Download or read book The Reckoning written by Jacob Soll and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether building a road or fighting a war, leaders from ancient Mesopotamia to the present have relied on financial accounting to track their state's assets and guide its policies. Basic accounting tools such as auditing and double-entry bookkeeping form the basis of modern capitalism and the nation-state. Yet our appreciation for accounting and its formative role throughout history remains minimal at best-and we remain ignorant at our peril. The 2008 financial crisis is only the most recent example of how poor or risky practices can shake, and even bring down, entire societies. In The Reckoning, historian and MacArthur "Genius" Award-winner Jacob Soll presents a sweeping history of accounting, drawing on a wealth of examples from over a millennia of human history to reveal how accounting has shaped kingdoms, empires, and entire civilizations. The Medici family of 15th century Florence used the double-entry method to win the loyalty of their clients, but eventually began to misrepresent their accounts, ultimately contributing to the economic decline of the Florentine state itself. In the 17th and 18th centuries, European rulers shunned honest accounting, understanding that accurate bookkeeping would constrain their spending and throw their legitimacy into question. And in fact, when King Louis XVI's director of finances published the crown's accounts in 1781, his revelations provoked a public outcry that helped to fuel the French Revolution. When transparent accounting finally took hold in the 19th Century, the practice helped England establish a global empire. But both inept and willfully misused accounting persist, as the catastrophic Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Recession of 2008 have made all too clear. A masterwork of economic and political history, and a radically new perspective on the recent past, The Reckoning compels us to see how accounting is an essential instrument of great institutions and nations-and one that, in our increasingly transparent and interconnected world, has never been more vital.

Download or read book Accounting for the Public Interest written by Steven Mintz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-10-04 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the opportunities and challenges facing the accounting profession in an increasingly globalized business and financial reporting environment. It looks back at past experiences of the profession in attempting to meet its public interest obligation. It examines the role and responsibilities of accounting to society including regulatory requirements, increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility, accounting fraud and whistle-blowing implications, internationalization of public interest obligations, and providing the education needed to be successful. The book incorporates an ethical dimension in making these assessments. Its focus is a conceptual, theoretical one drawing on classical philosophy, the sociology of professions, economic theory, and the public interest dimension of accountants as professionals. The authors of papers are long-time contributors to the annual symposium on Research in Accounting Ethics sponsored by the Public Interest Section of the AAA.

Download or read book Accounts and Accountability in Late Medieval Europe written by Ionuţ Epurescu-Pascovici and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume stems from a conference organised in November 2018 at theUniversity of Bucharest in the frame of the European Research Councilproject CASTELLANY ACCOUNTS, "Record-keeping, fiscal reform, andthe rise of institutional accountability in late-medieval Savoy: A source-orientedapproach". Both the conference and the volume have received fundingfrom the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 638436).The volume traces the momentous transformation of institutions and administration under the impact of accounting records and procedures, c. 1250-1500. The focus on the materiality and organising logic of a range of accounts is complemented by close attention to the socio-political contexts in which they functioned and the agency of central and local officials.

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Accounting History written by John Richard Edwards and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-05-07 with total page 637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Routledge Companion to Accounting History shows how the seemingly innocuous practice of accounting has pervaded human existence in fascinating ways at numerous times and places; from ancient civilisations to the modern day, and from the personal to the political. Placing the history of accounting in context with other fields of study, the collection gives invaluable insights to subjects such as the rise of capitalism, the control of labour, gender and family relationships, racial exploitation, the functioning of the state, and the pursuit of military conflict. An engaging and comprehensive overview also examining geographical differences, this Companion is split into key sections, which explore: changing technologies used to represent financial and other data historical development of accounting theory and practice accounting institutions and those who perform accounting accountancy and the economy accounting, society, and culture the role of accounting in the government, protection and financing of states including chapters on the important role played by accountancy in religious organizations, a review of how the discipline is portrayed in fine art and popular culture, and analysis of sharp practice and corporate scandals. The Routledge Companion to Accounting History has a breadth of coverage that is unmatched in this growing area of study. Bringing together leading writers in the field, this is an essential reference work for any student of accounting, business and management, and history.

Download or read book Accounting Accountability and Society written by Mara Del Baldo and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the growing interest among policymakers, practitioners and academics in the evolution and the future implications of social, environmental and sustainability accounting. To do so, it examines the conceptual and practical application of accountability at multiple levels and contexts, and presents a range of case studies focusing on salient issues, perspectives and the potential of multidimensional accounting and reporting regimes. Intended for a diverse audience, the book allows readers to gain a better understanding of the topics, encourages dialogue and debate, and stimulates innovation in scholarship, policy and practice.

