Accounting policy choice : the case of financial instruments

• Main Author: Shah, Atul Keshavji
• Published: London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) 1993
• Subjects: 658; Management & business studies
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.294909

In recent years, there have been many suggestions of creative accounting practices by large companies. Although there is a growing literature on methods of creative accounting, relatively little is known about the process by which firms make particular accounting choices. This study is an attempt to analyse this process and identify some of the factors which influence accounting choice. Accounting practices in respect of new financial instruments are analysed and compared with accounting standards and generally accepted accounting principles. The evidence shows that new financial instruments provide significant scope for creative accounting by companies and in many cases, these possibilities have been an important motive behind their issuance. It shows how managers devote significant resources to manage the firm's financial reporting, and how professionals such as merchant bankers and lawyers assist them in this process. The findings provide new theoretical insights into the process of accounting policy making in practice, and reveal significant scope for further research. In addition, a unique method of analysing financial statements using a wide range of empirical data is illustrated. This method can provide analysts with new insights into a company's underlying financial performance.