Factors Influencing the Presence of Ethics and CSR Stand-alone Courses in the Accounting Masters Curricula: An International Study

Abstract

This paper provides a web-content analysis of the curriculum and subjects of the top accounting and auditing masters identified in the Eduniversal 2012–2013 ratings of the best business schools in the world. The main aim of this study is to analyze the influence exerted by different factors on the extent to which accounting programs are incorporating ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) stand-alone courses. The findings of this study do not offer a very optimistic outlook on the extent to which the accounting and auditing top masters ranked by the Eduniversal ratings are offering stand-alone courses related to ethics and CSR. Also, the findings suggest that the presence of ethics and CSR stand-alone subjects in the accounting and auditing masters analyzed is partially explained by the size and the cultural influence exerted by the geographical location.     

The Equity Accounting Saga in Australia: Cyclical Standard Setting

Equity accounting in Australia has had a long, chequered history. This article examines that history by reference to a succession of six Exposure Drafts, one Statement of Accounting Practice and two Standards issued between 1968 and 1995. We adapt Nobes' (1991, 1992a. 1992b) cycle model of regulation to explain variation in 'standardization' across these documents. Nobes defined 'standardization' to mean the restriction of choice in accounting methods but we modify the concept to allow for measurement rule 'improvements' and changes in required disclosure levels. Nobes' cycle model has four stages: a starting point of varied practice: energy inputs, often crises, drawing attention to the issue at hand: forces opposing and forces in favour of standardization. A cycle- like pattern of variation in standardization emerges in the present context. Potential shortcomings of the cycle model are addressed, including Skerratt and Whittington's (1992) criticisms of Nobes' cycle model. The article extends the literature with respect to a cyclical explanation of the standard setting process. The cycle pattern evident here reflects a slow and incomplete resolution of various conceptual and legal difficulties in regulating equity accounting in Australia.     

Patterns of Research Output in the Accounting Literature: A Study of the Bibliometric Distributions

This study examines whether any regularity exists in the publication pattern among accounting researchers. The empirical results reveal that a strong bibliometric regularity exists in the accounting literature: the number of authors publishing in papers is approximately 1/ n ^c of those publishing one paper. It is shown that the accounting literature conforms very well to the model with c=1.872 if data are taken from a large collection of journals. When applied to individual journals, the result shows that values of c range from 2.220 to 4.368. The graduates of seven graduate programs are found to account for more than one-third of the most prolific authors, indicating strong institutional dominance in the production of accounting literature.     

建立我国独立税务会计的思考

目前,我国实行的财务会计与税务会计的混合模式,影响了财务会计信息和税务会计信息的质量,进而影响了会计目标的实现,因此,我国应尽快确立以所得税和增值税为主体的复合制独立税务会计模式,构建我国税务会计概念框架,建立我国税务会计账簿体系.     

论会计在实体经济与虚拟经济互动中的传导作用

论文探讨会计在经济体系(由实体经济与虚拟经济组成)中的作用方式及其后果。实体经济与虚拟经济基于二者之间的价值联系而互动,会计是实体经济与虚拟经济互动运行中的信号传导机制。会计真实反映的特点决定了会计计量会如实反映市场价格波动,并通过财务报告披露的传导、信息使用者非理性行为放大市场价格波动幅度,如此,会计与虚拟经济、实体经济形成一个循环因果累积的过程。经济发展的波动性和周期性是这个循环因果累积过程的结果。论文从宏观视角认识会计的经济角色,解读会计与经济周期性波动的关系,推演出会计信息披露和信息使用的改革方向。     

基于产权行为研究的人力资源会计模式再造

对于人力资源会计的艰苦探索,至今仍一直园囿在成本会计与价值会计之间,一方面完全忽视对人力资源作为会计的对象所据以被引入其处理流程的会计事项之确认,另一方面却盲目强调会计模式对人力资源的成本与价值之计量。事实上,这不仅没有真正再现其投资的成本与所产出的价值,而且也没能最终确立一个完整的对人力资源之会计模式。鉴于此,有关的研究可以着眼于对人力资源的产权运作过程进行深入地分析,把所涉及的主体之产权行为系统地划分为人力资源产权投资和人力资源产权交易两种运作形式,以及由之而导致的人力资本收益分配一种运作结果,在此认识基础上,据以再造人力资源的会计模式。     

