Jerome L. Stein
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199280575
- eISBN:
- 9780191603501
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199280576.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This book focuses on the interaction between equilibrium real exchange rates, optimal external debt, endogenous optimal growth, and current account balances in a world of uncertainty. The theoretical ...
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This book focuses on the interaction between equilibrium real exchange rates, optimal external debt, endogenous optimal growth, and current account balances in a world of uncertainty. The theoretical parts result from interdisciplinary research between economics and state of the art applied mathematics. From the economic theory and the mathematics of stochastic optimal control, benchmarks are derived for the optimal debt and equilibrium real exchange rate in an environment where both the return on capital and the real rate of interest are stochastic variables. The theoretically derived equilibrium real exchange rate — the natural real exchange rate (NATREX) — is where the real exchange rate is heading. These benchmarks are applied to answer the following questions: What is a theoretically based empirical measure of a “misaligned” exchange rate that increases the probability of a significant depreciation or a currency crisis? What is a theoretically based empirical measure of an “excess” debt that increases the probability of a debt crisis? What is the interaction between an excess debt and a misaligned exchange rate? The theory is applied to evaluate the Euro exchange rate, the exchange rates of the transition economies of Eastern Europe, the sustainability of U.S. current account deficits, and derives warning signals of the Asian crises, defaults, and debt crises in emerging markets.Less
This book focuses on the interaction between equilibrium real exchange rates, optimal external debt, endogenous optimal growth, and current account balances in a world of uncertainty. The theoretical parts result from interdisciplinary research between economics and state of the art applied mathematics. From the economic theory and the mathematics of stochastic optimal control, benchmarks are derived for the optimal debt and equilibrium real exchange rate in an environment where both the return on capital and the real rate of interest are stochastic variables. The theoretically derived equilibrium real exchange rate — the natural real exchange rate (NATREX) — is where the real exchange rate is heading. These benchmarks are applied to answer the following questions: What is a theoretically based empirical measure of a “misaligned” exchange rate that increases the probability of a significant depreciation or a currency crisis? What is a theoretically based empirical measure of an “excess” debt that increases the probability of a debt crisis? What is the interaction between an excess debt and a misaligned exchange rate? The theory is applied to evaluate the Euro exchange rate, the exchange rates of the transition economies of Eastern Europe, the sustainability of U.S. current account deficits, and derives warning signals of the Asian crises, defaults, and debt crises in emerging markets.
Sydney Shoemaker
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199214396
- eISBN:
- 9780191706738
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214396.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This book addresses the question of how mental properties and other properties not thought of as physical can be instantiated in a world of which physicalism is true. In such a world, the ...
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This book addresses the question of how mental properties and other properties not thought of as physical can be instantiated in a world of which physicalism is true. In such a world, the instantiation of these properties must be ‘realized in’ something physical. One sort of realization is property realization, where the instantiation of the realized property is realized in the instantiation of some physical property — when a property is ‘multiply realized’, different instantiations of it can be realized in different physical properties. The account given of this is the ‘subset account’, which holds that one property realizes another in virtue of subset relations between their causal features. Another sort is microphysical realization, where the instantiation of a property is realized in a microphysical state of affairs. The accounts of these are designed to remove the threat that the causal efficacy of realized property is ‘preempted’ by their physical realizers. The book discusses the bearing of these accounts on the status of functional properties, on the nature of emergent properties, on the issue between ‘three-dimensionalist’ and ‘four-dimensionalist’ accounts of persisting entities, and on the status of ‘qualia’, the properties that give experiences their phenomenal character.Less
This book addresses the question of how mental properties and other properties not thought of as physical can be instantiated in a world of which physicalism is true. In such a world, the instantiation of these properties must be ‘realized in’ something physical. One sort of realization is property realization, where the instantiation of the realized property is realized in the instantiation of some physical property — when a property is ‘multiply realized’, different instantiations of it can be realized in different physical properties. The account given of this is the ‘subset account’, which holds that one property realizes another in virtue of subset relations between their causal features. Another sort is microphysical realization, where the instantiation of a property is realized in a microphysical state of affairs. The accounts of these are designed to remove the threat that the causal efficacy of realized property is ‘preempted’ by their physical realizers. The book discusses the bearing of these accounts on the status of functional properties, on the nature of emergent properties, on the issue between ‘three-dimensionalist’ and ‘four-dimensionalist’ accounts of persisting entities, and on the status of ‘qualia’, the properties that give experiences their phenomenal character.
