Transformation of Accountant Functions under Global Challenges

Abstract

The accountant's timely response to challenges is not only a guarantee of the survival and development of the profession itself but also a matter of the effective functioning of the economic system as a whole. Today, the methodical patterns of the accountant's daily work are changing, responding to the social, informational, and digital transformations of the economic environment caused by global challenges and the introduction of innovative technologies. In this case the accountant's functions can also transform and change. The article aims to determine the actual functions of the accountant and establish the essence of the influence of global challenges on them. Based on the analysis of approaches to the interpretation of accounting functions by Ukrainian and foreign scientists, a connection between accounting functions and the functions of an accountant was established. It was found that the accountant's role in the enterprise management system is represented by six functions: organization, communication, accounting, control, analytics, forecasting and planning. The accountant's functions do not exist separately but are in close interaction with each other and are divided into levels: Level 0 – system-forming functions; Level 1 – basic functions; Level 2 – management functions. It was found that accounting functions are affected by four groups of global challenges (technological, economic, political, and social). The consequences of such influence are as follows: an increase in the specific weight and value of professional judgment due to the automation of standard processes; the need to implement a more flexible and individualized work organization; the need to find competitive advantages in the global market; expanding the radius and increasing the speed of communication; increasing relevance of cooperation and communication within the professional social movement; separation of software control; expanding the number of factors to be considered; stimulation of increased planning flexibility; the need to work with non-financial indicators; the need to be able to react to unforeseen circumstances quickly.