Information technology has permeated all walks of life in the past two decades. Accounting is no exception. Be it financial accounting, management accounting, or audit, information technology and systems have simplified daily tasks and routine work, simplified reporting, and changed how accounting is done. The Routledge Companion to Accounting Information Systems provides a prestige reference work which offers students and researchers an introduction to current and emerging scholarship in the discipline. Contributions from an international cast of authors provides a balanced view of both the technical underpinnings and organisational consequences of accounting information systems. With a focus on the business consequences of technology, this unique reference book will be a vital resource for students and researchers involved in accounting and information management.

One of the prime purposes of accounting is to communicate and yet, to date, this fundamental aspect of the discipline has received relatively little attention. The Routledge Companion to Accounting Communication represents the first collection of contributions to focus on the power of communication in accounting. The chapters have a shared aim of addressing the misconception that accounting is a purely technical, number-based discipline by highlighting the use of narrative, visual and technological methods to communicate accounting information. The contents comprise a mixture of reflective overview, stinging critique, technological exposition, clinical analysis and practical advice on topical areas of interest such as: The miscommunication that preceded the global financial crisis The failure of sustainability reporting The development of XBRL How to cut clutter With an international coterie of contributors, including a communication theorist, a Big Four practitioner and accounting academics, this volume provides an eclectic array of expert analysis and reflection. The contributors reveal how accounting communications represent, or misrepresent, the financial affairs of entities, thus presenting a state-of-the-art assessment on each of the main facets of this important topic. As such, this book will be of interest to a wide range of readers, including: postgraduate students in management and accounting; established researchers in the fields of both accounting and communications; and accounting practitioners.

The Routledge Companion to Accounting History shows how the seemingly innocuous practice of accounting has pervaded human existence in fascinating ways at numerous times and places; from ancient civilisations to the modern day, and from the personal to the political. Placing the history of accounting in context with other fields of study, the collection gives invaluable insights to subjects such as the rise of capitalism, the control of labour, gender and family relationships, racial exploitation, the functioning of the state, and the pursuit of military conflict. An engaging and comprehensive overview also examining geographical differences, this Companion is split into key sections, which explore: changing technologies used to represent financial and other data historical development of accounting theory and practice accounting institutions and those who perform accounting accountancy and the economy accounting, society, and culture the role of accounting in the government, protection and financing of states including chapters on the important role played by accountancy in religious organizations, a review of how the discipline is portrayed in fine art and popular culture, and analysis of sharp practice and corporate scandals. The Routledge Companion to Accounting History has a breadth of coverage that is unmatched in this growing area of study. Bringing together leading writers in the field, this is an essential reference work for any student of accounting, business and management, and history.

The Routledge Companion to Accounting History presents a single-volume synthesis of research in this expanding field, exploring and analysing accounting from ancient civilisations to the modern day. No longer perceived as the narrow study of how a mysterious technique was used in past, the scope of accounting history has widened substantially. This revised and updated volume moves beyond the history of accounting technologies, accounting theories and practices and the accountants who applied them. Expert contributors from around the world explore the interfaces between accounting and the economy, society, culture and the polity. Accounting history is shown to offer important insights into such disparate phenomena as the evolution of capitalism, control of labour, gender and family relationships, racial exploitation, the operation of religious organisations, and the functioning of the state. Illuminating the foundation and development of accounting systems, this updated, classic book opens the field to a new generation of accounting scholars and historians around the world.

The field of critical accounting has expanded rapidly since its inception and has become recognised as offering a wealth of provocative insights in the wake of the global financial crisis. It is now firmly embedded within accounting literature and in how accounting is taught. Surveying the evolving field of Critical Accounting, including theory, ethics, history, development and sustainability, this Companion presents key debates in the field, providing a comprehensive overview. Incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives on accounting, the volume concludes by considering new directions in which critical accounting research may travel. With an international array of established and respected contributors, this Routledge Companion is a vital resource for students and researchers across the world.

Financial accounting, reporting and regulation is a vast subject area of huge global importance, with interest rising significantly in the light of the ongoing global financial crisis. The authors begin with a broad overview of the subject of accounting, setting the stage for a discussion on the theoretical and practical issues and debates regarding financial reporting, which are expanded on in the second part of the book. This includes how to define the reporting entity, recognition and measurement of the elements of financial statements, fair values in financial reporting and the costs and benefits of disclosure. The third part assesses the interest, need and theories behind the accounting, reporting and regulation industry, while parts four and five look at the institutional, social and economic aspects; with issues such as accounting for environmental management and, accounting regulation and financial reporting in Islamic countries, both issues of ever increasing importance. This authoritative Companion presents a broad overview of the state of these disciplines today, and will provide a comprehensive reference source for students and academics involved in accounting, regulation and reporting.

Information technology has permeated all walks of life in the past two decades. Accounting is no exception. Be it financial accounting, management accounting, or audit, information technology and systems have simplified daily tasks and routine work, simplified reporting, and changed how accounting is done. The Routledge Companion to Accounting Information Systems provides a prestige reference work which offers students and researchers an introduction to current and emerging scholarship in the discipline. Contributions from an international cast of authors provides a balanced view of both the technical underpinnings and organisational consequences of accounting information systems. With a focus on the business consequences of technology, this unique reference book will be a vital resource for students and researchers involved in accounting and information management.