Essay About Information Systems And Accounting Information Standards

Accounting Information Systems and the Accountant
Accounting Information Systems and the Accountant
Chapter 1Accounting Information Systems and the AccountantTrue-False QuestionsThe acronym AIS stands for “Accounting Information Standards.” Accounting information systems must be computerized to be effective. It is best to view an AIS as an accounting system that must be computerized. AISs often create information that is useful to non-accountants. In order to be useful, raw accounting data must be processed by a computer. The path that data follow in an AIS, for example from manual source document to completed output report, is called an audit trail.A companys audit trail is normally easier to follow under a manual data processing system compared to a computerized information processing system.The starting point for an audit trail of a payroll system might be an employee time card. The starting point for an audit trail of a production department might be the purchase of raw materials. The acronym ERP stands for “electronic reporting plan.”The term information overload refers to providing too much data to management, often resulting in managers ignoring it. An advantage of computerized AISs is that they do not need to be programmed to catch simple input errors such as entering “4.0” instead of “40.0” for hours worked in a payroll application. Computers tend to make audit trails easier to follow because everything is computerized.The acronym ERP stands for “enterprise reporting system.”The authors consider accountants to be “knowledge workers.”Predictive analytics use large data warehouses to help organizations improve performance. As used in this chapter, the acronym SAR stands for “suspicious accounting reports.” Sections of the Patriot Act mandate suspicious activity reporting. One of the motivations for SAR is to identify money laundering activities. The term “Patriot” is an acronym for “providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism.”Section 352 of the Patriot Act requires auditors to verify that their organizations have adequate risk assessment systems. Accounting systems are useful for performing accounting tasks, but cannot be used for such security purposes as countering terrorism. An example of a corporate scandal that was mentioned in this chapter is the Enron case. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act includes a provision that prohibits corporations from making personal loans to executives. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act prohibits companies from using the same auditing firms for performing both auditing and management consulting services. It costs some companies over $1 million to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  As a result of corporate bankruptcies in 2002, some of the largest public accounting firms are no longer engaged in any consulting work.A major output of financial accounting is the preparation of financial statements such as an income statement. The series of steps leading from data recorded in transaction records to the information reported on financial statements is called the accounting cycle. AISs are only concerned with financial information. One major difference between financial accounting and managerial accounting is that financial accountants prepare financial statements for external investors while managerial accountants prepare financial statements for internal managers. In a responsibility accounting system, every person within a company takes responsibility for the performance of every business unit.One major difference between financial accounting and managerial accounting is that financial accountants use dashboards while managerial accountants do not. An example of a financial report that would be prepared by a managerial accountant (instead of a financial accountant) is a budget report. XBRL is a business reporting language that is used to define interactive financial data.“Cost accounting” tasks are usually performed by financial accountants. An ABC inventory system refers to an “activity-based costing” system. As used in chapter 1, the term “dashboard” refers to a quick and easy plan to install a computerized accounting system in an organization. As used in Chapter 1, a dashboard is an up-to-the-minute graphic depiction of one or more business activities. The purpose of the assurance services of an accounting firm is to give a company’s managers moral support when they are audited by the federal or state government. The purpose of CPA Trust Services is to provide assurance that a company engaged in electronic commerce can provide the goods or services it promises. An example of a  value-added reseller (VAR) is a computer dealer that adds software to the hardware it sells. Some possible career opportunities for AIS majors or minors include consulting positions, computerized auditing, or computer security positions. Accountants are usually classified as “line workers” within business organizations.Todays AIS is an enterprise-wide information system that focuses on interdepartmental business processes.A good audit trail within the financial accounting system should allow a manager or auditor to trace any source document back from a report to the original data entry.Managerial accounting principally provides decisionmaking information to a companys internal managers.As a result of computerized information processing systems in many organizations today, the need for accountants in these organizations has significantly declined.Activity-based costing systems focus on allocating overhead on the basis of direct labor hours used. Because accountants are not normally computer programmers working within the information processing subsystem, it is unnecessary for them to understand the capabilities and limitations of computers.Within the traditional AIS, a sales order would not be considered an accounting transaction.Students majoring in AIS are unlikely to assume jobs in traditional accounting positions because they know too much. There are limited career opportunities available for students who study both accounting and information systems.One possible career for AIS majors is in the traditional area of financial or managerial accounting.         55.         The CISA is an acronym for a professional accounting certification.  Multiple-Choice Questions56.        The “S” in the acronym “AIS” stands for: StandardSystemSymbolnone of these57.         Which of the following is true?        a)          An AIS must be computerized to be useful         b)         An AIS always produces useful information         c)         An AIS always produces financial information         d)        none of these 58.         The letter “P” in the acronym “ERP” stands for: ProductionPlanningProjectnone of these59.         Which of the following is true about the terms “data” and “information” within the context of Chapter 1?