The impact of Accounting Information System on the audit process Essay

The impact of Accounting Information System on the audit process - Essay Example In the field of accounting and auditing, the performance of functions has a great role in which auditors and accountants should expand their knowledge to adapt to these changes. Accounting information system (AIS) is the new way of preparing and analyzing financial statements in relation to technology advancement (Orwel, n.d.). This newly acquired system does not only end up to the preparation but also it extends up to the auditing process. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of accounting information system (AIS) on the audit process. It is important to know how AIS is affecting the audit process and on the work of the auditors and accountants. The focus is to give an overview, objectives and motivations, and some proposals of the implementation. According to Orwel (n.d.), â€Å"accounting information system (AIS) is a system of records, usually computer based, which combines accounting principles and concepts with the benefits of an information system...† Making the accounting activities with the use of computer makes it easier and time safe, but threats in data collection and data processing should not be ignored for it comes from variety of sources (Beard & Wen, 2010). Decision makers should have a control on the system so that threats can be avoided. Enormous amount is needed in the implementation of AIS, it is quite expensive for those small enterprises but the benefits can surpass the amount of investment (Salehi, et al., 2010, p.188). On the other hand, the appropriateness of financial information produced by an accountant is being examined by an auditor, either by operational, internal or compliance. It is the role of auditing to objectively evaluate the entries based on established criteria before the results are given to the interested users (Kelechi, 2007, p.14). The information subject for audit process is now computerized that is why auditors are disturbed whether the information in the system is reliable for