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).