An Axiomatic Theory of Accounting Measurement

Willett, Roger

doi:10.1080/00014788.1987.9729794

Cited by 60 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In America it was Carleson and Lamb (1981) as well as Mattessich (1995: Chapter 5); i n England Willett (1985Willett ( , 1987Willett ( , 1988, Gutiérrez (1990Gutiérrez ( , 1992, Gutiérrez and Whittington (1997) Balzer and Mattessich (1991Mattessich ( , 2000; in the Latin-American countries, Ávila et al (1988) and Sá (1995); in Japan, Harada (1978), Deguchi and Nakano (1986) as well as Koguchi (1990). The latter author found further applications of this methodology in situations of macro-and mesoaccounting that refer primarily to more local environmental accounting issues (apart from his translation of Balzer andMattessich, 1991, into Japanese in 1994).…”

Section: Attempts To Axiomatize Accountingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A concise history of analytical accounting

Mattessich¹

2023

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Este trabajo ofrece una sucinta revisión de los métodos de matemática analítica empleados en teneduría de libros y contabilidad durante los últimos cinco milenios. Sin embargo, el énfasis se centra en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, en el cual el uso de ideas matemáticas, de conceptos formales y de técnicas es cuando verdaderamente floreció. Aparte de un uso creciente del interés compuesto y de los cálculos del valor actual, las últimas se refinaron grandemente con la introducción de variables probabilísticas, de modelos estocásticos, de errores en términos estadísticos (como se encuentran, por ejemplo, en la versión ampliada y perfeccionada de la clean surplus theory). Pero este período (de los últimos 50 años más o menos) comenzó propiamente con modelos contables deterministas (que han probado su valor práctico últimamente en el desarrollo de hojas de cálculo electrónicas y sistemas presupuestarios). Hubo asimismo mucha experimentación con álgebra lineal y no lineal (incluyendo el álgebra matricial) y otras técnicas de investigación operativa, así como en métodos de muestreo estadístico contable que han probado su utilidad particularmente en la auditoría. Con todo, el logro intelectual culminante fue el lento pero impactante desarrollo de las posibilidades de información (information perspective) ofrecidas por la contabilidad (incluyendo información económica, la perfeccionada versión de la clean surplus theory y la teoría matemática de la agencia. Estos esfuerzos han sido resumidos recientemente en la obra en dos volúmenes de Christensen y Feltham (2003. ABSTRACTThe paper offers a succinct survey of analytical-mathematical methods as employed in bookkeeping and accounting during some five millennia. However, the emphasis is on the second half of the 20th century where the 1 The author gratefully acknowledges financial support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for this project as well as the use of academic facilities by the Sauder School of Business of the University of British Columbia. This is a somewhat expanded version of a paper presented in May 2005 in Cracow at the International Conference for General Accounting Theory III. I express my gratitude to Prof. Mieczeslaw Dobija, for permission to publish this material in De Computis. The paper offers merely a concise survey that includes only the most important pertinent publications. It also interprets "analytical accounting" more in the modern sense of relating it to mathematics (hence the Subtitle) rather than in the broader sense of logical reasoning in general-though occasionally such extension could not be avoided. However, this interpretation is much broader than that in Wagenhofer (2004) where it is restricted mainly to what in our paper is discussed in Section 4 (information perspective). Furthermore, the expression "analytical accounting" in English must not be confused with the French comptabilité analytique, the Italian contabilitá analìtica, or the Spanish contabilidad analítica, all of which used to refer to cos...

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Section: Attempts To Axiomatize Accountingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A concise history of analytical accounting

Mattessich¹

2023

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“…Measurement theory describes the property to be measured as the qualitative, empirical property, and certain conditions govern its selection. Accounting theorists who have supported the application of measurement theory to accounting include Mattessich (1964a), Chambers (1965), Sterling (1970), Vickrey (1970), Willett (1987Willett ( , 1988 and Salvary (1989). Stevens' (1946, p.680) statement that the application of "a consistent set of rules" for a stated purpose constitutes measurement appears broad enough to include accounting.…”

Section: Converting the Calculus Into A Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Financial accounting reform: the need for a 'back to basics' approach for profit measurement and wealth measurement

Ryan

2014

IJEA

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By recognising the dual purposes of financial accounting, and developing distinct theories to guide the preparation of financial reports, the apparent internal contradictions in accounting theory can be resolved. Property rights and measurement theory provide the basis for explaining transaction-based profit measurement and funds commitment, and for a statement of wealth measured using market prices. Property rights are recognised in The New Institutional Economics. Going beyond accepted accounting conventions, property rights provide the qualitative, empirical property giving meaning to accounting practice for profit measurement through the 1940s to 1960s. Examples of profit and of wealth measurement are included. Abstract: By recognising the dual purposes of financial accounting, and developing distinct theories to guide the preparation of financial reports, the apparent internal contradictions in accounting theory can be resolved. Property rights and measurement theory provide the basis for explaining transaction-based profit measurement and funds commitment, and for a statement of wealth measured using market prices. Property rights are recognised in The New Institutional Economics. Going beyond accepted accounting conventions, property rights provide the qualitative, empirical property giving meaning to accounting practice for profit measurement through the 1940s to 1960s. Examples of profit and of wealth measurement are included.

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“…Nowhere in the IAS 1 (2009) is there any discussion of the attribute that the monetary amounts of expenses under the same classification represent in either general terms or in terms appropriate for their aggregation in the statement of comprehensive income. Willet (1987) …”

Section: The Application Of the Concept Of The Nominal Scale In Accoumentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, one would expect to find specified scales of measurement in accounting. However, authors such as Staubus (2004), Ryan et al (2002), Chambers (1997) and Willet (1987) have all pointed out that in the accounting discipline there is no specification of a scale of any kind that makes it possible to distinguish the extent to which every object in a specified class of accounting phenomena possesses a specified property. This contradicts the view that accounting is a measurement discipline.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of a scale in accounting measurement

Musvoto¹,

Gouws

2010

SAJEMS

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This study compares the practices of accounting measurement with the principles of the representational theory of measurement to determine whether the attributes of accounting phenomena are measured on well-founded scales. The results of this study indicate that the concept of the representational scale is misapplied in the accounting discipline. The principles of representation measurement are hinged on the precise specification of how a scale of measurement is formed. Consequently, the findings suggest that accounting is not a measurement discipline.

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An Axiomatic Theory of Accounting Measurement

Cited by 60 publications

References 7 publications

A concise history of analytical accounting

A concise history of analytical accounting

Financial accounting reform: the need for a 'back to basics' approach for profit measurement and wealth measurement

The concept of a scale in accounting measurement

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