Collected Works of Yan Da Wu (Volume 1 and Volume 2)

Author: Yan Da Wu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Professor Yan Da Wu passed away on November 2, 2003. To commemorate his outstanding contributions to accounting theory research and accounting education, his disciples decided to publish a memorial collection in his honor, titled Collected Works of Yan Da Wu (hereinafter referred to as The Collection). The Collection is divided into two volumes and includes 142 papers, reports, and academic works published by the professor since the 1950s. The professor's research covered a wide range of fields, and the papers included in The Collection span research areas such as fundamental accounting theory, accounting systems and standards, emerging fields in accounting, the management system of accounting work and accounting reform, as well as accounting education. Here, I would like to emphasize a thread that I believe is the most important in the broad research areas covered by The Collection: from the "Theory of Accounting Management Activities" to value chain accounting. As early as the early 1980s, the professor, together with Professor Yang Jiwan, proposed the concept of "accounting management," arguing that accounting is a form of management activity, accounting work is a management task, the accounting department is a management department within a company, and the content of accounting management can be abstracted as "value management." After the proposal of the "accounting management" concept, theoretical elaborations were made from different perspectives and levels, gradually forming the theory of accounting management, which is commonly referred to in academia as the "Theory of Accounting Management Activities." Many of the professor's papers were based on this theory. I firmly believe that the "Theory of Accounting Management Activities" was proposed based on the accounting theory and practice at the time in China, particularly the level of accounting work and the status of accounting personnel. Although it is difficult to precisely evaluate the actual contributions of this theory, I am certain that its proposal played a positive role in promoting the development of accounting theory research in China, especially in elevating the status of accounting personnel and the level of accounting management. The professor dedicated his long career to the development and refinement of the theory of accounting management. In his later years, he began to focus on the study of value chain accounting, viewing it as an important breakthrough for advancing the theory of accounting management. The professor believed that "because accounting has management functions, it can enter the value chain management system, and value chain accounting based on value chain management becomes possible." "Value chain accounting is the study of value chain information in enterprises and the deep-seated relationships behind it, that is, to collect, process, store, provide, and utilize value information, implement control and management over the enterprise's value chain, ensure that the value chain operates in compliance, efficiency, and order, and thus create maximized value added and value distribution" (see "Research on Value Chain Accounting: Review and Prospects"). The professor also proposed the basic ideas for constructing the theoretical framework of value chain accounting. Regrettably, before he could conduct more in-depth and detailed research, he left us forever. However, his academic thoughts will continue to inspire and guide us as we advance step by step on the path of accounting theory research.