employed. | |||
{{main article|Intercompany accounting}} | |||
Intercompany accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information between separate entities that are related, such as a parent company and its subsidiary companies. Intercompany accounting concerns record keeping of transactions between companies that have common ownership such as a parent company and a partially or wholly owned subsidiary. Intercompany transactions are also recorded in accounting when business is transacted between companies with a common parent company (subsidiaries).<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Intercompany Accounting? {{!}} F&A Glossary {{!}} BlackLine |url=https://www.blackline.com/resources/glossaries/intercompany-accounting/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=www.blackline.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Beaver |first=Scott |date=2024-04-03 |title=What Is Intercompany Accounting? Best Practices and Management |url=https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/accounting/intercompany-accounting.shtml |website=www.netsuite.com}}</ref> | |||
===Auditing=== | |||
==Accountancy qualifications and regulation== | |||
{{main article|Financial audit|Internal audit}} | |||
{{main|Accountancy qualifications and regulation}} | |||
Auditing is the verification of assertions made by others regarding a payoff,<ref name = "B 1979">Baiman, Stanley. 1979. "Discussion of Auditing: Incentives and Truthful Reporting." Journal of Accounting Research 17: 25–29.</ref> and in the context of accounting it is the "] examination and evaluation of the financial statements of an organization".<ref name = "I 2013">{{cite web |url=http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/audit.asp |title=Audit Definition |year=2013 |website=Investopedia |publisher=Investopedia US |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=26 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726065345/https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/audit.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> Audit is a professional service that is systematic and conventional.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tredinnick|first1=Luke|title=Artificial intelligence and professional roles|journal=Business Information Review|date=March 2017|volume=34|issue=1|pages=37–41|doi=10.1177/0266382117692621|s2cid=157743821|url=http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/3812/3/OOTB-AI.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/3812/3/OOTB-AI.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
An audit of financial statements aims to express or disclaim an independent opinion on the financial statements. The auditor expresses an independent opinion on the fairness with which the financial statements presents the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of an entity, in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and "in all material respects". An auditor is also required to identify circumstances in which the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have not been consistently observed.<ref name = "SAS 1 Responsibilities">{{cite web |url=http://www.aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/AU-00110.pdf |title=Responsibilities and Functions of the Independent Auditor |date=November 1972 |website=AICPA |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423141039/https://www.aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/AU-00110.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
The requirements for entry/qualification in the profession of accounting vary between different jurisdictions and countries. | |||
===Information systems=== | |||
Accountants may be ] by a variety of organizations or bodies, such as the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) , ] including ] (]) and ], and are recognized by titles such as '']'' (ACCA or FCCA) and '']'' (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Pakistan, South Africa), '']'' (Ireland, Japan, US, Singapore, Hong Kong(see ]), the Philippines), '']'' (Canada, U.S.), '']'' (Canada), or '']'' (Australia). Some Commonwealth countries (Australia and Canada) often recognize both the certified and chartered accounting bodies. The majority of "public" accountants in New Zealand and Canada are Chartered Accountants; however, Certified General Accountants are also authorized by legislation to practice public accounting and auditing in all Canadian provinces, except Ontario and Quebec, as of 2005. There is, however, no legal requirement for an accountant to be a paid-up member of one of the many Institutes and other bodies which are effectively a form of professional trade union. Unlike the ], which can legally stop a solicitor from practicing, accountancy institutes do not have such authority. However, auditors are regulated. | |||
{{main article|Accounting information system}} | |||
An accounting information system is a part of an organization's ] used for processing accounting data.<ref name=OpenLearn>{{cite web|title=1.2 Accounting information systems|url=http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=365833|work=Introduction to the context of accounting|publisher=OpenLearn|access-date=3 February 2014}}</ref> | |||
Many corporations use artificial intelligence-based information systems. The banking and finance industry uses AI in fraud detection. The retail industry uses AI for customer services. AI is also used in the cybersecurity industry. It involves computer hardware and software systems using statistics and modeling.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pathak|first1=Jagdish|last2=Lind|first2=Mary R.|title=Audit Risk, Complex Technology, and Auditing Processes|journal=EDPACS|date=November 2003|volume=31|issue=5|pages=1–9|doi=10.1201/1079/43853.31.5.20031101/78844.1|s2cid=61767095}}</ref> | |||
Many accounting practices have been simplified with the help of ]. An ] (ERP) system is commonly used for a large organisation and it provides a comprehensive, centralized, integrated source of information that companies can use to manage all major business processes, from purchasing to manufacturing to human resources. These systems can be cloud based and available on demand via application or browser, or available as software installed on specific computers or local servers, often referred to as on-premise. | |||
==The "Big Four" accountancy firms== | |||
The "]" are the largest ] accountancy firms. | |||
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===Tax accounting=== | |||
{{main article|Tax accounting}} | |||
Tax accounting in the United States concentrates on the preparation, analysis and presentation of tax payments and tax returns. The U.S. tax system requires the use of specialised accounting principles for tax purposes which can differ from the ] (GAAP) for financial reporting.<ref name="autogenerated2010">{{ Citation | last1 = Droms| first1= William G.| last2= Wright| first2= Jay O.| title= Finance and Accounting for nonfinancial Managers: All the Basics you need to Know| publisher= Basic Books| year= 2010| edition= 6th}}</ref> U.S. tax law covers four basic forms of business ownership: ], ], ], and ]. ] and ] income are taxed at different rates, both varying according to income levels and including varying marginal rates (taxed on each additional dollar of income) and average rates (set as a percentage of overall income).<ref name="autogenerated2010"/> | |||
