Enjoy the experience of a hom cinema
 

Welcome to our home cinema Archive. Have fun browsing!

 

Article #141: Manual Accounting Versus Computerized Accounting

(Browse for more articles)

 
As many professional accountants and communication, which are assessed
auditors state - accounting is a language separately and put together a single rate
of business which is accepted in all of organization's performance. Control
developed and developing countries. environment means the way of
Every company applies accounting because organization's internal control - which
it is generally accepted that companies manager controls the employees, how and
have to reveal certain financial and whom does that manager reports next about
management information to the government the plan performance etc. Risk
and public users and of course because assessment implies measures to determine
accounting is indispensable tool in all the potential risks in advance, their
business decision-making process. With causes, probabilities and
the development of information counter-measures to avoid and manage
technologies there were developed many them; how can those risks influence
computer products (software) that make company's performance and financial
accounting as easy as ABC for those who state; how to minimize the costs of
uses them. From this point accounting can facing financial risks etc. Monitoring
be divided into two basic categories: implies quality control of company's
those which apply manual accounting and operations and personnel. Information and
those which prefer computerized communication element means the control
accounting systems. This paper is targets over communication flow and the quality
the main features of manual and of information flow within the
computerized accounting, their benefits organization in order to minimize the
and shortcomings, and their comparison. time of communication and information
From the accounting theory it is known losses. Internal control procedures allow
that accounting cycle includes the to keep companies' assets from
following steps: journalizing the dissipation and control productivity and
transactions, posting them to ledger usefulness of all departments.
accounts, preparing trial balance, making Buy custom essays
adjustment entries, preparing adjusted to Let's return to the main issue of the
end-of-period trial balance, preparing paper. Manual accounting implies that
financial statements and appropriate employees perform the whole accounting
disclosures, journalizing and posting the cycle manually on a periodic basis: they
closing entries, and preparing calculate trial balances, journalize
after-closing trial balance at last. From transactions, prepare financial statement
the first look it is not very difficult reports and other routines. Of course it
and it is so indeed, but when there are takes much time, resources and effort in
thousands or millions of transactions the large organizations. Computerized
situation dramatically changes. Lots of accounting implies that the only thing
transactions that must be processed in that employees do is recording
the accounting cycle make this process transactions into the computer which
routine and even a little mistake or processes the other steps of accounting
inaccuracy can cause all the cycle from cycle automatically or by a request. But
the very beginning in order to find and this is a very simplified view on the
correct the mistake. So as to shed some computerized accounting because
light on the matter lets examine transaction is a complex category which
accounting cycle more thoroughly. includes not only sales or acquisitions,
Buy custom written essay & term paper but depreciation, premiums and wages
Every transaction (event that change the calculation, dividends etc. So computers
financial resources or obligations of the provide accurate calculations and smart
company) must be recognized, classified reports but it takes much time, resources
and documented; in addition there must be and effort too and it's difficult to
corresponding accounts identified and assess which accounting type is more fast
changed. The transactions are recorded in and economic. If manual accounting
appropriate journals (general journal, requires qualified accountants to keep a
sales journal etc) with transaction data, record of business transactions,
affected accounts' titles, debit and computerized requires accountants which
credit of each affected account and can use specific software and thus they
explanation specified in the journal cost more. Computer software calculates
record. The above procedure is used for faster but it does not know what you need
each transaction. All the journal records until you can clearly explain what
must be posted to the ledger on a exactly you need. In addition good
periodic basis (daily or weekly), which computerized accounting system can cost
is a group of accounts put together and thousands and even millions dollars,
classified (assets, liabilities, revenue, depending on the complexity and the size
expenses and equity) - in other words of organization. Computerized accounting
general ledger summarizes all the provides better internal control report
transactions within a period of time. In system for any given period of time
addition there is a subsidiary ledger can (computer can control thousands
be used, which is a more detailed source, indicators simultaneously and create
where individual items comprised notifications to the appropriate
(inventory, accounts payable and accounts departments or workers if some indicators
receivable). General ledger contains do not correspond to the normal state),
controlling accounts which summarize the while manual control takes more time.
content of subsidiary ledger. Among the advantages of manual accounting
At the end of accounting period with the there are: comparatively cheap workforce
help of general ledger there is a trial and resources, reliability, independence
balance calculated to make sure that from machines, skilled workers
debit and credit are in balance (if they availability; the disadvantages include:
are not equal it means that there is an reduced speed, increased effort of
error somewhere). Then there must be accountants, relatively slower internal
appropriate adjustments made like control reporting, routine work and some
depreciation and income tax expenses, others.
adjusted records posted to the ledger and Among the main advantages of computerized
adjusted trial balance calculated. After accounting there are: high speed and
this there are financial statements mobility of reporting, reliability, no
should be prepared, which include balance routine work, increased accuracy,
sheet, income statement, statement of internal control system of increased
retained earnings and statement of cash productivity, easy back up and
flows. Then journal entries of temporary restoration of records; the disadvantages
accounts are closed to permanent accounts include: extremely high costs on
and posted to the ledger, and at last developing, introducing and using the
after-closing trial balance can prepared. system, special trainings for personnel,
In order to stay on top companies have to increased personnel costs, dependence on
analyze the performance of all machines etc.
organizational cells (starting from Obviously both computerized and manual
unskilled workers and operating accounting have advantages and
personnel, and finishing with top disadvantages but they perform the same
managers and other key personnel) and task, and the final result is the same.
discover all the deviations from the The main differences between them are the
plan, their causes, and finally costs, speed and mobility. Thus small and
companies' management has to take medium businesses usually prefer manual
corresponding measures to avoid such accounting without detriment to quality
deviations in the future. These while large corporations apply complex
procedures are called internal controls accounting systems which cost millions
and include the following five elements: dollars but the effect from their
control environment, risk assessment, application exceeds all the expectations.
monitoring, information and






1 - A - B - C - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 -