Thursday 7 April 2016

Accounting information system-AIS Information Systems

Accounting Information System, shortly called as AIS is defined as the system of records maintained by an organization to keep its accounting system. The system incorporates many functions like buying, selling and other pecuniary processes of the organization. In fact, AIS is a division of Management Information System, shortly called as MIS. The responsibility of AIS is to build up statistics and give decision makers like investors, creditors, and managers the data to make decisions.

Previously this work had been a paper-based process and presently taken over by accounting software in todays modern business. Accounting Information System, is basically the combination of learning and applying accounting with the design, implementation, and monitoring of information systems. The system makes use of fresh information technology resources along with usual accounting controls and methods to supply users the financial information needed to control their organizations. AIS Know-How:Input: Accounting Information System makes use of common input devices such as the standard personal computers, scanning devices and electronic communication devices.

These devices enable high quality performance in workstations running applications, standardized data entry and electronic data interchange and e-commerce respectively. Also, Accounting Information Systems do come as "Web-enabled" in order to let devices to connect to the World Wide Web. Process: The processing of financial activities is carried by the use of computer systems ranging from individual personal computers to large-scale enterprise servers. Yet, theoretically, the original processing model continues to be the "double-entry" accounting system introduced at the start of the fifteenth century.

Output: 

The system uses output devices such as computer displays,impact and non-impact printers, and electronic communication devices for EDI and e-commerce. However, the devices are used for any type of output content including financial reports, budgets and tax reports to multinational financial statements.

AIS Information Systems:Accounting Information System, deals with almost all types of business functions from accounting transaction processing systems to complicated financial management planning and processing systems. Financial reporting begins at the operational levels of the business. Here the business deal processing systems confine significant business events including normal production, purchasing, and selling activities. Further, these transactions are sub divided and summed up for internal decision making and for external financial reporting. Similarly, the cost accounting systems deals upwith manufacturing and service events. The system helps the company in tracking the costs related with the manufacture of goods and performance of services. Moreover, the Accounting Information System offers advanced analyses for better resource allocation and performance tracking. Management Accounting Information System on the other hand finds their use in providing organizational planning, monitoring, and controlling every activity. There by the managerial-level employees get benefited as they are enabled to have access to superior reporting and statistical analysis. They are also helpful in gathering data, to develop different scenarios, and to decide the best possible answer among alternative scenarios.

Development:

 The development process of an Accounting Information System involves three main phases including planning, analysis and design. However, each phase needs a time duration ranging from a few weeks to as long as several years depending upon its nature.

Planning: Being the first phase of the development process, the planning of the project is considered as an important step. The planning phase involves resolving the possibilities and purposes of the project, the definition of project responsibilities, control requirements, project phases, project budgets, and project deliverables.

Analysis: Second in line, the analysis phase involves resolving and filing the accounting and business processes carried by the organization. They are reformed in such a way to provide advantage of best practices or of the operating characteristics of modern system solutions.

The phase further can sub divided in to three main categories. They are,

 Data analysis: It is the complete analysis of the accounting information presently being gathered by an organization. These are then compared with the information that the organization has been previously for managerial purposes. Basically, this is used in planning accounting transaction processing systems.

 Decision analysis: It is the complete analysis of the decisions a manager is liable for making. They are considered as individual decisions and therefore are viewed on individual basis. It is determined by the help of models created to support the manager in collecting relevant information to develop and design alternatives, and to make actionable choices.

 Process analysis: It is the complete analysis of the organization's business processes. The processes are identified and divided in to series of events on the basis of adding and changing data. With some modification it improves the organization's operations in terms of lowering cost, improving service, improving quality, or improving management information.

Design: The design phase accumulates on the result produced by the analysis phase and builds up detailed, specific designs that can be applied in subsequent process. The process involves events such as designing of inputs, processing, storage, and outputs of the planned Accounting Information System. Here, the on going processing is shown with the help of flowcharts or business process maps that describes the system logic, operations, and work flow.

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