===Forensic accounting=== | |||
These firms are associations of the partnerships in each country rather than having the classical structure of holding company and subsidiaries, but each has an international 'umbrella' organization for coordination (technically known as a ]). | |||
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}} | |||
{{main article|Forensic accounting}} | |||
Forensic accounting is a specialty practice area of accounting that describes engagements that result from actual or anticipated disputes or ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Forensic Accountant? {{!}} Forensic CPA Society |url=https://www.fcpas.org/about-us/what-is-a-forensic-accountant/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |language=en-US}}</ref> "]" means "suitable for use in a court of law", and it is to that standard and potential outcome that forensic accountants generally have to work. | |||
Before the ] and other ] in the United States, there were five large firms and were called the Big Five. Arthur Andersen left from the group since its ] practice split (after the firm was implicated in the Enron scandal—though found ]), with a plurality of Arthur Andersen joining KPMG in the US and Deloitte & Touche outside of the US. Historically, there had also been groupings referred to as the "Big Six" (Arthur Andersen, plus Coopers & Lybrand before its merger with Price Waterhouse) and the "Big Eight" (Ernst and Young prior to their merger were Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young and Deloitte & Touche was formed by the merger of Deloitte, Haskins and Sells with the firm Touche Ross). | |||
=== Political campaign accounting === | |||
Enron turned out to be only the first of a series of accounting scandals that enveloped the accounting industry in 2002. | |||
{{main article|Political campaign accounting}} | |||
Political campaign accounting deals with the development and implementation of financial systems and the accounting of financial transactions in compliance with laws governing political campaign operations. This branch of accounting was first formally introduced in the March 1976 issue of ''The Journal of Accountancy''.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|198258865}} |last1=Wagman |first1=Barry E. |title=Political campaign accounting—New opportunities for the CPA |journal=Journal of Accountancy |volume=141 |issue=3 |date=March 1976 |pages=36 }}</ref> | |||
== Organizations == | |||
This is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. accounting industry. Application of ] originating in ] headquartered in ] and bearing more resemblance to UK than current ] is often advocated by those who note the relative stability of the UK accounting system (which reformed itself after scandals in the late 1980s and early 1990s). ] of a far more comprehensive sort is advocated by those who see issues with ] or ], and seek ecological or social accountability. | |||
{{Category see also|Accounting organizations}} | |||
=== Professional bodies === | |||
==Size of market== | |||
{{main article|Professional accounting body}} | |||
===United Kingdom=== | |||
] include the ] (AICPA) and the other 179 members of the ] (IFAC),<ref name="ifac">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifac.org/about-ifac/membership/members|title=IFAC Members|publisher=ifac.org|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310092205/http://www.ifac.org/about-ifac/membership/members|url-status=dead}}</ref> including ] (ICAS), ], ], ], ] (ACCA) and ] (ICAEW). Some countries have a single professional accounting body and, in some other countries, professional bodies for subfields of the accounting professions also exist, for example the ] (CIMA) in the UK and ] in the United States.<ref name="Prince">{{cite web |url=http://www.accountingforsustainability.org/international_network/accounting-bodies-network |title=Accounting Bodies Network |website=The Prince's Accounting for Sustainability Project |access-date=3 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103155739/http://www.accountingforsustainability.org/international_network/accounting-bodies-network |archive-date=3 January 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Many of these professional bodies offer education and training including qualification and administration for various accounting designations, such as certified public accountant (]) and ].<ref name = "AICPA CPA">{{cite web |url=http://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/GettingStarted/Pages/default.aspx |title=Getting Started |year=2014 |website=AICPA |access-date=3 January 2014 |archive-date=7 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107234214/http://www.aicpa.org/BECOMEACPA/GETTINGSTARTED/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name = "ICAEW ACA">{{cite web |url=http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-and-programmes/aca |title=The ACA Qualification |year=2014 |website=ICAEW |access-date=3 January 2014 |archive-date=4 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104034737/http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-and-programmes/aca |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
According to Accountancy Age's 2005 league table, fee income amongst the Top 50 accounting firms in the UK rose from £6.3bn to £7.0bn. This followed two successive years in which fee income had declined, largely a result of the sale by some of the larger firms of their consultancy arms. As detailed in the next section, fee income in most business areas - audit, tax, corporate finance and consultancy - rose in the 2005 survey, with insolvency and wealth management being the only segments where revenue fell. | |||
=== Firms === | |||
PricewaterhouseCoopers remains the largest firm with fee income totalling £1,780m followed by Deloitte (£1,350m), KPMG (£1,066m) and Ernst & Young (£945m). The combined revenue of the Big Four accounted for £5.0bn, 72% of the fee income of the Top 50, down from 78-79% in the years up to the 2002 survey and the third year in succession a decline in their share has occurred (Chart 1). Ernst & Young's fee income is the smallest of the largest four firms, but still over three times that of the next largest firm, ]. The amount of fee income tapers off amongst the mid-tier firms so that in total there were only 25 firms that each generated more than £15m of revenue in the 2005 survey | |||
{{main article|Accounting networks and associations}} | |||
Depending on its size, a company may be legally required to have their ]s ] by a qualified auditor, and audits are usually carried out by ].<ref name = "Parliament Auditors 1">{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldeconaf/119/11904.htm |title=Auditors: Market concentration and their role, CHAPTER 1: Introduction |year=2011 |website=UK Parliament |publisher=House of Lords |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729092827/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldeconaf/119/11904.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
For more details regarding British qualified accountancy professionals, refer to the page of ]. | |||
