There are many advantages to having the accountants be a part of the design and
production of managerial reports. Accountants are one of the primary users of the
accounting information systems (AIS). Accountants are typically the ones who input the
data, reconcile the data, retrieve the data, and create reports based on the data.
Accountants can provide feedback that can make the system more user friendly, make the
data output more relevant to what is needed, and ensure the data meets the requirements
needed to ensure the company is in compliance with regulations, laws, and meeting
company goals. The information provided from the AIS will be used by top executives and
management in making decisions, along with reports created by accountants to assist in
the decision-making process. A disadvantage of not having accountants participate in the
design and production of the reports could be the reliability of the information.
Accountants should be involved to the extent needed. Financial and managerial accounting
are both needed for decision making. Financial statements are used by external users
where managerial accounting is used by internal users to focus on financial information
used to predict future events (Gould, 2021). The accountants who input the data, retrieve,
and analyze the data, are more familiar with the financial transactions and their effects on
financial reports and the managerial reports they create. They are better equipped to
explain the data within the reports.
Gould, M. (2021). Accounting Systems for Managerial Decisions. Salem Press
Encyclopedia
Romney, Marshall, B. et al. Accounting Information Systems. Available from: MBS
Direct, (15th Edition). Pearson Education (US), 2020.
