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The Effects of Technology on the Accounting Profession Paper

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The Effects of Technology on the Accounting Profession Paper
Amy Everett
ACC/210
December 7, 2015

The Effects of Technology on the Accounting Profession Paper
The accounting profession has seen many changes with the advancements of technology and has given accountants with various tools. Examples of these tools include computer-integrated manufacturing, image processing, communications technology, the Internet, and software systems. These examples are a few of the many tools provided by technology and whose purpose is to provide more detailed and accurate information in a timely manner. Advancing technology allows companies to maintain more accurate financial records which are available at the touch of a key. While the advancements have benefited companies everywhere, it also creates new challenges for the accounting profession.
Corporate Tax Network (2013) believes that the concept of the spreadsheet has allowed accountants to quickly make calculations with formulas, perform forecasting analysis, and create visualizations that show what the client’s finances and tax requirements from the past, present, and into the future look like. Computers, scanners, faxes, and printers have had a positive impact on the accounting profession. The software that is available makes efficient work of the figures that are reported and provides more accuracy as the calculations are done automatically. With the use of accounting software, the accountant can interpret the financial data more effectively and with more efficiency. Software can be designed to meets the needs of any business. Companies have more opportunities with the introduction of the internet and the choices that it offers. Businesses can now reach a vast range of customers. Internet transactions are an example of how to obtain timely, accurate information. Before the advancements in technology, accountants made entries manually and finding errors was time consuming and tedious. According to Brian Wallace (2013) “computers have completely changed the nature of accounting and they have turned it into a fast-paced and dynamic profession.” Because of the time saved by new software accounting programs, accountants can have more time to interpret the financial data and provide their clients with more sound financial advice and decisions. The advancements in technology with software such as QuickBooks, has lowered the margin for errors, made mistakes easier to find and correct, and has saved the accountant much time. Computer-integrated manufacturing has had a positive impact by allowing computers to collect and report information almost simultaneously. The detailed information from computer-integrated manufacturing has had significant impacts in cost accounting, which allows accountants to develop activity-based costing systems. Using these costing systems allows accountants to allocate overhead for a business more efficiently. Image processing scans important paper documents into electronic documents that can be stored results in having more timely and efficient information. The advances in technology have allowed communications to be transmitted in a variety of ways to different users. Technology has allowed for greater speed and with the utilization of these technological advancements comes faster more accurate results. CPA Sheila Shanker (2014) states “that accounting work is very detailed and accuracy in recording and reporting is greatly valued and that technology has had a positive effect in accounting applications because calculations done by a computer program experience very few errors.” The organization of the author is large with many out-reaches. With the advancements in technology, it is now possible for all aspects of the business to be connected. The newest advancement in technology comes from the scanning of barcodes. Every service that a patient uses, their personal barcode is scanned into the computer from tests to medications. These advancements allow more detailed and accurate billing information and provide less human error with charges applied to the patient. Supplies inventory has benefitted from technology advancements as well. While each department is responsible for their supplies, a mainframe computer also tracks purchases as well allowing the company to see what products are used the most, if costs can be cut, and if certain products can be purchased at lower costs. Payroll is another important aspect that has benefited from technology. Because the company is so large, technology has improved the quality of payroll. Each department computes their payroll that is transferred automatically to the main headquarters where the accounting department reviews the information. Computers, software, and the Internet have shown a positive impact of the organization.
In conclusion, it is certain that information technology has changed the profession of accounting and accountants must be knowledgeable of information technology while keeping up with the advances it provides. While the principles of accounting are the same, advancing technology has come to simplify the processes of financial data for a company. New technology is helpful to the accounting profession and will help to ensure a company is performing efficiently while remaining up to date on new financial information that affects them. The changes in the accounting field have enabled financial information to be processed efficiently and effectively. Technology has opened new opportunities for accountants and has provided a more accurate approach to reviewing financial information.

References
Corporate Tax Network (2013) How Technology Has Changed Accounting. Retrieved from: http://ctnblog.com/how-technology-has-changed-accounting/
Wallace, Brian (2013). Technology and the Accounting Profession. Retrieved March 29, 2014 from: http://www.business2community.com/infographics/technology-and-the-accounting-profession-infographic-0584397#KXrp9j4Cog8eVZrg.99
Sheila Shanker, Sheila. (2014) The Effectiveness of Information Technology on Accounting Applications. Retrieved March 30, 2014 from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effectiveness-information-technology-accounting-applications-2102.html

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