Three essays on the quantification, validation, and application of Gray's accounting values.

摘要

This doctoral dissertation creates, validates and uses a quantification of country-level accounting values based on Gray's (1988) framework. This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay reports the theoretical foundation and method for the quantification of the accounting values. The quantification results in reported scores for each of Gray's (1988) four accounting values---Professionalism versus Statutory Control, Uniformity versus Flexibility, Conservatism versus Optimism, and Secrecy versus Transparency. Accounting values scores are reported for 58 countries. The second essay reports the method and results of validation testing preformed on the accounting values scores. The primary validation method, Multi-Trait Multi-Method Analysis, failed to provide empirical validation to the accounting values scores. A secondary validation method, an ad-hoc research study replication, provided limited empirical validation to the accounting values scores. The third essay uses the accounting values scores as a primary variable in the explanation of differing levels of a country's adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards. The essay reports empirical evidence of the effect of accounting values on a country's level of adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards; however, this effect seems to be disappearing as more countries adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards.