On the use of positive economic theory to explain the choice of accounting methods to financial accounting students

Leading financial accounting textbooks explain the choice of accounting methods in terms of the accountant choosing the method that best reflects the firm's financial condition and results of its operations for the period. In this paper it is argued that a more satisfactory way of explaining why firms choose particular accounting methods is in terms of positive economic theory. Relevant research results that can be readily incorporated into classroom lectures are summarized.     

A study of the perception of public accounting skills held by UK students with accounting and non-accounting carrer aspirations

This paper examines perceptions of the skills that are important for success in public accounting. The total sample consists of 203 respondents who have operationalized carrer interest by either applying to accounting firms (n = 107) or to other large companies for non-accounting positions (n = 96). Data was gathered using an attitudinal questionnaire administered to the two groups. ttests, ANOVA and multivariate analysis were used to analyse the results. Factor analysis was used to generate inputs for discriminant analysis. The finding indicate that bot groups have similar perceptions of the importance of analytical ability and deductive reasoning. However, respondents interested in entering the accounting profession attach greater importance to the possession of good interpersonal skills, empathy, sensitivity, innovation and creativity. Accounting applicants describe accounting as incorporating a wider skill repertoire than those with non-accounting aspirants. The implications of these differing views for carrer choice and accounting education are explored.     

A cross cultural study of the learning style of accounting students

This paper examines how individualism-collectivism, the core dimension of cultural variability, is reflected in the learning styles of accounting students in Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Australia represents the Western individualistic culture, and Hong Kong and Taiwan represent the Chinese collectivistic culture. Using Kolb's model this study shows that the learning styles of accounting students from Hong Kong and Taiwan are more abstract and reflective, as well as less concrete and active. Their Australian counterparts are more concrete and active, as well as less abstract and reflective. While the former exhibit the assimilation style, the latter represent the accommodation style.     

Information asymmetry and accounting restatement: NYSE-AMEX and NASDAQ evidence

We examine the impact of accounting restatement announcement on firms’ value and information asymmetry for both auction market (NYSE-AMEX) and dealer market (NASDAQ) using a public sample of restatement announcements from 1997 to 2005. In both markets, we document economically and significantly negative mean cumulative abnormal returns around the announcement dates. The restatements attributed to auditors are associated with more negative returns than those attributed to management and the SEC. However, there is no significant difference between market reactions arising from the core and non-core restatements. We also find a significant increase in volume, number of transactions, average order size, volatility, and various measures of spreads after the restatement announcement indicating that restatement announcements diminish company prospects and contribute to increased uncertainty and information asymmetry. Finally, we find that the information asymmetry in the NASDAQ market around the event date is less pronounced than in the NYSE-AMEX market.     

A comparison of the dominant meta programme patterns in accounting undergraduate students and accounting lecturers at a UK business school

Meta programmes are a means of describing the behavioural traits that a person exhibits when interacting with other people. An understanding of meta programmes can improve communication between individuals and this may have implications for teaching. The purposes of this study are first to identify the dominant meta programme patterns of first year accounting undergraduates at a UK business school. An earlier pilot study validated use of the Motivation Profile Questionnaire (MPQ) to elicit the dominant meta programmes of accounting lecturers at the same Business School (Brown, 2002). Secondly, the students' meta programmes are compared with those of their accounting teachers to identify whether there are any differences or similarities between the two groups. The matching of the meta programmes of the teachers and students would enhance communication whilst major differences in meta programmes would make communication more difficult. A sample of 62 first year accounting undergraduates and 20 accountancy teachers completed the MPQ. The results indicate that, on average, the accounting students have similar dominant meta programme patterns to their accounting teachers. The implications of the findings for improving communication and therefore teaching are discussed, along with the scope for further research.     

