Routledge The Firm as an Entity: Implications for Economics, Accounting and the Law (Economics of Legal Relationships)

The book enhances current economic understanding of the firm as an institution and an organization, looking beyond the narrow boundaries of neoclassical economics to an interdisciplinary approach based on accounting and law as well as economics itself. It represents the first synthesis of the authors' research work on the subject and provides the groundwork for the development of a comprehensive framework centred on the firm as an entity. The volume starts with a synthesis and a critique of the current state of the different economic theories of the firm and further develops them through new insights and neglected lessons from different traditions of thought. The economic theory and analysis of the firm is given new life here by looking at the firm as a whole: as an institution and an organization, which has special functions and a distinct role in the economy and society. Review "This multi-author volume is a useful and thought- provoking contribution to the analysis and understanding of the firm." Michael Dietrich, University of Sheffield "The editors and contributors to this book present a compelling body of evidence for moving toward a more holistic approach to the theory of the firm as a real entity in contrast to the contractual or agency based view common today. They propose that a holistic view is more likely to accommodate the dynamic reality of how firms behave in today’s economy." Gregory A. Jonas, Case Western Reserve University "The book can be recommended strongly to researchers and post-graduate students interested in the theory of the firm. It should also appeal to accountants interested in the role of accounting systems within the theory of the firm and similarly to lawyers concerned about the part that contracts play in this area." Michael Bromwich, LSEThe Accounting Review, Vol. 83, No. 6, 2008