standards by large industrialised countries, such as the
United States (US), Canada, and members of the
European Union. According to Zeghal and Mhedhbi
(2006: 374) empirical research on the adoption of IFRS is
of a general nature only and limited to a description of
particular circumstances. Early on Ball and Foster (1982:
164) identified major differences between empirical
research in the field of accounting (as a social science)
compared to research in the basic scientific disciplines.
They advocated that accounting researchers are
confronted by the imperfect match between the
theoretical background of the accounting discipline and
the institutional data presented by accountants. In
addition they identified major differences between
accounting research and work undertaken by
practitioners, suggesting that “good” accounting research
might not satisfy either the disciplinary purist or the
practising accountant.
In addition to differences between accounting and nonaccounting
disciplines, evidence of diversity within the
discipline of accounting also exists. A number of
researchers, such as Gannon and Ashwal (2004: 43) as
well as Zanzig and Flesher (2006: 1) revealed