Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the processing of information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators. Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants. The terms "accounting" and "financial reporting" are often used as synonyms.
In management accounting or managerial accounting, managers use accounting information in decision-making and to assist in the management and performance of their control functions.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United States, the CPA is a license to provide accounting services to the public. It is awarded by each of the 50 states for practice in that state. Additionally, all states except Hawaii have passed mobility laws to allow CPAs from other states to practice in their state. State licensing requirements vary, but the minimum standard requirements include passing the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, 150 semester units of college education, and one year of accounting-related experience.
An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing also attempts to ensure that the books of accounts are properly maintained by the concern as required by law. Auditors consider the propositions before them, obtain evidence, and evaluate the propositions in their auditing report.
Forensic accounting, forensic accountancy or financial forensics is the specialty practice area of accounting that investigates whether firms engage in financial reporting misconduct. Forensic accountants apply a range of skills and methods to determine whether there has been financial reporting misconduct.
Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics and is part of business ethics and human ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting was introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Ethics are taught in accounting courses at higher education institutions as well as by companies training accountants and auditors.
The American Accounting Association (AAA) promotes accounting education, research and practice. The Association mission is to further the discipline and profession of accounting through education, research and service.
Sustainability accounting was originated about 20 years ago and is considered a subcategory of financial accounting that focuses on the disclosure of non-financial information about a firm's performance to external stakeholders, such as capital holders, creditors, and other authorities. Sustainability accounting represents the activities that have a direct impact on society, environment, and economic performance of an organisation. Sustainability accounting in managerial accounting contrasts with financial accounting in that managerial accounting is used for internal decision making and the creation of new policies that will have an effect on the organisation's performance at economic, ecological, and social level. Sustainability accounting is often used to generate value creation within an organisation.
The philosophy of accounting is the conceptual framework for the professional preparation and auditing of financial statements and accounts. The issues which arise include the difficulty of establishing a true and fair value of an enterprise and its assets; the moral basis of disclosure and discretion; the standards and laws required to satisfy the political needs of investors, employees and other stakeholders.
Accounting, Organizations and Society is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Elsevier. Its editors-in-chief are Marcia Annisette, Mark E. Peecher, and Keith Robson. The journal focuses on the relationships between accounting and both human behaviour and organizations' structures, processes, social, and political environments: that is, relationships among accounting, organizations, and society.
Ernest Anthony (Tony) Lowe was a British economist, and Professor of Accounting and Financial Management at the University of Sheffield, known for his work on management control, and management control systems.
Alnoor Bhimani is Professor of Management Accounting and Director of the South Asia Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is former Head of the Department of Accounting and the Founding Director of LSE Entrepreneurship. Bhimani's academic work covers financial management and digitalisation; managerial accounting and strategic finance; entrepreneurship and economic growth; and global development and governance issues.
Yves Gendron is a Canadian accounting academic at Laval University in Quebec. He is a qualitative researcher, largely known for his studies in corporate governance, social accountability of auditors, and professional legitimacy. He is co-editor-in-chief of Critical Perspectives on Accounting.
Prem Nath Sikka, Baron Sikka is a British-Indian accountant and academic. He holds the position of Professor of Accounting at the University of Sheffield, and is Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex.
Marcia Annisette is a Trinidadian-Canadian accounting academic at York University in Toronto. She is co-editor-in-chief of Accounting, Organizations and Society and Associate dean (students) at the Schulich School of Business. She is a former co-editor-in-chief of Critical Perspectives on Accounting. Her research looks at the social organization of the accounting profession, addressing issues of race, class, and nationality.
Christine Cooper is a British accounting academic. She holds a Chair in Accounting at the University of Edinburgh Business School and is co-editor-in-chief of Critical Perspectives on Accounting. Her research examines the economic, political and social impact of accounting.
Public interest accounting is a branch of academic accounting research that attempts to understand how accounting practices and the activities of the accounting profession impact the public interest. Public interest-focused accounting research sheds light on the role of accounting in perpetuating unequal social relations, while attempting to rectify such issues via scholarship and the dissemination of research results. It is heavily influenced by the ideas of social theorists, including but not limited to Marx, Gramsci, Foucault, Bourdieu, and Said.
Dean Neu is a professor of accounting at York University, Canada. He is a former editor of Critical Perspectives on Accounting, a former board member of the Parkland Institute and the Director of the Public Interest Accounting Group at York University.
Ehsan H. Feroz is a Bangladeshi-born Muslim American professor, researcher, and an author. He is a tenured full professor of accounting at the University of Washington Tacoma’s Milgard School of Business and served as the Director of the Master of Accounting Program.
