Accounting fundamentals and accounting change: : Boulton & Watt and the Springfield Armory

• Autores: Steven Toms, Richard K. Fleischman
• Localización: Accounting, organizations and society: an international journal devoted to the behavioural, organizational and social aspects of accounting, ISSN 0361-3682, Vol. 41, Nº. 1, 2015, págs. 1-21
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The paper argues that by examining accounting’s technical/objective and relational/social characteristics simultaneously, a deeper understanding can be gained of accounting transition at key stages of economic development. Using the case of Boulton & Watt (B&W), a pioneering firm of the British Industrial Revolution (BIR), the paper critiques prior interpretations and applies a taxonomy using new archival evidence, contrasting these with developments at the Springfield Armory. Results show that the management of internal contractual relationships and a preoccupation with efficiency rather than profit or control through surveillance were the dominant explanations of accounting change.