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IT is one of the core competencies of professional accountants and requires special attention.

BY Mujahid Eshai, FCA
 Jul 31 - Aug 06, 2000

Thirty years back when I was sent on my first audit assignment as a junior articled clerk, the job incharge asked me to cast and cross cast 15 pages of a sixteen column cash book. I hesitatingly asked him if he could teach me how to use the "machine" that he had on his table and was used for calculations. He very politely told me to "use your head, it will do you good," and refused the use of machine.

Today a child grows with a calculator if not a computer and the articled clerk / student demands that he be allowed the use of the computers in the office.

Change must take place and will take place. The only thing constant in life is change. We must adapt to the changing times and we must recognise the oncoming changes much in advance and prepare ourselves for the new requirements and use of methodologies. However, human nature being what it is, change is always resisted and more so in regions which pride themselves in ancient civilizations and culture and a history of introducing learning and knowledge to the world.

The biggest change in the last decade and half has been the introduction of Information Technology in our daily working and learning lives. More change is inevitable. The question is, have we, the Professional Accountants, responded to the change in an adequate manner and what measures have we taken to adapt our work methodologies, our learning process and our vision of the role we are likely to play in the next millennium which is expected to be the age of computer technology.

Paragraph 1, 3 and 4 of the Introduction to IEGII (Information Technology in the Accounting Curriculum) released by IFAC state as follows:

"Professional accountants, in addition to extensively using various types of information technologies often play important managerial, advisory and evaluative roles in connection with the adoption and use of various information technologies by organizations of all types and sizes.

----- Society expects that professional accountants who accept an engagement or occupation have the required level of knowledge and can apply it to practical problems. The accounting profession as a whole has the obligation to ensure that candidates for membership possess the required breadth and depth of knowledge and skill and the credibility of the accountancy profession depends on its success in fulfilling this obligation. In addition, the accountancy profession has an obligation to ensure that, after qualifying, members keep abreast of relevant developments through continuing professional education.

The body of knowledge and skill required of professional accountants includes a variety of important areas. "IT is one of the core competencies of professional accountants and requires special attention due to its explosive growth and its rapid rate of change."

In my opinion, these three paragraphs sum up what is required of the Professional Accountant to acquire the knowledge', skill and expertise to maintain its utility in the world of business and finance.

Past and future

One of my colleagues on the IFAC IT Committee, Mr. Serge Yablonsky, from France, likens the Professional Accountant to a candle maker and asks the question "Are Professional Accountants the candlemakers' of the next century."

When there was no electricity the candlemakers' business was prospering. But with the advent of electricity the candlemakers' business took a nose dive. Everyone wanted electricity and there was lesser and lesser demand for candies. If the Professional Accountant is not prepared to bring about and accept changes in his traditional role, he is likely to meet the same fate as the candlemaker.

Traditionally, two of the most important activities required to be performed by Accountants was Book-keeping and Accounting leading to the preparation of financial statements and statutory audit of annual accounts. These roles, because of rapid advancement of IT, have been affected of.

•Disinter mediation / Internet / EDI

•Event / Activity based Accounting

•Automation

The statutory Audit is being criticised on account of:

•The annual accounts being of historic interest and often     belatedly available.

•The accounts being defined by the professional accountant and not the decision maker

•The annual accounts containing financial information only.

The prospective investor, the stakeholder and the shareholder desire:

•Relevant information

•Prospective data with follow-up and analysis

•Non-financial information relating to

•Comparison with competitors

•Quality of management and operational human resources.

•Research and Development being undertaken

•Quality of production

•Quality of customers

•Information regarding efforts to protect the environment

•information regarding credit worthiness

•service, including design of communication and information systems, guarantee of original, reliable information (assurance) and out-sourcing of administrative tasks, resulting in cost effectiveness and quality, of the business, while taking new needs of the business into account.

•An Audit which stresses on quality and relevance of information, provides prospective information and is carried out on a timely basis.

The Professional Accountant therefore has to reorganize himself, his education and skills to meet the requirements. Perhaps, the scope, the services, the process and methods employed the tools used and the human resources deployed by the Professional Accountant all require to be upgraded to meet the emerging challenges. Competition for the Professional Accountant exists today from many quarters and the possibility of meeting the same fate as the Candlemaker can turn into a reality. The competition comes from software and IT companies, Banks and foreign colleagues.