会计专业双语教学存在的问题及其改进

自教育部《关于加强高等学校本科教学工作提高教学质量的若干意见》的通知以来,全国高校创造条件使用英语进行专业课教学,如何开展才能确保高校双语教学的顺利进行已经成了教育管理者和社会关心的一个重要问题。本文就高校会计专业双语教学的现状进行了探讨和分析,并将理论与实务相结合,针对文中提出的种种问题做了具有可行性的建议。     

The rise of cost accounting: evidence from Italy

Accounting historians link the origins of cost accounting to the rise of manufacturing firms and, in a more detailed way, to efficiency control, pricing and decision-making problems faced in those organizations. To date, the international debate has mainly focused on practices in the USA, Great Britain and France, with little evidence available of developments in other countries, such as Italy. In this paper, the authors analyse the development of cost accounting in an Italian firm, 'La Magona d'Italia'. This iron, steel and tinplate firm, situated in Piombino, is observed over the period 1865-1940, i.e. during the central phase of the industrial revolution in Italy. We find that several factors influenced the implementation of a cost accounting system at Magona, including efficiency control, strategic decision making, and stock valuation. We also find a strong British influence on Magona's strategy, organization and information system, particularly in respect of finance, managers, technology and accounting practices. There is little evidence that Italian accounting traditions and practice played much of a role.     

Experiences in publishing peer-reviewed research with undergraduate accounting and finance students

This paper describes an educational program involving joint research projects undertaken between faculty and undergraduate accounting and finance students. The goal of the program was to provide undergraduate accounting and finance students a valuable educational experience resulting in a joint peer-reviewed journal publication. The paper discusses issues, concerns, and strategies that were successfully and unsuccessfully employed in conducting and publishing research with undergraduate students. The program was conducted over a six-year period, resulting in ten publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as several conference presentations, proceedings, and awards. Administrators should consider the program described here as one tool in their arsenal to help faculty maintain academic qualifications while simultaneously benefiting students.     

Generic skills in accounting: perspectives of Chinese postgraduate students

This study examines Chinese accounting students’ perceptions of skills required for a professional accounting position in Australia and of the emphasis placed on skills during their postgraduate Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) course. The study is motivated by concerns about international students’ inadequate generic skills and their difficulty in securing professional employment. We find that Chinese students perceive ‘communication skills’ to be the most important for their professional employment in Australia, but at the same time they tend to overemphasise technical skills and underemphasise other desirable generic skills.     

Theoretical studies of the historical development of the accounting discipline: A review and evidence

Many existing studies of the development of accounting thought have either been atheoretical or have adopted Kuhn's model of scientific growth. The limitations of this 35-year-old model are discussed. Four different general neo-Kuhnian models of scholarly knowledge development are reviewed and compared with reference to an analytical matrix. The models are found to be mutually consistent, with each focusing on a different aspect of development. A composite model is proposed. Based on a hand-crafted database, author co-citation analysis is used to map empirically the entire literature structure of the accounting discipline during two consecutive time periods, 1972-81 and 1982-90. The changing structure of the accounting literature is interpreted using the proposed composite model of scholarly knowledge development.     

国内外有关会计信息质量特征的比较研究

本文对各国有关会计信息质量特征的研究做了比较,提出了目前我国会计信息质量特征的首要特征。     

Contagion of accounting methods: evidence from stock option expensing

I examine how a firm’s accounting methods can be influenced by the choices of other firms, which I label contagion. I model accounting method choice as a combination of intrinsic propensities to adopt a method and contagion effects. I predict contagion of accounting methods occurs for two reasons: (1) adoption decisions of other firms are informative for the adoption decision, and (2) prior adoptions change the net benefits of the decision. I test these predictions in the stock option expensing setting where firms had the choice to use the intrinsic or fair value method. Using a firm-level diffusion model, I document evidence consistent with my predictions.     