Accounting firms grew in the United States and Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and through several mergers there were large international accounting firms by the mid-twentieth century. Further large mergers in the late twentieth century led to the dominance of the auditing market by the "Big Five" accounting firms: ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name = "Parliament Auditors 2">{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldeconaf/119/11905.htm |title=Auditors: Market concentration and their role, CHAPTER 2: Concentration in the audit market |year=2011 |website=UK Parliament |publisher=House of Lords |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328230040/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldeconaf/119/11905.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] following the ] reduced the Big Five to the ].<ref name = "FT Big Four">{{cite web |url=http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=big-four |title=Definition of big four |year=2014 |website=Financial Times Lexicon |publisher=The Financial Times Ltd |access-date=1 January 2014 |archive-date=2 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102195935/http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=big-four |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
==Topics in accounting== | |||
See ] for complete listing. | |||
=== |
=== Standard-setters === | ||
{{See also|Accounting standards|Convergence of accounting standards}} | |||
*] | |||
] (GAAP) are accounting standards issued by national regulatory bodies. In addition, the ] (IASB) issues the ] (IFRS) implemented by 147 countries.<ref name = "NP 2013" /> Standards for international audit and assurance, ethics, education, and public sector accounting are all set by independent standard settings boards supported by IFAC. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board sets international standards for auditing, assurance, and quality control; the ] (IESBA) <ref name="ifac2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifac.org/ethics|title=IESBA | Ethics | Accounting | IFAC|publisher=ifac.org|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-date=26 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526235439/http://www.ifac.org/ethics|url-status=dead}}</ref> sets the internationally appropriate principles-based ''Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants''; the ] (IAESB) sets professional accounting education standards;<ref name="ifac3">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifac.org/education|title=IAESB | International Accounting Education Standards Board | IFAC|publisher=ifac.org|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-date=16 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516184718/http://www.ifac.org/education|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ] Board (IPSASB) sets accrual-based international public sector accounting standards.<ref name="ifac4">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifac.org/public-sector|title=IPSASB | International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board | IFAC|publisher=ifac.org|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-date=27 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527045153/http://www.ifac.org/public-sector|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Ias"/> | |||
*] | |||
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Organizations in individual countries may issue accounting standards unique to the countries. For example, in Australia, the Australian Accounting Standards Board manages the issuance of the accounting standards in line with IFRS. In the ] the ] (FASB) issues the Statements of Financial Accounting Standards, which form the basis of ],<ref name = "NP 2013" /> and in the ] the ] (FRC) sets accounting standards.<ref name="ICAEW Standards">{{Citation | url =http://www.icaew.com/en/library/subject-gateways/accounting-standards/knowledge-guide-to-uk-accounting-standards | title =Knowledge guide to UK Accounting Standards | publisher =ICAEW | year =2014 | access-date =1 January 2014 | archive-date =18 November 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20181118172337/https://www.icaew.com/en/library/subject-gateways/accounting-standards/knowledge-guide-to-uk-accounting-standards | url-status =live }}</ref> However, as of 2012 "all major economies" have plans to ] towards or adopt the IFRS.<ref name=globalcon /> | |||
===Accountancy methods and fields=== | |||
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== Education, training and qualifications == | |||
===Accounting Principles=== | |||
Accounting principles, rules of conduct and action are described by various terms such as concepts, conventions, tenets, assumption, axioms, postulates. | |||
=== |
=== Degrees === | ||
At least a ] in accounting or a related field is required for most accountant and ] ], and some employers prefer applicants with a ].<ref name = "BLS 2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Business-and-Financial/Accountants-and-auditors.htm#tab-4 |title=How to Become an Accountant or Auditor |year=2012 |website=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |publisher=United States Department of Labor |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709084813/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm#tab-4 |url-status=live }}</ref> A degree in accounting may also be required for, or may be used to fulfill the requirements for, membership to professional accounting bodies. For example, the education during an accounting degree can be used to fulfill the ] (AICPA) 150 semester hour requirement,<ref name = "AICPA 150">{{cite web |url=http://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/licensure/requirements/pages/default.aspx |title=150 Hour Requirement for Obtaining CPA Certification |year=2013 |website=AICPA |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729094716/https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/licensure/requirements/pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and associate membership with the ] of the UK is available after gaining a degree in finance or accounting.<ref name="ACPA Criteria">{{cite web|url=http://www.acpa.org.uk/criteria-for-entry.aspx |title=Criteria for entry |year=2013 |website=CPA UK |access-date=31 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819184954/http://acpa.org.uk/criteria-for-entry.aspx |archive-date=19 August 2013 }}</ref> | |||
*] | |||
*] concept | |||
*] concept | |||
*] concept | |||
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*] (includes a discussion on the concept of accruals) | |||
*Understandability | |||
*Relevance | |||
*Reliability | |||
*Comparability | |||
*] | |||
A ] is required in order to pursue a career in accounting ], for example, to work as a university ] in accounting.<ref name = "AICPA Academia">{{cite web |url=http://www.aicpa.org/interestareas/youngcpanetwork/resources/career/pages/acareerineducation.aspx |title=Want a Career in Education? Here's What You Need to Know |year=2013 |website=AICPA |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101002919/http://www.aicpa.org/interestareas/youngcpanetwork/resources/career/pages/acareerineducation.aspx |archive-date=1 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name = "BYU Prep">{{cite web |url=http://www.byuaccounting.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page |title=PhD Prep Track |year=2013 |website=BYU Accounting |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-date=5 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505181108/http://www.byuaccounting.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] (PhD) and the ] (DBA) are the most popular degrees. The PhD is the most common degree for those wishing to pursue a career in academia, while DBA programs generally focus on equipping ] for business or public careers requiring research skills and qualifications.<ref name = "AICPA Academia" /> | |||