So, what is required:

Future

Because of the rapid use of the Internet, the consequent growth of Electronic Commerce, the international usage of Credit and other bank cards and the growth of International distribution companies, the Professional accountant has to be more aware and open to the International regulations and would be required to organise himself into international networks for client follow up: This may require small and medium sized firms to merge into larger organisations with international affiliations.

The manner and style of reporting will have to change to become management accounting rather than statutory or tax oriented and be in the language of the decision maker. The Professional Accountant will be required to provide relevant financial information in a style and form which can help rapid decision making. The stakeholder, the prospective Customer and client are all interested in non-financial information and data and what the business thinks it will be doing in the coming period (s). The Professional Accountant must be prepared to report on these matters.

The Professional Accountant may be asked upon to design integrated Management Information systems and Communication systems that are integrated with MIS.

The Audit will inevitably change in emphasis from purely financial to information system and process audits. The Auditor would have to go beyond the financial and historical information, hitherto stressed upon to comment on the quality and relevance of the information being provided.

The Professional Accountant will in the new environment be required to provide assurances in respect of the reliability not only of the information but also how the same is being collected, maintained and processed. The professional Accountant may have to offer services in respect of many outsourced administrative tasks. The decision making being left to the decision makers.

There may be a school of thought which may not subscribe to the idea of a changed scenario and role. It may be contended that taxation services will continue to be required. Indeed they will be, but the emphasis would change from return filing to tax planning. Technology advancement now enables the tax assesee to file his tax return electronically and by telephone subject of course to the laws being simple and straightforward. The requirement of statutory audits may continue but with a greater number of Companies being listed, even larger numbers wanting to invest therein, and the rapidly changing economic, fiscal and business scene, the need for receiving reliable financial information on a quarterly, monthly basis, on-line, is going to arise. Will this information be unaudited or audited? Who is going to provide the assurance in respect of the financial information? Who is going to assure that the systems employed to collect record process reproduce and analyse the financial information are reliable and trustworthy?

Electronic Commerce whether business to business or business to cconsumer brings with it a host of issues and problems for the Professional Accountant to attend to. The problems relate to accounting, auditing and taxation. Will the E-Com software provide the necessary audit trail? Will there be an on-line audit of each transaction? How will completeness of the accounting records be ensured? How will the tax authorities be assured that all direct and indirect taxes have been paid? These and a host of other issues emerge which will require the professional Accountant's attention and most definitely a change in the scope, skill and expertise to provide the necessary services to its clientele.

The Internet assurance services in themselves open up a new avenue for provision of services. Competition is already emerging in this area. A multinational banking Consortium "IDENTRUS" has been formed by 11 of the leading International Bankers to provide security assurances for business to business commerce over the Internet.

AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) have developed a Web seal of trust for providing Web assurance services by its members. The right of use the seal has also been sold to the Australian, English and Canadian Institutes. The effort was under- taken to secure for the professional accountant a new avenue of business and to remain a major player in the field of providing assurance services.

What do we do?

The SAFA regions' priorities, in the Technological environment, in my opinion, should be.

i) to recognise IT as a core subject alongside auditing, taxation and company law.

ii) to take suitable steps within their existing entrance level syllabi and examination structures to ensure that the student of accountancy is not only equipped with the general IT education requirements but is adequately trained to become a user of IT

iii) to design and introduce curricula and examination at the professional level to meet the requirements of IEG 11 in respect of developing the accountant as manager of information systems, designer of business systems and evaluator of information systems.

iv) to take effective steps to upgrade the knowledge and skills of the qualified Accountants in respect of IT by offering post qualification diplomas in IT through association with other recognised specialist international bodies.

v) to undertake efforts to develop a regional Web seal and allied facilities for usage by the Accountancy bodies in the member states.

vi) to undertake research in the area of E-com particularly taxation and based thereupon issue statements to highlight the issue and offer practical solutions.

vii) to deliberate on and evolve a plan for delivery of education through use of internet within and between the SAFA member bodies for providing education to students and members of the professional bodies.

The author is Council Member and Chairman, IT Sub-Committee Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan