Bookkeepers vs Professional Accountants
Many bookkeepers in our world today define themselves as accountants, but what is the difference between a Professional Accountant and a Bookkeeper? This essay aims discuss and examine the relationship between each of the occupations, examine the differences that sets the two occupations apart and then explore what makes an accountant a professional in today’s world. Comments made by third parties will be looked at in depth in order to reach a fair conclusion.
Bookkeepers today have an important but restricted role in the business world. Their main role is to record the financial transactions of a business. As a bookkeeper, you will be employed to sustain all the ledger accounts, and
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However, if you are a qualified accountant, there are many different sectors in which you can enter into. Directions.gov.uk shows the many different roles within the accounting profession, these include; “tax accountancy, external audit, internal audit, corporate finance and management accountancy”. Each role differs greatly from another however all are classed under the profession of Accounting.
There are many varieties of personalities within accounting which makes it hard to generalise, but there are fundamental personal & professional qualities that are essential for success within the profession. To begin with, ACCA paper F1 2008 (p94) states the 5 personal qualities as; “Reliability, Responsibility, Timeliness, Courtesy and Respect”. These are very important as accountants work with people from all walks of life and it is essential that they gain the trust of their client . To be a reliable accountant, you would have to ensure that your work was up to professional standards and completed before deadlines. To be a responsible in the profession, you must take ownership of your own work and take fault if anything happens to it. Timeliness speaks for itself as it requires excellent time keeping whether it be showing up on time for work or meeting deadlines. The final personal qualities are to have courtesy and
Qualifications: there are a number of qualifications you need to undertake the career of an accountant. Core knowledge areas needed are accounting systems and processes, financial accounting, and management accounting these are essential for a career in accounting. Other areas of knowledge are optional so you don’t have to do them but they would help you pursue your career in accounting. Things such as commercial law, corporation’s law, accounting information systems and more. The career of accounting is available through a bachelor of commerce. Different types of accountants have to attend different subjects because they need some subjects
II. Main Point #2. Contrary to popular belief, Accountants, and the tasks that they perform, are an important part of most people’s everyday life.
Accountants are relied upon to be trustworthy and maintain high ethical standards. It is because of the nature of the profession that puts them in a position of trust with people who rely on their professional judgment and guidance in making decisions. These decisions are extremely important in accounting and more so that companies that have high ethical standard or main good ethical culture spend enormous time to train the staffs about the conduct that is expected of them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014).Accountants and Auditors. Occupational Outlook Handbook (2014-15 ed.). Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm
Accountants analyze and interpret financial information, prepare financial statements, conduct audits, design accounting systems, prepare special business and financial studies, prepare forecasts and budgets, and provide tax services. Double-entry bookkeeping records the economic activities of a business. Accounting includes bookkeeping but duties are far greater than it.
Studying accounting for me, bridges the gap between learning a subject for achievement and enjoying the subject. The attention to detail along with the vital level of accuracy in accounting really stimulates the mind. Along with the element of problem solving which I find highly satisfying, from making numerical calculations on a calculator to correcting an error. Ever since taking the AAT course, It has become clear to me that I want my career to be in the financial sector dealing with money. My interest in the subject ranges from the laws and regulations accountants must adhere to, right across to using spreadsheets to analyse and present figures.
The chief accountant of an organization has the tremendous responsibility of establishing and administering accurate, transparent, fraud-free accounting reports. To successfully fulfill the duty, the chief accountant must be ethical and knowledgeable. The chief accountant must be knowledgeable of the managerial account as well as the financial account. Since the accounting reports of an organization are of interests to so many entities, the media with its reporters will want to make sure that there are accuracy and integrity with the details. A good understanding of the managerial account is of crucial importance for the chief accountant. According to Hitzig (2004), and Edmonds et al. (2011), the integrity of the staff will be challenged to bring effective, efficient and useful data if the chief accountant is not savvy in financial and managerial accounting.
When determining and defending the use of a particular ethical system within the confines of a profession, it is important to evaluate the system in terms of the professional culture as well as the expected professional conduct laid out within the vocation itself. The accounting profession has been evolving for thousands of years. Early accounting records date business transactions back as far as third century B.C. (Schroeder, Clark, & Cathey, 2009). Early record keeping was for internal purposes and as societies and economies expanded, it became important to maintain records for external purposes as well. According to Schroeder, Clark & Cathey (2009), by the ninetheeth centruy, bookkeeing expanded into accounting (p. 3). From this time, it has been the duty of the accountant to serve the public interest and the profession has been culitvated into an organizational culture with professional norms and standards constantly taking shape in an effort to complete an all-inclusive conceptual framework.
There are four main fields of accounting and auditing listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: "public accounting, management accounting, government accounting, and internal auditing." CPAs are not limited to a narrow list of activities, in fact public accountants typically work with a "broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting
This article compares and contrasts the responsibilities of a CFO versus a Controller, Accountant or Bookkeeper. Many business owners do not understand the differences between the roles and the value a CFO can bring to the business. Additionally, many business owners do not feel they can afford a CFO, however that is where a part time CFO who participates with the business owner and management is critical. A part time CFO can spend as little as a day or two month with the business and add value to the bottom line.
Accounting is the language of business. It is a profession that is being guided by principles, concepts, conventions, laws, etc. All these fundamental building blocks serve as common and general compasses to all practitioners of the profession. In some cases, they are nation-wide tailored, while in other cases, they are universally tailored. Accounting as a living, practical, dynamic and realistic profession covers so many areas of social, economic (business), and governmental activities. Surely, any endeavour that involves monetary and material activities create a room for the services of Accounting. Many of the human endeavours for which the accounting profession plays significant (some times inevitable) roles include; Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Farming Contracting, Oil and Gas, Mining, Transportation (Air, Land and Sea), Educational Institutions, Churches, Ministries, ICT, Hire Purchase, Local Government Authorities, Estate Businesses, Export and Import Businesses, Bill of Exchange Transactions, Royalties Transactions, Consignment Transactions, Stock Market Transactions, Sports, Entertainment, Hospitals and Hospitality Industry, etc.
Management accountants and the system of management accounting have had a core importance in working and operations of the corporates. Over the years they have been fulfilling their traditional job requirements such as bookkeeping, recording and reporting financial information. It is believed that as over the years business and corporate world has evolved and gone through many changes and management accountants being part of this system would also face transformation in their roles. It is the versatility that is being demanded today therefore a professional cannot limit or restrict itself to its particular job. It is a fact that management accountants are performing multiple jobs as a result of the increasing competition in
An accountant 's role may consist largely of financial data collection, entry and report generation. An accountant function involves issuing financial reports. Accountant is responsible for accurately keeping track of all the money in the company and making sure every
Accounting professionals are in very high demand. The nature of work in accounting is so vast an individual would have so many different areas of accounting to choose from. Accounting requires people who can work with complex business structures, computer systems, and financial analysis packages. Accounting work further requires an aptitude for mathematics and the ability to compare and analyze accounting data quickly. Accountants also need to have strong communication skills as they must effectively communicate accounting data to their employers and/or clients. The accounting profession also demands a high level of integrity and morality because the financial data prepared by accountants is used by business managers to run their