External influences on the development and professionalisation of accounting in Malaysia, 1957-1969
- Authors: Ali, Azham Md. , Lee, Teck Heang , West, Brian
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2008 AFAANZ / IAAER Conference, Sydney, New South Wales : 6th-8th July 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: The accounting history literature identifies a tendency for accounting in developing countries to be dominated by the style of accounting institutions and practices of western developed nations – particularly the USA and UK. This “importation” hypothesis is investigated and refined through a case study examination of the history of accounting in Malaysia during the formative years of 1957 to 1969. This era commences with the Malay States gaining independence from Britain and closes with the race riots which marked a turning point in the nation’s history. The establishment of the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) in 1958 and the passing of the Companies Act of 1965 and the Accountants Act of 1967 are identified as key events which perpetuated British colonial influence within the new nation. These circumstances add credence to the “importation” hypothesis and support a depiction of accounting and its institutional apparatus as regularising forces with a capacity to transcend political and social change within a nation state.
- Description: 2003006230
Making accounting accountable in the public sector
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Critical Perspectives on Accounting Vol. 16, no. 7 (2005), p. 905-928
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accounting is conventionally constituted and practised as a quantitative discipline which emphasises the use of money values. Where such values are unavailable or inappropriate, non-money quantifications or qualitative forms of information take precedence. However, the boundaries of conventional accounting remain imprecisely defined and this creates a jurisdictional tension between monetary and non-monetary systems of accountability. This issue is examined within the context of the Australian and New Zealand public sectors, where recent regulatory changes have mandated the valuation for financial reporting purposes of a broad range of government controlled resources that are of a non-financial character. Rationales for this expanded use of money values are re-evaluated within the context of practical and theoretical issues associated with their application, particularly with regard to the accountability of public sector institutions. This accountability theme is then extended in terms of the need to make accounting itself more accountable within the public sector. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001073
F.E. Vigars' "Station Book-keeping": A specialist Australian text enabling the adaptation and transfer of accounting technology
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , Foreman, Peter , West, Brian
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting Historians Journal Vol. 33, no. 2 (2006), p. 103-130
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Studies of early Australian accounting texts and their authors have yet to be augmented by examinations of the subsequent specialist books which were written to guide accounting practice within specific domains, such as the pastoral and mining industries. This study examines the contents, use, and influence of an early specialist pastoral accounting text entitled Station Book-keeping, which was published in Australia in five editions over the period 1900 to 1937. The life and career of the book's author, Francis Ernest Vigars, are also outlined. Station Book-keeping described and advocated a comprehensive system of double-entry accounting for pastoral stations and is posited as a key medium by which this technology was adapted and transferred for use by these entities. In turn, it is argued that Vigars' book, by extending the use of conventional accounting technique, facilitated greater involvement by professional accountants within a major Australian industry.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001787
Understanding the dynamics of the Australian accounting profession : A prosopographical study of the founding members of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants, Victoria, 1886 to 1908
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , Edwards, John , West, Brian
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal Vol. 16, no. 5 (2003), p. 790-820
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Numerous studies have examined the institutional setting of accounting as a professional occupation. However, institutional deeds and outcomes derive from the behaviour of individual actors, particularly those key players who drive the creation, policy development and outlook of practitioner associations. Recognising this, and in search of a more detailed understanding of the dynamics of professional formation, this study applies the prosopographical method of inquiry to accounting development in Australia during the period 1886 to 1908. Motives and actions are identified with the founding members of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants, Victoria, during this formative era, which saw key personalities transfer their allegiance to the Australasian Corporation of Public Accountants. The beliefs, preferences and ambitions of individual participants are shown to exert significant influence over the process of professional formation, highlighting the capacity of prosopographical studies to augment the predominantly vocational and institutional focus of the prior sociology of professions literature.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000616
A conceptual analysis of price setting in Australian local government
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Accounting Review Vol. 20, no. 2 (2010), p. 110-120
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A complex set of issues underlies the pricing of the diverse range of goods and services from which Australian local governments derive a significant portion of their revenues. Although local governments have a not-for-profit orientation, they are expected to be financially viable and embrace a broad notion of accountability. They are also expected to influence the behaviour of constituents in accordance with policy decisions, but be equitable in doing so. These and related parameters are discussed and illustrated in order to reveal and elucidate the nature of pricing decisions in local government, and to differentiate the local government context from other price-setting environments.
