AAT Comment: Should Oxford Dictionary change the definition of an accountant?

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How would you define your role as an accountant?

Earlier this year, accounting software specialists Xero, started an online petition to change the Oxford English Dictionary definition of an account. Currently the role is defined as ‘a person whose job it is to keep or inspect financial accounts’ Xero believe this should change to ‘a person whose job it is to keep or inspect and advise on financial accounts’.

Xero’s managing director Gary Turner said in an open letter to the dictionary: “Today, an accountant doesn’t just crunch the numbers and observe financial operations, but so much more.”

So would a change in wording reflect better what accountants do these days? Is accountancy unfairly seen as simply, number crunching? And is the definition so out of date that it might put off others from joining the profession?

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