Download or read book Accounting Accountants and Accountability written by Norman Macintosh and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the business world, recent years have seen a growing acknowledgement of the value of intangible assets rather than physical assets. This has precipitated a crisis in the accounting industry: the accounting representations relied upon for years can no longer be taken for granted. Here, Norman Macintosh argues that we now need to understand accounting in a different manner. Offering several different ways of looking at accounting and accountants, he draws upon the work of eminent thinkers such as Barthes, Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard and Bahktin. In doing this, he develops revolutionary insights into the nature of accounting, pioneering the introduction of contemporary poststructuralist ideas into accounting theory and practice. With a wide range of examples and case studies and now available in paperback for the first time, this revolutionary new work will be essential reading for academic and professional accountants along with all those with an interest in the future of accounting.

Download or read book Public Sector Accounting Accountability and Governance written by Robyn Pilcher and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Funded by taxation, public spending cannot be separated from politics and ensuring efficiency and effectiveness is always high on the political and policy agenda. Accounting, accountability, governance and auditing are essential ingredients in evaluating public sector performance. Australia and New Zealand are world leaders when it comes to public sector accounting—such as being the first to introduce transaction-neutral accounting standards. This edited collection considers current issues impacting the public sector by primarily drawing upon experiences of Australia and New Zealand. Then, by combining history (from the time of the Domesday book, early sovereignty and Shakespeare) with current practice (differential reporting, international financial reporting standards, government performance, voter turnout, joined-up government and auditing practices), we use these experiences to illuminate the global issues of public sector accounting, accountability and governance. Based on rigorous research by top public sector researchers, this edited collection offers a multitude of future research ideas to enable those interested in following this pathway—whether they are in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States of America, Africa or anywhere else in the world—an avenue to traverse.

Download or read book Accounting History from the Renaissance to the Present written by T. A. Lee and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-06-23 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1996. This book summarises the Seminar held in Edinburgh in 1994 in the five hundredth year since the publication of Luca Pacioli's Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita. Its purpose is simple but relevant to every accountant. It revisits some fundamentals that lay behind Pacioli's decision to write his Summa, and examines whether the accounting framework in which we work today has overlooked basic issues because of its continued focus on development of the existing financial accounting model. It analyses Pacioli's legacy from several different perspectives, deliberately choosing to do so in ways that addressed considerations that his work reflected, examining the nature and characteristics of the bridge between academic analysis and insight on the one hand and practical application on the other. It also looks at the dominant influences in the evolution of accountancy for managing stewardship and for reporting of that stewardship. By doing so, it attempts to identify influences that had been less pressing and so had been ignored or overlooked, and also considers how changing technology has affected the way we manage the accountancy process.

Download or read book Creating The Big Mess A Marxist History Of American Accounting Theory C 1900 1929 written by Rob Bryer and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2021-07-15 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creating the 'Big Mess' and its sequel Accounting for Crises use Marx's theory of capitalism to explain why there is no generally accepted theory of financial accounting, and explore the consequences, by studying the history of American accounting theory from c.1900 to 2007. The answer, Creating the 'Big Mess', is first that while late-19th century British accounting principles, founded on the going-concern concept, provided an objective basis for holding management accountable to shareholders for its stewardship of capital, and were accepted by the nascent American profession, they are inchoate. Second, Irving Fisher's economic theory of accounting, based on the assertion that present value is the accountants' measurement ideal, which is subjective, framed early-20th century American accounting theory, which undermined British principles, making them incoherent. In an unregulated, pro-business environment, leading theorists, particularly Henry Rand Hatfield and William A. Paton, Jr., became authorities for management discretion, creating the 'big mess' Hatfield saw in late-1920s American accounting. Accounting for Crises examines the roles of Fisher's theory in promoting the speculation leading to the 1929 Great Crash, aggravating the Great Depression, hindering accounting regulation from the 1930s, producing the Financial Accounting Standard Board's conceptual framework, and facilitating the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis.

Download or read book A History of Corporate Financial Reporting in Britain written by John Richard Edwards and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-07-11 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A History of Corporate Financial Reporting provides an understanding of the procedures and practices which constitute corporate financial reporting in Britain, at different points of time, and how and why those practices changed and became what they are now. Its particular focus is the external financial reporting practices of joint stock companies. This is worth knowing about given the widely held view that Britain (i) pioneered modern financial reporting, and (ii) played a primary role in the development of both capital markets and professional accountancy. The book makes use of a principal and agent framework to study accounting’s past, but one where the failure of managers always to supply the information that users’ desire is given full recognition. It is shown that corporate financial reporting did not develop into its current state in a straightforward and orderly fashion. Each era produces different environmental conditions and imposes new demands on accounting. A proper understanding of accounting developments therefore requires a careful examination of the interrelationship between accountants and accounting techniques on the one hand and, on the other, the social and economic context within which changes took place. The book’s corporate coverage starts with the legendary East India Company, created in 1600, and continues through the heyday of the statutory trading companies founded to build Britain’s canals (commencing in the 1770s) and railways (commencing c.1829) to focus, principally, on the limited liability company fashioned by the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 and the Limited Liability Act 1855. The story terminates in 2005 when listed companies were required to prepare their consolidated accounts in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, thus signalling the effective end of British accounting.

