“Trading Places”: A UK (and IFRS) Comment

Abstract

This paper is based on my presentation given as part of a panel discussion at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association in August 2012 in Washington DC. To the other panellists' papers (Glover, 2013; Zeff, 2013b) I add a contrasting perspective from other countries (primarily the UK and the rest of Europe) that incorporates a variety of other actors and differing uses (or 'objectives') of financial accounting and reporting. I consider briefly in turn: the major actors; major external uses of financial reports; the 'rational institutional myths' that sustain the role of accounting standards; and the potential contributions both of research and of university accounting education. I argue that 'positive' and 'normative' research, reflecting a deep understanding of accounting's history, must continue to be complementary in the social engineering of better accounting standards and rules.

Studying and Researching Theory: Did the Future Arrive?

“…Em sua Pensata, o autor não somente trás sua experiência pessoal mas aponta uma interessante discussão de três outros autores internacionais sobre esse tema (GLOVER, 2014;MACVE, 2014;ZEFF, 2014), indicando que essa aparente troca de papéis não é exclusividade dos brasileiros.…”