Interactive Process of Meaning-Making in the Quest for Legitimacy - Essay Example

Rhetoric in International Standard Setting: An Interactive Process of Meaning-making in the Quest for Legitimacy Summary The paper critically discusses the various issues that revolve around the accounting environment. One of the contemporary issues in this area is rhetorical strategies. These strategies are important in the standard setting process in the contemporary environment. Instead of detailing requirements involved in accounting, the drafts involved in the setting of standards are common artifacts. Setting standards in the accounting environment is one of the contemporary things to do. Members of a particular body used to regulate accounting activities prepare them. These members ought to have a unanimous point of view regarding the importance of some of the accounting matters present in the contemporary business environment. There are members of these organizations that create some of the rules that govern accounting in order to achieve their own self-interests. In doing this, they incorporate constructive strategies where they formulate or rather create a gap in the accounting world where they have it necessary to introduce the new rule. The strategy is also persuasive in that it is necessary for the team to talk to other people and show them the necessity of incorporate a new strategy in the environment. The importance of this is ensuring that for the unanimous decision to reach, everyone in the team understands or rather is persuaded to endorse the rule. Introduction and Motivation Rhetoric is a two- way concept. This is from the fact that when a group of professionals decide on taking a certain direction, they have to listen to the opinion of other members in the accounting arena. Failure to do this can see many issues arising raging from demonstrations and ineffectiveness. The fact that it is two ways means that it is appropriate for the accountants to understand that fairness is a concept that ought to be practiced in the local and international business environments (Riahi, 2013, 76). Several factors motivated these researchers. One of their motivators is the fact that they would get to understand the field of accounting from a rather different perspective rather than the general one that they understand which involves a lot of quantitative date. In this case, the amount of work that they did was involved with qualitative analysis of information and understanding the manner through which to move ahead in the field. Literature Review, Theory Development, and Hypothesis When going through the issue of accounting, very few people focus on it from a qualitative point of view. This is due to the notion that accounting is all about arithmetic and associated mathematics (Eisen, 2012, 98). However, it is appropriate to understand that some works go through the issue of accounting from a quantitative point of view. From this, they have the ability to determine several of the issues that go around the accounting environment. One of the issues that these books go through is Rhetoric. A case in example is Accounting: A Smart Approach, a book by Mary Carey who is one of the most reputable people in the field of accounting. In the book she explains how rhetorical has revolutionized modern day accounting and the manner through which to succeed in the accounting field (Carey, 2011, 65). Methodology Research Design Understanding the means that a researcher uses to obtain data is one of the most vital elements to have when presenting research results. It is important to understand that this sets a block for the person going through the information from which they can gain a deeper understanding of the results. In this research, the design taken up for the information involved the distribution of research tools to different places in an attempt to diversify the information acquired and to rule out monotony. Different accounting books were read which the researchers gained an understanding of the information from an even deeper perspective. Research Approach The research approach incorporated in the tabulating of information was a mixture of all the four major types of research. The initial research carried out was the Advocacy research where it was arrived to the conclusion that the existing modes of research and the information acquired was not sufficient for the analysis and conclusion of the topic under review. This is from the fact that numerous people and scientists have indulged in this research method with the hope of coming to a conclusion but with the rise in technology, the information is never satisfactory. There was also the incorporation of the pragmatic approach of research. This is where there is the study of what professionals in the stated field have to say regarding the issue (Van, 2010, 54). This is important to take into account before incorporating the more popular approaches to research. This is from the fact that they offer a basis for the research and one is able to understand the way to go buy the research and offers one an in depth understanding of the topic under review. It was after these two approaches that there was the incorporation of the more popular qualitative research that was later on concluded by quantitative research all that are later discussed extensively. In addition to these, it is important to recognize that two different methods through which a researcher can gain data and this is by either secondary research or primary research. Secondary Research There was secondary research that involved analyzing already existing information on the stated subject. In this case, secondary research involved a couple of approaches. The first approach involved going online and looking at several sites in an attempt to understand the different approaches that various professionals and writers had to say regarding rhetoric in accounting. This method was resourceful from the fact that different opinions lead to some form of logger heading and creates a basis for more research by individual professionals. With increase in research, it is clear that more information is arrived at and consequently more knowledge is articulated. Another mode of secondary research incorporated was by visiting live libraries. Libraries harbor many books with different topics and the fact that the library was visited gives more credit to the information presented seeing as many books were visited. There was also the watching of many videos and documentaries that assisted understand the manner through which the accounting environment in the prior years used to take the issue. This is compared to the manner through which contemporary cultures perceive and act on the matter. Primary Research Primary research is the research through which a research gets information first hand without referring to any other research carried out prior to the date of research. One of the methods that the authors used in an effort to accumulate data through primary research was by interviews. The researchers visited well-known accounting firms and got to engage with various of the accounting officers. This is important in that it offered them an actual platform through which they would grow their knowledge on rhetoric with regard to accounting. Result The result of the study carried out proved outward given that there were readily available resourceful materials to get important information. The results of the study were that indeed there is an elaborate plan of establishing legitimacy in the accounting field. Many people seem to disregard any form of legitimacy in the accounting arena stating that the field is rather excessively complex and closed. Some go further to state that only the superior bodies in accounting govern it. However, this is incorrect from the fact that rhetoric exists to ensure the legitimacy of all deals present through the two-way feedback process. Bibliography Carey, M. 2011. Accounting: A Smart Approach. New York: Cengage Learning. Riahi, A. 2013. Accounting: By Principle or Design. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Eisen, P. 2012. Costing and Management. London: Oxford University Press. Van, H. 2010. International Accounting Standards: A Practical Guide. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More