IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dug/journl/y2011i29p16-22.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of accounting in the global financial crisis. Assumptions and realities

Author

Listed:
  • Neculai Tabara

    (“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi)

  • Alina Rusu

    (“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi)

Abstract

The financial crisis prompted some players to denounce the role of financial markets "fair value accounting" required by the accounting rules used by the major listed companies in the world, U.S. GAAPs in the U.S. and IFRSs in Europe. This paper is related to the link between accounting and the global financial crisis. As technical research, we use the procedure of reviewing the literature. The criticism of fair value accounting are considering in particular two problems: the lack of liquidity (as may be assessed on the balance sheet financial instruments not traded in the market) and the pro-cyclicality (emphasizing the economic phases of expansion and recession). These difficulties are real, but the solutions offered - temporary or permanent modification of existing rules in order to limit the scope of this method of accounting – are not at all convincing. Although it is easy to identify gaps in fair value is still more difficult to propose an alternative option to respond more effectively to the requirements of relevance, reliability, comparison and understanding necessary for financial accounting rules In particular, the reference to historic price, often raised, would provide more than comparable and much less relevant.

Suggested Citation

  • Neculai Tabara & Alina Rusu, 2011. "The role of accounting in the global financial crisis. Assumptions and realities," EuroEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 29, pages 16-22, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:dug:journl:y:2011:i:29:p:16-22
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://journals.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/euroeconomica/article/view/977/814
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Spence, A. Michael, 2009. "The financial and economic crisis and the developing world," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 502-508, July.
    2. Lewis, Mervyn K., 2009. "The origins of the sub-prime crisis: Inappropriate policies, regulations, or both?," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 114-126.
    3. Laux, Christian & Leuz, Christian, 2009. "The crisis of fair-value accounting: Making sense of the recent debate," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 826-834, August.
    4. Mervyn K. Lewis, 2009. "The origins of the sub-prime crisis: Inappropriate policies, regulations, or both?," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 114-126, June.
    5. Melvin, Michael & Taylor, Mark P., 2009. "The global financial crisis: Causes, threats and opportunities. Introduction and overview," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(8), pages 1243-1245, December.
    6. McSweeney, Brendan, 2009. "The roles of financial asset market failure denial and the economic crisis: Reflections on accounting and financial theories and practices," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 835-848, August.
    7. Sikka, Prem, 2009. "Financial crisis and the silence of the auditors," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 868-873, August.
    8. Humphrey, Christopher & Loft, Anne & Woods, Margaret, 2009. "The global audit profession and the international financial architecture: Understanding regulatory relationships at a time of financial crisis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 810-825, August.
    9. Arnold, Patricia J., 2009. "Global financial crisis: The challenge to accounting research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 803-809, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gerrit Brosel & Martin Toll & Mario Zimmermann, 2012. "Lessons learned from the financial crisis - unveiling alternative approaches within valuation and accounting theory," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2012(4), pages 87-107.
    2. Horvat Robert & Korošec Bojana, 2015. "The Role of Accounting in a Society: Only a techn(olog)ical solution for the problem of economic measurement or also a tool of social ideology?," Naše gospodarstvo/Our economy, Sciendo, vol. 61(4), pages 32-40, August.
    3. Dunne, Neil J. & Brennan, Niamh M. & Kirwan, Collette E., 2021. "Impression management and Big Four auditors: Scrutiny at a public inquiry," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Samsonova-Taddei, Anna & Humphrey, Christopher, 2015. "Risk and the construction of a European audit policy agenda: The case of auditor liability," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 55-72.
    5. Sanoran, Kanyarat (Lek), 2018. "Auditors’ going concern reporting accuracy during and after the global financial crisis," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 164-178.
    6. Canning, Mary & O’Dwyer, Brendan, 2013. "The dynamics of a regulatory space realignment: Strategic responses in a local context," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 169-194.
    7. Palea, Vera, 2015. "Journal Rankings and the Sustainability of Diversity in Accounting Research," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201546, University of Turin.
    8. repec:dgr:rugsom:09002 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mehrpouya, Afshin & Salles-Djelic, Marie-Laure, 2019. "Seeing like the market; exploring the mutual rise of transparency and accounting in transnational economic and market governance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 12-31.
    10. Michel Magnan & Garen Markarian, 2011. "Accounting, Governance and the Crisis: Is Risk the Missing Link?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 215-231.
    11. Palea, Vera, 2017. "Whither accounting research? A European view," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 59-73.
    12. Cooper, Christine, 2015. "Accounting for the fictitious: A Marxist contribution to understanding accounting's roles in the financial crisis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 63-82.
    13. Stringfellow, Lindsay & McMeeking, Kevin & Maclean, Mairi, 2015. "From four to zero? The social mechanisms of symbolic domination in the UK accounting field," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 86-100.
    14. Bert Scholtens & Feng‐Ching Kang, 2013. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Earnings Management: Evidence from Asian Economies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), pages 95-112, March.
    15. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa & Nangia, Vinay Kumar & Agrawal, Rajat, 2014. "The 2007-2008 global financial crisis, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions: A 26-nation exploratory study," MPRA Paper 60148, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Iley, Richard A. & Lewis, Mervyn K., 2011. "Has the global financial crisis produced a New World Order?," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 90-103.
    17. Zhang, Eagle & Andrew, Jane, 2016. "Rethinking China: Discourse, convergence and fair value accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 1-21.
    18. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2015. "The impact of the global financial crisis on border-crossing mergers and acquisitions: A continental/industry analysis," MPRA Paper 63563, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2015.
    19. Aziz el Barnoussi & Bryan Howieson & Ferdy van Beest, 2020. "Prudential Application of IFRS 9: (Un)Fair Reporting in COVID‐19 Crisis for Banks Worldwide?!," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 30(3), pages 178-192, September.
    20. Grougiou, Vassiliki & Leventis, Stergios & Dedoulis, Emmanouil & Owusu-Ansah, Stephen, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility and earnings management in U.S. banks," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 155-169.
    21. Dirk J. Bezemer, 2012. "Modelos contables y comprensión de la crisis financiera," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 14(26), pages 47-76, January-J.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dug:journl:y:2011:i:29:p:16-22. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Florian Nuta (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fedanro.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.