The traditional view of accountants as
merely ‘bean counters’ is slowly becoming
a thing of the past. For centuries,
accountants have been employed to
report on the numbers. They have sat
there in their little corner, surrounded by
stacks of paper and computer printouts,
and have told us whether or not we have
made a profit. But more and more,
accountants are finding that management
doesn’t need them to report on the
numbers. With today’s technology,
management already has access to
software programs which do this work for
them.
So what will the future accountant do?
According to Mr Hamilton-Smythe, the
Managing Director of KHZ Enterprises,
the large international manufacturing
company, accountants will be employed
“to help companies change the numbers.
Their expertise, and knowledge of the
business will be called upon to prepare
strategies. They will become consultants
and advisers. And their skills will need to
change accordingly. They will be involved
in international meetings, in giving presentations,
running international teams,
writing reports and making decisions.”
This is going to require a significant
change in the general public’s opinion of
accountants, who in turn will need to
develop skills not traditionally associated
with the job. The image of the guy in the
corner with the stacks of paper will
change to one of a high flyer, someone
who is critical to the success of the
organization.