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Accounting for People: A real step forward or more a case of wishing and hoping?

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  • Roslender, Robin
  • Stevenson, Joanna

Abstract

In principle, the Accounting for People initiative announced by the UK government in January 2003 held out the possibility of a real step forward in promoting the interests of employees. Despite its distinctly managerialist discourse, the initiative acknowledged that having now recognised that ‘people are our greatest asset’, employers should begin to consider how to report on their people management activities in financial statements. After more than three and a half years of consultation, debate and deliberation, larger UK quoted companies are now charged with providing only a minimal level of general information on their employees. Whatever promise may have been evident to wishful thinkers in the early months of the initiative, this outcome confirms that there is little possibility for progressively ‘accounting for people’ as long as such practices are shaped by powerful sectional interests. The purpose of this paper is to subject the initiative to critical scrutiny. The paper seeks to document how the Accounting for People initiative was quickly and effectively emasculated as a consequence of the power and influence wielded by the UK accountancy profession, identified as a key agent of capital. Additionally, attention is drawn to a number of contemporary developments, largely and perhaps knowingly ignored in the course of the Accounting for People debate, that may yet inform and energise a more radical approach to accounting for people.

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  • Roslender, Robin & Stevenson, Joanna, 2009. "Accounting for People: A real step forward or more a case of wishing and hoping?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(7), pages 855-869.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:20:y:2009:i:7:p:855-869
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2007.02.003
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    Cited by:

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    2. Awais Alam Khan & Muhammad Nouman, 2019. "Intellectual Capital in Practice in the Public Sector: Developing a Conceptual Framework for the ‘Third Wave’," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Roslender, Robin & Hart, Susan J., 2010. "Taking the customer into account: Transcending the construction of the customer through the promotion of self-accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(8), pages 739-753.
    4. Larin, Sergey & Khrustalev, Evgeny & Noakk, Natalia, 2023. "Трансформация Структуры Интеллектуального Капитала И Рост Значимости Его Составляющих – Человеческого Капитала И Интеллектуальной Собственности – В Современной Экономике [Transformation of the inte," MPRA Paper 119341, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 29 Mar 2023.
    5. William L. Smith & David M. Boje & Kevin D. Melendrez, 2010. "The financial crisis and mark‐to‐market accounting," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(3), pages 281-303, August.
    6. Nappert, Pier-Luc & Plante, Maude, 2023. "The assetization of baseball players: Instrumentalizing promise with signing bonuses and human capital contracts," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    7. Kianto, Aino & Ritala, Paavo & Vanhala, Mika & Hussinki, Henri, 2020. "Reflections on the criteria for the sound measurement of intellectual capital: A knowledge-based perspective," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    8. Sandra Brosnan & David O’Donnell & Philip O’Regan, 2019. "A performative exploration of the lifeworlds of human capital and financial capital: an intellectual capital case vignette," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(2), pages 321-344, June.
    9. Alcaniz, Leire & Gomez-Bezares, Fernando & Roslender, Robin, 2011. "Theoretical perspectives on intellectual capital: A backward look and a proposal for going forward," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 104-117.
    10. Raffaele Trequattrini & Alessandra Lardo & Benedetta Cuozzo & Myriam Cano Rubio, 2017. "Intellectual Capital as driver for controlling managers? performance. An innovative approach," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2017(3), pages 123-142.
    11. K. Vithana & T. Soobaroyen & C. G. Ntim, 2021. "Human Resource Disclosures in UK Corporate Annual Reports: To What Extent Do These Reflect Organisational Priorities Towards Labour?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 475-497, March.
    12. Awais Alam Khan & Waseef Jamal, 2013. "Intellectual Capital: Perception of Public and Private Sector Knowledge-Based Organizations in Pakistan," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 5(1), pages 29-52, April.
    13. Spence, Crawford & Carter, David, 2011. "Accounting for the General Intellect: Immaterial labour and the social factory," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 304-315.
    14. Robin Roslender & Susan J Hart, 2010. "Strategic Management Accounting: Lots in a Name?," Accountancy Discussion Papers 1005, Accountancy Research Group, Heriot Watt University.
    15. Roslender, Robin & Marks, Abigail & Stevenson, Joanna, 2015. "Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: Conflicting perspectives on the virtues of accounting for people," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 43-55.
    16. Guthrie, James & Ricceri, Federica & Dumay, John, 2012. "Reflections and projections: A decade of Intellectual Capital Accounting Research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 68-82.
    17. Mäkelä, Hannele, 2013. "On the ideological role of employee reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 360-378.
    18. Paola Demartini & Paola Paoloni, 2017. "A Path Model “Why-What-How-When” to Implement an IC Reporting," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(6), pages 1-11, May.
    19. Corinne Ollier Bessieux & Emmanuelle Negre & Marie-Anne Verdier, 2022. "Moving from Accounting for People to Accounting with People: A Critical Analysis of the Literature and Avenues for Research," Post-Print hal-03889478, HAL.
    20. Roslender, Robin & Stevenson, Joanna E. & Kahn, Howard, 2012. "Towards recognising workforce health as a constituent of intellectual capital: Insights from a survey of UK accounting and finance directors," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 266-278.

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