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Transaction cost economics and nineteenth century fur trade accounting: relevance of a contemporary theory
- Source :
- Accounting History. 1:55-78
- Publication Year :
- 1996
- Publisher :
- SAGE Publications, 1996.
-
Abstract
- In examining how the historical, fur-trading Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) controlled the agency problem, Carlos and Nicholas (1990) concluded that accounting in general was one of the many techniques used. This study expands on the work of Carlos and Nicholas. For the period from 1821 to 1860, it examines original documents in addition to published documents used by Carlos and Nicholas. It uses a specific agency theorytransaction cost economics (TCE). Because of the uncertainty that prevailed through communication lags caused by the great distances, TCE suggests that the HBC would develop extensive directing and monitoring mechanisms and use what is now known as management accounting. The data suggest that the HBC conformed well to the TCE predictions that directing and monitoring mechanisms would be highly developed. The internal accounting had many features comparable to contemporary management accounting.
- Subjects :
- Transaction cost
History
medicine.medical_specialty
050208 finance
060106 history of social sciences
business.industry
05 social sciences
Principal–agent problem
Accounting
06 humanities and the arts
Contemporary theory
Positive accounting
Work (electrical)
0502 economics and business
Agency (sociology)
Management accounting
medicine
Economics
Relevance (law)
0601 history and archaeology
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17493374 and 10323732
- Volume :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Accounting History
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........e39396387438acdbcf2da69deaa80f18