Accounting fundamentals and accounting change: Boulton & Watt and the Springfield Armory

Steven Toms and Richard K. Fleischman

Accounting, Organizations and Society, 2015, vol. 41, issue C, 1-20

Abstract: The paper argues that by examining accounting’s technical/objective and relational/social characteristics simultaneously, a deeper understanding can be gained of accounting transition at key stages of economic development. Using the case of Boulton & Watt (B&W), a pioneering firm of the British Industrial Revolution (BIR), the paper critiques prior interpretations and applies a taxonomy using new archival evidence, contrasting these with developments at the Springfield Armory. Results show that the management of internal contractual relationships and a preoccupation with efficiency rather than profit or control through surveillance were the dominant explanations of accounting change.

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:aosoci:v:41:y:2015:i:c:p:1-20

DOI: 10.1016/j.aos.2014.09.001

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