accounting

The principles and practice of systematically recording, presenting, and interpreting financial accounts; financial record keeping and management of businesses and other organizations, from balance sheets to policy decisions, for tax or operating purposes. Forms of inflation accounting, such as CCA (current cost accounting) and CPP (current purchasing power), are aimed at providing valid financial comparisons over a period in which money values change.

In the 20th century, especially in the US, the role of accounting has expanded into the realm of decision making, traditionally reserved to the economist. The accountant's role had been one of recording economic events for the purposes of stewardship. The increasing complexity of business organizations has led accountants into the areas of providing information to decision makers and even to prediction and analysis, both historically the function of economists.