How well does accrual accounting fit the public sector?
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Public Administration Vol. 62, no. 2 (Jun 2003), p. 83-86
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In this 'controversy' we challenge the unqualified application of full accrual accounting within the Australian public sector. In particular attention is directed to the recognition and valuation for financial reporting purposes of public sector resources that are of a non-financial nature, such as library and museum collections. Our main contention is that attempting to recognise such resources at monetary values within the financial reports of public sector organisations is a contrived, imprecise and inappropriate practice that threatens to occlude rather than enable the accountability of public sector institutions and their managers. Building from this accountability theme, we present perspectives on promoting accountability for the technical accounting practices which have been imposed within the public sector.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000618
A Chaotic field of practice: Financial reporting of the Library collections of Australia's public Universities, 2007-2011
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , Sidaway, Shannon , West, Brian
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Academic and Research Libraries Vol. 44, no. 4 (2013), p. 195-216
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The accounting practices adopted by Australia's 36 public universities in accounting for their library collections - including heritage and special collections - are identified and analysed. The data is collected from a survey of these institutions' annual reports over the period 2007 to 2011 and the analysis is guided by theoretical perspectives drawn from new institutional sociology (NIS). Consistent with prior research by West and Carnegie (2010), accounting for university library collections is depicted as a chaotic field of practice. Inconsistent and idiosyncratic policies that compromise the overall reliability, comparability and usefulness of university financial reports are observed, along with instances of dramatic valuation adjustments. However, the beginnings of some amelioration of the chaos are also detected, as regulatory activity and a voluntary homogenisation of accounting policies begin to take effect. In particular, a general trend towards more conservative accounting practices is evident as universities perhaps seek to guard against accounting debacles - most notably massive valuation write-downs - of the kind that have been suffered by several institutions over the last decade. Assigning financial values to the library collections and other non-financial resources of not-for-profit public institutions remains a problematic issue. © 2013 Australian Library & Information Association.
- Description: The accounting practices adopted by Australia's 36 public universities in accounting for their library collections - including heritage and special collections - are identified and analysed. The data is collected from a survey of these institutions' annual reports over the period 2007 to 2011 and the analysis is guided by theoretical perspectives drawn from new institutional sociology (NIS). Consistent with prior research by West and Carnegie (2010), accounting for university library collections is depicted as a chaotic field of practice. Inconsistent and idiosyncratic policies that compromise the overall reliability, comparability and usefulness of university financial reports are observed, along with instances of dramatic valuation adjustments. However, the beginnings of some amelioration of the chaos are also detected, as regulatory activity and a voluntary homogenisation of accounting policies begin to take effect. In particular, a general trend towards more conservative accounting practices is evident as universities perhaps seek to guard against accounting debacles - most notably massive valuation write-downs - of the kind that have been suffered by several institutions over the last decade. Assigning financial values to the library collections and other non-financial resources of not-for-profit public institutions remains a problematic issue. © 2013 © 2013 Australian Library & Information Association.
A Commentary on 'Contextualising the Intermediate Financial Accounting Courses in the Global Financial Crisis'
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting Education Vol. 20, no. 5 (2011), p. 499-503
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accounting is a practical discipline, existing to satisfy particular human needs which are usually depicted in terms of decision-making processes and accountability evaluations. Proposals for how accounting education may be infused with learning from the ‘realworld’ contexts in which it operates are always welcome. However, as the recent global financial crisis (GFC) and other phenomenal episodes have repeatedly revealed, accounting practice is itself neither perfect nor uncontroversial. Examining the ‘real world’ contexts of accounting offers not just the prospect of learning more about what accounting is and how it is currently practised, but also the limitations and deficiencies of that practice.
