Cost accounting in the new era has completely moved away from the simple act of identifying direct costs, indirect costs and overhead, then using the traditional cost allocation method to allocate the costs. I remember the good old days when cost accounting was all about collecting prime costs and overhead costs, apply some simple arithmetic […]
How to Write Effective Business Requirements as an Accountant
Nowadays, accountants are called upon by businesses to play significant role in system migration and other major business turnaround programmes. Business requirements are those deliverables that a project must convey if value is to be added, without it, measuring the success or failure of a project will be difficult. Organizations constantly challenge finance professionals to […]
15 Funny Things Accountants Won’t Tell Their Clients
The general presumption is that accountants are demigods living in a fairy-tale world where everything they touch turns into gold. If you are amongst those people thinking this way, you will be surprised to find out about some of the things accountants do behind the scene that they don’t want their clients to be aware […]
Examples of performance management models
This article is written to provide an answer to a question posed by one of the readers of this blog. He asked me to give example of performance management models and how managers use them to make managerial decisions. In common parlance, performance management models are those management accounting tools used by management accountants to […]
Advantages and disadvantages of cloud accounting to a small business
This article is written to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of cloud accounting because the time is now ripe for us to stop pretending that we cannot see the emerging accounting trend where cloud computing is constantly changing the way accountants and business owners process and exchange accounting information. Take it or leave, cloud accounting […]
Accountants Job Description for Small Businesses
The accountant job description for a small business is somewhat that of a generalist and demands more from an accountant than the job description of an accountant of a large company. Many factors including the fact that small businesses do not have fat budget is a major reason why the job description for small business […]
How accountants use technology, computers and IT infrastructures
Accountants as fluent speakers of the language of business will not achieve much nowadays if they fail to come to terms with technology which has become pervasive in the areas of business and finance. Business technology management in today’s business world is a fundamental success factor in managing businesses for optimal results. You will be […]
Six reasons why every Accountant should be CISA Certified
As an accountant working in the capacity of an employee or a business advisor, your employer or client expects you to give more than you are actually paid for. In fact, you are more of a business partner than an employee or a consultant. This is so because modern day businesses now battle with the […]
Impacts of ERPS on the role of management accountants
Management accountants have come to realise that ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems are their friend and not foe as initially thought. An ERP is designed to integrate all facets of applications into a single system thereby making it possible for information that would other be scattered be accessible from a single point. This is to […]
Thinking beyond compliance is the best business strategy.
The best business strategy is to think beyond compliance you will agree with me that quality always save money. The aim of strategic thinking and planning is to gain sustainable completive advantage. Ok, if strategy planning is all about gaining that completive advantage, why then do many businesses simply engage in ticking off the box […]
Who bears the cost of quality?
Quality no doubt saves money but not without its own costs. Costs of quality are broadly classified into conformance cost and non-conformance cost. These are then sub- classified into prevention cost, appraisal cost, internal cost and external cost. From the perspective of managers, costs of quality should be brought down to the minimal level so […]
What are the soft skills of an accountant?
Gone are the days when accountants are known as number crunchers. In today’s modern world where finance professionals need more than just technical competence, it is dangerously important that accountants are equipped with soft skills that are in high demand. Soft skills are those rudimentary ingredients that make someone with finance expertise competent enough to […]
ONLINE ACCOUNTING DEGREE | A VALUABLE QUALIFICATION TO OBTAIN
Getting business and accounting degrees online has been fully embraced by many in recent years. Traditional universities and business schools now offer one form of internet accountancy program or the other. This new development is made possible by the massive improvement in technology that we have experienced in the last two decades. There are various […]
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS IN AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESSES
Accountants in our modern society have repositioned themselves in such a way that the importance of accountants in the overall success of small businesses is becoming more glaring as the day passes. Gone are the days when the duties and responsibilities of accountants are confined to rambling with papers filled with outdated figures. Nowadays, accountants […]
MARKETING FOR ACCOUNTANTS | HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTING ENTREPRENEUR
Marketing your accountancy expertise can quickly become frustrating if you are not equipped with the right skill sets to effectively and efficiently market your accounting firm. Although marketing as a course is included in the curricular of most accounting degrees, the content of the courses are tailored towards generic marketing strategy rather than helping potential […]
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A FIXED ASSET REGISTERS
The importance of fixed asset register in an organization cannot be over emphasized. You simply lose sight of your valuable asset if there is no well organised register of your fixed asset. This article briefly discussed some importance of having a working fixed assets register in your small business. FIVE IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF FIXED […]
DUTIES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN ACCOUNTANT IN A MODERN SOCIETY
The duties, roles and responsibility of accountants in modern society are becoming more pronounced and pervasive as the day passes on. Accountants continually position themselves in strategically advantaged position that enables them contribute enormously to the development and growth of our modern economy and society. Accounting in the medieval days revolves only around recording of […]
HOW TO ASSESS SOFTWARE FOR USE IN YOUR SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING
It is no longer news that we live in a world that is practically controlled by technology. Business and accounting information are no longer kept in their manual form. Selecting the best accounting software is critical to running a modern profitable business. The tips covered in this article will apply to both a standalone accounting […]
HOW TO ACQUIRE ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIS)
The decision to acquire accounting information system has become strategic in nature and now requires carefully planned and well thought out processes if a company is to succeed in it. Corporations spend huge amount of money on acquiring AIS but still have little or nothing to show for it. The main reason for this is […]
BUSINESS SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A VITAL CONTRIBUTOR TO SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
Business social intelligence is a relatively new strategic paradigm that most successful companies are now turning their attention to. The fact that social media has come to stay is no longer news. Philip Kotler, a marketing icon years ago predicted that business social intelligence would be the backbone that would hold the success of every […]
WHAT IS ACCOUNTING ETHICS?
Accounting ethics is a body of good practices that is based on good conscience which accounting professional bodies promote. Professional accounting bodies like ACCA require that you complete an online accounting ethics module in order to be qualified as a chartered accountant in addition to meeting order requirements. Accounting ethics is deeply rooted in the […]