The report explains why accounting is not a purely mechanical activity, but is affected by the incentives of those involved in the accounting process and by surrounding institutions, which help shape incentives and facilitate and constrain managers' actions. It looks at the principal factors...

On many important accounting problems there seems to be a gap in knowledge and understanding between the academic world and those whose views are most prominent in public debate. The paper explores the reasons for this gap, and suggests that the biggest problem is the perception of irrelevance....