====Accounting conventions==== | |||
*] | |||
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=== Professional qualifications === | |||
====Use of computers in accountancy==== | |||
{{Main|Chartered accountant|Certified Public Accountant}} | |||
*] | |||
{{See also|Professional certification #Accountancy, auditing and finance}} | |||
*]s | |||
Professional accounting qualifications include the ] designations and other qualifications including certificates and diplomas.<ref name="ACCA Qualifications">{{cite web |url=http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/qualifications/glance.html |title=Accountancy Qualifications at a Glance |year=2014 |website=ACCA |access-date=4 January 2014 |archive-date=6 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106005500/http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/qualifications/glance.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
*] This allows accounts to be maintained in an online environment | |||
In Scotland, chartered accountants of ] undergo ] and abide by the ICAS code of ethics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.icas.com/ethics/icas-code-of-ethics|title=ICAS code of ethics|last=Kyle|first=McHatton|website=www.icas.com|language=en|access-date=18 October 2018|archive-date=18 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018201603/https://www.icas.com/ethics/icas-code-of-ethics|url-status=live}}</ref> In England and Wales, chartered accountants of the ] undergo annual training, and are bound by the ICAEW's ] and subject to its disciplinary procedures.<ref name="ICAEW Chartered">{{cite web|url=http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-and-programmes/better-qualified/ |title=ACA – The qualification of ICAEW Chartered Accountants |year=2014 |website=ICAEW |access-date=4 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011082948/http://www.icaew.com/en/qualifications-and-programmes/better-qualified/ |archive-date=11 October 2013 }}</ref> | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
In the ], the requirements for joining the ] as a ] are set by the Board of Accountancy of each ], and members agree to abide by the AICPA's ] and Bylaws. | |||
===Accounting standards and standards-setting bodies=== | |||
====Standards==== | |||
*] | |||
*] (IAS/IFRS) | |||
*German HGB Accounting Standard | |||
*] ] | |||
*] ] | |||
*] | |||
The ACCA is the largest global accountancy body with over 320,000 members, and the organisation provides an 'IFRS stream' and a 'UK stream'. Students must pass a total of 14 exams, which are arranged across three levels.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.careersinaudit.com/article/european-accounting-qualifications-explained/|title=European Accounting Qualifications Explained {{!}} CareersinAudit.com|work=CareersinAudit.com|access-date=13 December 2017|language=en-GB|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007223203/https://www.careersinaudit.com/article/european-accounting-qualifications-explained/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
====Agencies==== | |||
*] | |||
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**] (for banks) | |||
**] (for ]) | |||
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**] (for banks) | |||
== Research == | |||
====Accounting standard-setting bodies==== | |||
{{Main article|Accounting research}} | |||
=====International===== | |||
Accounting research is ] in the effects of economic events on the process of accounting, the effects of reported information on economic events, and the roles of accounting in organizations and society.<ref name="ACCA 2010">{{Citation|url=http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/human-capital/rr-120-002.pdf |title=The Relevance and Utility of Leading Accounting Research |publisher=The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants |year=2010 |access-date=27 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227111624/http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/human-capital/rr-120-002.pdf |archive-date=27 December 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Burchell et al 1980">{{cite journal |last1=Burchell |first1=S. |last2=Clubb |first2=C. |last3=Hopwood |first3=A. |last4=Hughes |first4=J. |last5=Nahapiet |first5=J. |title=The roles of accounting in organizations and society |journal=Accounting, Organizations and Society |date=1980 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=5–27|doi=10.1016/0361-3682(80)90017-3 }}</ref> It encompasses a broad range of research areas including ], ], ] and ].<ref name = "OOS 2010">Oler, Derek K., Mitchell J. Oler, and Christopher J. Skousen. 2010. "Characterizing Accounting Research." ''Accounting Horizons'' 24 (4): 635–670.</ref> | |||
** | |||
** | |||
**] | |||
Accounting research is carried out both by academic researchers and practicing accountants. ] in academic accounting research include archival research, which examines "objective data collected from ]"; experimental research, which examines data "the researcher gathered by ]"; analytical research, which is "based on the act of ] ] or substantiating ideas in mathematical terms"; ] research, which emphasizes the role of language, interpretation and understanding in accounting practice, "highlighting the symbolic structures and taken-for-granted themes which pattern the world in distinct ways"; ] research, which emphasizes the role of power and conflict in accounting practice; ]; ]; and ].<ref name="CSWW 2010">Coyne, Joshua G., Scott L. Summers, Brady Williams, and David a. Wood. 2010. "Accounting Program Research Rankings by Topical Area and Methodology." ''Issues in Accounting Education'' 25 (4) (November): 631–654.</ref><ref name="Chua 1986">{{cite journal |last1=Chua |first1=Wai Fong |title=Radical developments in accounting thought |journal=The Accounting Review |date=1986 |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=601–632}}</ref> | |||
=====]===== | |||
