「리틀톤」회계사상의 문헌사적 연구(Ⅱ)

A Historical Approach to the Accounting Thought of Littleton from 1934 to 1953

This paper is to be approached to A. C. Littleton s working performances in the second period of his research activities from 1934 to 1953. Especially, this is focused on Littleton s accounting thought, and researched about methodological characteristics of Littleton s accounting discipline in his literatures. Therefore, it is the objectives of this study to prospect the nature of accounting theory and principles, and to develop a number of accounting concepts to show : (1) that ideas from accounting theory can be usually joined with accounting actions typical in accounting practices, and (2) that accounting principles can be derived inductively out of accounting actions which are clearly relevant to accounting objectives. His accounting thought is expressed in An Introduction to Corporate Accounting Standards which wrote jointly with W. A. Paton in 1940 and Structure of Accounting Theory which was written by him in 1953. And also, this study is approached to his accounting ideology of acquisition cost basis through criticism of Sweeny s Stabilized Accounting and the accounting argument with G. O. May in the same time. Littleton has thought very importantly socio-economic environment in his study of accounting theory. He has thought that formation of double entry bookkeeping is impossible without social and economic background. And, he has demonstrated that accounting theory is formed to base on double entry bookkeeping. He has argued that accounting discipline is very important to 3 factors of accounting such as essential qualities of accounting theory, induction of accounting principles, and acquisition cost basis in double entry bookkeeping. It is verified that social and economic background is very important in this area. He has examined that process of accounting institutional development is related with progress of capitalism in his study. At the same time, he tried to demonstrate essential qualities of accounting theory as a social science. He has described many papers that criticize accounting system by market value based on accounting view of acquisition cost basis. Finally, these were organized intensively in his Structure of Accounting Theory in 1953. This results mean formation of Littleton s Accounting discipline. In this point, we can find his accounting thought that was formed in the second period when Littleton had studied accounting.