ProfessorGeorge Tanewski

Professor George Tanewski is a Professor in the Department of Accounting in Deakin Business School. George's research interests include disclosure matters related to financial reporting and corporate governance with a focus on family-controlled firms and the SME environment, the value relevance of financial reporting, and ownership structure issues associated with both public and private companies.

The impact of George's published works on family ownership and proprietary companies has highlighted the need to better understand the objectives of the firm's owners and how these objectives and incentives impact on decision-making, which in turn impact on the quality of financial disclosures and other corporate governance mechanisms.

As part of a research team commissioned by the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), George examined the application of the reporting entity concept and adoption of special purpose financial reporting by large proprietary companies not operating in the capital markets (unlisted private entities) and not-for-profit organisations. The research report, released in June 2014, raises some fundamental questions about the adequacy of Australian financial reporting by entities that do not have 'public accountability' (as defined in AASB 1053 Application of Tiers of Australian Accounting Standards). The findings from this report brought about legislative changes in November 2015 to how consolidated general purpose reports are prepared by companies in Australia as a way of reducing the number of special-purpose reports that are prepared.

Another example of George's experience in policy formulation and thought leadership is his development and co-authorship of the Australian Small Business White Paper in 2015, a policy document commissioned by the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). The White Paper recommends that government and small business focus on three key pillars - human capital (people), financial capital (investment) and technological change (innovation) - to improve the productivity of the SME sector. The report was presented to the former Federal Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson, at Parliament House in August 2015.