Price setting practices in Australian Local Government
- Authors: Carnegie, Garry , Tuck, Jacqueline , West, Brian
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Accounting Review Vol. 21, no. 2 (2011), p. 193-201
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Revenues generated on a 'fee-for-service' or 'user-pays' basis are a significant source of income for Australian local governments. However, how local governments set prices and charges remains under-explicated. This article reports empirical evidence obtained on the pricing policies and practices of Australian local governments. The responses to a national survey reveal considerable diversity - and often an apparent lack of 'rationality'- in setting specific prices. Instead, general 'across the board' adjustments to historical prices are typically made to assist in balancing budgets. The cost of service delivery is neither a prominent nor standardised input to pricing decisions. © 2011 CPA Australia.
Political competition and debt : Evidence from New Zealand local governments
- Authors: Chatterjee, Bikram , Bhattacharya, Sukanto , Taylor, Grantley , West, Brian
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting Research Journal Vol. 32, no. 3 (2019), p. 344-361
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether the amount of local governments' debt can be predicted by the level of political competition. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the artificial neural network (ANN) to test whether ANN can "learn" from the observed data and make reliable out-of-sample predictions of the target variable value (i.e. a local government's debt level) for given values of the predictor variables. An ANN is a non-parametric prediction tool, that is, not susceptible to the common limitations of regression-based parametric forecasting models, e.g. multi-collinearity and latent non-linear relations. Findings The study finds that "political competition" is a useful predictor of a local government's debt level. Moreover, a positive relationship between political competition and debt level is indicated, i.e. increases in political competition typically leads to increases in a local government's level of debt. Originality/value The study contributes to public sector reporting literature by investigating whether public debt levels can be predicted on the basis of political competition while discounting factors such as "political ideology" and "fragmentation". The findings of the study are consistent with the expectations posited by public choice theory and have implications for public sector auditing, policy and reporting standards, particularly in terms of minimising potential political opportunism.
Enhancing the accessibility of accounting and business archives: The role of technology in informing research in accounting and business
- Authors: Cobbin, Phillip , Dean, Graeme , Esslemont, Cameron , Ferguson, Patrick , Keneley, Monica , Potter, Brad , West, Brian
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Abacus-a Journal of Accounting Finance and Business Studies Vol. 49, no. 3 (September 2013), p. 396-422
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The application of advanced digitization technologies to accounting and business archives has created new opportunities for accounting and business historians. The joint American Accounting Association and European Accounting Association Task Force (2006-2010) that examined digitization confirmed this. This paper explores these opportunities, along with some attendant challenges and cautions, with reference to the digitization of two significant archives located in Australia. The first is the archive of CPA Australia, a professional accounting association that has its beginnings in 1886 and which today has over 132,000 members. The second is the archive accumulated by the pre-eminent accounting scholar Raymond Chambers during his long and extraordinarily productive tenure at the University of Sydney. Studies of surviving business records, biography and institutional history provide examples of scholarship that is enabled by digitization technology and which has the capacity to inform contemporary issues and debates.
- Description: C1
Financial reporting of the library collections of Australia's public universities, 2007-2010: The chaos continues
- Authors: Cornegie, Garry , Sidaway, Shannon , West, Brian
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: AFAANZ 2012 Confrence Proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: E1
Governance and accountability in Australian charitable organisations: Perceptions from CFOs
- Authors: Dellaportas, Steven , Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Accounting and Information Management Vol. 20, no. 3 (2012), p. 238-254
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of senior accounting officers on governance, performance and accountability issues in the charity sector. Design/methodology/approach - The empirical data presented in this paper were collected via a mail-out survey to Chief Financial Officers (CFO) of large charity organisations in Australia. Findings - The executives surveyed agreed that the public is entitled to receive high quality financial disclosures from charities, favouring "programme accountability", "fiscal accountability" and "profit" as relevant performance indicators rather than cash surplus/deficit. The respondents also considered that charities warrant a dedicated accounting standard but were less enthusiastic about an independent regulator with stronger control functions. Research limitations/implications - The data in this study report the opinions of financial executives which may not represent the view of all managing executives. Originality/value - While governance in charities has been examined previously from an organisational or management perspective, this is one of the few papers that emphasises how members of the accounting profession view this important topic.