George J. Benston, Michael Bromwich, Robert E. Litan, and Alfred Wagenhofer
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305838
- eISBN:
- 9780199783342
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305833.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This book provides readers with reasonably concise descriptions of the state of global markets, the benefits and limitations of financial accounting and accounting/auditing standards, and the ...
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This book provides readers with reasonably concise descriptions of the state of global markets, the benefits and limitations of financial accounting and accounting/auditing standards, and the development, status, and current policy issues of corporate financial reporting in major countries and the European Union. The globalization of financial markets has contributed to a growing consensus that national financial reporting standards should give way to a single, harmonized set of global reporting standards. This book takes a more practical approach and reaches a different conclusion: that global standards are unlikely to be achieved, and in any event, are not likely to remain unified in the face of continued changes in markets and financial practices. National accounting standards are likely to continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future, and for that reason, the book discusses the national systems and their origins in some detail. The authors also consider a range of other substantive reporting issues, notably the debate over the issue of “fair value” measurement of assets and liabilities, which the authors reject in favor of a system that marks to market only those assets with deep traded markets, coupled with additional disclosures, where relevant.Less
This book provides readers with reasonably concise descriptions of the state of global markets, the benefits and limitations of financial accounting and accounting/auditing standards, and the development, status, and current policy issues of corporate financial reporting in major countries and the European Union. The globalization of financial markets has contributed to a growing consensus that national financial reporting standards should give way to a single, harmonized set of global reporting standards. This book takes a more practical approach and reaches a different conclusion: that global standards are unlikely to be achieved, and in any event, are not likely to remain unified in the face of continued changes in markets and financial practices. National accounting standards are likely to continue to be relevant for the foreseeable future, and for that reason, the book discusses the national systems and their origins in some detail. The authors also consider a range of other substantive reporting issues, notably the debate over the issue of “fair value” measurement of assets and liabilities, which the authors reject in favor of a system that marks to market only those assets with deep traded markets, coupled with additional disclosures, where relevant.
Raffaella De Rosa
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199570379
- eISBN:
- 9780191722455
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199570379.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, History of Philosophy
While much has been written on Descartes' theory of mind and ideas, no systematic study of his theory of sensory representation and misrepresentation is currently available in the literature. This ...
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While much has been written on Descartes' theory of mind and ideas, no systematic study of his theory of sensory representation and misrepresentation is currently available in the literature. This book is an ambitious attempt to fill this gap. It argues against the established view that Cartesian sensations are mere qualia by defending the view that they are representational; it offers a descriptivist-causal account of their representationality that is critical of, and differs from, all other extant accounts (such as, for example, causal, teleofunctional and purely internalist accounts); and it has the advantage of providing an adequate solution to the problem of sensory misrepresentation within Descartes' internalist theory of ideas. In sum, the book offers a novel account of the representationality of Cartesian sensations; provides a panoramic overview, and critical assessment, of the scholarly literature on this issue; and places Descartes' theory of sensation in the central position it deserves among the philosophical and scientific investigations of the workings of the human mind.Less
While much has been written on Descartes' theory of mind and ideas, no systematic study of his theory of sensory representation and misrepresentation is currently available in the literature. This book is an ambitious attempt to fill this gap. It argues against the established view that Cartesian sensations are mere qualia by defending the view that they are representational; it offers a descriptivist-causal account of their representationality that is critical of, and differs from, all other extant accounts (such as, for example, causal, teleofunctional and purely internalist accounts); and it has the advantage of providing an adequate solution to the problem of sensory misrepresentation within Descartes' internalist theory of ideas. In sum, the book offers a novel account of the representationality of Cartesian sensations; provides a panoramic overview, and critical assessment, of the scholarly literature on this issue; and places Descartes' theory of sensation in the central position it deserves among the philosophical and scientific investigations of the workings of the human mind.
R. M. Sainsbury and Michael Tye
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695317
- eISBN:
- 9780191738531
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695317.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language
How can one think about the same thing twice without knowing that it's the same thing? How can one think about nothing at all (for example Pegasus, the mythical flying horse)? Is thinking about ...