Accounting, post-productivism and corporate power in UK food and agriculture

‘In modern capitalism purchase and sale of manufactured foods is as fundamental to social existence as the exchange of a whole gamut of other commodities’ [Giddens, A. The constitution of society. US: University of California Press; 1984, p. 259]. Behind the production of food are networks of people, transactions and accounting that have rarely been examined by accounting researchers. The ‘agri-food’ sector is conflict-ridden and affects all but a very few of the world's population. This paper examines one segment of the industry – the UK – and explores certain elements that impact on the accounting environment of that industry. These are the move towards so-called post-productivist approaches by agricultural businesses and the considerable, yet not always obvious, influence of large agri-food corporations. The shifting asymmetries of power in the sector, which covers farmers, Government and an extensive service sector as well as corporations, are explored using aspects of domination in structuration theory, to elucidate the difficulties faced by farmers that force them to engage with accounting.     

Accounting measures and international pricing models: Justifying accounting homogeneity

We study the importance of homogeneous accounting data when testing international versions of asset pricing models. Specifically, we focus on a pricing model commonly used by practitioners – the Fama–French three-factor model – which uses accounting information and has traditionally performed poorly at the cross-country level. We show that international versions of the model perform significantly better if the accounting information is homogeneous across firms. We apply the model to a set of firms that follow common accounting standards – the IAS/IFRS – and also to firms that have issued ADRs in the US – and therefore must report following both US GAAP and their own domestic standards. In both cases our results show that the accounting dimension is relevant: the use of homogeneous accounting measures allows for much higher goodness-of-fit of international versions of the three-factor model, at levels similar to those of domestic versions and superior to those of non-homogeneous versions. This suggests that further accounting homogeneity could lead to more accurate pricing and valuation of international assets and to an improvement of the efficiency of international fund allocation.     

The “real” cultural significance of accounts

Typically, accounting is portrayed as a passive information service, dedicated to faithfully reporting on economic reality. This paper, in contrast, investigates the re-presentional aspects of accounting, and the part it plays as a symbolic, cultural and hegemonic force, in struggles over the distribution of social income. The issues are examined empirically through the publishing patterns of the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Review, and Fortune magazine between 1960 and 1973. Chronicling the changes in accounting literature is not our primary concern however. Rather, this work explores the relationships between accounting discourses and the conditions of social conflict in which these discourses are embedded. The evidence suggests that: different accounting journals specialize in different rhetorical functions; that these functions are discharged in harmony with other media and cultural forces (data on Fortune's discursive practices is provided for comparison); and that, over time, the discursive roles of accounting journals change with the evolving hegemonic climate. This paper contends that viewing accounting literature as disinterested inquiry or rigorous scholarship understates the social origins of research. Instead, we suggest that discursive accounting practices are more productively regarded as ideological weapons for participating in conflicts over the distribution of social wealth.     

Development of accounting regulation in Jordan

This study examines the development of accounting regulation in Jordan with emphasis on the dominant environmental factors that influence it. In order to have a better understanding of Jordan's present accounting practices, and its future development tendencies, we examine the path of accounting in Jordan since the early days of the nineteenth century, and analyze how Jordan's accounting environment — political, economic, legal and cultural — influenced the development of accounting in Jordan. We also examine Jordan's recent move towards full adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and find that Jordan's colonial past has exerted a strong influence. In addition, we conclude that political and economic factors, through privatization and the resulting accounting reforms, contributed more to the development of accounting practices than other environmental factors. Privatization led to reforming Jordan's disclosure regulation and laying down of the corporate-governance policy framework. Our conclusions could be of interest to other countries, particularly developing countries, who want to improve the quality of their accounting disclosures and practices.     

Who Influences the Design of Management Accounting Systems? An Exploratory Study

This paper outlines the results of an exploratory, survey‐based study of the relative influence of managers and management accountants on management accounting system (MAS) design. The findings reveal that, on average, corporate management have the stronger influence on MAS design. However, the strength of their influence does vary both across firms and the sub‐areas of management accounting and, in a significant number of cases, the management accountants’ influence is the greater. The results, therefore, suggest that the processes by which MASs evolve differ across firms due to the variation that exists in the influence exerted by these two parties in MAS design. This finding is significant for researchers studying change and difference in management accounting practice.     

Ownership, Investor Protection and Earnings Expectations

Abstract:  This study examines the interactive influence of corporate ownership, corporate governance and investor protection on the incorporation of current value shocks in the accounting earnings of European companies. This influence is investigated not only by means of the association between current news and current earnings but also with respect to the association of the same news with expected future earnings, and its persistence. Consistent with the contractual explanation of accounting conservatism, it is shown that the accounting behaviour examined is a function of the demand created by shareholders, and that the institutional arrangements in force are of lesser significance in the presence of widely held ownership. On the other hand, greater separation between supervision and management and stronger investor protection are seen to be influential under close ownership, as these are shown to curb aggressive accounting in the form of a persistently lower recognition of bad news in earnings. Evidence is also provided that stricter corporate governance practices in Europe can substitute for weaknesses in investor protection provisions in law.     

