Abstract Two basic postulates have been recommended: (1) Accounting information must be useful. (2) Fairness must govern the accumulation and presentation of accounting information. In addition, a third postulate has been suggested: (3) All applicable legal requirements must be met in the collection and presentation of accounting information. It is felt that these three concepts must of necessity underlie all accounting activity and theory and that they therefore qualify as postulates. Further, the broad, general nature of these concepts, rather than being an objection to their acceptance as postulates of accounting is in actuality a significant factor in favor of their acceptance in such a role. Postulates must be of broad implication by their very nature; these concepts so qualify. No attempt has been made here to refute the conclusions of ARS No. 1 in regard to the postulates recommended by that study. The recommendations of this paper should be considered in the light of that effort and other attempts to consider the subject of accounting postulates for those areas where the various approaches may be commingled.
Horace R. Givens (1966) studied this question.