ANDILE KHUMALO: Will accountants become extinct?
Society's relationship with business and the push towards integrated thinking are some of the trends that could make accountants either extinct or extremely important
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) recently commissioned a survey that seeks to forecast the future of the accountancy profession and the socioeconomic and technological dynamics that will affect both auditors and financial managers. Unsurprisingly, technology, society's relationship with business and the push towards integrated thinking are some of the trends that could make accountants either extinct or extremely important to maintain order in the world. Technology, says Martin Butler, is like a knife. Either you use it in the kitchen to prepare food, or it is a murder weapon. It is up to us to decide whether we use it to slice bread or arteries. For the audit profession, this analogy couldn't be more applicable. According to the Saica survey done by the Institute for Futures Research at Stellenbosch University, as much as it is an enabler, technology holds a number of threats to the profession and society that should not be disregarded. The most-publicis...
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