Issue

Vol. 43 No. 2 (2018): Africa Development

7 - The Evolution of Accountancy to Accountability: Acknowledging Africa’s Contribution

https://doi.org/10.57054/ad.v43i2.704
Barry Ackers
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5981-7889

Corresponding Author(s) : Barry Ackers

ackerb@unisa.ac.za

Africa Development, Vol. 43 No. 2 (2018): Africa Development

Abstract

While the primary objective of this article is to consider whether accounting has adequately responded to the expectations of contemporary society for increased corporate accountability, it simultaneously questions the Eurocentric view that attributes the development of contemporary accounting practices to Western development. Although the article links financial reporting practices to shareholder primacy, and corporate social responsibility and integrated reporting to shareholder theory, it also questions whether companies were truly embracing the fundamental principles of responsible corporate citizenship, suggesting that some companies may only be instrumentally providing non-financial reporting as a tool to entrench shareholder primacy. Without disregarding the contribution of the West to the development of accounting practices, it argues that Africa’s role, especially relating to early accounting developments, may have been deliberately ignored to perpetuate Eurocentric dogma.

Keywords

accountability accounting accounting history Africa Eurocentric ubuntu
[1]
Ackers, B. 2018. 7 - The Evolution of Accountancy to Accountability: Acknowledging Africa’s Contribution. Africa Development. 43, 2 (Apr. 2018). DOI:https://doi.org/10.57054/ad.v43i2.704.
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Author Biography

Barry Ackers

Professor and Chair, Department of Auditing, College of Accounting Sciences, University of South Africa. E-mail: ackerb@unisa.ac.za

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