THEORY OF ACCOUNTING (HENDRIKSEN): Eldon S.

Hendriksen is Professor of Business

Administration at Washington State University where his profound work and eclectic approach
have advanced the state of knowledge in accounting theory and earned him the reputation of a
great teacher. Dr. Hendriksen his BC degrees in Commerce and Ph. d. in Economics at the Universities of
California and Berkeley. He was Assistant Professor of Accounting at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho,
from 1953 to 1955. He gained practical experience as Chief Accountant at Haskins & Sells CPA's in San
Francisco, California, 1951 to 1953. 1

According to Hendriksen, the theory of the entity is related to social responsibility to the extent that the
assets of the company do not belong exclusively to the shareholders, since at the time of a liquidation the
order of priority delegates them to the end, that is, first. Liabilities are cancelled, understanding these as
agents external to society. 2

In the first chapter of his work he refers to the approaches that accounting has had over time, or rather, as
chapter one of his book says, he emphasizes the methodology of each of them, implying all the elements. that
it must have a theory, pointing mainly to the one that is going to be treated, which is the accounting one. The
main idea of chapter one is that accounting theory must create a framework with several approaches with
which it has to develop its bases. These approaches relate the financial reports generated by accounting with
the user towards whom they are directed, taking into account the usefulness of accounting (pragmatism), the
need to search for new theories that are more in line with reality through those already used. have (induction
– deduction), provide guidelines for the preparation of these reports in which the information is truthful, clear
with which all users benefit (ethical approach), in the interpretation of the financial information by the users
and the repercussions that the accounting processes have on them, which may reflect unwanted behaviors,
etc.

The non-theoretical approach is perhaps simpler, since it establishes that almost all accounting practices have
been implemented without theoretical foundations.

For the above, we seek to clarify the objectives of the approaches on which accounting theory rests, taking
into account that they cannot be generalized since the facts and information that are present for each of them
varies according to the users and in the context. time when they need them. All approaches start from the
premise that one does not work without the other because if they do, they would be incomplete in some way.
The same premise applies to theories since they depend on more than one approach.

Accounting theory is divided into two aspects such as normative theory and descriptive theory, where the first
is characterized by saying how accounting should be worked and how to do it while the descriptive theory tries
to explain the practice at a given moment or reflect. about the use of the procedures you use.

Empirical research in companies occurs when existing hypotheses and proposals are tested, such as the
prediction of future variables, macroeconomic effects, etc. This can be valuable for generating and testing
current accounting theories.

To conclude, the text tells us that one of the steps for the evaluation of accounting theory is to examine all the
postulates, norms, principles on which it rests and that within them the objectives they pursue must be
considered to create other methods that satisfy the environment in which they develop.

LAURA MARCELA ZUÑIGA VIVAS - COD 0860020 - VI SEMESTER

1. http://es.scribd.com/doc/49988131/Seminario-de-Teoria-Contable-La-tecnologia-Capitulo-2
2. http://eldonhendriksen.blogspot.com/
1. http://es.scribd.com/doc/49988131/Seminario-de-Teoria-Contable-La-tecnologia-Capitulo-2
2. http://eldonhendriksen.blogspot.com/