Cultural Aspects of Accounting: Insights from the Hofstede, Gray and Belkaoui Frameworks
Abstract
Objective
The aim of this article is to explain how national culture shapes the development, form and practice of accounting systems, and to present, in a synthetic and comparative way, the principal theoretical frameworks that explain the relationship between culture and accounting.
Methodology
The paper is based on a critical review and synthesis of the international and Polish literature devoted to the cultural determinants of accounting, with particular attention to the frameworks proposed by Hofstede, Gray and Belkaoui, complemented by a comparative analysis of the Anglo-Saxon and Continental accounting models and of the main areas in which cultural diversity affects accounting practice.
Findings
National culture shapes the legal, political, social and economic environment within which accounting operates, while accounting itself performs a culture-forming function. Hofstede’s four dimensions of national culture (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism–collectivism, masculinity–femininity) underlie Gray’s four accounting values (professionalism vs. statutory control, uniformity vs. flexibility, conservatism vs. optimism, secrecy vs. transparency), which in turn help explain observable differences between the Continental and Anglo-Saxon accounting models. Belkaoui’s model of cultural relativism and his work on the linguistic shaping of accounting add further explanatory depth, particularly regarding cross-cultural interpretation of accounting language and international standards. Cultural diversity continues to affect financial disclosure, audit judgement, management style, organisational culture, accounting ethics and the interpretation of IFRS, and remains a significant constraint on full international harmonisation.
Value Added
The article brings together, in a single English-language synthesis, three of the most influential theoretical traditions explaining the cultural determinants of accounting – Hofstede, Gray and Belkaoui – together with the Anglo-Saxon/Continental model comparison, making this body of knowledge more accessible to an international audience of researchers, educators and standard-setters.
Recommendations
Standard-setters, auditors, educators and practitioners engaged in cross-border financial reporting should explicitly take cultural determinants into account when interpreting and applying international accounting standards; further comparative empirical research is recommended on the influence of culture on the interpretation of IFRS terminology and on disclosure practice.
© 2026 Justyna Fijałkowska, published by SAN University
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