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Adverse effects of uniform written reporting standards on accounting practice, education, and research

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  • Sunder, Shyam

Abstract

When transactions have multiple attributes, achieving uniformity in their classification depends on whether similarities or dissimilarities are of interest; uniformity with respect to both is not possible. The pursuit of uniform written standards at the expense of social norms diminishes the effectiveness of financial reporting in stewardship and governance, and in keeping the security markets informed. A shift to written standards discourages thoughtful classroom discourse on alternatives which develop professional judgment. It also engenders ''by the book" attitudes and drives talent away from accounting programs and, ultimately, from the accounting profession. Judgment and personal responsibility being the hallmarks of a learned profession, the dominance of uniform written standards weakens the claim that accounting programs belong in universities alongside architecture, dentistry, engineering, law, and medicine. Uniformity discourages research and debate in academic and practice forums and promotes increasingly detailed rule-making. It shuts the door on learning through experimentation, making it difficult to discover better ways of financial reporting through practice and comparison of alternatives. Improved financial reporting calls for a careful balance between written standards and unwritten social norms.

Suggested Citation

  • Sunder, Shyam, 0. "Adverse effects of uniform written reporting standards on accounting practice, education, and research," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 99-114, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jappol:v:29:y::i:2:p:99-114
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ratzinger-Sakel, Nicole V.S. & Gray, Glen L., 2015. "Moving toward a learned profession and purposeful integration: Quantifying the gap between the academic and practice communities in auditing and identifying new research opportunities," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 77-103.
    2. Marie-Noelle Albert & Nancy Michaud, 2016. "From Disillusion to the Development of Professional Judgment," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(4), pages 21582440166, December.
    3. Braun Eduard, 2019. "The Ecological Rationality of Historical Costs and Conservatism," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-30, March.
    4. Janvrin, Diane & Mascha, Maureen Francis, 2014. "The financial close process: Implications for future research," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 381-399.
    5. Jivas Chakravarthy, 2019. "Ideological diversity in standard setting," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 113-155, March.
    6. Qi Chen & Tracy R. Lewis & Katherine Schipper & Yun Zhang, 2017. "Uniform Versus Discretionary Regimes in Reporting Information with Unverifiable Precision and a Coordination Role," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 153-196, March.
    7. Gregory D. Saxton & Daniel G. Neely, 2019. "The Relationship Between Sarbanes–Oxley Policies and Donor Advisories in Nonprofit Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 333-351, August.
    8. Fatemi, Darius & Hasseldine, John & Hite, Peggy, 2014. "The impact of professional standards on accounting judgments: The role of availability and comparative information," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 26-39.
    9. Madsen Paul E., 2013. "Evaluating Accounting Standards: A Comment on Ramanna’s ‘The International Politics of IFRS Harmonization’," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 77-92, January.
    10. Sundgren, Stefan & Mäki, Juha & Somoza-López, Antonio, 2018. "Analyst Coverage, Market Liquidity and Disclosure Quality: A Study of Fair-value Disclosures by European Real Estate Companies Under IAS 40 and IFRS 13," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 54-75.
    11. Juha Mäki & Antonio Somoza-Lopez & Stefan Sundgren, 2016. "Ownership Structure and Accounting Method Choice: A Study of European Real Estate Companies," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, April.

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