There is plenty of research which argues that, overall, education leads to better outcomes for individuals and society. However, accounting for the specific social, economic and environmental outcomes from an investment in education remains a challenge, not only for governments, but also for any organisation which runs or invests in education programmes or initiatives. Without this information, it is difficult to make choices between different ways in which these outcomes can be achieved, and how best to design and deliver education activities.The objective of this paper is to review some of the available research and provide guidance on how it can be used.
Document Type: essay
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Quantifying the Impact of Investment in Education
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Making up users – An essay
Within recent years, financial statement users have been accorded great significance by accounting standard-setters. In the United States, the conceptual framework maintains that a primary purpose of financial statements is to provide information useful to investors and creditors in making their economic decisions. Contemporary accounting textbooks unproblematically posit this purpose for accounting. Yet, this emphasis is quite recent and occurred despite limited knowledge about the information needs and decision processes of actual users of financial statements. This paper unpacks the taken-for-grantedness of the primacy of financial statement users in standard-setting and considers their use as a category to justify and denigrate particular accounting disclosures and practices. It traces how particular ideas about financial statement users and their connection to accounting standard setting have been constructed in various documents and reports including the conceptual framework and accounting standards.
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Three Eyes on the Future – An essay
The ICAS Sustainability Essay Competition, sponsored by Grant Thornton, attracted nearly 90 entries competing for a cash prize of £3,000. The overall winner was Dave Marshall of Newton St Margarets, Herefordshire, who argues that accountancy should escape from its Victorian viewpoint and embrace a sustainable future.