Later accounting classification studies, such as Nair and Frank (1980),
derive classifications of countries primarily from comparative statistical
analyses of financial reporting rules or practices. For instance, Doupnik
and Salter (1993) advance—and empirically verify—Nobes (1983) conjecture
by deriving a classification of countries with similar accounting
practices using hierarchical cluster analysis. Their detailed nine-cluster
classification conforms at themost fundamental level to the dichotomous
structure of accounting systems proposed by Nobes (1983). Panel A of
Table 1 presents Doupnik and Salter's (1993) frequently used (Hora,
Tondkar, & McEwen, 2003; Nikkinen & Sahlström, 2004) categorization
of countries into micro-based and macro-uniform accounting regimes.