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Recurrent rescues of a financial institution: Enduring human features and socialised losses [An article from: Critical Perspectives on Accounting]
Book Details
Author(s)
K. Hooper, K. Kearins
Publisher
Elsevier
ISBN / ASIN
B000PDYM1U
ISBN-13
978B000PDYM19
Availability
Available for download now
Marketplace
United States 🇺🇸
Description
This digital document is a journal article from Critical Perspectives on Accounting, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
This paper is directed at showing that there are features of accounting resistant to technical progress in legislation, auditing and accounting standards so that it is not so much that history repeats itself as that there remain elements of the practice of accounting beyond legislative reach. Such elements stem essentially from diverse and perhaps ungovernable characteristics of human nature and relationships. This situation is exemplified through two case studies documenting an extraordinary recurrence of financial mal-management in the case of the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ). Twice, the BNZ fell into the hands of forceful individuals with political connections who were able to control its management and influence lending policy with disastrous results. In both instances separated by nearly a century, creative accounting masked poor performance, and the government was persuaded to rescue what was once affectionately known as 'The People's Bank'. Such rescues represented a socialisation of losses, not least because the BNZ was shareholder-owned and those responsible escaped largely unscathed. Reliance upon the possibility of rescue may even promote riskier behaviour.
Description:
This paper is directed at showing that there are features of accounting resistant to technical progress in legislation, auditing and accounting standards so that it is not so much that history repeats itself as that there remain elements of the practice of accounting beyond legislative reach. Such elements stem essentially from diverse and perhaps ungovernable characteristics of human nature and relationships. This situation is exemplified through two case studies documenting an extraordinary recurrence of financial mal-management in the case of the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ). Twice, the BNZ fell into the hands of forceful individuals with political connections who were able to control its management and influence lending policy with disastrous results. In both instances separated by nearly a century, creative accounting masked poor performance, and the government was persuaded to rescue what was once affectionately known as 'The People's Bank'. Such rescues represented a socialisation of losses, not least because the BNZ was shareholder-owned and those responsible escaped largely unscathed. Reliance upon the possibility of rescue may even promote riskier behaviour.
