Reputation and commercialism: Did accounting have a golden age? The US audit profession 1929–1990

This paper argues that maintaining the CPA’s reputation, along with a collegial professional environment, were the central goals of the American audit profession through most of the twentieth century. Matthews (2017) and Lee (1995) contend that economic self-interest has always been the profession’s goal. This paper, based on extensive study of primary sources largely unused by accounting historians, argues that the existing record is not consistent with an economic self-interest thesis. Magali Larson argued in The Rise of Professionalism that professionals tend to pursue social status and collegiality over profit seeking. Auditors worked to maintain the quiet, collegial profession that enhanced their self-image as professionals, not businessmen. But this proved to be unsustainable as the American economy expanded and a market-based ethic pervaded American culture and government in the last third of the twentieth century.     

试论涉农企业发展的困境及成因——以杨凌农业高新技术产业示范区为例

本文在调查分析的基础上,对杨凌涉农企业的特点及困境进行了归纳,对产生困境的原因进行了剖析,提出的对策与建议有:建立杨凌涉农企业规范蓝本和稀缺急需人才激励机制,设立杨凌农业保险基金和杨凌涉农企业融资库,大力推广涉农企业的产品品牌战略。     

居民住房租赁核算及对消费率的影响——国际比较与中国的实证研究

城市化将使居民住房租赁消费成为居民收入与支出的重要组成部分.依据美国和其它发达国家的一般经验,本文分析深圳的居民住宅租赁调查案例,进而对京沪穗深进行对比研究,在此基础上测算了全国城镇居民住房租赁消费规模及时国民经济和居民消费率的影响.本文的主要结论是,居民住房租赁消费已经成为我国大城市的重要经济活动,并对居民消费率产生了显著影响.从全国范围看,随着我国城市化进程的推进,居民住房租赁是影响我国居民消费率的一个越来越重要的因素.     

从GDP核算看实体经济与虚拟经济

GDP是各国(地区或地方)反映生产总规模的核心指标。准确核算GDP需要有完整的基础资料和完善的核算方法,前者要按《国民经济行业分类》要求设计完整的统计制度;后者要在此基础上分清GDP与实体经济、虚拟经济的关系,再在SNA要求的基础上根据各国实际设计完整的核算方法。从GDP核算看,经济交易过程交易物的有用性是实体经济。实体经济生产形成GDP。     

明代地方官府赋役核算体系的早期发展

明洪武到弘治年间,州县官府的赋役管理从基本不依赖核算向需要且能够进行核算的状态转变。洪武、永乐时期,在官府体系内部,只有田赋被部分地纳入核算管理,其他赋役征发则完全或绝大部分无法计量,也没有计划性。宣德以降,地方官员吸收民间粮里阶层分担赋役负担的经验,在此基础上进行旨在“均平”的改革,以确保赋役的可持续征发。在探索均平之道的过程中,不同地方官员多采取量化赋役负担、预定征收计划、将派征对象标准化并进行摊派核算的方式。其中,田赋额等开始扮演摊派对象的角色。这开启了州县层面赋役征收核算体系的发展之路,也导致府、州、县与户、工等部及布政使司之间产生了赋役核算信息不对称,出现了二重会计结构。     

关于进一步完善我国会计法律规范的思考

我国会计的法律规范是以《会计法》为核心的。从1985年1月25日第六届全国人大第九次会议审议通过的中华人民共和国第一部《会计法》颁布实施以来,至今已经二十年了。在进一步深化国企改革,大力发展混合所有制经济的今天,我国将政府会计法规体系和企业会计法规体系合二为一的立法思想、会计立法类型的选择及现行会计法律规范的权威性等问题都是值得探讨的。     

Exchange Rate or Wage Changes in International Adjustment？ Japan and China versus the United States

I. IntroductionSeldom have the pages of the financial press in Europe and America been so full of graveeditorializing on the need for a major depreciation of the dollar to correct the “unsustainable”current account and trade deficits of the United States. Much of this international moralizingdirects the high-growth East Asian countries to stop pegging their currencies to the dollar– or, in China’s case, to allow a large appreciation of the renminbi before moving to unrestrictedfloating.…     

A Proposal to Replace 'True and Fair View' With 'Acceptable Risk of Material Misstatement'

This article examines argumentation factors which affect the truth of an audit opinion. We propose that the auditor's report be revised to replace the words 'true and fair view' with 'acceptable risk of material misstatement'. This would better align the communication of auditors with the characteristics of accounting information upon which they report. Adoption of the wording 'acceptable risk of material misstatement' will facilitate a better appreciation by users of financial statements of the accounting estimates in financial statements.     

Readability of accountants’ communications with small business—Some Australian evidence

This paper explores the readability of a new and non-corporate narrative area, accountants’ communications with small business. The distinctive motivations, agendas and interests of small business managers are considered. The findings are informed by rationales from Shearer's (2002) thesis on the influence of neoclassical economics on accounting discourse. The study finds low readability accentuated by potentially low reader interest with accounting documents composed according to conventional accounting's rules and statutory requirements. Higher readability and document content which informs small business managers’ interests is evident when accountants are not compelled to author documents with reference to these professional rules and legislation.     

Accrual accounting does not necessarily mean accrual accounting: Factors that counteract compliance with accounting standards in Swedish municipal accounting

The regulation of Swedish municipal accounting has undergone fundamental changes over recent decades. Municipal accounting became regulated by law the 1st of January, 1998 after having been merely voluntarily regulated in the past. In accordance with the legislation, a standard-setting body was formed, with responsibility for development and interpretation of generally accepted accounting principles for municipal accounting. Important aims of the legislation and reform were to suppress ‘creative’ accounting and to increase the level of harmonization and comparability. Using the lens of positive accounting theory as well as institutional theory, this paper describes and explains the impact of the legislation and standard setting in the Swedish municipal sector. We have used a triangulation approach, collecting data through a survey, documentary study and interviews. The overall results show that the reform has had a very limited impact on accounting practice. Compliance with accounting standards was in general poor. This result is in line with the assumptions of positive accounting theory. However, the study also shows that there are differences among the preparers which can be explained by institutional theory. Large municipalities produce better accounting information (i.e. more in line with generally accepted accounting principles) than the municipalities in general. Weak audit quality seems to be another important factor that explains the poor compliance with accounting standards.