Detecting Accounting Fraud in Publicly Traded U.S. Firms Using a Machine Learning Approach

We develop a state-of-the-art fraud prediction model using a machine learning approach. We demonstrate the value of combining domain knowledge and machine learning methods in model building. We select our model input based on existing accounting theories, but we differ from prior accounting research by using raw accounting numbers rather than financial ratios. We employ one of the most powerful machine learning methods, ensemble learning, rather than the commonly used method of logistic regression. To assess the performance of fraud prediction models, we introduce a new performance evaluation metric commonly used in ranking problems that is more appropriate for the fraud prediction task. Starting with an identical set of theory-motivated raw accounting numbers, we show that our new fraud prediction model outperforms two benchmark models by a large margin: the Dechow et al. logistic regression model based on financial ratios, and the Cecchini et al. support-vector-machine model with a financial kernel that maps raw accounting numbers into a broader set of ratios.     

The Role and Current Status of IFRS in the Completion of National Accounting Rules – Evidence from Ireland

Abstract

We examine the extent to which International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) are used as a reference point and as a basis for the development of accounting standards in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). In particular, the focus is on accounting standards applicable to entities other than those listed on a regulated EU market. The objective is to provide a deeper understanding of the direct and indirect effect of IFRS on accounting standards applicable predominantly to private companies limited by shares in ROI. We illustrate how the historical links between the UK and ROI continue to influence accounting standards applicable in ROI. The enactment of the Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016 into ROI law will maintain the traditional alignment of UK and ROI accounting regulation, whilst simultaneously bringing into force the remaining aspects of the EU Accounting Directive 2013/34/EU, not currently applicable in ROI.     

关于单位负责人作为本单位会计责任主体的思考

新修订的《会计法》已于今年7月1日正式实施了。为配合《会计法》的宣传落实，排解单位负责人的疑虚，试从单位负责人有哪些会计责任、为什么单位负责人是本单位会计责任主体、单位负责人应如何保证本单位会计工作和会计资料真实完整三方面谈谈个人的认识。     

Precision in Accounting Information, Financial Leverage and the Value of Equity

Abstract:  Using an equity valuation model characterized by periodic imperfect accounting information, we examine how financial leverage affects a firm's accounting quality choice (i.e., precision). We find that the existence of financial leverage motivates firms with average to good performance to prepare accounting information with a high degree of precision. However, we conclude that when a firm is performing poorly it has an incentive to reduce accounting precision in order to lower the likelihood of both a debt covenant violation and the detection of accounting bias.     

Accounting regulation, inertia and organisational self-perception: Double-entry adoption in a Spanish casa de comercio (1829-1852)

This paper analyses the influence exerted by compulsory mechanisms and cognitive and social factors on the adoption and implementation of double-entry bookkeeping. The study focuses on a small, commercial and family owned company located in Spain in the period 1829-1852. As our main conclusion we suggest that the adoption of double-entry bookkeeping in 1851 was influenced more by the managers' self-perception as traders, and the belief (internal and environmental) that the company must employ an accounting method appropriate to its new commercial status, than by State pressures derived from the enactment of a new accounting regulation in 1829.     

Objectivity in accounting

This paper defends the possibility of objectivity in accounting. The views presented are shaped by the antirepresentationalist philosophy of Donald Davidson, and in particular by the conviction that objectivity can and must be founded upon intersubjectivity. A critique of Shapiro’s [Shapiro, B. (1997). Objectivity, relativism and truth in external financial reporting: What’s really at stake in the disputes. Accounting Organizations and Society, 22(2), 165–185; Shapiro, B. (1998). Toward a normative model of rational argumentation for critical accounting discussion. Accounting Organizations and Society, 23(7), 641–664] essentially representationalist analysis of the presuppositions of financial reporting, and an exploration of the metaphor of accounting as a language, are used to elucidate the antirepresentationalist view of accounting advanced in the paper. The elucidation continues through a reconsideration of the question of presuppositions of accounting, and the issue of the politicization of accounting: it is concluded that accounting has no philosophical presuppositions, and that the difference between desirably objective and politically distorted accounts essentially lies in the practices carried out in the name of each.