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Accounting today hardly recognizable from that of 1979: technology, regulation, scandals shape the profession in a variety of ways.

Article Excerpt
To describe how accounting has changed in the past 25 years, just take a look at the desktop. Those big, heavy Remington Rand adding machines and heavy cardboard ledger books have been replaced by desktop computers and sophisticated software that generate reports with only a small percentage of the work needed a quarter-century ago.

Dr. Quinton Booker, chairman of the department of accounting at Jackson State University, said improved technology has affected the profession in many ways. This includes electronic work papers for audits, tax software for preparing tax returns, low-cost bookkeeping software and sophisticated integrated accounting and management information systems.

"Technology has allowed professional accountants to work more efficiently," Booker said. "More importantly, technology has allowed professional accountants to concentrate their efforts on higher-level skills that require professional judgment. From a resource allocation standpoint, this is very good. Also, these higher-level skills are truly what make accountants professionals, and these are the skills that are most often sought by clients."

Not all the changes have been in the technology. Regulatory reforms in the wake of the corporate accounting scandals have also changed the profession.

"The accounting profession has witnessed substantial changes in Mississippi over the past 25 years,"...

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