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How can one think about the same thing twice without knowing that it's the same thing? How can one think about nothing at all (for example Pegasus, the mythical flying horse)? Is thinking about oneself special? One could mistake one's car for someone else's, but it seems one could not mistake one's own headache for someone else's. Why not? This book provides an entirely new theory which answers these puzzles and more. The framework is an account of the mind that sees it as part of nature, as opposed to something with supernatural powers. This means that human beings have more opportunities to make mistakes than many have liked to think.Less
How can one think about the same thing twice without knowing that it's the same thing? How can one think about nothing at all (for example Pegasus, the mythical flying horse)? Is thinking about oneself special? One could mistake one's car for someone else's, but it seems one could not mistake one's own headache for someone else's. Why not? This book provides an entirely new theory which answers these puzzles and more. The framework is an account of the mind that sees it as part of nature, as opposed to something with supernatural powers. This means that human beings have more opportunities to make mistakes than many have liked to think.
Andrew Mason
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199264414
- eISBN:
- 9780191718489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264414.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter examines the most obvious way of developing a meritocratic account, one in terms of the idea of desert. According to this approach, the best-qualified candidates should be appointed to ...
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This chapter examines the most obvious way of developing a meritocratic account, one in terms of the idea of desert. According to this approach, the best-qualified candidates should be appointed to advantaged social positions because they deserve to be, provided there is fair access to qualifications. David Miller's version of this approach is examined. He maintains that the best-qualified applicants for jobs deserve them because they are the most likely to come to deserve the rewards attached to them, at least when the market is functioning properly. Against this approach, it is argued that ordinary judgements about economic desert are sensitive to effort-making, not just achievement, and the degree of effort that people make corresponds in a highly imperfect way to their qualifications.Less
This chapter examines the most obvious way of developing a meritocratic account, one in terms of the idea of desert. According to this approach, the best-qualified candidates should be appointed to advantaged social positions because they deserve to be, provided there is fair access to qualifications. David Miller's version of this approach is examined. He maintains that the best-qualified applicants for jobs deserve them because they are the most likely to come to deserve the rewards attached to them, at least when the market is functioning properly. Against this approach, it is argued that ordinary judgements about economic desert are sensitive to effort-making, not just achievement, and the degree of effort that people make corresponds in a highly imperfect way to their qualifications.
Valerie Tiberius
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199202867
- eISBN:
- 9780191707988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202867.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and ...
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This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and to show by example how Humean naturalists, who are committed to the empirical contingency of any normative theory, can nevertheless construct a genuinely normative theory. It argues that a theory of how to live that takes seriously the person's own point of view must be a theory that recommends ‘from the inside’ rather than imposing external imperatives. The Reflective Wisdom Account is discussed.Less
This concluding chapter begins with a discussion of the major aims of the book, which are to explore the contribution to living well made by us, by articulating the nature of reflective wisdom; and to show by example how Humean naturalists, who are committed to the empirical contingency of any normative theory, can nevertheless construct a genuinely normative theory. It argues that a theory of how to live that takes seriously the person's own point of view must be a theory that recommends ‘from the inside’ rather than imposing external imperatives. The Reflective Wisdom Account is discussed.
John Kay
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198292227
- eISBN:
- 9780191596520
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292228.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
This chapter describes financial relationships between competitive advantage, economic rent, added value, and various other measures of firm performance.
This chapter describes financial relationships between competitive advantage, economic rent, added value, and various other measures of firm performance.
Edward A. Zelinsky
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195339352
- eISBN:
- 9780199855407
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339352.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Employment Law
President Bush's vision of an “ownership society” continues the process of the last three decades by which the defined contribution paradigm has become the primary framework for retirement savings ...