**] (FASB) | |||
**] (AICPA) | |||
**] (GASB) | |||
**] (FASAB) | |||
**] (SEC) | |||
Empirical studies document that leading ] publish in total fewer research articles than comparable journals in economics and other business disciplines,<ref name="JAE 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Buchheit |first1=S. |last2=Collins |first2=D. |last3=Reitenga |first3=A. |title=A cross-discipline comparison of top-tier academic journal publication rates: 1997–1999 |journal=Journal of Accounting Education |year=2002 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=123–130|doi=10.1016/S0748-5751(02)00003-9 }}</ref> and consequently, accounting scholars<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Merigó |first1=José M. |last2=Yang |first2=Jian-Bo |title=Accounting Research: A Bibliometric Analysis: Accounting Research: A Bibliometric Analysis |journal=Australian Accounting Review |date=March 2017 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=71–100 |doi=10.1111/auar.12109 |url=https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/47006681/Nerigo_Yang_AAR_CTA.docx |access-date=3 December 2022 |archive-date=30 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230103214/https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/47006681/Nerigo_Yang_AAR_CTA.docx |url-status=live }}</ref> are relatively less successful in ] than their ] peers.<ref name="CAR 2004">{{cite journal |last1=Swanson |first1=Edward |title=Publishing in the majors: A comparison of accounting, finance, management, and marketing |journal=Contemporary Accounting Research |year=2004 |volume=21 |pages=223–255|doi=10.1506/RCKM-13FM-GK0E-3W50 }}</ref> Due to different publication rates between accounting and other business disciplines, a recent study based on academic author rankings concludes that the competitive value of a single publication in a top-ranked journal is highest in accounting and lowest in marketing.<ref name="JBR 2018">{{cite journal |last1=Korkeamäki |first1=Timo |last2=Sihvonen |first2=Jukka |last3=Vähämaa |first3=Sami |title= Evaluating publications across business disciplines |journal=Journal of Business Research |year=2018 |volume=84 |pages=220–232 |doi=10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.11.024 |doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
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The year 2001 witnessed a series of financial information frauds involving ], auditing firm ], the telecommunications company ], ] and ], among other well-known corporations. These problems highlighted the need to review the effectiveness of ], auditing regulations and ] principles. In some cases, management manipulated the figures shown in financial reports to indicate a better economic performance. In others, tax and regulatory incentives encouraged over-leveraging of companies and decisions to bear extraordinary and unjustified risk.<ref name="mba.ufm.edu.gt">Astrid Ayala and Giancarlo Ibárgüen Snr.: "A Market Proposal for Auditing the Financial Statements of Public Companies" (Journal of Management of Value, ], March 2006) p. 41, </ref> | |||
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The ] deeply influenced the development of new ] to improve the reliability of financial reporting, and increased public awareness about the importance of having accounting standards that show the financial reality of companies and the objectivity and independence of auditing firms.<ref name="mba.ufm.edu.gt"/> | |||
==Types of accountancy== | |||
The following list is intended to give some idea of the breadth and scope of the accountancy profession: | |||
In addition to being the largest ] reorganization in American history, the Enron scandal undoubtedly is the biggest audit failure<ref>Bratton, William W. "Enron and the Dark Side of Shareholder Value" (], New Orleans, May 2002) p. 61</ref> causing the dissolution of ], which at the time was one of the five largest accounting firms in the world. After a series of revelations involving irregular accounting procedures conducted throughout the 1990s, Enron filed for ] bankruptcy protection in December 2001.<ref>{{cite news | title = Enron files for bankruptcy | work = BBC News | date = 3 December 2001 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1688550.stm | access-date = 15 March 2008 | archive-date = 24 March 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220324223251/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1688550.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> | |||
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One consequence of these events was the passage of the ] in the ] in 2002, as a result of the first admissions of fraudulent behavior made by Enron. The act significantly raises criminal penalties for ], for destroying, altering or fabricating records in federal investigations or any scheme or attempt to defraud shareholders.<ref>Aiyesha Dey, and Thomas Z. Lys: "Trends in Earnings Management and Informativeness of Earnings Announcements in the Pre- and Post-Sarbanes Oxley Periods (], Evanston, Illinois, February, 2005) p. 5</ref> | |||
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== Fraud and error == | ||
Accounting ] is an intentional misstatement or omission in the accounting records by management or employees which involves the use of deception. It is a criminal act and a breach of civil tort. It may involve collusion with third parties.<ref name="IAASB-ISA240">{{Citation | title =2018 Handbook of International Quality Control, Auditing, Review, Other Assurance, and Related Services Pronouncements | publisher =The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board | date =December 2018 }}</ref> | |||
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An accounting error is an unintentional misstatement or omission in the accounting records, for example misinterpretation of facts, mistakes in processing data, or oversights leading to incorrect estimates.<ref name="IAASB-ISA240"/> Acts leading to accounting errors are not criminal but may breach civil law, for example, the tort of ]. | |||
==External links== | |||
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The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud and errors rests with the entity's management.<ref name="IAASB-ISA240"/> | |||
==See also== | |||
N O T I C E : Before adding external links to this section, please consider the appropriateness of the subject as well as Misplaced Pages's policy on Spam (search for WP:SPAM). Such links may be more appropriate in sub-topics of Accountancy. For a list of sub-topics, see the Accountancy category at the bottom of this page, or use the search tool by inserting Category:Accountancy. Thank you. | |||
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Latest revision as of 09:09, 29 December 2024
Measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities "Accountancy" redirects here. For the constituency in Hong Kong, see Accountancy (constituency). For the game, see Accounting (video game).
Part of a series on |
Accounting |
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Key concepts |
Selected accounts |
Accounting standards |
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Auditing |
People and organizations |
Development |
Misconduct |
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators. Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants. The terms "accounting" and "financial reporting" are often used interchangeably.
Accounting can be divided into several fields including financial accounting, management accounting, tax accounting and cost accounting. Financial accounting focuses on the reporting of an organization's financial information, including the preparation of financial statements, to the external users of the information, such as investors, regulators and suppliers. Management accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information for internal use by management to enhance business operations. The recording of financial transactions, so that summaries of the financials may be presented in financial reports, is known as bookkeeping, of which double-entry bookkeeping is the most common system. Accounting information systems are designed to support accounting functions and related activities.
