e-journal

Financial accounting regulations and organizational change: a Habermasian perspective

---

Purpose – This paper seeks to understand the role of financial accounting regulations in a less
developed country in transition, Egypt. It explores the social, political as well as economic contexts
that underlie the processes of setting the Egyptian Financial Accounting Regulations (EFAR) in a
harmony with International Accounting Standards (IASs).
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on in-depth interviews and an analysis of
documents. It relies on Habermas’ notions of society’s lifeworld, institutional steering mechanisms and
systems in order to link the changes in EFAR to the changes in the wider social, political and economic
contexts wherein organizations operate. The paper also explores the role of EFAR, as “regulative” or
“constitutive” steering mechanisms, throughout two longitudinal episodes; starting with the
beginning of socialism and extending to liberalism.
Findings – The paper finds that the EFAR have had a constitutive tendency during the Egyptian
transformation towards a market-based economy. Although there are remarkable changes in political
philosophy in Egypt, the regulators’ motivations and the processes of the accountancy profession that
mobilized the formulation of EFAR in harmony with IASs, those regulations were acted upon to
constitute organizational members’ values, norms and knowledge in order to overcome the persistence
of the socialist accounting practices. The regulations were also aimed at enhancing professional
conduct and, at same time, increasing organizational members’ adherence to the processes of
privatization as a part of a wider movement towards transparency, democracy, full disclosure and
liberalisation.
Research limitations/implications – The paper emphasises the interface between a macro social
transformation and micro organizational responses in order to understand the role of EFAR. However,
it does not stress how the actual implementation of those regulations is implicated at a micro
organizational change level. Furthermore, the paper covers a timeframe – 1952 to 2000 – that extends
from the start of socialism extending to liberalism. Although the IASs are now known as International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the paper covers a period in which such IFRS were not
applicable in Egypt.
Originality/value – The paper contributes to the understanding of the social, political as well as
economic role(s) of financial accounting regulations in a transitional country during that country’s
transformation towards the market economy.

Keywords Accounting, Regulations, Organizational change, Egypt

---

Ketersediaan

Tidak ada salinan data

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change

No. Panggil

-

Penerbit

: Emerald Group., 2008

Deskripsi Fisik

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change Vol. 4 No. 3, 2008 pp. 289-317

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

-

Klasifikasi

-

Tipe Isi

-

Tipe Media

-

Tipe Pembawa

-

Edisi

-

Subjek

AKUNTANSI

Info Detail Spesifik

-

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Asmawati/Syahrial

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

Komentar

---

Anda harus masuk sebelum memberikan komentar