Michael Gaffikin

What is (accounting) history

It is a truism that researchers working in a field of study should understand how what they research and publish can be claimed to contribute to the knowledge of that field of study. The historian Edward Carr was concerned that his subject may “on closer inspection, seem trivial” which led him, in his well-known book of the same title, to pose the question “what is history?”. It may also be suggested that over the years much of what was claimed to be accounting history was little more than fairly trivial, self indulgent, quirky antiquarianism which made little “real” contribution to our understanding of the past and whether it held any implications for our understanding of our present or future. However, more recently it has been claimed that accounting history has “come of age” as an intellectual pursuit. This paper explores the basis of such a claim by tracing the development of accepted historiography in professional history and then assessing how well the work of accounting historians “matches” the developments in general history. In doing this the intention is to draw the attention of accounting history researchers to important matters they may have overlooked.

Twenty-one years of critical resistance-almost: A reflection

Abstract This is a paper presented to accounting researchers at the 20th annual research conference at the University of Wollongong. The conference was designed to promote accounting research employing alternative and qualitative research methodologies. The paper is a reflection on the history of the conference and presents a call to researchers to maintain the spirit of critique that was the original intention of the conference. It argues that research informed by poststructuralist philosophers is a most appropriate basis for such research.

Chambers on Methods of Inquiry

Some of Chambers’ earliest works concerned the need for intellectual rigour in accounting research. Drawing from his reading in philosophy, science, organizational behaviour and economics, he determined the principles of scientific theory, enunciated these and consciously followed these precepts in developing his own theory. His 1950s and 1960s theoretical works were seminal contributions to methodological inquiry in accounting. They sought to rectify the lack of theoretical foundation in accounting thought and the observed ad hoc rules of accounting practice. While annoying many, including the doyen of U.S. accounting academe, A. C. Littleton, he practised what he preached and the theory he later developed followed closely precepts that were set out in those early methodological inquiries. He was attacked by a new wave of positive researchers in the 1970s, but a closer examination reveals they share the same ontology and epistemological proclivities. Differences arise from the different assumptions and aims of their theorizing. Their methodology is hypothetico-deductivism derived from logical empiricism. This has been shown to be a defective and moribund method for developing acceptable reliable knowledge. Despite the claims of its adherents it ignores the ideological, political and social elements that make objective, value-free theorizing impossible.

Education for an accounting profession

Purpose – This paper seeks to present an invited response to a paper describing the historical relationship between the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (and its predecessor body) and the universities in New Zealand.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual and takes the form of a commentary/review of the findings of the principal paper.Findings – The paper adds to the description in the principal paper and presents additional factors that are necessary in assessing the relationship between the professional body and the university sector.Originality/value – The paper extends the discussion in the principal paper with some reflection on the nature of professionalism and argues that a broader appreciation of professionalism is necessary to judge the effectiveness of the relationship in question.

Raymond J. Chambers—A Personal Reflection

I was working in a (then) fairly insignificant accounting department of what was at the time a small university in New Zealand when I was charged with the responsibility of accompanying Ray Chambers and his wife Margaret to dinner. He had accepted an invitation to the University from its Accounting Student Society and for us it was a great occasion—to have such a distinguished, internationallyacclaimed visitor. During a wide-ranging conversation that evening, Ray suggested I consider joining his Department at the University of Sydney as he thought I would find it (intellectually) stimulating. I took up his suggestion and did not live to regret it. The Department was indeed an intellectually energetic place and working with Chambers was a stimulating experience: I learned a lot from him—most especially the need to aspire to intellectual rigour in my work. In this, Chambers certainly led by example and, over the years, while many people did not accept the conclusions in the theory he developed, I believe it is generally agreed by those who are familiar with his work and the context in which it was written that he demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship in developing and promoting his ideas. It has been internationally acknowledged that he was truly one of accounting’s greatest scholars. For example, Staubus (2003) has referred to him as ‘an intellectual giant’; Moonitz (1982) as an ‘accounting pioneer’. There is also evidence of his recognition in the large number of awards, citations and other prestigious forms of recognition he received. As such an eminent scholar, there has been much written about Chambers, and he himself has given several accounts of what he was trying to achieve in his work. A Festschrift issue of Abacus published in 2000 (v 36, no. 3), a year after his death, is a good Accounting Education: an international journal Vol. 21, No. 1, 25–39, February 2012

