Accounting may be viewed and analyzed as its own special sort of language says Riahi-Belkaoui, and accounting is the language of business. It represents phenomena in the business world as language represents phenomena in the larger world. To understand accounting as a language one must study such things as its readability and understandability, its impact on users behavior, its various linguistic repertories, and the impact that bilinguality has on accounting practices. Riahi-Belkaoui covers all this in a way that not only academics versed in linguistics will understand, but in a way that trained accountants will also find fascinating and useful, particularly in their international and multicultural activities.

Riahi-Belkaoui examines what he considers to be the four major aspects of his topic. First, he explores how accounting messages are based on levels of readability and understanding. Second he shows how accounting includes both lexical and grammatical characteristics, and how these shape the perceptions and thoughts of users. He then illustrates the ways in which different linguistic repertories are used by different professional groups, and shows how this leads to communication problems and from there to a schism between academics and practitioners. Finally he argues that bilingualism in accounting has clear advantage. It provides greater mental and cognitive flexibility, increased metalinguistic ability, and also makes it possible to formulate concepts better and to deal with divergent thinking.

This ground-breaking book introduces macro accounting. Most modern money emerges out of accounting documentation of private executory debt contracts within exchange processes. Money-information markers are basically negotiable (exchangeable for value) debt instruments. Macro accounting techniques provide sufficient detail to examine the complex coupling relations and the resulting constraints among exchanges of good, services, and money-information markers of various sorts.

The book begins with a discussion of the fundamental concepts of trades, exchanges, and the accounting basis of money. Accounting is then described as an aspect of empirical science--a means of observing concrete processes. Drawing on these basic ideas, Swanson extends organizational accounting to societies and supranational systems. The last four chapters simulate economic processes. The book should be read by serious students of economics, accounting, and political science as well as societal policy markers and the international banking community.

This book analyses the role of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Business Intelligence (BI) systems in improving information quality through an empirical analysis carried out in Italy. The study begins with a detailed examination of ERP features that highlights the advantages and disadvantages of ERP adoption. Critical success factors for ERP implementation and post-implementation are then discussed, along with the capabilities of ERP in driving the alignment between management accounting and financial accounting information.The study goes on to illustrate the features of BI systems and to summarize companies' needs for BI. Critical success factors for BI implementation are then presented, along with the BI maturity model and lifecycle. The focus of the research entails a detailed empirical analysis in the Italian setting designed to investigate the role played by ERP and BI systems in reducing information overload/underload and improving information quality by influencing the features of information flow. The practical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed and future avenues of research are suggested. This book will be of value for all those who have an interest in the capacities of ERP and BI systems to enhance business information quality.

The functioning of the global economy depends very much on the quality and quantity of information provided by multinational corporations, not only to investors and taxing agencies but also to governmental policymakers. Underlying this is the concept of disclosure adequacy. It refers to ways in which the quality of information that MNC's divulge about their economic transactions can be measured, and such information and its adequacy can vary widely from country to country. How this happens and why it should be so-what the nature of disclosure adequacy and its determinants are-is the subject of Riahi-Belkaoui's latest Quorum book. Academics in finance and accounting will recognize quickly the beginnings of a contingency theory of disclosure adequacy internationally, one that identifies various relativisms and presents empirical evidence for their validity. Financial analysts and other investment professionals will gain useful ways to work with (and make sense of) foreign firms' annual reports, while public policy people will find insights to aid in the harmonization of accounting principles.

Riahi-Belkaoui's contingency approach to disclosure adequacy identifies determinants based on cultural, linguistic, political, civil, economic and demographic relativisms, on legal and tax relativisms and even on religious relativism. He presents evidence that accounting for information adequacy does in fact have a positive impact on economic growth. It is also an ideal mechanism by which firms can control conflicts created by favorable or unfavorable information regarding the general investment climate of a particular country. He examines international differences in disclosure adequacy, then proves there is a positive relationship between the functionings of global stock exchanges and economic and human development. From there he discusses the relationship between disclosure adequacy and political, economic, and civil factors. Finally, he examines four cultural dimensions-individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-and their impact not only on disclosure adequacy but on the way the entire accounting enterprise is practiced internationally.

A book that goes behind the more official presentations and accounts of research methods to explore the lived experiences, joys and mistakes of a wide range of international researchers principally working in the fields of accounting and finance, but also in management, economics and other social sciences.
The authors of the articles in this book address a wide range of issues and obstacles that they have confronted at various stages in their respective research careers. In reflecting on their personal experiences, they provide practical guidance on how to overcome the types of problems that typically confront academic researchers in their day-to-day work.
Includes:
- Practical tips on how to undertake research and get findings published
- Research project management skills
- Inernational and interdisciplinary perspectives

Dan Bavly takes a fresh look at how business is supervised and how that system can be improved. He begins by assessing the performance of the government regulator and suggests reasons for the failure to prevent many of the debacles of the recent past. New fiascoes often engender a spate of legislation, but the regulator remains the one who gets away--he is simply not accountable and does not shoulder the blame. Clearly, a new definition of regulator responsibility is required.

Drawing on his years of company board and auditing experience, Bavly analyzes why the average director cannot do his job, and he shows how a complete, but feasible, overhaul of the way company boards function can help solve this problem. Bavly then goes on to explore, as an insider, the profession of accounting and to show why the CPA should be considered an endangered species. Along the way, Bavly examines many of the difficult issues of contemporary ac counting: Where is the trend of mammoth accounting organizations leading? Is the addiction to mergers suicidal? How is the accounting profession coping with technology? What is the relationship between the outside CPA and the corporate internal audit division? For each specific flaw in the system, Bavly provides a practical remedy. The general message is the need for constant reassessment and, perhaps, a plea to cut all the agencies of corporate governance back to human proportions.

