This book examines the way in which professional work - specifically accountancy - has been affected by the changes within the global economy over the last twenty years. It examines the commercialisation of accountancy, finding it directly related to the shift by capital away from the consensus it had entered into with labour during the post-war boom. The book argues that this transformation polarised the class structure of the advanced economies and seeks to explain the impact this transformation has had on the socialisation and promotional processes currently experienced by one group of...

Professionalism is currently undergoing a process of radical change. Changes in the welfare state and in the market place have impacted upon professional organisations forcing them to change the ways in which they perform their jobs. This book analyses these changes in relation to the legal industry and other professions such as doctors and accountants. It argues that the shift is being driven by the powerful and informed corporate client whilst it downgrades consideration for the weaker uninformed client with many casualties as a result. It highlights how this shift has become an important...