Accounting has existed in various forms and levels of sophistication throughout human history. The double-entry accounting system in use today was developed in medieval Europe, particularly in Venice, and is usually attributed to the Italian mathematician and Franciscan friar Luca Pacioli. Today, accounting is facilitated by accounting organizations such as standard-setters, accounting firms and professional bodies. Financial statements are usually audited by accounting firms, and are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). GAAP is set by various standard-setting organizations such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the United States and the Financial Reporting Council in the United Kingdom. As of 2012, "all major economies" have plans to converge towards or adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
History
Main article: History of accountingAccounting is thousands of years old and can be traced to ancient civilizations. One early development of accounting dates back to ancient Mesopotamia and is closely related to developments in writing, counting and money; there is also evidence of early forms of bookkeeping in ancient Iran, and early auditing systems by the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. By the time of Emperor Augustus, the Roman government had access to detailed financial information.
Many concepts related to today's accounting seem to be initiated in medieval's Middle East. For example, Jewish communities used double-entry bookkeeping in the early-medieval period and Muslim societies, at least since the 10th century also used many modern accounting concepts.
The spread of the use of Arabic numerals, instead of the Roman numbers historically used in Europe, increased efficiency of accounting procedures among Mediterranean merchants, who further refined accounting in medieval Europe. With the development of joint-stock companies, accounting split into financial accounting and management accounting.
The first published work on a double-entry bookkeeping system was the Summa de arithmetica, published in Italy in 1494 by Luca Pacioli (the "Father of Accounting"). Accounting began to transition into an organized profession in the nineteenth century, with local professional bodies in England merging to form the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1880.
Etymology
Both the words "accounting" and "accountancy" were in use in Great Britain by the mid-1800s and are derived from the words accompting and accountantship used in the 18th century. In Middle English (used roughly between the 12th and the late 15th century), the verb "to account" had the form accounten, which was derived from the Old French word aconter, which is in turn related to the Vulgar Latin word computare, meaning "to reckon". The base of computare is putare, which "variously meant to prune, to purify, to correct an account, hence, to count or calculate, as well as to think".
The word "accountant" is derived from the French word compter, which is also derived from the Italian and Latin word computare. The word was formerly written in English as "accomptant", but in process of time the word, which was always pronounced by dropping the "p", became gradually changed both in pronunciation and in orthography to its present form.
Terminology
Accounting has variously been defined as the keeping or preparation of the financial records of transactions of the firm, the analysis, verification and reporting of such records and "the principles and procedures of accounting"; it also refers to the job of being an accountant.
Accountancy refers to the occupation or profession of an accountant, particularly in British English.
Topics
Accounting has several subfields or subject areas, including financial accounting, management accounting, auditing, taxation and accounting information systems.
Financial accounting
Main article: Financial accountingFinancial accounting focuses on the reporting of an organization's financial information to external users of the information, such as investors, potential investors and creditors. It calculates and records business transactions and prepares financial statements for the external users in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). GAAP, in turn, arises from the wide agreement between accounting theory and practice, and changes over time to meet the needs of decision-makers.
Financial accounting produces past-oriented reports—for example financial statements are often published six to ten months after the end of the accounting period—on an annual or quarterly basis, generally about the organization as a whole.
Management accounting
Main article: Management accountingManagement accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information that can help managers in making decisions to fulfill the goals of an organization. In management accounting, internal measures and reports are based on cost–benefit analysis, and are not required to follow the generally accepted accounting principle (GAAP). In 2014 CIMA created the Global Management Accounting Principles (GMAPs). The result of research from across 20 countries in five continents, the principles aim to guide best practice in the discipline.
Management accounting produces past-oriented reports with time spans that vary widely, but it also encompasses future-oriented reports such as budgets. Management accounting reports often include financial and non financial information, and may, for example, focus on specific products and departments.
Intercompany accounting
Main article: Intercompany accountingIntercompany accounting focuses on the measurement, analysis and reporting of information between separate entities that are related, such as a parent company and its subsidiary companies. Intercompany accounting concerns record keeping of transactions between companies that have common ownership such as a parent company and a partially or wholly owned subsidiary. Intercompany transactions are also recorded in accounting when business is transacted between companies with a common parent company (subsidiaries).
Auditing
Main articles: Financial audit and Internal auditAuditing is the verification of assertions made by others regarding a payoff, and in the context of accounting it is the "unbiased examination and evaluation of the financial statements of an organization". Audit is a professional service that is systematic and conventional.
An audit of financial statements aims to express or disclaim an independent opinion on the financial statements. The auditor expresses an independent opinion on the fairness with which the financial statements presents the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of an entity, in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and "in all material respects". An auditor is also required to identify circumstances in which the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have not been consistently observed.
Information systems
Main article: Accounting information systemAn accounting information system is a part of an organization's information system used for processing accounting data. Many corporations use artificial intelligence-based information systems. The banking and finance industry uses AI in fraud detection. The retail industry uses AI for customer services. AI is also used in the cybersecurity industry. It involves computer hardware and software systems using statistics and modeling.
Many accounting practices have been simplified with the help of accounting computer-based software. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is commonly used for a large organisation and it provides a comprehensive, centralized, integrated source of information that companies can use to manage all major business processes, from purchasing to manufacturing to human resources. These systems can be cloud based and available on demand via application or browser, or available as software installed on specific computers or local servers, often referred to as on-premise.
