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Accounting History

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Accounting history, very early:
  • Accounting has been around since man started to trade, thousand of years B.C.  Accurate records were even a necessity then for those that were involved in trading.

Double entry accounting invented:
  • The double entry type accounting that is used today was believed to have been invented in Italy during the late 1400's.  

Recent history:

  • In relatively recent history, the profession has been guided by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  These principles are intended to be the standards for the profession, which all Accountants must comply with.

  • The two organizations that are responsible for creating new principles (GAAP), are:

    • The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)

    • The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Scandals create new regulations:
  • Throughout history, scandals have created new rules and regulations.

  • Recently, the scandals of companies such as Enron, Tyco and Worldcom, have been the cause of new regulations.

  • These scandals cost many investors their life savings, and many employees their jobs.  This was due to improper and fabricated accounting.

    • The Sarbanes-Oxly (SOX) is the resulting regulation.

    • This regulation has been very burdensome and costly for many corporations, but is an attempt to force accurate reporting.

Basic Accounting Information:

Accounting Terms

What is Accounting

Basic Accounting Principles

Accrual Accounting

Accounting Internal Control

Accounting Formulas and Ratios



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