小企业会计电算化系统实施研究

随着改革开放30多年来的快速发展,小企业在我国国民经济中占有非常重要的地位,是促进市场竞争和发展市场经济的基本力量。但是,我国小企业整体经济效益偏低偏差,经营管理水平相对不高,很重要的一个原因就是相当一部分小企业仍采用手工记账模式而没有实施会计电算化。本文正是基于此背景,详细阐述了我国小企业会计电算化系统实施现状及存在的主要问题,分析了影响小企业会计电算化系统实施的因素,并据此提出了一些促进小企业实施会计电算化系统的对策和措施,以便提高中国广大小企业的整体竞争力。     

Audit results,market reactions and accounting conservatism: evidence from China

This paper examines China's securities market reactions to publication of the audits of state-owned companies. The impact of audit reports on accounting conservatism is also discussed. Recommendations are made for improving the current system.     

How do accounting variables explain stock price movements? Theory and evidence

This paper provides theory and evidence showing how accounting variables explain cross-sectional stock returns. Based on Zhang, G. [2000. Accounting information, capital investment decisions, and equity valuation: theory and empirical implications. Journal of Accounting Research 38, 271–295], who relates equity value to accounting measures of underlying operations, we derive returns as a function of earnings yield, equity capital investment, and changes in profitability, growth opportunities, and discount rates. Empirical results confirm the predicted roles of all identified factors. The model explains about 20% of the cross-sectional return variation, with cash-flow-related factors (as opposed to changes in discount rates) accounting for most of the explanatory power. The properties of the model are robust across various subsamples and periods.     

Regulatory oversight and trade-offs in earnings management: evidence from pension accounting

Review of Accounting Studies - I develop approaches that quantify the use of discretion for the three main assumptions used for the financial reporting of defined benefit pension obligations: the...     

Need for achievement, need for affiliation and the academic performance and career intentions of accounting students

Booming enrollments have caused many universities to limit the size of accounting programs, with selection usually being determined by intellectual and past performance variables. It is proposed that two nonintellectual variables, need for achievement and need for affiliation also be considered as selection criteria. In this study, need for achievement correlated positively with overall GPA, the course grade in auditing, and intent to make public accounting a career. Need for affiliation correlated negatively with overall GPA and the course grade in auditing, and positively with time spent socializing with friends.     

The budgetary interview: Intentional learning for students in governmental and non-profit accounting

Learning-to-learn skills are critical to the future success of accounting students. This paper reports on a budgetary interview exercise that helps students develop as intentional learners. Students select a government or non-profit agency to investigate, arrange an interview with an agency official to discuss the budgetary process, write a technical paper on what was learned, and record their reflections on the experience. The budgetary interview exercise was implemented with undergraduate students in governmental and non-profit accounting courses over four academic years (one course per year). Effectiveness of the exercise was assessed via content analysis of student papers and reflections. Results indicate the exercise was highly effective in helping students develop intentional learning skills. Furthermore, students successfully connected classroom material to “real-world” practice, and most students reflected on potential careers in governmental or non-profit sectors. Appendices provide materials that instructors may use to implement this exercise.     

深入宣传贯彻会计审计准则 完善社会主义市场经济体制

2月15日,财政部在京举行会计审计准则体系发布会,发布了39项企业会计准则和48项注册会计师审计准则。发布会由财政部副部长王军主持,财政部部长金人庆、财政部副部长、会计准则委员会主席楼继伟、中国注册会计师协会会长刘仲藜出席会议并发表讲话,有关方面代表及国际会计准则委员会主席戴维·泰迪、国际会计师联合会主席格雷厄姆·沃德参加了会议并发言。现摘编有关领导的讲话,供大家学习、研究时参考。     

创新审计准则体系维护社会公众利益

依据科学、严谨的审计准则,对财务信息进行审计鉴证,保障经济活动有序运行,是政府、公众和市场对注册会计师行业的期待,是注册会计师职业的职责,也赋予审计准则建设者艰巨的使命.过去十多年来,在财政部指导下,中国注册会计师协会一直致力于审计准则的建设工作,陆续制定实施了一系列审计准则,这对于提升注册会计师的执业质量,促进注册会计师行业的专业化发展,以及服务于市场经济建设,都起到了积极作用.审计准则作为衡量与保障注册会计师执业质量的权威标准,已得到社会各界的广泛认同.