Advances in International Accounting is a referred, academic research annual, that is devoted to publishing articles about advancements in the development of accounting and its related disciplines from an international perspective. This serial examines how these developments affect the financial reporting and disclosure practices, taxation, management accounting practices, and auditing of multinational corporations, as well as their effect on the education of professional accountants worldwide. Advances in International Accounting welcomes traditional and alternative approaches, including theoretical research, empirical research, applied research, and cross-cultural studies.

This book attempts what for many in the accounting profession has been the impossible: a unified accounting system for measuring and reporting the performance of human service organizations as well as firms in the profit sector. The model developed recognizes the centrality of the consumer and the significance of optimizing consumer preferences whether the consumer is an individual purchasing services and products in the profit sector or the consumer is society in the role of consumer-payer of the services and products of human service organizations. Equating society as the consumer-payer of human services leads to the use of societal income as a measure of the effectiveness of human service organizations.

Accounting is a social institution whose chief function is measurement. Given a statement of goals, accounting should measure the achievement of these goals. Thus accounting can be viewed as a feedback system to report the differences between goals and their achievement. In a democratic society, the economic goal for its members should be their continuing gains in independence from a self-sufficiency viewpoint and satisfaction of their needs and wants from a consumption viewpoint. These are common goals in the profit and nonprofit sectors. The societal model developed by Herson, Gordon, and Cherny has long-run implications for the professions of accounting, human services, economics, and political science and the book will be a provocative work for professionals in these disciplines for some time to come.

A Quick, Compact, and Easy-to-Understand Workbook Resource for Non-Accountants! The perfect financial accounting guide for beginners!

The Study Guide and Workbook Accounting for Non-Accountants is the must-have companion to the original for all of us who have never taken an accounting class, are mystified by accounting jargon, and have no clue about balance sheets, income statements, payroll management, corporate taxes, or statements of cash flows. This simple workbook makes accounting simple.

Whether you own a business, plan on starting one, or just want to control your own assets, you'll find everything you need to know:

• How to prepare and use financial statements
• How to control cash flows
• How to manage budgets
• How to use accounting ratios
• How to deal with audits and auditors interpret financial statements

• 100+ Real World Problems
• Internet Resources for Each Chapter
• Multiple Choice, True/False, and Problem Exercises.

This series aims to provide a forum for discourse among and between academic and practicing accountants on issues of significance to the future of the discipline. Emphasis is placed on original commentary, critical analysis and creative research that would substantively advance our understanding of financial markets and behavioral phenomenon relevant to real world choices. Technology and global competition have brought tremendous changes over the last two decades of the 20th century. A wide array of unsolved questions continues to plague a profession under fire in the aftermath of the Enron bankruptcy. Questions about adequacy of financial accounting and auditing standards, procedures and practices abound today. This volume of Advances in Accounting includes articles that address the predictability of corporate earnings, and recently challenged practices in financial reporting. It also addresses unethical auditor practices and the ex-post review of auditor decisions, and evaluation of corporate chief executives' performance. Other articles address important corporate budgetary issues, tax services and accounting education.

Inferior quality service threatens the accounting profession's existence. To reduce instances of substandard service, the profession requires firms to have a system of quality control, to annually inspect that system, and to undergo a comprehensive triennial external review. This book shows firms how to develop a quality control system, prepare for the review, and earn an unqualified report. In addition, it tackles the problem of substandard service head-on.

The author examines the roots of review, substandard service, and discusses the undiscussable. Next he reviews the pluses and minuses of the practice-monitoring programs and the importance of selecting the firM's reviewer. Quality control's nine functional areas are explained in depth and the ten steps to a successful review are also described in detail. He describes what happens on a review and offers practical advice about the problems to avoid. The concluding chapter offers over twenty recommendations that would return the accounting business back to the accounting profession. This book is for every firm, every practicing CPA, and the profession's leaders as well as those interested in improving the integrity of the financial reporting system. It also is important for students planning to enter public accounting.

With rising competition in the field, independent accountants as well as accounting firms are finding it harder to survive and make a profit. According to the author of this management guide, the difficulty is compounded by the fact that most professional accountants lack training or expertise in managing a practice. Kastantin, an experienced CPA, consultant, and accounting educator, has written a comprehensive manual that will enable accountants to upgrade their practices systematically and develop the human relations competence that is vital to managing a successful practice.

The first several chapters discuss the need to accept a basicbusiness orientation through a stated business purpose and to define the size and scope of a practice as well as personal finance goals. The author next considers such basics as liability insurance, employment contracts, and financing methods. A major section of the book is devoted to working relationships with bookkeepers and other staff, partners, bankers, and the Internal Revenue Service. Chapters on client services offer specific guidelines on management concerns relating to auditng, review and compilation, tax practice, management advisory services, and client write-up services. Turning to the question of marketing, the author gives detailed advice on soliciting clients, advertising and the creating of a firm image, and explores the ethical issues involved. he describes the various ways that computers can assist the practitioner in managing a practice. He suggests an organized approach to accounting practice administration and outlines the use of financial statements and break-even analysis in practice management. The final chapter, which includes a case study, deals with business budgeting and sales forecasting as they relate to banking relationships, business management, and personal financial planning. This convenient, logically organized manual is an invaluable resource for the accounting practitioner who wishes to maximize financial return and to develop the kind of well-run practice that can retain clients despite increased competition. It is an appropriate acquistion for the business and accounting collections of academic and public libraries.