Financial reporting and accountability in charitable organisations
- Authors: Dellaportas, Steven , Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2008 AFAANZ / IAAER Conference, Sydney, New South Wales : 6th-8th July 2008
- Full Text: false
- Description: The not-for-profit sector is made up of approximately 700,000 entities employing around 600,000 people and controlling assets up to $70 billion, with the largest charities comparing favourably in size and value to big business. While it is expected that many charitable organisations are well-managed and make a significant contribution to society, a lack of good governance and/or accountability could have devastating affects on the community. Official inquiries into the not-for-profit sector have questioned the lack of transparency and accountability created by a complex legal and regulatory regime. Critics of the existing regime have called for reforms including mandatory financial reporting requirements and an independent regulator to enhance public accountability and organizational efficiency and performance. This study provides an insight into the financial reporting activities of Australia’s largest charities so as to provide a measure of the extent to which charities meet public expectations of accountability. This involved the examination of over 100 publicly available reports for charitable organizations and the administration of a questionnaire. The majority of charities examined in this study provide community, welfare or health services, employ over 100 employees, and rely on a similar number of volunteers to assist with their activities. We have attempted to shed light on a significant failure of the not-for-profit sector to date, in that although our research highlights inconsistencies in reporting formats, ambiguus financial information and a high proportion of qualified audit reports there is a strong belief from charity organisations that the public is entitled to receive quality information on financial performance, suggesting that increased financial disclosures would be beneficial to the charitable sector. Respondents supported ‘programme accountability’ (89.1%), ‘fiscal accountability’ (78.2%) and ‘profit’ (76.6%) as suitable measures of performance with the circumstances of not-for-profit organisations sufficiently different to require a specific and dedicated accounting standard for the sector.
- Description: 2003006345
The problematical nature of auditor independence : a historical perspective
- Authors: Edwards, John , West, Brian
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting History Review Vol. 31, no. 3 (2021), p. 255-285
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Much of the utility of the external audit derives from a presumption that professional auditors are independent and will therefore provide impartial opinions–premises that have often been challenged in recent decades. Focusing initially on a nineteenth-century phenomenon, the ‘continuous audit’, this study provides a historical perspective for reviewing contemporary concerns with the audit function by revealing that failings in auditor independence date from the naissance of the professional audit. It is shown that the continuous audit served primarily the needs of management. That is, in modern parlance, it was a form of management consulting carried out under the guise of an independent service for the benefit of shareholders. Eventually this deception proved unsustainable as the emergent audit profession sought to strengthen its claim to independence and company managers sought more cost-effective means for the routine monitoring of operations. Lack of independence and conflict of interest persisted, however, continuing to be masked by a rhetorical discourse that protected the occupational territory and authority of the audit profession through to the present day. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
All for Nothing? Accounting for Land under Roads by Australian Local Governments
- Authors: Elhawary, Hassan , West, Brian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Accounting Review Vol. 25, no. 1 (2015), p. 38-44
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accounting for land under roads by local governments has been one of the most controversial and protracted episodes in the setting of Australian accounting standards. However, after more than two decades of exposure drafts, regulation, transitional provisions and re-regulation, most land under roads has not been recognised in local government balance sheets. Australian Accounting Standard AAS 27 Financial Reporting by Local Governments was first issued in 1991 and, among other significant reforms, proposed that local governments report land under roads as an asset in their financial reports. However, persistent opposition to this requirement and practical difficulties associated with its implementation gave rise to a succession of transitional provisions deferring its mandatory application. Finally, in 2007 - 16 years after AAS 27 was first promulgated - the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) sought to bring closure to this issue with the release of AASB 1051 Land Under Roads. However, in the interim some state governments had pursued their own resolutions, forbidding the recognition of land under roads. This research reports the results of a survey of the impact of land under roads on local government financial reports. After two decades of debate and regulation, diversity is found to persist in the extent and manner of recognition of this 'asset'. However, recognition remains the exception rather than the norm and is typically confined to recent acquisitions that comprise only a very small portion of total assets. These circumstances are suggestive of an episode of regulatory failure. © 2015 CPA Australia.
