International trade in Australian accounting services and Australian accounting firms: State of play

This paper examines the current involvement of Australian accounting firms in international trade in accounting services. It notes that there has been little empirical investigation into this area which is becoming of increasing importance both to the accounting profession and the Australian economy. It argues that there is an urgent need for empirical studies given the current focus of the WTO in the Doha negotiations and the likely impacts of further liberalisation of trade in accounting services. It also raises questions that would be usefully answered by studies which focus on the issues faced by accounting firms that engage in such trade and the strategies they have put in place to resolve those issues. In this way, academic research can provide information which would facilitate the operations of accounting firms based on more accurate assessments of the potential risks and rewards of engaging in international trade in accounting services.