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issue 794: Naming accounts

2005-01-19 08:59:54
Harald responds to Lynn
--On 16. januar 2005 19:34 -0500 "Lynn St.Amour" 
<st(_dot_)amour(_at_)isoc(_dot_)org> wrote:

The following three terms are used in this document, and it is not
clear if there is intended to be any difference between them:

   - IASA accounts (or IASA budget)

For "IASA accounts" in most instances it would be more helpful to call
them "IASA Cost Centers" (following ISOC's standard terminology), as this
more clearly distinguishes the accounting and reporting aspects (which is
what they are usually referencing) from the money/bank account aspect.

Lynn,

I actually disagree here.

The mind-picture I think we want to establish through using "accounts" is 
"rows of numbers that can be added up to get totals" - we want to know what 
it's costing, and where the money goes.

The mind-picture I get from "cost center" is "label applied to some group 
of activities".

I'd have no problem with ISOC saying to IASA "we propose that we implement 
the IASA accounts through the mechanism that we have built for cost 
centers", and I think it's very appropriate that you try to check that the 
BCP contains nothing that prevents you from doing that.

But I'd prefer for the BCP to continue using the term "accounts".


We have had a call with the accounting people from ISOC.
On that call, it was explained to me (and that explanation makes sense)
that in normal accounting terminology, one works with:

 - a cost center, which in our case would be the IASA cost center
 - General Ledger Accounts, which would be "accounts" within a cost
   center. So it allos us to separate out (or itemize) various types
   of cost and revenue within the IASA cost center.

Further it was made clear to me that the IAD and IAOC can arrange with
the ISOC accounting staff to define which General Ledger Accounts we
want to see. So that means IAD and IAOC can specify the level of detail
on which to itemize and keep track of cost and revenue. 

Lynn, pls correct me if I have not worded things correctly yet.

I think that meets our principle for transparency.
Kurtis (from the Transition Team) also agreed on that.

So I propose that I change the wording/naming of "Divisional Accounting"
into "Cost Center Accounting" and of "accounts" into "general ledger
accounts".

Bert

                    Harald

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