| What is accountancy? Accountancy is a specialist | | | | analysts and economists. |
| role designed to communicate financial information | | | | Early accountancy records date back from many |
| to the upper echelons of a particular business and | | | | thousands of years with the earliest records being |
| generally follows specific guidelines, dependent on | | | | found some seven thousand years ago in the |
| country, by generating monthly, quarterly and | | | | Middle East. The records show that these people |
| annual reports depicting the status of a | | | | used primitive accounting methods to analyse |
| company's assets and financial health. | | | | their crop cycles and the advancement or growth |
| The skill set associated with an accountant's role | | | | of their herds. |
| is apparent in the way the accountant presents | | | | Obviously these methods have evolved greatly |
| the information gleaned from a financial audit and | | | | over the many years that have passed and |
| presents the findings in such a way that the | | | | complex solutions have been developed to deal |
| relevant information can be accessed quickly by | | | | with the huge changes in society and the |
| the reader, analysed, and applied to the reader's | | | | subsequent global growth of business. |
| area of business effectively. | | | | The majority of accountancy roles available today |
| It is also a branch of mathematical science and is | | | | involve significant usage of computer aids and |
| considered useful in determining the success or | | | | programs whereby complicated mathematics can |
| the failure of a business. The three main areas of | | | | be performed exceptionally easily and the margin |
| accountancy as a whole can be broken down to | | | | for error can be lowered to some degree. There |
| bookkeeping, auditing and named accounting. | | | | are many types of computer systems available |
| Essentially accounting is defined by the way in | | | | to help with accounting and they vary from |
| which financial information is recorded, classified | | | | personal accounting, small business to larger |
| and then interpreted and what the subsequent | | | | companies and so on. |
| effects are thereof and the implications that can | | | | Typical accountant jobs and roles can include; |
| be ascertained from the data collated. | | | | finance analyst, bookkeeper, financial consultant, |
| The information that is useful to a particular | | | | purchase ledger, audit manager, tax manager, |
| person or body must be presented in a way in | | | | ACA, credit control, finance directors, |
| which it can be accessed easily and will have | | | | stockbrokers. A full list of the types of roles can |
| sections that hold more weight for typically; | | | | be seen here Accountant Jobs and roles. |
| creditors, banks, government bodies, financial | | | | |