This paper describes an instructional case that uses historical documentation to enable the reader to consider his/her own responsibility for the preparation and reporting of information. In this case, the reader is provided a summarized income statement. Then, as detailed information about the financial statement is introduced, the reader is asked to consider the ethics of preparing and using the statement. The financial statement represents a projected income statement for a Holocaust camp prisoner during World War II. The statement includes anticipated revenue from the selling of body parts upon the prisoner's death, estimated as nine months from the time of arrival at the camp. Usage of the case should develop a reader's understanding that accountants' responsibility for the preparation of information should not be separate from what the information reports or the intended use of the information.
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1 June 2009
Research Article|
June 01 2009
ACCOUNTANTS' RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INFORMATION THEY REPORT: AN HISTORICAL CASE STUDY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Ellen J. Lippman
Ellen J. Lippman
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND
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Online ISSN: 2327-4468
Print ISSN: 0148-4184
© 2009 American Accounting Association
2009
Accounting Historians Journal (2009) 36 (1): 61–79.
Citation
Ellen J. Lippman; ACCOUNTANTS' RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INFORMATION THEY REPORT: AN HISTORICAL CASE STUDY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION. Accounting Historians Journal 1 June 2009; 36 (1): 61–79. https://doi.org/10.2308/0148-4184.36.1.61
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