Does accounting history matter?
- Authors: Gomes, Delfina , Carnegie, Garry , Napier, Christopher , Parker, Lee , West, Brian
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting History Vol. 16, no. 4 (2011), p. 389-402
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Building upon panel discussion held at the sixth Accounting History International Conference, a resounding "yes" is offered in response to the question of whether accounting history matters. However, reflecting the viewpoint that accounting history can and should matter more, various suggestions are presented for advancing the quality, relevance and significance of historical research in accounting, commencing with the need to redress persistent misconceptions about the discipline. Practical strategies for enhancing the impact of accounting history scholarship are then developed around the themes of promoting its contemporary relevance and implications, fostering engagement with diverse groups of scholars, writing accounting history in informative and engaging ways, and articulating and developing appropriate methodologies. Finally, the role of accounting historians as "change agents" is explored and advocated. © The Author(s) 2011.
Digitising archival records : Benefits and challenges for a large professional accounting association
- Authors: Keneley, Monica , Potter, Brad , West, Brian , Cobbin, Phillip , Chang, Steven
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Archivaria Vol. 2016, no. 81 (2016), p. 75-100
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: With antecedents extending to 1886, CPA Australia is one of the world’s most significant professional accounting associations. Reflective of its long history and widespread influence, the organization holds an extensive and diverse archive that evidences both its own development and the general evolution of accounting and business practices. This article presents a case study of a project to digitize selected aspects of this archive. Informed by perspectives on managing archives in the digital era, the benefits and challenges of digitization are presented. A key benefit was enabling access to digital images while preserving rare and fragile original records and documents. However, challenges arose in prioritizing the items for digitization, and this necessitated the development of a model, taking the form of a decision matrix. The CPA Australia case study will be informative for other organizations seeking to use digitization as a means to overcome the dilemma associated with providing access to archival materials while also ensuring their preservation. © 2016, Association of Canadian Archivists. All rights reserved.
One hundred years of annual reporting by the Australian Red Cross : Building public trust and approbation through emotive disclosures
- Authors: Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Accounting History Vol. 21, no. 2-3 (2016), p. 185-207
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Marking the centenary of the Australian Red Cross, this interpretive and historical case study spans the organization’s beginning in 1914 through to the present day. The overarching purpose is to reveal how one of Australia’s oldest and most important humanitarian organizations used accounting and related information in the discharge of accountability. More specifically, this longitudinal study examines the organization’s annual reporting practices over the course of a century, with particular focus on the emotive disclosures contained in the reports. A political economy of accounting theoretical framework guides the content analysis and the interpretation of the findings. The annual reports were found to be responsive to the changing institutional, social, economic and political environment and evidence the organization’s reliance upon emotive disclosures to discharge a broad scope accountability and build public trust and approbation. © The Author(s) 2016.
The accountability of public museums in Portugal
- Authors: Menezes, Carlos , Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal Accounting and Management Vol. 7, no. March (2009), p. 69-96
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The land within the boundaries of present-day Portugal has been settled continuously since prehistoric times and this long history has delivered the country a rich heritage. Reflective of these circumstances, Portugal has nearly 600 museums (including 386 public institutions) which hold extensive collections of a diverse range of artefacts that are of historical, cultural, scientific, artistic and archaeological significance. While many of these artefacts originated within Portugal, others are sourced from the many locations throughout the world where the Portuguese established a presence during the colonial era. Portugal’s museums thereby hold collections that are of significance for the citizens of the country and of the world. This exploratory study identifies and examines accountability issues arising within Portugal’s public museums. It focuses on assessing the stewardship of management for organisational performance, including the conservation and preservation of the unique and valuable public collections of these institutions and the role of performance measurement in accountability regimes under “New Public Management” (NPM). The study outlines the development of the Portuguese public museums sector, identifies accountability issues in the sector and presents proposals for enhancing public accountability based on international contributions and developments.
- Description: 2003007349