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President Bush's vision of an “ownership society” continues the process of the last three decades by which the defined contribution paradigm has become the primary framework for retirement savings and, more broadly, a fundamental tenet of tax and social policy. In a defined contribution society, the policies more likely to be adopted are those which channel government subsidies for retirement, health care, and educational savings through individual accounts controlled by the taxpayer himself. In contrast, defined benefit arrangements—as exemplified by the traditional pension plan and the federal Social Security system—are less likely to be proposed, adopted or expanded. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) arrangements are today central features of American life. The growth of cash balance pensions and their cousins—new comparability plans—is best understood as reflecting the prevailing defined contribution ethos. Equally striking is the extent to which the defined contribution format has, in the last several years, reconfigured many state retirement programs. Moreover, individual accounts have spread beyond the realm of retirement savings to other arenas of social and tax policy. Section 529 accounts are today the predominant instrument by which Americans save for college. We are now in the early stages of a comparable transformation of medical coverage—the flexible spending account (FSA), the health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), and the health savings account (HSA) emerging as important devices for financing routine medical care.Less
President Bush's vision of an “ownership society” continues the process of the last three decades by which the defined contribution paradigm has become the primary framework for retirement savings and, more broadly, a fundamental tenet of tax and social policy. In a defined contribution society, the policies more likely to be adopted are those which channel government subsidies for retirement, health care, and educational savings through individual accounts controlled by the taxpayer himself. In contrast, defined benefit arrangements—as exemplified by the traditional pension plan and the federal Social Security system—are less likely to be proposed, adopted or expanded. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) arrangements are today central features of American life. The growth of cash balance pensions and their cousins—new comparability plans—is best understood as reflecting the prevailing defined contribution ethos. Equally striking is the extent to which the defined contribution format has, in the last several years, reconfigured many state retirement programs. Moreover, individual accounts have spread beyond the realm of retirement savings to other arenas of social and tax policy. Section 529 accounts are today the predominant instrument by which Americans save for college. We are now in the early stages of a comparable transformation of medical coverage—the flexible spending account (FSA), the health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), and the health savings account (HSA) emerging as important devices for financing routine medical care.
Keith Brainard
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199573349
- eISBN:
- 9780191721946
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199573349.003.0012
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management, Pensions and Pension Management
Retiree benefits for US employees of state and local governments have been traditionally paid via defined benefit (DB) plans, but this arrangement has been neither monolithic nor static. This chapter ...
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Retiree benefits for US employees of state and local governments have been traditionally paid via defined benefit (DB) plans, but this arrangement has been neither monolithic nor static. This chapter provides examples of variants on the traditional DB model and presents recent developments in retirement benefits for public employees, focusing on the incorporation of DC plan elements into or alongside DB plan structures.Less
Retiree benefits for US employees of state and local governments have been traditionally paid via defined benefit (DB) plans, but this arrangement has been neither monolithic nor static. This chapter provides examples of variants on the traditional DB model and presents recent developments in retirement benefits for public employees, focusing on the incorporation of DC plan elements into or alongside DB plan structures.
Hidemi Suganami
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198273387
- eISBN:
- 9780191684043
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198273387.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This book analyses one of the fundamental questions of international relations: what causes war? Drawing on historical, statistical, and philosophical perspectives to produce an innovative theory, ...
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This book analyses one of the fundamental questions of international relations: what causes war? Drawing on historical, statistical, and philosophical perspectives to produce an innovative theory, the book rejects the simplistic notion that war can be explained by some straightforward formula, yet demonstrates that there are basic similarities among the diverse origins of wars. Such similarities, it argues, are rooted in the way the origins of wars, conventionally, are narrated. Comparing various narrative accounts of the origins of wars, the book shows that enquiry into the causes of war is inseparable from the question of responsibility.Less
This book analyses one of the fundamental questions of international relations: what causes war? Drawing on historical, statistical, and philosophical perspectives to produce an innovative theory, the book rejects the simplistic notion that war can be explained by some straightforward formula, yet demonstrates that there are basic similarities among the diverse origins of wars. Such similarities, it argues, are rooted in the way the origins of wars, conventionally, are narrated. Comparing various narrative accounts of the origins of wars, the book shows that enquiry into the causes of war is inseparable from the question of responsibility.
Robert Fogelin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195177541
- eISBN:
- 9780199850143
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177541.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Human beings are both supremely rational and deeply superstitious, capable of believing just about anything and of questioning just about everything. Indeed, just as our reason demands that we know ...
