Explain four trends that are contributing to the additional roles of the modern accountant.

First, there are fewer restrictions from physical and geographic boundaries. With increasing globalization many foreign-based firms are interacting with firms based elsewhere around the world. Coupled with modern technology, accountants and clients in other countries are working together remotely. An accountant based at a company office, or at an office-in-the-home, in Calgary, Alberta, can provide services to a client located in Singapore. Second, social media have changed relationships and the way business is conducted. Modern accountants establish professional relationships through active participation through social media. No longer do CPAs rely solely on face-to-face interactions at occasional professional meetings. Social media such as LinkedIn provide platforms at-your-fingertips for remote interactions allowing exchanges of (non-critical) information, professional advice, and temporary collaborations among accountants to serve clients in need of particular skill sets. New business opportunities arise, too, when accountants use a social networking presence to establish their business reputations. Third, accountants must be effective communicators. Communication skills are vital in the modern accountant's role in advising clients on global business trends and strategic perspectives. The accountant's thorough knowledge, to be leveraged into meaningful advice, must be communicated to clients on time, clearly and convincingly, both verbally and in writing. Effectiveness can be critical in a variety of communications contexts, ranging from formal presentations, to interactive group meetings, to one-to-one informal conversations, either face to face or remotely. Fourth, accountants are increasingly serving as project managers because they provide guidance on the client's strategy, overall operations, and business development. These broad-based issues typically involve large-scale teams of specialists requiring long-term participation in activities such as financial forecasting, product and process engineering, financial interpretations, cost estimation, and human resources analysis. Success depends on the project manager's ability to decompose the project into manageable tasks, gain acceptance of task assignments, encourage timely reporting by task groups, and merge the project's many steps into coherent conclusions.