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Accounting Theory
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Accounting Theory

Four Volume Set
Edited by:


April 2009 | 1 584 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Financial statements, the output of a firm's accounting system, receive a great deal of attention, for two reasons. First, they assess how well management is doing now and second, they help predict the firm's prospects. However, accounting systems and financial statements do not arise in a vacuum. They are based on rules and standards that have been developed at the various national and, increasingly, international levels. In turn, these rules and standards are based, to a greater or lesser extent, on accounting theory.

In this major reference collection, accounting theory is taken as the basic assumptions, definitions, principles, and concepts – and how we derive them – that underlie accounting rule-making by a legislative body as well as the reporting of financial information. This major work starts with a philosophical overview of accounting, including accounting theory. Among some of the other issues examined are whether accounting is an art or a science and whether or not it can be value free. Also examined is the question of whether any "preconditions" are necessary to establish a viable approach to accounting theory.

As a reference work, Accounting Theory, compiled by industry expert Harry I. Wolk, will be a key resource for accounting students, financial statement preparers, and auditors, as well as standard setters themselves.

 
SECTION I: PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND
Accounting - A System of Measurement Rules

Devine, Carl
Radical Developments in Accounting Thought

Chua, Wai Fong
Accounting as a Discipline for Study and Practice

Bell, Philip W.
Why Can Accounting Not Become a Science Like Physics?

Stamp, Edward
Social Reality and the Measurement of Its Phenomena

Mattessich, Richard
Toward a Science of Accounting

Sterling, Robert R.
Methodological Problems and Preconditions of a General Theory of Accounting

Mattessich, Richard
 
SECTION II: INFORMALLY DEVELOPED ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS
 
A. Realization and Recognition
The Critical Event and Recognition of Net Profit

Myers, John
Recognition Requirements - Income Earned and Realized

Devine, Carl
The Realization Concept

Davidson, Sidney
 
B. Matching
Cash Movements and Periodic Income Determination

Storey, Reed
Some Impossibilities - Including Allocations

Devine, Carl
The FASB and the Allocation Fallacy

Thomas, Arthur
 
Conservatism
Conservatism in Accounting, Part I: Explanation and Implications

Watts, Ross
Conservatism in Accounting, Part II: Evidence and Research Opportunities

Watts, Ross
The Changing Time-Series Properties ofEarnings, Cash Flows, and Accruals: Has Financial Accounting Become Mor Conservative?

Givoly, Dan and Carla Hayn
 
D. Disclosure
Information Disclosure Strategy

Lev, Baruch
Corporate Reporting and the Accounting Profession: An Interpretive Paradigm

Ogan, Pekin and David Ziebart
Financial Reporting in India: Changes in Disclosure over the Period 1982-1990

Marston, C. L. and P. Robson
Corporate Mandatory Disclosure Practices in Bangladesh

M. Akhtaruddin
Corporate Governance and Voluntary Disclosure

L.L. Eng and Y.T. Mak
Ownership Structure and Voluntary Disclosure in Hong Kong and Singapore

Chau, Gerald and Sidney Gray
 
E. Uniformity
Uniformity Versus Flexibility: A Review of the Rhetoric

Keller, Thomas
Differences in Circumstances!: Fact or Fancy

Cadenhead, Gary
Toward the Harmonization of Accounting Standards: An Analytical Framework

Wolk, Harry and Patrick Heaston
 
SECTION III: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS
FASB's Statements on Objectives and Elements of Financial Accounting: A Review

Dopuch, Nicholas and Shyam Sunder
The FASB's Conceptual Framework: An Evaluation

Solomons, David
The Evolution of the Conceptual Framework for Business Enterprises in the United States

Zeff, Stephen
Criteria for Choosing an Accounting Model

Solomons, David
Objectives of Financial Reporting

Walker, R.G.
Reliability and Objectivity of Accounting Methods

Ijiri, Yuji and Robert Jaedicke
 
SECTION IV: ACCOUNTING FOR CHANGING PRICES
Replacement Cost: Member of the Family, Welcome Guest, or Intruder?

Zeff, Stephen
Costs (Historical versus Current) versus Exit Values

Sterling, Robert R.
A Defense for Historical Cost Accounting

Ijiri, Yuji
The Case for Financial Capital Maintenance

Carsberg, Bryan
Income and Value Determination and Changing Price Levels: An Essay Towards a Theory

Stamp, Edward
 
SECTION V: ACCOUNTING STANDARDS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Get it off the Balance Sheet!