Download or read book Accounting for History in Marx s Capital written by Robert Bryer and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accounting for History uses the accounting interpretation of Marx’s theories of history and value to explain and defend his prediction of the inevitability of socialism as the end of history. In addition to the technological and institutional development of advanced capitalism, Bryer argues that the key necessary conditions, are that workers see through capitalist ideology, understanding that Marx’s theory of value explains why the phenomenal forms appearing in capitalist accounts are distortions of the underlying social reality, and that demystified accounting is integral to his concept of socialism on Day One. To get to Day One, the book concludes, Marx left Marxists the tasks of critical accounting.

Download or read book Humanitarianism in the Modern World written by Norbert Götz and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-23 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh look at two centuries of humanitarian history through a moral economy approach focusing on appeals, allocation, and accounting.

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Qualitative Accounting Research Methods written by Zahirul Hoque and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 742 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Selecting from the wide range of research methodologies remains a dilemma for all scholars, not least those looking to study the world of accounting. Both established and emerging research methods are frequently advocated, creating a challengingly broad range of choices. Covering a selection of qualitative methodological issues, research strategies and methods, this comprehensive compilation provides an essential guide to the choice and execution of qualitative research approaches in this field. The contributions are grouped into four sections: Worldview and paradigms Methodologies and strategies Data collection methods and analysis Experiencing qualitative field research: personal reflections Edited by leading scholars, with contributions from experts and rising stars, this volume will be essential reading for anyone looking to undertake research in the qualitative accounting field.

Download or read book Reconnecting the city with nature and history written by AA. VV. and published by FrancoAngeli. This book was released on 2023-11-30T00:00:00+01:00 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1740.161

Download or read book Accounting For Crises A Marxist History Of American Accounting Theory C 1929 2007 written by Rob Bryer and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2023-07-07 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historians have not convincingly explained modern capitalism's two major economic crises, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008-2009. Accounting for Crises offers a new explanation, why both began and were more severe in the USA ('America'), based on an accounting interpretation of Marx's theory of crises. It explains their origins in capitalists' control of accumulation, which reveals important overlooked roles for Irving Fisher's accounting theory. This theory, by allowing discretion in accounts, in the context of falling rates of profit, encouraged 'swindling', overstating reported profits, and understating their risk, which facilitated and aggravated both crises. Framed by Fisher's theory, during the 1920s American accounting theorists justified discretion, which Creating the 'Big Mess' (the companion volume) concluded it management used to conservatively smooth earnings. Accounting for Crises shows that Fisher's theory , also underlays the popular new theory of investment that justified valuing shares using reported earnings, which encouraged their manipulation and legitimized 'speculation'. This, it argues, underlays America's exceptional late-1920s stock market boom, the 1929 Great Crash, and the depth and length of its Great Depression. Prominently associated with the boom, Fisher became unpopular after the crash, his name disappearing from public debate. Nevertheless, the book concludes, his theory hindered economic recovery, weakened 1930s reforms, undermined accounting regulation from the late-1930s, and following his rehabilitation from the late-1950s, underlies the Financial Accounting Standards Board's conceptual framework, which by allowing off-balance-sheet accounting for securitization-SPEs, fostered the 2007 'credit crunch' that triggered the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Critical Accounting written by Robin Roslender and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 703 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of critical accounting has expanded rapidly since its inception and has become recognised as offering a wealth of provocative insights in the wake of the global financial crisis. It is now firmly embedded within accounting literature and in how accounting is taught. Surveying the evolving field of Critical Accounting, including theory, ethics, history, development and sustainability, this Companion presents key debates in the field, providing a comprehensive overview. Incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives on accounting, the volume concludes by considering new directions in which critical accounting research may travel. With an international array of established and respected contributors, this Routledge Companion is a vital resource for students and researchers across the world.

Download or read book The Culture of Accountability written by Gianfranco Pasquino and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-09-06 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important book explores the cultural conditions that favour political accountability. It examines the channels through which accountability can be secured and the role that accountability plays in ensuring good governance. In addition to problematizing the notion of accountability, the book suggests that it is the product of three different—albeit, related—processes: taking account of voters’ preferences, keeping account of voters’ preferences, and giving account of one’s performance in office. It further explores the relationship between accountability and political culture by analyzing the relationship between accountability and religion, religious denomination, familism, civicness, secularism and postmaterialism, revealing that the level of accountability is influenced by the diffusion of post-material values and by the level of civicness in a given country. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students, and practitioners in governance, the political economy of institutions and development, democracy, and more broadly to political science, international relations, political theory, comparative politics, sociology, and cultural studies.