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Human beings are both supremely rational and deeply superstitious, capable of believing just about anything and of questioning just about everything. Indeed, just as our reason demands that we know the truth, our skepticism leads to doubts we can ever really do so. This book guides us through a contradiction that lies at the very heart of philosophical inquiry. The book argues that our rational faculties insist on a purely rational account of the universe; yet at the same time, the inherent limitations of these faculties ensure that we will never fully satisfy that demand. As a result of being driven to this point of paradox, we either comfort ourselves with what Kant called “metaphysical illusions” or adopt a stance of radical skepticism. No middle ground seems possible and, as the book shows, skepticism, even though a healthy dose of it is essential for living a rational life, “has an inherent tendency to become unlimited in its scope, with the result that the edifice of rationality is destroyed.” In much Postmodernist thought, for example, skepticism takes the extreme form of absolute relativism, denying the basis for any value distinctions and treating all truth-claims as equally groundless. How reason avoids disgracing itself, walking a fine line between dogmatic belief and self-defeating doubt, is the question the book seeks to answer.Less
Human beings are both supremely rational and deeply superstitious, capable of believing just about anything and of questioning just about everything. Indeed, just as our reason demands that we know the truth, our skepticism leads to doubts we can ever really do so. This book guides us through a contradiction that lies at the very heart of philosophical inquiry. The book argues that our rational faculties insist on a purely rational account of the universe; yet at the same time, the inherent limitations of these faculties ensure that we will never fully satisfy that demand. As a result of being driven to this point of paradox, we either comfort ourselves with what Kant called “metaphysical illusions” or adopt a stance of radical skepticism. No middle ground seems possible and, as the book shows, skepticism, even though a healthy dose of it is essential for living a rational life, “has an inherent tendency to become unlimited in its scope, with the result that the edifice of rationality is destroyed.” In much Postmodernist thought, for example, skepticism takes the extreme form of absolute relativism, denying the basis for any value distinctions and treating all truth-claims as equally groundless. How reason avoids disgracing itself, walking a fine line between dogmatic belief and self-defeating doubt, is the question the book seeks to answer.
Jennifer Radden (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195151657
- eISBN:
- 9780199849253
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195151657.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Spanning twenty-four centuries, this anthology collects over thirty selections of important Western writing about melancholy and its related conditions by philosophers, doctors, religious and ...
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Spanning twenty-four centuries, this anthology collects over thirty selections of important Western writing about melancholy and its related conditions by philosophers, doctors, religious and literary figures, and modern psychologists. Truly interdisciplinary, it is the first such anthology. As it traces Western attitudes, it reveals a conversation across centuries and continents as the authors interpret, respond, and build on each other's work. The editor provides an extensive, in-depth introduction that draws links and parallels between the selections, and reveals the ambiguous relationship between these historical accounts of melancholy and today's psychiatric views on depression.Less
Spanning twenty-four centuries, this anthology collects over thirty selections of important Western writing about melancholy and its related conditions by philosophers, doctors, religious and literary figures, and modern psychologists. Truly interdisciplinary, it is the first such anthology. As it traces Western attitudes, it reveals a conversation across centuries and continents as the authors interpret, respond, and build on each other's work. The editor provides an extensive, in-depth introduction that draws links and parallels between the selections, and reveals the ambiguous relationship between these historical accounts of melancholy and today's psychiatric views on depression.
Michael Power
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0015
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
This chapter argues that financial accounting has been frequently mischaracterized as a field of different national practices which have become increasingly and rapidly international in recent years. ...
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This chapter argues that financial accounting has been frequently mischaracterized as a field of different national practices which have become increasingly and rapidly international in recent years. Rather, accounting norms have evolved over centuries in trans-regional commercial spaces between states, and are more loosely coupled to national ‘cultures’ than is commonly imagined. It is suggested that the rise of so-called ‘national’ level accounting standard setters in the late 20th century marks the origin of self-validating and increasingly autonomous ‘global accounting actors’ of which the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is only one example. Its emergence is largely mis-described as the result of a conflict between ‘national’ and ‘international’ standards, and is better understood as the outcome of a distinctive accounting sub-politics involving small numbers of policy actors operating within and constituting an ‘accounting culture’ which has always been more global than national in character.Less
This chapter argues that financial accounting has been frequently mischaracterized as a field of different national practices which have become increasingly and rapidly international in recent years. Rather, accounting norms have evolved over centuries in trans-regional commercial spaces between states, and are more loosely coupled to national ‘cultures’ than is commonly imagined. It is suggested that the rise of so-called ‘national’ level accounting standard setters in the late 20th century marks the origin of self-validating and increasingly autonomous ‘global accounting actors’ of which the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is only one example. Its emergence is largely mis-described as the result of a conflict between ‘national’ and ‘international’ standards, and is better understood as the outcome of a distinctive accounting sub-politics involving small numbers of policy actors operating within and constituting an ‘accounting culture’ which has always been more global than national in character.
Keith Robson and Joni Young
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0016
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
This chapter appraises the influence of Burchell et al. (1985) on interdisciplinary studies of accounting standardization and choice in financial reporting as social and organizational practices. It ...
