rcurl
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response 75 of 78:
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Feb 28 18:46 UTC 1998 |
They also write checks with a computer and printer...and they authorize
a number of departments to "write checks" on the authorized budgeted accounts.
When I order something from a UM account over which I have authority, a
computer somewhere writes the check and debits that account. If Grex
wants to budget by accounts, that's fine....but the checks would still be
"written" by the Accounting Office computer. The real point is to not
have conflicting authority over a single account. At the moment, Grex
just has one account.
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mdw
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response 76 of 78:
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Mar 1 07:22 UTC 1998 |
Many companies, in fact, *especially* often small companies, contract
out their payroll operations. But the reason there is not so much
scaling issues (although that's certainly a factor too) but because it's
complicated, high risk, and uniform across companies - so it's possible
for companies, such as ADP right here in town, to offer payroll services
for cheaper than most companies could do it for themselves. Rane and I
may be unusual in that the organization we work for *doesn't* contract
this out to ADP. This is all, of course, entirely moot for grex,
because grex doesn't have any salaries, its labour force is even cheaper
than hiring outside contractors, the total amount of money grex has is
too small to be worth anyone else's while, and because it would take
more effort to supervise an outside contractor to handle our money than
it would take us to do it ourselves.
Computers certainly do facilitate accounting. But this is has very
little to do with how the accounting is structured, and is *certainly*
not a substitute for good accounting practices. I'm sure our treasurer
would not be happy were we to require he dispense with the services of a
computer in handling our accounting needs, even though he is just one
person. Conversely, in the 19th century, railroads handled financial
and accounting needs far more complicated than grex is ever likely to
become, using no technology more advanced than that of the typewriter,
telegraph, and carbon paper--and a lot of hand powered ink dripping
pens.
Having said all that, I do in fact agree it's reasonable to have the
usual treasurer who handles most of the accounting needs, plus an
emergency alternate in case the treasurer falls off a ladder or
something. I also agree that it's reasonable to have that treasurer
write out the checks that pay for merchandise. But the correct reason
is not "because it's the only way to do it", or "because of computers" -
it's because it's the simplest, best way, to do it, given the present
size & structure of grex. Now, if our merchandizing efforts really
expand, and we start competing with mickey-mouse for space in department
stores, or we start selling merchandize in india, *then* it might be
time to rethink this strategy, and there *are* other solutions that
would be more appropriate.
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