CONSIDERATIONS CONCERNING THE ROLE OF ACCOUNTING AS INFORMATIONAL SYSTEM AND ASSISTANCE OF DECISION



Journal of Applied Economic Sciences

VolumeI_Issue1 (1)_2006

the representation of the company economic reality using a special language, specific rules and
principles. Therefore, the account information is built using a specific language, certain rules that
allow the coding and decoding the represented data, all these providing the methodical and
comprehensible representation of the economic reality. The utility of account information in financial
communication is tested in cases when receivers use it in order to understand the economic reality and
take decisions. So there arose the idea to define accounting as a “formalized language”, being
generically denominated as a “business language”, characterized by three dimensions:2

the accounting syntax represented by the group of rules and procedures which must be
followed in order to register the transactions and elaborate the synthesis accounting documents,
starting from the symbols forming the accounting vocabulary - in this case the stress is laid on the
representation function of the economic reality;

the semantics of accounting language which process the signification of the signs submitted
by accounting - emphasizing the informational function;

its pragmatic aspect refers to the communication of account information and the method of
use by different users - again the emphasis is laid on the informational function.

Describing the accounting under this form is characteristic to the present account view, this
change of perspective affecting both the external accounting reference - the normalization by
conceptual account frame defines the scope of financial situations as the submittal of information for
founding the decisions, and also the internal one - from a cost accounting becoming a managerial one,
the emphasis being laid again o its role to transmit information to the manager for taking decisions.

The accounting approached as an informational instrument, although its exceeds as explanatory
value the technical view over the accounting, but it has certain deficiencies, as it fails to offer a full
image, without taking into account a series of important factors. In this case arose the need to enlarge
the perspective over the accounting in order to point out also other side of it, occurring the idea
according to which accounting is a social intermediation instrument.

According to this view, as seen from figure 3, the measurement and informational functions are
send in a secondary plan, and in forefront are evidenced the consequences the account information has
over the social environment. Practically, it is realized the fact that choosing and applying certain
accounting politics have extremely important consequences over the reassignment of wealth and risks
between different participants to social life. In our opinion, the social role of accounting has to be
considered as a priority, as it offers the possibility to establish criteria depending on which is made the
reflection of reality and the information for different categories of users, in order to obtain the wanted
economic-social effects.

From the Figure 3 we can note that the offer for account information, their quality and also the
distribution process have to be approached in the context of accounting dimension and social function,
of social stake exercised by its products. Obtaining the account information takes place pursuant to
processing and interpretation of data, using some concepts and specific principle, applying several
methods and politics in order to reflect the economic reality of an entity and to offer the information
necessary to those who take decisions or who are interested in the respective entity.

Without any doubt, the accounting represents the main source of information for managing an
economic entity in order to administrate, forecast and control its activity. The company managers have
a privileged status on the market of account information, given by the double role they play as its legal
representatives: producers of account information, being responsible for the issuance and submission
of financial situation; users of account information. The information to which the internal users have
access to exceed the area of the published ones, the managers being able to request and dispose of all
information which the accounting system is capable to produce, both by financial accounting, and by
the management accounting, their unlimited and immediate access to these products creating a
informational asymmetry in respect to external users. In the same time, we consider that we must
mention also the fact that the managers use the account information both for founding the decisions
and also as an important communication method with external users, the submittal and publication of
financial situation representing the main transmission method of the accounting products.

2 Esnault, B.; Hoarau, C., (1994), Compatbilite financiere, Presses Universitaires de France.

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