How CPAs use software.The speed with which computer software is being developed is mind-boggling. While white-hot competition is the key reason so many new and improved programs are being introduced, two other reasons contribute to the accelerated pace: the rapid acceptance of Windows, which requires new coding formats, and the decreasing cost of memory, which spurs publishers to develop programs that take advantage of the extra memory. In a survey of members of the American Institute of CPAs in public practice and in industry, it's clear that accountants are turning to these more powerful programs that are coming on the market. The survey results follow: Tax software. As is evident from exhibit 5, on page 42, the choice of tax software depends heavily on the size of the CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. firm and the company. The leaders are Lacerte, ProSystem fx, Fast-Tax, TurboTax, Arthur Andersen For the U.S. Supreme Court case commonly known as Arthur Andersen, see . Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms (the other four are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG), performing and 1040 Solutions. Time and billing software. Timeslips holds the lion's share of this business among small and medium-sized firms. In large firms, Practice Management holds the lead. And among national and international firms, customized products hold sway. Audit software. Of the brand products, Accountant's Trial Balance, Audit Program Generator See application generator. and Fast have most of this market. However, among national and international firms, customized products lead. Spreadsheets. Lotus 1-2-3 is still the leader in the spreadsheet market, but its share is eroding. Excel and Quattro Pro A Windows spreadsheet from Corel that provides advanced graphics and presentation capabilities, including goal seeking, 3D graphing and the ability to create multi-layered slide shows. It is optionally keystroke compatible with Lotus 1-2-3. are gaining in almost all accounting offices. Word processing word processing, use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and . WordPerfect is the leading word processor among public and industry accountants. Depending on the size of the office, between 55% and 82% use it. However, Microsoft Word A full-featured word processing program for Windows and the Macintosh from Microsoft. Included in the Microsoft application suite, it is a sophisticated program with rudimentary desktop publishing capabilities that has become the most widely used word processing application on the market. , a Windows product with many more features, is beginning to cut into WordPerfect's share, especially among large CPA firms, where 37% use it, and among CPAs who work for companies that are medium-sized (22%) and very large (18%). Databases. Among public firms, the old standby standby Medtalk adjective Referring to the immediate availability of a certain specialist–anesthesiologist, surgeon, who can be deployed in a medical emergency. Cf Concurrent. , dBASE still controls the database market (holding as much as 58% in one category), but the relatively new Paradox is gaining quickly. Among industry accountants, the trend is similar: DBASE is used by more than half of CPAs, with Paradox now holding about a fifth of the market. Database services. Remotely accessed databases or information services See Information Systems. are used in only 30% of all CPA firms. The most widely used database or information service is LEXIS, to which 16% of all CPA firms subscribe. In industry, about 35% of CPAs use outside database or information services. The most widely used are CompuServe and Dow Jones Dow Jones the best known of several U.S. indexes of movements in price on Wall Street. [Am. Hist.: Payton, 202] See : Finance ; about 10% of the CPAs subscribed to each. When asked why a business does not use an external database or information service, most accountants answered they had no need for them; others said they were too expensive. Only 25% of the responding CPAs say they are interested in communicating with other accountants nationwide through an on-line bulletin board. Approximately half of both public and industry accountants say they would use a computerized database comprising accounting publications of the American Institute of CPAs, the Financial Accounting Standards Board Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Board composed of independent members who create and interpret Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). , the General Accounting Office, the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accountants today are using more diverse types of application software to perform a wider range of accounting tasks than ever before. The results of this study highlight the significant influence computer technology continues to have on the practice of accounting. |
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