20 Dissertation Topics in Accounting and Finance

Through the years, there have been great finance and accounting stories from i taking down the mafia to how individual accountants have doubled up as excellent global inventors. Therefore, writing a dissertation on the field of finance and accounting can be considered as a truly rewarding venture since you one can juxtapose technical accounting concepts with fascinating real-life case studies. But to kick-start the writing process, it is important to understand the concept of financial accounting in order to come up with really interesting subjects to discuss.

Here, we will endeavor the concepts behind finance and accounting and then provide an outline of dissertation topics in accounting and finance. Finance is the professional concept that covers the raising of funds and how they are invested by a business while accounting focuses on collating enough information that helps business owners and investors make more well-thought-out decisions.

20 Captivating Topics for a Dissertation in Accounting and Finance

1. Exploring the Meaning of Accounting and the Role of Language in Its Formation
2. The Origins of the Terms Finance and Accounting and their Use in Modern Times
3. The Role of Luca Pacioli in Promoting the Field of Financial Accounting
4. Accounting in Ancient Rome and its Role in Shaping Modern Financial Institutions
5. The Role of Financial Accounting in Developing Business Strategies
6. Understanding the Importance of Financial Statements to Corporate Accounting
7. Exploring the Concept of Income Statement and Its Correlation with Financial Statements
8. How the Practice of Societates Publicanorum Set the Foundation for Share Markets
9. The Stock Market Structure and the 1602 Dutch Indian Trade Company Agreement
10. The Accounting Profession and the Need for setting International Standards of Practice
11. The Role of Accounting and Finance in Societal Building
12. Exploring the Different Fields of Financial Accounting and Their Implementation
13. Exploring the Role of Forensic Accounting in Law Enforcement
14. Forensic Accounting, RICO Laws and the 19th Century Criminal Justice System.
15. The Role of Mathematics in Developing Ancient Accounting and Finance Practices
16. The History of the Certification Primary Accounting Exam and Its Role in Building Financial Institutions
17. Finance and Accounting in Ancient Mesopotamia and Its Influence in Modern Times
18. Exploring the Relationship between Financial Accounting and Economic Growth
19. Accounting and Financial Reporting issues for Financial Institutions
20. Accounting Standards and Practices of Financial Institutions in the Western World

These are some of the captivating topics we have come up with that can help give you a head start in writing your dissertation in accounting and finance. These 20 dissertation accounting and finance topics are just the tip of the iceberg. To give an example of  how to go about writing a dissertation, a topic from this list will be developed in the paragraphs below. It is also written to serve as a tutorial for writing your dissertation.

Sample Essay on the Accounting in Ancient Rome and its Role in Shaping Modern Financial Institutions

The question of how financial values and practices have been passed down from generation to generation and its effects on the financial and accounting institutions of the modern world have been a bone of contention among scholars since the 19^th century. My dissertation will focus on tracing the parallels between ancient financial accounting practices and modern financial standards and I intend to do this with the use of facts and critical analysis.

Although traces of bookkeeping activities were first discovered in Mesopotamia, exact financial and accounting activities became commonplace and the established norm of keeping track of funds and expenditure began officially in Ancient Rome circa 63 BC. These practices were passed down by historians and mathematicians through methods that will be explored in the following paragraphs.

Two Roman historians—Suetonius and Cassius Dio—recorded the first real financial accounting procedure in 23 BC. This procedure was accomplished by Emperor Augustus who kept detailed information on the Republic’s financial statement for public use. The Emperor listed the Rome’s sources of income as well as its expenditures in ‘The Deeds of the Divine Augustus’ which set the pace for multiple financial concepts such as; trial balances, financial statement and income statement. This practice of accountability was quickly picked up by the Roman army to account for its expenditure and revenue in other words to help generals and future emperors make informed decisions on matters of war. This, along with, other physical aspects, partly became a reason of the Republic being more efficient than its enemies in waging wars and managing supplies.

In 1494, Italy—which traced its origins to the people of Ancient Rome—became the home of Luca Pacioli who has been credited as the father of modern accounting. The mathematician believed in the importance of keeping financial statements to make better decisions and went on to publish the first ever book on financial accounting’ ‘Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita.’ And for the first time, accounting wisdom could easily be passed from one region to another through text which eliminated the limitations of using word of mouth. This act basically ensured that accounting techniques could both be taught across all areas of Europe and the Western world with ease.

Consequently, the world first official bank also was established in Siena, one of the Roman cities of old. The Monte de Paschi di Siena was built in 1942 to cater to the financial needs of the city of Siena, and the success of this institution became the benchmark for financial and accounting institutes across the western world.

Through the stated examples, one can clearly see the influence of ancient Roman financial practices approximately 2000 years ago and the far-reaching effects these practices had on setting a financial, educational and accounting basis for future generations to come.

So here we are at the end of the second tutorial of the dissertation on accounting and finance topics written for your benefit. For further reading, do not hesitate to check these articles containing ten facts for a dissertation on finance and accounting as well as receive tips on writing a dissertation on finance and accounting.

References:
Accounting and Business Research. Special issue on: “The Societal Relevance of Management Accounting”. (2012). The British Accounting Review, 44(2), p.130.
Ezeudu, M. (2016). Fighting Financial Crime in the Global Economic Crisis. King’s Law Journal, 27(2), pp.279-281.
Dvořáková, D. (2009). Historical Costs versus Fair Value Measurement in Financial Accounting. European Financial and Accounting Journal, pg.6-18.
Sunder, S. (2016). Rethinking Financial Reporting: Standards, Norms and Institutions. Foundations and Trends® in Accounting, 11(1-2), pp.1-118.
Šoljaková, L. (2012). Strategic Management Accounting Development during Last 30 Years. European Financial and Accounting Journal, 2012(2), pp.24-35.
Pomeranz, F. (1997). The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions: An important regulatory debut. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 6(1), pp.123-130.
Zhang, X. and Chen, D. (2013). The Influence of Financial Industry Cluster on Economic Growth: Three Economic Zones in China. Accounting and Finance Research, 2(4).