Choosing Accounting Software

3. CheckPoint: Choosing Accounting Software

 

 

 Due Day 4 [Post to the Individual forum.]

 

 Resource: “A Strategy for Finding the Right Accounting Software” at http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/sep2003/johnston.htm

 

 Write a 200- to 300-word response addressing the following topics:

 

 

o Identify the different types of accounting software.

 

o Provide the names of different software programs for each type of software.

 

o Discuss which companies would use each type of software(68).

There are four types of accounting software for businesses: Entry-level software, small to medium business software, small to medium enterprise software, and enterprise resource planning software. A few software programs available for the entry-level accounting are Quickbooks series, Peachtree, and Microsoft Money Small Business. Three accounting software names for the small to medium business are QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, Peachtree Special Edition of MAS 90, and TRAVERSE. For the small to medium enterprise, three software names would be ACCPAC Pro Series, MAS 500, Microsoft Business Solutions – Axapta, and SouthWare Excellence Series. A few software names for the enterprise resource planning are Oracle Financials, System21, and J.D. Edwards ERP.

New businesses or start-up companies would benefit from entry-level software, such as a new bookstore or a new jewelry maker. Small to medium business software is more for businesses who have been around a while but are still small such as a buy here, pay here car dealership or the herbal shop on the corner. Small to medium enterprises would benefit more experienced businesses such as companies with moderately well known names such as Papa Murphy’s Pizza or Circle K. The largest of these businesses being the Enterprise resource planning would be made for large companies such as Hewlett Packard or Hilton Hotels.   

Accounting Software Memo

4. Assignment: Accounting Software Memo

 Due Day 7 [Individual forum]

 Read the following memo:

Your department’s accounting software is extremely outdated and you have included the purchase of new software in this year’s fiscal budget. You have decided it is time to start looking into purchasing your company’s accounting software and have chosen someone in your department to undertake the task. You want to draft a memo for your employee to help guide her in the purchasing process.

 Prepare a 350-word memo discussing the factors to consider when choosing accounting software. Discuss why each factor is important and the risks of not considering each factor.

 Post your paper as an attachment(115).

MEMORANDUM

To: Joe Somebody

From: Susan Eldridge

Date: April 11, 2010

Subject: New Accounting Software

Good Morning,

After reviewing this year’s budget we have decided to update our accounting software. I would like you to look into the different accounting software and chose a program that will be suitable for our needs. I have the utmost confidence that you are up to this task and will choose a program that will fit our needs. You may form a team if so needed to accomplish this task.

You can coordinate also with the heads of some of the departments to familiarize yourself with their software needs to help you better choose the correct software for our needs. We need every department to be able to use the same system in order to cut costs on software effectively. Examine the different types of accounting software and determine if an upgrade to a different type might be needed. It may not be cost effective to upgrade software types at this time. Talk with our current software vendor to see if they have a suitable upgrade that might be useful and compare that one with some from other companies to see if switching companies could be in our best interests. You can request formal quotes from the various companies in order to get a better idea of exactly what costs we would be looking at if we go with that program. Do a little research on what current users think of the product and how their upgrades went. This may give us a better idea of what to expect in way of bugs or kinks when upgrading with a certain program.

It is important to choose a software program that does not exceed our needs nor fall short and that fits within our budget. After you have researched our best options for the upgrade prepare a chart showing the costs of each and what the difference between what each software offers. This may help you narrow your choices if you can see it all in a glance. Then let me know your top choices and why you think they will be the best. I would appreciate a weekly update on your progress.

Thank you and Good Luck.