Tax accounting
Main article: Tax accountingTax accounting in the United States concentrates on the preparation, analysis and presentation of tax payments and tax returns. The U.S. tax system requires the use of specialised accounting principles for tax purposes which can differ from the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for financial reporting. U.S. tax law covers four basic forms of business ownership: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and limited liability company. Corporate and personal income are taxed at different rates, both varying according to income levels and including varying marginal rates (taxed on each additional dollar of income) and average rates (set as a percentage of overall income).
Forensic accounting
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Forensic accounting is a specialty practice area of accounting that describes engagements that result from actual or anticipated disputes or litigation. "Forensic" means "suitable for use in a court of law", and it is to that standard and potential outcome that forensic accountants generally have to work.
Political campaign accounting
Main article: Political campaign accountingPolitical campaign accounting deals with the development and implementation of financial systems and the accounting of financial transactions in compliance with laws governing political campaign operations. This branch of accounting was first formally introduced in the March 1976 issue of The Journal of Accountancy.
Organizations
See also: Category:Accounting organizationsProfessional bodies
Main article: Professional accounting bodyProfessional accounting bodies include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the other 179 members of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), including Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), CPA Australia, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Some countries have a single professional accounting body and, in some other countries, professional bodies for subfields of the accounting professions also exist, for example the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the UK and Institute of management accountants in the United States. Many of these professional bodies offer education and training including qualification and administration for various accounting designations, such as certified public accountant (AICPA) and chartered accountant.
Firms
Main article: Accounting networks and associationsDepending on its size, a company may be legally required to have their financial statements audited by a qualified auditor, and audits are usually carried out by accounting firms.
Accounting firms grew in the United States and Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and through several mergers there were large international accounting firms by the mid-twentieth century. Further large mergers in the late twentieth century led to the dominance of the auditing market by the "Big Five" accounting firms: Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The demise of Arthur Andersen following the Enron scandal reduced the Big Five to the Big Four.
Standard-setters
See also: Accounting standards and Convergence of accounting standardsGenerally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are accounting standards issued by national regulatory bodies. In addition, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issues the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implemented by 147 countries. Standards for international audit and assurance, ethics, education, and public sector accounting are all set by independent standard settings boards supported by IFAC. The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board sets international standards for auditing, assurance, and quality control; the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) sets the internationally appropriate principles-based Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants; the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB) sets professional accounting education standards; and International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) sets accrual-based international public sector accounting standards.
Organizations in individual countries may issue accounting standards unique to the countries. For example, in Australia, the Australian Accounting Standards Board manages the issuance of the accounting standards in line with IFRS. In the United States the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issues the Statements of Financial Accounting Standards, which form the basis of US GAAP, and in the United Kingdom the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) sets accounting standards. However, as of 2012 "all major economies" have plans to converge towards or adopt the IFRS.
Education, training and qualifications
Degrees
At least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field is required for most accountant and auditor job positions, and some employers prefer applicants with a master's degree. A degree in accounting may also be required for, or may be used to fulfill the requirements for, membership to professional accounting bodies. For example, the education during an accounting degree can be used to fulfill the American Institute of CPA's (AICPA) 150 semester hour requirement, and associate membership with the Certified Public Accountants Association of the UK is available after gaining a degree in finance or accounting.
A doctorate is required in order to pursue a career in accounting academia, for example, to work as a university professor in accounting. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) are the most popular degrees. The PhD is the most common degree for those wishing to pursue a career in academia, while DBA programs generally focus on equipping business executives for business or public careers requiring research skills and qualifications.
Professional qualifications
Main articles: Chartered accountant and Certified Public Accountant See also: Professional certification § Accountancy, auditing and financeProfessional accounting qualifications include the chartered accountant designations and other qualifications including certificates and diplomas. In Scotland, chartered accountants of ICAS undergo Continuous Professional Development and abide by the ICAS code of ethics. In England and Wales, chartered accountants of the ICAEW undergo annual training, and are bound by the ICAEW's code of ethics and subject to its disciplinary procedures.
In the United States, the requirements for joining the AICPA as a Certified Public Accountant are set by the Board of Accountancy of each state, and members agree to abide by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct and Bylaws.
The ACCA is the largest global accountancy body with over 320,000 members, and the organisation provides an 'IFRS stream' and a 'UK stream'. Students must pass a total of 14 exams, which are arranged across three levels.
Research
Main article: Accounting researchAccounting research is research in the effects of economic events on the process of accounting, the effects of reported information on economic events, and the roles of accounting in organizations and society. It encompasses a broad range of research areas including financial accounting, management accounting, auditing and taxation.
Accounting research is carried out both by academic researchers and practicing accountants. Methodologies in academic accounting research include archival research, which examines "objective data collected from repositories"; experimental research, which examines data "the researcher gathered by administering treatments to subjects"; analytical research, which is "based on the act of formally modeling theories or substantiating ideas in mathematical terms"; interpretive research, which emphasizes the role of language, interpretation and understanding in accounting practice, "highlighting the symbolic structures and taken-for-granted themes which pattern the world in distinct ways"; critical research, which emphasizes the role of power and conflict in accounting practice; case studies; computer simulation; and field research.
Empirical studies document that leading accounting journals publish in total fewer research articles than comparable journals in economics and other business disciplines, and consequently, accounting scholars are relatively less successful in academic publishing than their business school peers. Due to different publication rates between accounting and other business disciplines, a recent study based on academic author rankings concludes that the competitive value of a single publication in a top-ranked journal is highest in accounting and lowest in marketing.
