Accounting History current issue

Editorial

Carnegie, G., West, B. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

Consolidating the public accountancy profession: The case of the proposed Institute of Chartered Accountants of Great Britain, 1988--9

Lee, T. A. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

This article examines a 1988 proposal to consolidate the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) into the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Great Britain (ICAGB). During the debate on the proposal, it became clear it was associated with the viability of the ICAS and the self-interest of the largest training firms. The proposal failed in 1989 when it was accepted by ICAEW members but rejected by ICAS members. The first objective of this article is the detailed reporting of the ICAGB proposal to provide a historical record. The second objective is an analysis of the proposal to identify significant themes relevant to the history of professionalization in accountancy. These themes include managing a professional project, the influence of the state, the role of large firms, detached leadership, the role of individuals, associational brand names, and balancing commercialization with professionalization.

Gross or net? The role of taxation in the history of equity valuation

Rutterford, J. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

This article explores the relationship between taxation and investment analysis technique for both the USA and the UK in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The article argues that the complexity of the British tax system, its emphasis on dividend payout rather than total return, the overlap between corporate and personal taxation, and the variation in methods of accounting for taxation in corporate accounts, all contributed to a concentration on dividend rather than earnings valuation metrics. In particular, the Price Earnings Ratio was not used in the UK until after 1965 whereas, in the USA, the simpler classical taxation system facilitated the use of the Price Earnings Ratio as a valuation metric as early as the 1920s.

The demise of the mutual life insurer: An analysis of the impact of regulatory change on the performance of Australian life insurers in the 1990s

Keneley, M. J. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

In the 1980s and 1990s the demutualization of building societies, life insurers and general insurers was a re-occurring theme in many countries. In Australia, the demutualisation of major life insurers was linked to the deregulation of the financial sector. The experience of Australian life insurers represents an interesting case study on the impact of regulatory transition. The lifting of restrictions changed the institutional environment within which life insurers operated. In doing so it precipitated changes in the strategies and organizational structures of these financial intermediaries and the disappearance of the industry’s long established mutual tradition.

Use of financial statements to legitimize a new non-profit organization during the US Civil War: The case of the Northwestern Sanitary Commission

Normand, C. J., Wootton, C. W. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

Research has shown that organizations historically have used accounting and financial reporting to gain needed legitimacy for their actions and existence. In the case of non-profit organizations, this legitimacy is critical for they often depend upon external contributions to survive. This article explores how the newly-formed Chicago-based philanthropic Northwestern Sanitary Commission used its financial reports to legitimize its operations as well as to respond to rumors concerning its stewardship of donated funds and supplies from 1861 to 1865 during the US Civil War. This exploration contributes to our understanding of the historical development of non-profit accounting.

Library resources for studying accounting history: A research note

Flesher, D. L., Elam, R., Flesher, T. K. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

The University of Mississippi offers many resources for studying the history of the accounting profession around the world. The accountancy library holdings are the largest of any library in the world, including virtually everything published in English during the past century, and many earlier items. In addition to tens of thousands of books and over 1,000 accounting and finance journal titles, there are tens of thousands of pamphlets, speeches, committee reports, photos, and courtroom documents that exist at no other library in the world. There are also hundreds of archival collections of old business records that serve as primary resources for all kinds of accounting research. The J.D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi is truly the international center of accounting research, and many of its resources are available on the Internet to anyone within reach of a computer. The purpose of the article is to describe the various accounting library collections with particular emphasis on the research resources available internationally through the Internet.

Book review: Corporate ownership and control: British business transformed: Brian R. Cheffins Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008, 448 pp. ISBN: 978--0--199--23697--8

Wines, G. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

15th Management and Accounting History Conference: Universite Paris-Dauphine 25--26 March 2010

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

22nd Cardiff Business School ACCOUNTING & BUSINESS HISTORY RESEARCH UNIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE at Cardiff University, 6--7 September 2010: ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONFERENCE AND CALL FOR PAPERS

Speaker, G., Annisette, M. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST

Accounting and the State: Special issue based on papers from the sixth Accounting History International Conference Wellington, New Zealand, 18--20 August 2010

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:39:17 PST