INTRODUCTION
Around 1970 there was a dramatic change in the approach to accounting research. Several
reasons have been suggested for this change in methodological direction by those reviewing the
development of accounting thought. To many, a major distinction is a change in direction away from
attempts to prescribe a theory of accounting to developing theory from a description of extant practices.
To advocates of the latter, previous attempts to develop a theory of accounting were futile as there
could never be agreement over many of the inputs into a theory such as the postulates, principles but
most specifically the assumptions. Although a very inaccurate description the two approaches are
labelled normative (the prescriptive theories that dominated prior to 1970) and positive (the descriptive
research that has dominated mainstream accounting research since 1970).
With its emphasis on description, the most defining characteristic of mainstream research since
1970 is its commitment to empiricism. In their book on accounting theory, Henderson, Peirson and
Brown (1992) refer to this research as neo-empirical research: a most apt nomenclature. As mentioned,
the dominating characteristic was empiricism. It is “neo” (new) because, although earlier research had
relied on empiricism in that it sought to establish “theory” from best practice, the emphasis after 1970
was on a more systematic use of empirical evidence. This was largely made possible with the
availability of large financial databases to which sophisticated statistical techniques were applied to test
hypotheses. This, in turn, was greatly facilitated by the increasing availability and use of computers.