美國 財務會計理論의 形成에 관한 硏究

An approach to the formation of financial accounting theory in U.S.A. - focusing on the accounting thought of H.R. Hartfield -

In this paper, it is investigated the historical formative process of finacial accounting theory in the United States of America. Especially, it is approached to the accounting thoughts of Henry R. Hatfield put in an appearance on his literatures, Modern Accounting and Accounting as revised edition. It is also examined the detail backgrounds of initial formation of American financial accounting thoughts at around the turn of the 20th century. In his book, ‘Modern Accounting’, its enduring value is twofold. One is the qualities of clarity and balance, freshness and sanity that characterize the presentation. His two chapters on depreciation remain among the most lucid and thoughtful treatments in the literature, and they are commendably succinct. In his chapter on consolidated balance sheets, we find a brief but interesting suggestion which may be regarded as a precursor of the “entity theory”. another valuable attribute of his ‘Modern Accounting’ is its perspectives into the evolution of accounting thought and practice during the first three decades of the 20th century. Precisely, it is because of Hatfield’s sensitive sampling of diverse views and judgments that his ‘Modern Accounting’ is a work of historical interest for accounting researchers. Hatfield had drown on the standard American accounting authorities of the period, to wit Kester, Montgomery, Paton, Cole, and Finney. He frequently had compared accounting practices and laws of the United States with those of France, Germany, Austria and United Kingdom. As a result of reviewing the Hatfield’s accounting thought, we can notice that American financial accounting theory is initially formed by his literature, ‘Modern Accounting’ written on 1909 in the United States. So, in the case of researching accounting history of America, we have to be remarked Hatfield’s books.