This book advocates and illustrates the power of Interdisciplinary & Critical Perspectives, drawn from a range of social sciences, to critically analyse accounting processes & practices. Its particular focus is the extensive forms of societal regulations & requirements that are made over organisations, particularly public sector organisations, that are driven by forms of accounting, collectively described as Accounting Control in the book. These regulations & requirements are deeply resent...

What has been the impact of deregulation and a rapidly changing socio-economic environment on the professions? The cross-disciplinary contributions to this volume examine the changing role of the professions.

Is the privatisation of state education defendable? Did the public sector ever provide a fair education for all learners?In Education plc, Stephen Ball provides a comprehensive, analytic and empirical account of the privatisation of education. He questions the kind of future we want for education and what role privatisation and the private sector may have in that future. Using policy sociology to describe and critically analyse changes in policy, policy technologies and po...

"I have been looking for a book which does this for ages! It provides a clear explanation of the different elements and concepts which underpin how the planning system works and which are fundamental to the operation of the UK system. It also provides good guidance on further reading. A real assett to anyone wanting to understand the nature of planning in the UK"- Dr Catherine Hammond, Architecture and Planning, Sheffield Hallam UniversityKe...

In recent years transaction cost economics have come to dominate the discussion of the nature and organization of firms. In Transaction Costs Economics and Beyond Michael Dietrich offers a critical exploration of transaction costs. He argues that whilst they have much to offer, they are still an inadequate basis for a general theory of the firm. Drawing on theories of organizational behaviour as well as economics, he concludes by offering a theory of the firm that allows for both ...

How are public service organizations governed? How can their performance be measured, managed and improved? Public services play a central role in the well-being, sustainability and growth of communities, cities and nations. Managing to Improve Public Services shows how management can be harnessed to improve a range of public services (e.g. policing, health, local government) by examining them through different theoretical lenses (e.g. governance, innovation and change, performance metrics...

First Published in 2004. The subject of this text is modern accountancy, which is to be considered from a sociological perspective. The logical starting point is to map out the chosen subject, modern accountancy, before saying something about the particular disciplinary perspective, sociology, from which it is to be viewed. The volume is split into two parts the sociology of accountancy and Sociology for accounting.

The eclectic paradigm has arguably become the dominant theoretical basis in the study of FDI, multinational corporations and internationalisation over the last two decades. The contributions to this volume evaluate the eclectic paradigm in the global economy and its validity as a theoretical basis to understand developments such as economic globali

Skills and workforce development are at the heart of much research on work, employment, and management. But are they so important? To what extent can they make a difference for individuals, organizations, and nations? How are the supply and, more importantly, the utilization of skill, currently evolving? What are the key factors shaping skills trajectories of the future? This Handbook provides an authoritative consideration of issues such as these. It does so by drawing on experts...

This is an excellent new contribution to current academic and policy debates, and will be of great interest internationally to all students, researchers, public sector managers and policy makers.The improvement of public services has become a key priority for all the main political parties in the UK. Recent years have witnessed large, real terms increases in spending on public services and a plethora of new initiatives designed to drive up standards in the Heath Service, schools, t...

Written by two experienced lecturers, this is the first student-centered textbook to bridge the technical and theoretical aspects of management accounting change. Packed full of pedagogical features, including mini-cases, learning outcomes, key terms, article summaries, key concept boxes, real-world cases, chapter summaries and further reading suggestions and resources, it is clear and accessibly written, covering all the major emerging topics in management accounting theory.Discus...

Introducing the key concepts in corporate social responsibility, the authors bring together the essential issues relevant to the responsible management of businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government.With detailed coverage and cross-referencing for each concept and over 50 concepts introduced, this guide to both the theory and implementation of CSR and sustainability, provides an indispensable reference for any student of the subject.Key concepts include: account...