Ekonomski Vjesnik (Dec 2011)
Characteristics of Company Accounting Information System
Abstract
Information has always presented an important factor of human activity. As a resource that guided human activity, information was gathered, stored, analysed and distributed in different ways throughout the history. Today, information system is a necessity in the global business system. Globalisation processes have changed the traditional concept of doing business and brought about the need for information management as an integral part of overall company assets and rapid development of information and communication technology. Regardless of the benefits and advantages that may be offered by the systems, companies do business to earn profit. In this sense information systems should be considered as investment. Although investment costs can be determined relatively precisely, benefits offered by the systems are more difficult to measure and they require comprehensive consideration of all aspects of doing business to which the systems refer. Accounting is an information subsystem of the single information system of a company. Its purpose is to provide comprehensive, systematic and permanent presentation of data and information, based on documents that refer to all elements contained in business subsystems and the business system of the company as a whole. Information resulting from accounting and information system is contained in accounting reports, i.e. calculations, estimates and analyses within which it is presented to the management.