The life and thought of Robert Keith Yorston: An advocate for accounting reform:

Sir Robert Keith Yorston (1902–1983) was an Australian business educator and practitioner. He was a prolific author whose textbooks were adopted by the professional bodies, technical colleges and universities both in Australia and New Zealand. A large part of Yorston’s career was devoted to the Australian Accountancy College. Yorston was at the forefront of the professional dialogue on the quality of financial reporting in Australia. He also advocated improvements in matters of corporate governance including gender equality and employee reporting. It is argued that many of Yorston’s ideas were ahead of their time, and there is a need for an awareness of his contribution to accounting thought and practice. This article is an acknowledgement of Yorston’s endeavours. It recognizes his contribution to accounting education, the profession and the wider community. In so doing, it traces an important chapter in the history of accounting education and practice in Australia.

ERP and precautionary ethics: harnessing critical thinking to engender sustainability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review critical emancipatory literature to identify a discourse that could be used to successfully customise generic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to particular user‐needs. The customisation exercise is posited in the context of contemporary society, which has to try to become more sustainable amidst uncertainty about the complex interrelationships between elements of the ecosystem. It raises new challenges for the customisation exercise, that of fostering the precautionary ethos and engaging realistically with complexity and uncertainty inherent in emergent knowledge about ecological resilience.Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that draws on published research papers to tease out political constructs which are vital for facilitating sustainable decisions.Findings – This paper argues that the critical emancipatory influence on systems design has generated attempts to formulate socio‐ethical information systems. However, these sy...

The next phase in information management: using risk to integrate data and facilitate social learning about sustainability

Business intelligence (BI) for the 21st century should reflect the uncertainty inherent in emergent knowledge about complex causal relationships between elements of the ecosystem. However BI constructed by integrating data from multiple sources remain restricted to strong economic signals as its systems cannot cope with the amount and diversity of data about sustainability. BI’s non-engagement with weak signals about the impact of unsustainable activities is aggravated by the absence of a single uncontested definition of sustainability. Ecosystem literature advocates grappling with sustainability’s characteristic uncertainty-complexity by providing stakeholders with information that fosters capacities for social learning. Here we put forward socially constructed risk-based analytical-deliberative platform that integrates weak environmental signals, thus better representing the uncertainty and complexity aspects of sustainability. An Australian case-study of irrigators is used to examine how our platform integrates weak environmental signals with BI’s strong signals, and fosters capacities for social learning among decision-makers.

A Brief Historical Appreciation of Accounting Theory? But Who Cares?

There have been many attempts to develop a theoretical base for accounting. Initially, they were largely descriptions of practice but they soon moved along a modernist path. About 45 years ago, there was a sharp right turn accepting the ideology of neo-liberalism as presented in mainstream economic (positive) theory. There was also a left turn aimed to present some critical resistance to the philosophical naivety of the positive theorists. More recently, both paths, with some exceptions, have tended to swing back to road of the “centralist” orthodoxy and resistance has virtually disappeared. And, with dramatic developments in information, and communication technologies a sense of despair has emerged as accounting seeks to survive the chaos late capitalism has brought resulting in no one caring about accounting theory.

Emergence and Development of Chinese Stock Market

This study introduces the emergence causes and compares and analyzes development of Chinese stock market from 1991 to 2000 from size, surveillance system, market structure, investor structure and statues, return and risk and volatility characters of share prices aspects. This study shows that development pace is very fast, however Chinese stock market is volatile and not efficient. Trading volume and interest rate redound to further explain volatility of share prices. This paper is concluded by highlighting some of the difficulties faced by China in developing its stock market in the context of traditional finance and economic theory and the experience of developed economies.