Dieter, Richard and Arthur Wyatt
Political Lobbying on Proposed Standards: A Challenge to the IASB

Zeff, Stephen
A Review of the Earnings Management Literature and Its Implications for Standard Setting

Healy, Paul and James Wahlen
Relationships among Income Measurements

Bedford, Norton
Some Basic Concepts of Accounting and Their Implications

Lorig, Arthur
Economic Impact of Accounting Standards - Implications for the FASB

Rappaport, Alfred
An Analysis of Factors Affecting the Adoption of International Accounting Standards by Developing Countries

Zeghal, Daniel and Kerim Mhedhbi
The Relevance of IFRS to a Developing Country: Evidence from Kazakhstan

Tyrrall, David, David Woodward and A. Rakhumbekova
Political Influence and Coexistence of a Uniform Accounting System and Accounting Standards: Recent Developments in China

Xiao, Jason, Pauline Weetman and Manli Sun
 
SECTION VI: APPLIED ACCOUNTING THEORY
 
A. Income Tax Allocation
Comprehensive Tax Allocation: Let's Stop Taking Some Misconceptions for Granted

Milburn, Alex
Acccelerated Depreciation and the Allocation of Income Taxes

Davidson, Sidney
Discounting Deferred Tax Liabilities pp. 655-665

Nurnberg, Hugo
 
B. Leases
Lease Capitalization and the Transaction Concept

Rappaport, Alfred
Leasing and Financial Statements

Shillinglaw, Gordon
Accounting for Leases - A New Framework

McGregor, Warren
 
C. Pensions and Other Postretirement Liabilities
Alternative Accounting Treatments for Pensions

Schipper, Katherine and Roman Weil
A Conceptual Framework Analysis of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Accounting

Wolk, Harry and Terri Vaughan
OPEB: Improved Reporting or the Last Straw

Thomas, Paula and Larry Farmer
 
D. Consolidations
An Examination of Financial Reporting Alternatives for Associated Enterprises

King, Thomas and Valdean Lembke
Valuation for Financial Reporting: Intangible Assets, Goodwill, and Impairment Analysis and SFAS 141 and 142

Mard, Michael, James Hitchner, Steven Hyden and Mark Zyla
Proportionate Consolidation and Financial Analysis

Bierman, Harold
The Evolution of Consolidated Financial Reporting in Australia

Whittred, Greg
Foreign Currency Translation Research: Review and Synthesis

Houston, Carol
The Implementation of SFAS Number 52: Did the Functional Currency Approach Prevail?

Kirsch, Robert and Thomas Evans
Financial Accounting Developments in the European Union: Past Events and Future Prospects

Haller, Axel
 
E. Intangibles
Accounting for Research and Development Costs

Bierman, Harold and Roland Dukes
The Boundaries of Financial Accounting and How to Extend Them

Lev, Baruch and Paul Zarowin
The Capitalization, Amortization, and Value Added Relevance of R & D

Lev, Baruch and Theodore Sougiannis
Accounting for Brands in France and Germany Compared With IAS 38 (Intangible Assets: An Illustration of the Difficulty of International Harmonization)

Stolowy, Herve, Axel Haller and Volker Klockhaus
Accounting for Intangible Assets in Scandinavia, the U.K., and U.S. and the IASB: Challenges and a Solution

Hoeg-Krohn, Niels and Kjell Knivsfla
 
SECTION VII: POSITIVE ACCOUNTING THEORY
The Methodology of Positive Accounting

Christenson, Charles
Positive Accounting Theory: A Ten Year Perspective

Watts, Ross and Jerrold Zimmerman
Positive Accounting Theory and the PA Cult

Chambers, Raymond
Accounting and Policy Choice and Firm Characteristics in the Asia-Pacific Region: an International Empirical Test of Costly Contracting Theory

Astami, Emita and Greg Tower
 
SECTION VIII: THE TRUE AND FAIR VIEW AND PRINCIPLES VERSUS RULES-BASED STANDARDS
Principles Versus Rules-Based Accounting Standards: The FASB's Standard Setting Strategy

Benston, George, Michael Bromwich and Alfred Wagenhofer
The True and Fair View in British Accounting

Walton, Peter
A European True and Fair View

Alexander, David
Rules, Principles, and Judgments in Accounting Standards

Bennett, Bruce, Helen Prangell and Michael Bradbury
 
SECTION IX: INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING AND CONVERGENCE
The Introduction of International Accounting Standards in Europe: Implications for International Convergence

Schipper, Katherine
The Adoption of International Accounting Standards in the European Union pp. 127-153

Whittington, Geoffrey
Trends in Research on International Accounting Harmonization pp. 272-304

Baker, C. Richard and Elena Barbou
The Quest for International Accounting Harmonization: A Review of the Standard- Setting Agendas of the IASC, US, UK, Canada and Australia, 1973-1997

Street, Donna and Kimberly Shaughnessy
From National to Global Accounting and Reporting Standards

McKee, David, Don Garner and Yosra AbuAmara McKee
A Statistical Model of International Accounting Harmonization pp. 1-29

Archer, Simon, Pascal, Delvaille and Stuart McLeay
 
SECTION X: OTHER NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ACCOUNTING STUDIES
The Institutional Environment of Financial Reporting Regulation in ASEAN Countries

Saudogaran, Sharokh and J. Diga
Corporate Financial Reporting and Regulation in Japan

Benston, George, Michael Bromwich, Robert Litan and Alfred Wagenhofer
Accounting Theory in the Political Economy of China

Shuie, Fujing and Joseph Hilmy
Ownership Structure and Earnings Informativeness: Evidence from Korea

Jung, Kooyul and Kwon Soo Young
Accounting Developments in Pakistan

Ashraf, Junaid and WaQar Ghani

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Hardcover
ISBN: 9781847876096
$1,375.00