(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

History and Basics of Accounting


Merchants soon dealt with an enormous amount of money and transactions; they needed a more efficient and standardized way to account for it than how the ancients did. In 1494, Frater Luca Bartolomes Pacioli made famous the double entry bookkeeping method, which was the first time there had been anything close to a unifying standard in accounting. While Pacioli never claimed credit for the invention of double entry bookkeeping, according to ACAUS, he was, however, responsible with the polishing and popularizing of the concept in his book Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita. Johannes Gutenberg's printing press would prove useful in facilitating widespread distribution, including translation of the book in five major languages. The standard Pacioli set for accounting in Renaissance-era Europe was not only good enough for five hundred years ago, it has even persisted to the modern day; any modern accountant should be able to read his book and understand and recognize the steps. All this has solidified Pacioli's place in history as the "Father of Accounting." .
             What exactly is an accountant? To define this, first we must define bookkeeping as bookkeeper's duties consist of the first half of the accounting process. Dr. Zeshawn Beg defines bookkeeping as "keeping detailed records of the financial transactions for a business," which is generally only the day-to-day transactions of the business. Bookkeepers are intimately familiar with debits and credits, which are money owed to and owed by the business, respectively, and this system of debits and credits is the foundation for the double entry bookkeeping system. For every transaction that takes place, at least two accounts are affected, and this redundancy helps minimize errors. Often, the responsibilities for bookkeeping are divided between accounts payable and accounts receivable. Accounts receivable clerks are the bookkeepers who deal with things owed to the business, like recording payments or issuing bills and invoices.


Essays Related to History and Basics of Accounting


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question