Abstract The existence of a host of differing but acceptable accounting practices not only gives rise to strong differences in reported operational results, but may also reflect a discomforting untidiness within the discipline itself. To alert and sensitize students to these concerns, a classroom vehicle is devised in which students are required to select the appropriate accounting alternatives in each of three different accounting situations. Realism is aided by using well-known accounting situations and alternatives and a type of business with which all students should be familiar. Theoretical and practical questions that arise from the students' selections are then raised for discussion.
George J. Murphy (Tue,) studied this question.