The inclusion and factoring of political risk into accounting and non-accounting decisions is crucial if multinational firms are to avoid negative consequences ranging from unprofitable business environments to the outright expropriation of their assets. In a work that will be of particular value to professionals and academics in international and domestic finance, accounting, and management, the authors examine the characteristics of environments that give rise to political risk, explore the relationship between low economic growth and high political risk, and differentiate between definitions and forecasting models of political risk. They also provide a unique forecasting model to explain and predict risk, and they suggest alternative strategies for managing political risk.

Not only are employees an organization's most important asset, but their value and contributions to the organization's financial success can be accounted for and disclosed to users of accounting information. The authors argue persuasively for better accounting strategy in the human resource context, then identify three ways to implement it: 1) through human resource accounting, disclosable in annual reports; 2) through employee reporting; and 3) the application of value-added reporting which reveals the contribution that labor makes to the firm's wealth. The result is a unique, timely guide, presented in a way that management professionals, as well as academicians and researchers, can understand and apply.

Auditor's reports declare that the financial statements contained in them present fairly the results of operations and cash flows, in conformity with generally accepting accounting principles. Users of accounting information are guaranteed that the auditors have attempted to be fair in their presentation -- but what does this actually mean, and are there other ways in which the fairness concept comes into play? Monti-Belkaoui and Riahi-Belkaoui explore these matters in concise, readable detail, not only for their colleagues in the academic community but for professionals in accounting firms as well.

Fairness has an important place in the practice of accounting. It is stated in the auditor's report that the financial statements present fairly the results of operations and cash flows for the year ended in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. The statement presents to the users and the market the guarantee that the accountants (as preparers) and the auditors (as attestors) have strived to be fair. This conventional nature of the concept of fairness is fairness in presentation, connoting an idea of neutrality in the preparation and presentation of financial reports and the idea of justice in outcome. This view of fairness in accounting as fairness in presentation is rather limited calling for expansion of the notion of fairness to deal with distribution, disclosure and resource allocation considerations. Accordingly, the main objective of this book is to explain the conventional notion of fairness in presentation before elaborating on the more interesting notions of fairness in distribution, fairness in disclosure and fairness in resource allocation. Each of these concepts is presented in a separate chapter.

Chapter 1: "The Fairness in Presentation" will cover the conventional treatment of fairness in accounting as well as resulting limitations and consequences. Chapter 2: "IFairness in Distribution" will cover the contributions of various theories of justice (Rawls, Nozick, and Gerwith in particular) to different interpretations of fairness in accounting. Chapter 3: "rness in Disclosure"Users will cover the avenues available for better disclosure to users in general that meet the interest of all the stakeholders. Chapter 4: "rness and Entitlement"l show how a moral authority espousing different theories of justice can reduce self-interest as it affects intrafirm distribution and disclosure. The book may be used as a guide to the understanding of the concept of fairness as fairness in presentation and to the expansion of the concept to deal with the more crucial issues of distribution, disclosure, and resource allocation. It should be of interest to members of the accounting profession and accounting students and researchers.

In recent years, the accounting profession has been faced with a number of unresolved problems. One of the most crucial has been the failure to distinguish between two separate sectors of the economy, the core and the periphery. This work offers a comprehensive study of this dual economy in which large organizations are clustered at the center while smaller organizations are arrayed on the periphery. At least two sets of accounting standards are required to adequately serve this structure, Monti-Belkaoui and Belkaoui argue, and just what these standards are, and how they would affect such issues as financial reporting, is the subject of this book.

The work explores the nature of the dual economy and provides a perspective on the way in which the concept operates. The authors begin their study with a survey of the theories and implications of the dual economy, and the issues of accounting validation in such a structure. In a number of succeeding chapters, they then analyze some fundamental accounting problems and their relation to economic dualism, including income smoothing, auditor switching, and bond rating changes. The work concludes with an examination of public policy and standard-setting solutions to the dual economy situation. "Accounting in the Dual Economy" will be a useful resource for a wide variety of professionals, including practicing accountants, financial managers, and legislators. It will also be an important supplementary text for courses in accounting and public policy.