What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to analyze the philosophical foundations of mainstream accounting and explore alternative research perspectives.

March 18, 2026

Radical Developments in Accounting Thought.

Key Points

The study aims to analyze the philosophical foundations of mainstream accounting and explore alternative research perspectives.
Comparison of accounting research conducted under different philosophical assumptions.
Analysis of hypothetical-deductive versus interpretive and critical approaches.
Discussion of challenges in applying alternative research methods.
Identified limitations in mainstream accounting due to its dominant worldview.
Highlighted potential insights gained from interpretive and critical perspectives.
Demonstrated variations in understanding the same accounting problem through different philosophical lenses.

Abstract

Abstract ABSTRACT: Mainstream accounting is grounded in a common set of philosophical assumptions about knowledge, the empirical world, and the relationship between theory and practice. This particular world-view, with its emphasis on hypothetico-deductivism and technical control, possesses certain strengths but has restricted the range of problems studied and the use of research methods. By changing this set of assumptions, fundamentally different and potentially rich research insights are obtained. Two alternative world-views and their underlying assumptions am elucidated-the interpretive and the critical. The consequences of conducting research within these philosophical traditions are discussed via a comparison between accounting research that is conducted on the "same" problem but from two different perspectives. In addition, some of the difficulties associated with these alternative perspectives are briefly dealt with.

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Radical Developments in Accounting Thought.

Key Points

Abstract

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