Business Commons^™

Analytic Narratives In Accounting History: Combining Formal Models And Small Sample Research., Alan J. Richardson

Odette School of Business Publications

Purpose The paper provides an introduction to the “analytic narratives project” in political science that argues for the use of formal models as a basis for narrative history. The approach is illustrated in an accounting context by reinterpreting the timeline of Scottish professionalization presented in Lee’s (2006) innovative counterfactual history.

Design/methodology/approach Analytic narratives use formal models to create expectations that can be contrasted with actual events. The use of formal models provides a bridge between theory and small sample research that allows theory to inform case analysis and case analysis to contribute to theory development. Lee’s (2006) timeline is reinterpreted …

“As If”: Equifinality, Institutional Work, And Accounting In The Eastern Mail Service Arbitrations 1866-1905, Alan J. Richardson

Odette School of Business Publications

I examine the negotiations among the UK and its colonies to allocate the cost of operating the Eastern Mail Service (UK to India, Hong Kong and Australia) among national post offices benefitting from its service. Four key sets of negotiations are identified during the period 1866 – 1905. I consider how negotiations were affected by the changing institutional context of the postal system and relationships between the UK and its colonies during this period; in particular, the negotiations capture the confrontation between the liberal social and economic philosophies that had risen to prominence within the UK and the existence of …

Core Concepts In Management Accounting, Alan J. Richardson

Odette School of Business Publications

This is a hyperlinked text designed for introductory or advanced students. It can also be used by design consultants to guide the development of a management accounting system based on a set of diagnostic questions. The text covers product costing, performance evaluation, and strategic accounting. Depending on your level of current knowledge, some sections of the text that are not relevant to you will be hidden. Design consultants will have access to all aspects of the text. You can pre-specify your level of expertise, or the text will record your progress and open new material as your skill grows. The …

University Sustainability Reporting: A Review Of The Literature And Development Of A Model., Alan J. Richardson, Meghan D. Kachler

Odette School of Business Publications

Many universities have made a commitment to improving the sustainability of their campuses however only a small number report to stakeholders on their sustainability performance to allow accountability and the quality of the reports issued varies widely. This Chapter reviews studies of sustainability reporting by universities and identifies the factors that have been associated with the decision to report on sustainability and the quality of those reports. Most of the existing empirical work on sustainability reporting by universities is case-based. We critique this literature and identify areas in need of conceptual and empirical clarification. We provide a model, hypotheses, constructs …

Quantitative Research And The Critical Accounting Project, Alan J. Richardson

Odette School of Business Publications

The critical accounting project has largely shunned quantitative methods. While this is partly justified on philosophical grounds, the potential for quantitative methods to contribute to the critical accounting project is significant. This paper reviews the position of quantitative methods within critical theory and attempts to reclaim quantitative methods as a legitimate form of critical accounting research. The paper then identifies some aspects of the untapped potential of quantitative methods for the critical accounting project including exploring the vast unexplained variance in market models, developing alternative dependent variables for analysis, providing descriptive baselines for the assessment of social transformations, and the …

Financing A Loss. Accounting And Finance Research, David Rakowski, Eahab Elsaid

Odette School of Business Publications

When companies have a net loss accompanied by negative operating cash flows, they must decide how to handle the financing deficit, or, stated differently, they must decide how to finance the loss. By examining a large sample of firms with net losses, we document how companies respond to the financing shock that occurs with negative cash flow. For companies with a one-year loss, current assets decrease and current liabilities increase. While we observe that leverage ratios increase during a loss year, this increase has more to do with decreasing book equity than an increase in long-term debt. However, when the …