Accounting Information
Systems: An Overview
Chapter 1

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Learning Objectives
•Distinguish between data and information:
▫ Understand the characteristics of useful information.
▫ Explain how to determine the value of information.
•Explain fundamental decisions an organization makes:
▫ Understand basic information needed to make them.
•Identify the transactional information that passes between internal and external
parties and an AIS.
•Describe the major business processes present in most companies.
•Explain what an accounting information system (AIS) is and describe its basic
functions.
•Discuss how an AIS can add value to an organization.
•Explain how an AIS and corporate strategy affect each other.
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•Explain the role an AIS plays in a company’s value chain.

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Data vs. Information
• Data are facts stored in the system

Benefit (i.e., improved decision making)
> Cost (i.e., time and resources used to get
the information)

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What Makes Information Useful?
There are seven general characteristics that make
information useful:
1. Relevant: information needed to make a decision
(e.g., the decision to extend customer credit would
need relevant information on customer balance from
an A/R aging report)
2. Reliable: information free from bias
3. Complete: does not omit important aspects of
events or activities
4. Timely: information needs to be provided in time to
make the decision
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What Makes Information Useful?
5. Understandable: information must be
presented in a meaningful manner
6. Verifiable: two independent people can

and vendors as well as other external organizations such as
Banks and Government.
• The AIS captures the flow of information between these users
for the various business transactions.

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Interactions Between AIS and Internal and
External Parties

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Basic Business Processes
• Transactions between the business organization
and external parties fundamentally involve a
“give–get” exchange. These basic business
processes are:
▫ Revenue: give goods / give service—get cash
▫ Expenditure: get goods / get service—give cash
▫ Production: give labor and give raw materials—get
finished goods
▫ Payroll: give cash—get labor
▫ Financing: give cash—get cash
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▫ Having efficient decisions means reducing costs of
decision making

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AIS and Strategy
• An AIS is influenced by an organization’s
strategy.
• A strategy is the overall goal the organization
hopes to achieve (e.g., increase profitability).
• Once an overall goal is determined, an
organization can determine actions needed to
reach their goal and identify the informational
requirements necessary to measure how well
they are doing in obtaining that goal.
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AIS in the Value Chain
• The value chain shows how the different
activities within an organization provide value to
the customer.
• These activities are primary and support
activities.
▫ Primary activities provide direct value to the

Data
Information
Information technology (IT)
Information overload
Value of information
Business process
Transaction
Transaction processing
Give-get exchange

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Revenue cycle
Expenditure cycle
Production (conversion) cycle
Human resource/payroll cycle
Financing cycle