THE CHART OF ACCOUNTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND PITFALLS

No matter what your level of sophistication in accounting and budgeting concepts, you surely know about the Chart of Accounts. Just because the term is familiar, however, does not mean that it can be ignored or taken lightly. Managers need to understand the basics on which the Chart of Accounts rests, its applications, the opportunities to use it to their advantage and even the “politics” of the term. With sophisticated and computerized accounting systems, it can be a useful information tool for librarians. We have organized this review under several management themes. Our hope is to help the experienced manager rethink something normally taken for granted and the beginning manager understand the basics of account structures.