This volume brings together contributions from the world's most renowned scholars in accounting and celebrates the academic achievements of Bob Parker. Reflecting his multi-faceated contribution to the history of accountancy, the volume studies the development of accounting in an international context.

The Routledge Companion to Accounting History presents a single-volume synthesis of research in this expanding field, exploring and analysing accounting from ancient civilisations to the modern day. No longer perceived as the narrow study of how a mysterious technique was used in past, the scope of accounting history has widened substantially. This revised and updated volume moves beyond the history of accounting technologies, accounting theories and practices and the accountants who applied them. Expert contributors from around the world explore the interfaces between accounting and the economy, society, culture and the polity. Accounting history is shown to offer important insights into such disparate phenomena as the evolution of capitalism, control of labour, gender and family relationships, racial exploitation, the operation of religious organisations, and the functioning of the state. Illuminating the foundation and development of accounting systems, this updated, classic book opens the field to a new generation of accounting scholars and historians around the world.

The book presents a series of researched biographies of professional accountants who immigrated to the United States and developed their careers there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This volume is a tribute to the efforts of a relatively small group of Scots who helped to establish and nurture American public accountancy at a time when demand for its services greatly exceeded the ability of native-born accountants to provide them.

This proceedings book addresses the main issues of contemporary political geography and international relations, providing a platform for discussion and collaboration of experts in the fields of Political Geography, Geopolitics, International Relations, etc. Participants from all over the world consider the controversies and challenges posed by globalization, focusing, in particular, on the ideologies of globalization and regionalism, migration crises, prevention of ethnic conflicts, and measures to promote sustainable development. The content of the book may be interesting to expert community, academics and popular audience.

Stephen Zeff has been a prolific researcher on the history of accounting and auditing in the twentieth century. He has written numerous papers on the history of standard setting and regulation, of accounting and auditing practice, of the accounting profession, of accounting thought, and of the intellectual contributions of major authors (such as Hatfield, Canning, Paton and MacNeal). This volume brings together the greatest hits of Zeff's academic career, including several articles that were published in out-of-the way places, for easier use by students and researchers of the field. In an introduction, Zeff discusses the evolution of his research interests and explains the factors led to the writing of the papers and their intended contribution to the literature. The book also includes a complete list of his publications.

Now in its seventh edition, this successful text offers a comprehensive yet coherent examination of the international dimensions of financial accounting and reporting. Most of the chapters are written by the two main authors, but there are several contributions from leading international practitioners and academics.Part I gives an overview of the causes and nature of international differences in accounting and financial reporting.Part II examines individual countries and includes studies of the UK, the US, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Central and eastern Europe and China. Part III takes a comparative look at four major financial reporting issues. Part IV analyses four issues of international analysis and management.The text has been thoroughly revised and updated. It retains the structure of the last edition but incorporates the following new features: New chapters on International Accounting Standards (Chapter 6) and Liabilities (Chapter 15). The structure and content of the main country chapters have been revised and standardized to present a more cohesive comparison. Each country chapter contains a list of differences from international standards. Learning objectives have been introduced at the start of each chapter and extra questions have been added to several chapters. "Comparative International Accounting"is primarily intended for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level taking courses in comparative and international accounting. Christopher Nobes is PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accounting at the University of Reading, UK. He isVice-Chairman of the accountancy committee of the Federation des Experts Comptables Europeens and was a UK representative on the board of the IASC from 1993 to 2001. Robert Parker is Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Exeter, UK. He was formerly editor of the journal Accounting and Business Research.

This volume explores the opportunities and challenges facing the accounting profession in an increasingly globalized business and financial reporting environment. It looks back at past experiences of the profession in attempting to meet its public interest obligation. It examines the role and responsibilities of accounting to society including regulatory requirements, increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility, accounting fraud and whistle-blowing implications, internationalization of public interest obligations, and providing the education needed to be successful. The book incorporates an ethical dimension in making these assessments. Its focus is a conceptual, theoretical one drawing on classical philosophy, the sociology of professions, economic theory, and the public interest dimension of accountants as professionals. The authors of papers are long-time contributors to the annual symposium on Research in Accounting Ethics sponsored by the Public Interest Section of the AAA.

The United Dutch East India Company was the first public company, preceding the formation of the English East-India Company by over 40 years. Its fame as the first public company which heralded the transition from feudalism to modern capitalism and its remarkable financial success for nearly two centuries ensure its importance in the history of capitalism. Although a publicly owned, highly complex and diversified business, and commonly agreed to be the largest and most profitable business in the 17th century, throughout its existence the Dutch East-India Company never produced public accounts of its financial affairs which would have allowed investors to judge the performance of the Company. Its financial accounting, which changed little during its lifetime, was not designed as an aid to rational investment decision-making by communicating the Company’s financial performance but to be a means of promoting sound stewardship by senior management. This study examines the contributions of accounting to the remarkable success of the Dutch East-India Company and the influences on these accounting practices. From the time that the German economic historian Werner Sombart proposed that accounting techniques, most especially double-entry bookkeeping, were critical to the development of modern capitalism and the public company, historians and accounting scholars have debated the extent and importance of these contributions. The Dutch East-India Company was a capitalistic enterprise that had a public, permanent capital and its principal objective was to continually increase profit by reinvesting its returns in the business. Rather than the organisation and management of the Dutch East-India Company reflecting the perceived benefits of a particular bookkeeping method, the supremacy that it achieved and maintained in a very hazardous business at a time of recurring conflict between European states was a consequence of the practicalities of 17th century business and The Netherlands’ unique, threatening natural environment which shaped its social and political institutions.

International Accounting and Transnational Decisions explores a wide range of significant international accounting issues with special reference to the comparative development of national systems of accounting, international accounting standards, transnational financial reporting issues and financial planning and control in the multinational corporation. The book is organized into five parts. Part I discusses the international dimensions of accounting including both the financial reporting and managerial decision-making perspectives. The second part is concerned with the comparative international aspects of accounting. The Part III presents developments and questions relating to international accounting standards. The fourth part considers a number of selected transnational financial reporting issues of concern both to managers and financial statement users. The last part takes a managerial perspective in its coverage of important problems of transnational financial decision making and control. Accountants and students of accounting will find the book useful.

In this book, Jayne Godfrey and Keryn Chalmers explore the intricacies of the globalisation of accounting standards - arguably one of the most significant business developments of the wider globalisation process during the past two decades. They examine the key issues and implications of this harmonization of accounting standards from the perspectives of a diverse range of worldwide stakeholders. "Globalisation of Accounting Standards" shows that globalisation approaches differ significantly because countries seek to maintain varying degrees of sovereignty over their regulations. International differences in economic, political, legal, religious and social characteristics also affect globalisation approaches and, in turn, influence national accounting standard-setting agendas. The book explores why countries relinquish their existing national accounting standard-setting regimes to join the global movement. It also seeks to resolve questions such as: To what extent are national incentives altruistic, economic, political or social? Who are the winners and losers in the process? This authoritative book is thoroughly researched and expertly informed. Written by both academics and regulators, it tackles a critical and controversial issue in the globalisation movement. As such, it will be of great interest to a wide-ranging audience including: international, national, private and public sector standard-setters, economic regulators, accounting academics and political economists and strategists.