Common body of knowledge of CPAs;

              The Common Body of Knowledge of CPAs
by ELMER G. BEAMER Partner, Cleveland Office
*Presented before the Annual Meeting of the American Insti­tute
of Certified Public Accountants, Chicago—October 1961
THERE are many CPAs today in practice thirty years or more who
well remember the circumstances of their first jobs. Some of them are college graduates, but many of them are not. Some would testify that the key question asked them by the prospective employer was whether they had any general-ledger bookkeeping experience. This was the prerequisite for a start in public accounting. The ambidex­trous
junior, the one who checked with both hands, was a real find, and if he could check with both hands simultaneously he "had it made." How times have changed! We of that vintage have lived through an exciting growth of a dynamic accounting profession. Its members, the CPAs, are accepting ever-increasing responsibility for the fast-growing accounting function. The growing body of knowledge both of the accounting function and of the accounting profession has brought about radical changes in education and in the characteristics required for the profession. And there is no leveling-off in sight!
Let us now get back to earth and look at some of the expressions used in the statements just made and consider some of the questions they raise.
WHAT IS THE ACCOUNTING FUNCTION?
In 1949 William A. Paton referred to the two closely related phases of accounting: "(1) measuring and arraying economic data; (2) communicating the results of this process to interested parties."
The term accounting function was originated by the American Institute of CPAs' Long-Range Planning Committee. Herman Bevis of that Committee has defined it as the measurement and communication of economic data. Many are engaged in this activity: bookkeepers, clerks, operators of equipment, auditors, controllers, tax experts, and
* Note. The subject of The Expanding Body of Knowledge of CPAs has had serious consideration in recent months by the Executive Committee and by members of the staff of the American Institute of CPAs. The Executive Director has pre­pared
comprehensive memoranda for the Executive Committee. Much of the material in this paper was drawn from these discussions and memoranda, but the views expressed and conclusions reached are those of the author, and do not necessarily coincide with the views of the members of the Executive Committee, Institute staff, or the other partners of his Firm.
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