Busy professionals sometimes update to new software without the
time to explore fully all the new features. The present authors will
summarize, in a quick and easy to peruse format, certain features and
applications accounting professionals may wish to consider. Some of
these tips may work equally as well with earlier versions. Further, note
that when users of these tips select a command such as Tools located on
the menu toolbar, they may need to wait a few moments for the full
submenu of options to appear. Alternatively, users can click the double
arrows at the bottom of the menu item such as Tools for the full list of
submenu choices to appear. Since some users may not have accessed some
submenu options before, the options may be nearer the bottom of the
submenu lists.
Research Task Pane Part I (W & E)
Description:
A new online service is the Research Task Pane. One uses this pane
to seek quickly research assistance from a dictionary, thesaurus, and
encyclopedia.
Actions:
Connect to the Internet. Open a Word or Excel document. Select
Tools located on the menu toolbar, choose Research, in the Search for
box that appears to the right of your document or spreadsheet, type a
word or phase such as unearned income. From the dropdown menu below this
box click the down arrow, click a reference book such as Encarta
Dictionary: English (North America), if necessary click the green arrow.
Review pane outputs. Note in a similar fashion, one can also use the
Encarta Encyclopedia, the Thesaurus, or all reference books. To close
the Research Task Pane, click the x in the right hand corner of the
Research Task Pane.
Results:
The definition of unearned income will appear.
Research Task Pane Part II (W & E)
Description:
A new online service is the Research Task Pane. One uses this pane
to seek research assistance from MSN Money Stock Quotes and from Thomson
Gale Company Profiles.
Actions:
Connect to the Internet. Open a Word or Excel document. Select
Tools located on the menu tool bar, choose Research, in the Search for
box that appears to the right of your document or spreadsheet, key a
company's call letters such as GE. From the dropdown menu below the
box click the down arrow, select a reference such as MSN Money Stock
Quotes or Thomson Gale Company Profiles, if necessary click the green
arrow.
Results:
Information about the company, General Electric Company, will
appear in the Research Pane. From the MSN Money Stock Quotes, with a 20
or more minute delay, users view the stock price high, low, last, and
much more. Links to access stock charts also are available. From Thomson
Gale Company Profiles, users view the company address, phone, web,
ticker, revenue, number of employees, and similar information.
Worksheet Refreshed with Information on Up to 20 Stocks (E)
Description:
One can automatically generate and refresh a worksheet containing
recent information on up to 20 stocks.
Actions:
Connect to Internet. Open a new Excel worksheet. Click Al. Select
the Data command on the menu bar. Select Import External Data. Select
Import Data. Double click MSN MoneyCentral Investor Stock Quotes. Choose
the Existing Worksheet selection. Click OK. In the Parameter Value
dialog box, type up to 20 stock symbols. For this example, key CYL MRK
WWY. Add one space after each stock symbol. Click Use this
value/reference for future refreshes. Click OK. Be patient and wait for
a few moments for the completed worksheet to appear.
Results:
A worksheet will appear including the three companies, Community
Capital Corp., Merck & Co., Inc., and William Wrigley Jr. Co., as
row headings. For each stock, MSN Money supplies columnar information
including the Last, Previous Close, High, Low, Volume, Change, % Change,
52 Wk High, 52 Wk Low, Market Cap, EPS, P/E Ratio, and # Shares Out.
Other charts and news also are available by selection of underlined
words.
Diagrams Including Organizational Chart (W & E)
Description:
Users can insert diagrams in a Word or Excel documents. These
diagrams include an organizational chart, interlocking circles, a
pyramid, and more.
Actions:
Open a new document. For this example, open a new Word document and
select a place for your diagram. Click that place with your Mouse
pointer. Select Insert from the menu bar, choose Diagram. Note your
choice of diagrams. Double-click the Organizational Chart. Note the
Organizational Chart tool bar automatically appears in your document.
Click each of the four blocks and key a name. Note an extra toolbar has
appeared within your Word document. With your pointer in one block,
click the down arrow called Insert Shape on the Organizational Chart
tool bar. Select subordinate. Note the addition of the subordinate block
to your organizational chart. Complete the name in the subordinate block
of the chart. To increase the font size of the names in any block,
highlight the name, right click on the block, select Font from the menu
that pops up, and change size as desired. Click OK.
Results:
Displayed below is an individualized organizational chart with
names. For demonstration purposes, the font size for Jane Smith's
name is larger.
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Clip Art (W & E)
Description:
Users can add clip art to newsletters and similar documents to make
them more attractive. However, when using clip art about accountants one
needs to be careful not to promote obsolete stereotypes. Some examples
will illustrate.
Actions:
Place your Mouse pointer on the location where you wish to place
clip art in a Word document. Choose Insert on the menu bar, select
Picture, choose Clip Art. In the Search For box, key accountant. Click
the Go box. Using the downward arrow, scroll through the pictures
provided. Select the one you wish to appear in your document by
double-clicking your choice.
Results:
Some examples of stereotypical clip art that, in the opinions of
these authors, no longer represent typical accountants and that are not
appropriate in accountant newsletters are as follows:
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The first picture above shows outdated dress and hairstyle, no
computer, and dull-looking work. The second picture appears to be a
"green" eyeshade accountant who is behind on his work, and is
using a manual typewriter to help him catch up. The third picture looks
like an accountant that is too busy to accept any new work. None of
these images would be appropriate in accountant newsletters.
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Some examples of better clip art, more typical of today's
accountants, and clip art that inject appropriate humor are as follows:
Although these examples are among the best clip art using the key
word accountants, they are not stellar. The first picture includes a
laptop computer, modern higher quality, stuffed furniture, and an
uncluttered executive desk. The second picture could be used to remind
clients that it is tax time, that they do not want to do their returns
in pencil but to allow you to process them using modern computer
software programs and a professional staff. The third picture shows an
accountant thinking about an important business decision.
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AutoSummarize (W)
Description:
Word will automatically summarize a document for you and present
the results in one of four formats. This feature is most useful when
someone sends you an extra long report.
Actions:
Open the selected lengthy Word document. Click Tools on the menu
bar, choose AutoSummarize. Note the four choices in the Type of Summary
section. Click on one of the four choices. From the drop down list in
the Length of Summary box, click the arrow, and choose the appropriate
length. The choices include assorted percentages of the original
document, a specific number of sentences, or a certain number of words.
Click OK.
Results:
As specified, users find the summary results highlighted in yellow
in the original document, summarized in front of the original document,
or summarized in a new Word document. This process also is interesting
to watch using your own document.
Thumbnails (W)
Description:
View a small copy of your document pages. Use this small copy to
help you navigate among the pages of the document and to visualize your
document.
Actions:
Choose View from the menu bar, select Thumbnails. To move to
another page in your document, click the thumbnail of other page. To
remove the Thumbnails, choose View, Thumbnails again.
Results:
On the left hand side of the Word document, a thumbnail miniature
of each page of the document appears. One can use these pages to move
among the pages of your document.
Short Cut for Frequently Used Text (W)
Description:
Users frequently key their own company name and other text. When
this text has an easy to remember short cut such as the company
initials, one can have Word change the initials to the proper company
name.
Actions:
As an example, let us use the name National Public Accountant. Drag
through the name, National Public Accountant, used in any Word document.
Select Insert from the menu bar, select AutoText, New, type NPA, and
click OK. Subsequently when you key NPA and then depress the F3 key, the
full name will replace your keyed initials in your Word document.
Results:
The NPA that you keyed will display in your document as National
Public Accountant.
Creating a Table without Excel (W)
Description:
COPYRIGHT 2005 National Society of Public
Accountants Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights
reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.