This book explores certain contemporary problems of accounting through the eyes and pens of historians. Many accounting problems are not new ones and it is therefore important to understand their history and development through the ages. This book places twentieth century studies in context and provides clues to possible solutions. The focus of this book is on companies and their financial reports and will be of use to students of economic and business history who wish to provide themselves with an accounting background in relation to the financial reports of companies they may be studying.

Beginning with first principles, then discussing the origin and evolution of the debate over depreciation, capital and income, several related topics are addressed in this volume originally published in 1993. These include the allocation problem, interest rate approximations, issues concerning financial reporting and analysis and the meaning and economic impact of ‘accounting error’. The underlying themes concern the importance of history and the need for an appreciation of basic concepts and relationships in accounting

This book, first published in 1988, studies the changes in selected annual corporate financial reporting practices in Canada from 1900 to 1970, and examines the background and processes that have influenced such changes. Knowledge of how financial reporting practices evolved and what influenced their evolution is key to understanding current financial reporting and in influencing further change.

Techniques to uncover and avoid accounting frauds and scams Inflated profits . . . Suspicious write-offs . . . Shifted expenses . . . These and other dubious financial maneuvers have taken on a contemporary twist as companies pull out the stops in seeking to satisfy Wall Street. Financial Shenanigans pulls back the curtain on the current climate of accounting fraud. It presents tools that anyone who is potentially affected by misleading business valuations­­from investors and lenders to managers and auditors­­can use to research and read financial reports, and to identify early warning signs of a company's problems. A bestseller in its first edition, Financial Shenanigans has been thoroughly updated for today's marketplace. New chapters, data, and research reveal contemporary "shenanigans" that have been known to fool even veteran researchers.

This book incorporates the refinements in the accounting concepts and practices and reflects on new issues and developments in the field of accounting at the international and national levels. The original structure of the book, i.e. to instruct managers rather than accountants, remains unchanged. The inclusion of a large number of cases is an element of this design. To make the book more contemporaneous some of the cases have been replaced. However, those cases have been retained which we believe provide learning that can be described as timeless. The focus of the book is on how to use a financial statement than on how to prepare one. However to understand fully, one must know how a statement is prepared. Towards this end, the authors have also increased the proportion of content devoted to the mechanics of preparing financial statements.

For courses in Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting, Financial Statement Analysis, Introduction to Business, or MBA finance courses. Understanding the Corporate Annual Report: Nuts, Bolts, and A Few Loose Screws provides a clearly written, step-by-step guide to understanding corporate annual reports. Authors Fraser and Ormiston instruct readers on how to ignore the PR letters from the corporate management team, engaging graphics, and other "garnishes" that typically accompany current annual reports in order to focus on what really counts--a company's performance and financial health! Throughout the text, the authors examine management's attempts to manipulate earnings and other performance measures, and they explain what the numbers in the report really mean.