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This chapter appraises the influence of Burchell et al. (1985) on interdisciplinary studies of accounting standardization and choice in financial reporting as social and organizational practices. It begins with a brief review of economics-based research streams including a priori accounting measurement theories and theorizations of accounting products as information commodities. These research paradigms provided few insights for understanding processes of accounting change. In contrast, Burchell et al. constructed a theoretically engaged analytical method to study financial accounting change that unpacked taken-for-granted assumptions and stimulated new research directions. Subsequent studies of financial accounting change are organized into three areas emphasized by Burchell et al. — accounting problematization, the social functioning of accounting and its articulation with other fields of action, and the unpacking of taken-for-granted assumptions and values contained within neo-classical economics perspectives on accounting regulation and change. The chapter concludes with suggested avenues for future research.Less
This chapter appraises the influence of Burchell et al. (1985) on interdisciplinary studies of accounting standardization and choice in financial reporting as social and organizational practices. It begins with a brief review of economics-based research streams including a priori accounting measurement theories and theorizations of accounting products as information commodities. These research paradigms provided few insights for understanding processes of accounting change. In contrast, Burchell et al. constructed a theoretically engaged analytical method to study financial accounting change that unpacked taken-for-granted assumptions and stimulated new research directions. Subsequent studies of financial accounting change are organized into three areas emphasized by Burchell et al. — accounting problematization, the social functioning of accounting and its articulation with other fields of action, and the unpacking of taken-for-granted assumptions and values contained within neo-classical economics perspectives on accounting regulation and change. The chapter concludes with suggested avenues for future research.
Carolyn Price
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242009
- eISBN:
- 9780191696992
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242009.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science
This book investigates what it means to say that mental states — thoughts, wishes, perceptual experiences, and so on — are about things in the world. The answer to this deep philosophical problem is ...
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This book investigates what it means to say that mental states — thoughts, wishes, perceptual experiences, and so on — are about things in the world. The answer to this deep philosophical problem is a novel teleological account of intentional content, grounded in and shaped by a carefully constructed theory of functions. This book's teleological account centres on the claim that the content of an intentional state depends both on the information that it is supposed to carry and on the way in which it is used — whether to trigger a simple response, to help keep track of an object or place, to help in planning a route through the environment, or in a sophisticated process of reasoning. Along the way the book defends its view from recent objections to teleological theories, and indicates how it might be applied to some notable problems in the philosophy of mind.Less
This book investigates what it means to say that mental states — thoughts, wishes, perceptual experiences, and so on — are about things in the world. The answer to this deep philosophical problem is a novel teleological account of intentional content, grounded in and shaped by a carefully constructed theory of functions. This book's teleological account centres on the claim that the content of an intentional state depends both on the information that it is supposed to carry and on the way in which it is used — whether to trigger a simple response, to help keep track of an object or place, to help in planning a route through the environment, or in a sophisticated process of reasoning. Along the way the book defends its view from recent objections to teleological theories, and indicates how it might be applied to some notable problems in the philosophy of mind.
Thomas Ahrens
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
This chapter explores some of the ways in which intentionality is played out in everyday accounting practices. From a practice perspective accounting is an array of activities that is ordered by ...
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This chapter explores some of the ways in which intentionality is played out in everyday accounting practices. From a practice perspective accounting is an array of activities that is ordered by practical understandings, rules, and objectives, and projects, and one that forms a nexus of practices together with management and control practices, commercial practices, reporting practices, bookkeeping practices, and suchlike. Intentionality is important for ordering accounting practices and for connecting them to other practices. A practice lens can also help overcome distinctions between accounting change and accounting routines by showing how everyday accounting practices can give rise to change.Less
This chapter explores some of the ways in which intentionality is played out in everyday accounting practices. From a practice perspective accounting is an array of activities that is ordered by practical understandings, rules, and objectives, and projects, and one that forms a nexus of practices together with management and control practices, commercial practices, reporting practices, bookkeeping practices, and suchlike. Intentionality is important for ordering accounting practices and for connecting them to other practices. A practice lens can also help overcome distinctions between accounting change and accounting routines by showing how everyday accounting practices can give rise to change.
Patricia J. Arnold
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0003
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
This chapter summarizes the contributions that institutional theory has made to our understanding of the forces driving the internationalization of financial accounting which is characterized by the ...
