Chartered accountants

Press, 30 July 1986, Page 34

Chartered accountants

Chartered accountants have the opportunity to become involved in almost any facet of modern business.

They may choose to become involved in analysing the business side of organisations, looking at how they are run and how they can be run more effectively; or they might decide to become involved in looking at how financial transactions are recorded, analysed and interpreted to give a clear understanding of the true financial health of an organisation. Others may choose to analyse how organisations might be better structured to achieve the best business results. Some of the areas in which chartered accountants operate and specialise are:Auditing

This involves reviewing and evaluating the accounting and finance systems of companies and other organisations, to ensure that a true and fair financial position is being represented to shareholders and public. In the course of their

activities, auditors not only learn about business and how it is run, but also encounter a wide range of sophisticated business systems. As they become more experienced, they are able to advise on where improvements • can be made and new systems introduced. Business Services Individuals and small businesses benefit most from the expertise of business services people, who prepare financial statements, and tax returns, as well as undertaking other statutory work required by clients. They also offer assistance with business advice, planning, and investigations for clients. Taxation This Involves tax planning in areas such as takeovers, mergers, company restructuring, international tax planning, and investment advice, as well as making representations on behalf of clients to the Inland Revenue Department. Specialists also provide up-to-the-minute ad-

vice on changes to tax legislation, and advise on the best ways clients can deal with such changes. Management Services This involves providing expertise in different areas of accounting and other disciplines. Services in this area include financial planning, accounting investigations, costings, business and share valuations, control systems, computers, EDP systems, trade services, human resources, management, economics, project evaluations, forecasts and budgets. Management services people are problem solvers. Information Management This means ensuring the firm’s own information systems ae developed and maintained in line with changes in modem technology. Specialists manage computer operations and other information processing, and also enable clients to be provided with up-to-the-min-ute management information on which to base their day-to-day business decisions.