Scandals
Main article: Accounting scandals See also: Accounting ethicsThe year 2001 witnessed a series of financial information frauds involving Enron, auditing firm Arthur Andersen, the telecommunications company WorldCom, Qwest and Sunbeam, among other well-known corporations. These problems highlighted the need to review the effectiveness of accounting standards, auditing regulations and corporate governance principles. In some cases, management manipulated the figures shown in financial reports to indicate a better economic performance. In others, tax and regulatory incentives encouraged over-leveraging of companies and decisions to bear extraordinary and unjustified risk.
The Enron scandal deeply influenced the development of new regulations to improve the reliability of financial reporting, and increased public awareness about the importance of having accounting standards that show the financial reality of companies and the objectivity and independence of auditing firms.
In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history, the Enron scandal undoubtedly is the biggest audit failure causing the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which at the time was one of the five largest accounting firms in the world. After a series of revelations involving irregular accounting procedures conducted throughout the 1990s, Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2001.
One consequence of these events was the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act in the United States in 2002, as a result of the first admissions of fraudulent behavior made by Enron. The act significantly raises criminal penalties for securities fraud, for destroying, altering or fabricating records in federal investigations or any scheme or attempt to defraud shareholders.
Fraud and error
Accounting fraud is an intentional misstatement or omission in the accounting records by management or employees which involves the use of deception. It is a criminal act and a breach of civil tort. It may involve collusion with third parties.
An accounting error is an unintentional misstatement or omission in the accounting records, for example misinterpretation of facts, mistakes in processing data, or oversights leading to incorrect estimates. Acts leading to accounting errors are not criminal but may breach civil law, for example, the tort of negligence.
The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud and errors rests with the entity's management.
See also
References
- ^ Needles, Belverd E.; Powers, Marian (2013). Principles of Financial Accounting. Financial Accounting Series (12 ed.). Cengage Learning.
- Accounting Research Bulletins No. 7 Reports of Committee on Terminology (Report). Committee on Accounting Procedure, American Institute of Accountants. November 1940. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- "Department of Accounting". Foster School of Business. 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Schipper, Katherine (2005). "The introduction of International Accounting Standards in Europe: Implications for international convergence". European Accounting Review. 14. Taylor & Francis Online: 101–126. doi:10.1080/0963818042000338013. S2CID 153931720. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ Weber, Richard P., and W. C. Stevenson. 1981. "Evaluations of Accounting Journal and Department Quality." The Accounting Review 56 (3): 596–612.
- ^ Horngren, Charles T.; Datar, Srikant M.; Foster, George (2006), Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis (12th ed.), New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall
- Lung, Henry (2009). Fundamentals of Financial Accounting. Elsevier.
- DIWAN, Jaswith. ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS & THEORIES. LONDON: MORRE. pp. 001–002. id# 94452.
- ^ "Auditors: Market concentration and their role, CHAPTER 1: Introduction". UK Parliament. House of Lords. 2011. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "The move towards global standards". ifrs.org. IFRS Foundation and IASB. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- "The importance of high quality accounting standards". Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Robson, Keith. 1992. "Accounting Numbers as 'inscription': Action at a Distance and the Development of Accounting." Accounting, Organizations and Society 17 (7): 685–708.
- ^ A History of ACCOUNTANCY, New York State Society of CPAs, November 2003, archived from the original on 1 January 2015, retrieved 28 December 2013
- The History of Accounting, University of South Australia, 30 April 2013, archived from the original on 28 December 2013, retrieved 28 December 2013
- کشاورزی, کیخسرو (1980). تاریخ ایران از زمان باستان تا امروز (Translated from Russian by Grantovsky, E.A.) (in Persian). pp. 39–40.
- Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair: Themes in the history of bookkeeping, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008, ISBN 978-0-415-41094-6, Chapter 5, p. 96
- Oldroyd, David (December 1995). "The role of accounting in public expenditure and monetary policy in the first century AD Roman Empire". The Accounting Historians Journal. 22 (2). Academy of Accounting Historians: 117–129. doi:10.2308/0148-4184.22.2.117. JSTOR 40698165.
- Parker, L. M., "Medieval Traders as International Change Agents: A Comparison with Twentieth Century International Accounting Firms", The Accounting Historians Journal, 16(2) (1989): 107–118.
- Medieval Traders as International Change Agents: a Comment, Michael Scorgie, The Accounting Historians Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1 (June 1994), pp. 137–143
- Hamid, Shaari; Craig, Russell; Clarke, Frank (January 1995). "Bookkeeping and accounting control systems in a tenth-century Muslim administrative office". Accounting, Business & Financial History. 5 (3): 321–333. doi:10.1080/09585209500000049.
- Danna, Rafael (5–7 April 2019). "The spread of Hindu-Arabic numerals in the tradition of European practical mathematics: A socio-economic perspective, thirteenth-sixteenth centuries". Conference: The Economic History Society.
- Heeffer, Albrecht (November 2009). "On the curious historical coincidence of algebra and double-entry bookkeeping" (PDF). Foundations of the Formal Sciences. Ghent University. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
- Mariotti, Steve (12 July 2013). "So, Who Invented Double Entry Bookkeeping? Luca Pacioli or Benedikt Kotruljević?". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- Lauwers, Luc; Willekens, Marleen (1994). "Five Hundred Years of Bookkeeping: A Portrait of Luca Pacioli" (PDF download). Tijdschrift voor Economie en Management. XXXIX (3). KU Leuven: 302. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 August 2011.
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External links
- Library resources in your library and in other libraries about accounting
- Operations Research in Accounting on the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences website
- Media from Commons
- Quotations from Wikiquote
- Textbooks from Wikibooks
- Data from Wikidata
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