The Influence of Price Waterhouse & Co. on the CAP, the APB, and in the Early Years on the FASB

Abstract

Price Waterhouse & Co., for decades the premier public accounting firm in the United States, which audits a large number of “blue chip” companies, has, directly and indirectly, been a large and frequent presence in the U.S. standard-setting arena. It is the purpose of this paper to document this presence and to determine whether it had a discernible effect on the outcomes of the standard setters' deliberations. The conclusion is that, appearances notwithstanding, there has been no evidence of a noticeable effect.