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This chapter summarizes the contributions that institutional theory has made to our understanding of the forces driving the internationalization of financial accounting which is characterized by the harmonization of accounting standards and the creation of integrated global markets for accounting services and accounting labour. Institutionalism is defined broadly to include a broad spectrum of multidisciplinary scholarship at the micro, mezzo, and macro level of analysis. The chapter argues that institutional analysis, broadly defined, is capable of interrogating not only the social and cultural underpinning of accounting practice, but also the political and economic forces that underlie the internationalization of financial accounting. Directions for future international accounting research aimed at understanding developments within the accounting field within the context of the financialization of the world political economy over the past quarter century are discussed.Less
This chapter summarizes the contributions that institutional theory has made to our understanding of the forces driving the internationalization of financial accounting which is characterized by the harmonization of accounting standards and the creation of integrated global markets for accounting services and accounting labour. Institutionalism is defined broadly to include a broad spectrum of multidisciplinary scholarship at the micro, mezzo, and macro level of analysis. The chapter argues that institutional analysis, broadly defined, is capable of interrogating not only the social and cultural underpinning of accounting practice, but also the political and economic forces that underlie the internationalization of financial accounting. Directions for future international accounting research aimed at understanding developments within the accounting field within the context of the financialization of the world political economy over the past quarter century are discussed.
Salvador Carmona and Mahmoud Ezzamel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
The theorization of space in social sciences has made considerable progress in the last decades. Yet, there appears to be remarkably little interest in exploring the relationship between accounting ...
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The theorization of space in social sciences has made considerable progress in the last decades. Yet, there appears to be remarkably little interest in exploring the relationship between accounting and space. This chapter argues the case for studying the relationship between accounting and social space, which has held considerable promise as a theoretical framing and a heuristic for studying the differentiation of groups in the social world. In this respect, the chapter addresses a number of research implications in relation to accounting inscriptions and social space, accounting for individual capital, and accounting and the objectification and domination of space. Furthermore, the chapter explores some possible future research opportunities concerning the processes of social space: the roles that accounting can play in underpinning cognitive spacing, the connection between accounting and moral spacing, and the extent to which accounting can underpin aesthetic spacing.Less
The theorization of space in social sciences has made considerable progress in the last decades. Yet, there appears to be remarkably little interest in exploring the relationship between accounting and space. This chapter argues the case for studying the relationship between accounting and social space, which has held considerable promise as a theoretical framing and a heuristic for studying the differentiation of groups in the social world. In this respect, the chapter addresses a number of research implications in relation to accounting inscriptions and social space, accounting for individual capital, and accounting and the objectification and domination of space. Furthermore, the chapter explores some possible future research opportunities concerning the processes of social space: the roles that accounting can play in underpinning cognitive spacing, the connection between accounting and moral spacing, and the extent to which accounting can underpin aesthetic spacing.
Edward A. Zelinsky
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195339352
- eISBN:
- 9780199855407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339352.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Employment Law
Traditional defined benefit pensions have four major characteristics as a matter of plan design. First, they provide income on a deferred basis at retirement and not before then. Second, they provide ...
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Traditional defined benefit pensions have four major characteristics as a matter of plan design. First, they provide income on a deferred basis at retirement and not before then. Second, they provide such retirement income as periodic, annuity-type payments, rather than as single lump sums. Third, they are funded collectively, the employer's contributions being pooled in a common trust fund from which all participants receive their benefits. Finally, the defined benefit format places on the employer (rather than the employee) the obligation to fund the benefit promised to the participating employee. In all four respects, the prototypical defined contribution retirement plan, exemplified by 401(k) arrangements, is today different. The contemporary defined contribution arrangement distributes to an employee when he leaves employment, even if the employee is well short of retirement age. Typically, the distribution takes the form of a single, lump sum payout of the employee's individual account balance.Less
Traditional defined benefit pensions have four major characteristics as a matter of plan design. First, they provide income on a deferred basis at retirement and not before then. Second, they provide such retirement income as periodic, annuity-type payments, rather than as single lump sums. Third, they are funded collectively, the employer's contributions being pooled in a common trust fund from which all participants receive their benefits. Finally, the defined benefit format places on the employer (rather than the employee) the obligation to fund the benefit promised to the participating employee. In all four respects, the prototypical defined contribution retirement plan, exemplified by 401(k) arrangements, is today different. The contemporary defined contribution arrangement distributes to an employee when he leaves employment, even if the employee is well short of retirement age. Typically, the distribution takes the form of a single, lump sum payout of the employee's individual account balance.
