Book          Value Added Accounting  
Author        Dr Nazir Ahmad Gilkar  
Publisher    JPC, New Delhi
Year           2011
Pages           vii+198
Price            Rs 475
     
In generic terms, value added refers to the additional or incremental value created by a business activity or a  venture. Value Added Accounting owes its conceptual origin to the Economic Value Added (EVA), a widely used performance measurement tool in business and economic circles. Economic Value Added (EVA) is a financial measure of what economists sometimes refer to as economic profit or economic rent.  Value Added Accounting is a further refinement thereof   essentially focusing on preparation of accounts in such a way that creates a value for all the stakeholders of the business. It further ensures how the value created has been distributed among all the stakeholders. 
The  book under review titled” Value Added Accounting” written in the context of commercial banks is a unique addition to the literature  on contemporary issues in accounting. Value Added Accounting hitherto has been applied in manufacturing sector only but the present volume protrudes beyond manufacturing to services sector especially to commercial banks and thus widens the canvass of analysis and verification. Value added accounting, as a sequel to it, has now become a buzz word in the service sector with special reference to commercial banks. 
          The author Dr. Nazir Ahmad Gilkar, a renowned commerce teacher is currently the Principal of S.P College, Srinagar. Author of several books and a good number of research articles to his credit, Dr. Nazir  has been presenting papers in seminars and conferences organized at national level. The book is dedicated to the fond memory of Professor (Dr) Wajid-ud-Din Jeelani, founder of Commerce and Accounting education in Kashmir. Professor Musadiq Amin Sahaf, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Management University of Kashmir has contributed Foreword to the book. 
         At the outset the book attempts to build a sound conceptual and contextual foundation followed by exploratory and empirical investigations. The volume is spread over to eleven core chapters, besides two other allied research papers. All the core chapters adopt a case study approach; focus on the nucleus theme while dealing with a variety of dimensions quite distinct from each other. The volume primarily is the one that has emerged as a result of research papers presented by the author on the theme in conferences for the last five years and over a period has got academic concurrence as well. The book while giving managers of banking organizations an understanding of the processes of value added accounting, unravels the challenges it carries towards its successful implementation. The book at many places attempts to bridge the gap between the science and art of contemporary financial reporting.  In fact, the author has made a purposeful effort to blend theory with application.
        The ‘Focus’ in the beginning gives an overview of the entire volume to the reader. It attempts to go through the text cover to cover. Besides, results and discussions on the analysis, each paper puts forth a rationale for the study with due regard to the objectives and methodology to maintain coherence and uniformity. Further, references to the context are appended at the end of each chapter .Time series financial data gathered from the corporate annual reports of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank have been put to rigorous analysis by employing advanced statistical techniques to draw inferences.
           The fact that the book deals with a technical subject matter necessitating the use of technical terms and jargons, their use has been deftly put to minimum to retain the reader’s focused gaze. The book is unique in its style and getup. The publishers have also made every effort in bringing out this academic output defect-free. The book is supported by a detailed bibliography and subject index.
           Amidst its achievements, the book patently lacks an, otherwise, important comparison between manufacturing and service organizations. It is expected that such a dimension along with others should be incorporated in the next edition keeping in view the changing global business scenario
          This reviewer fully agrees with Professor Sahaf, ( in his Foreword ) that the book with its wide spectrum does not only contribute to the knowledge repository but would also cater to the bank managers and policy makers while serving as an important reference material for the scholars and students.

(Dr. S M Shafi is Associate Professor and Head Department of Finance & Banking, Faculty of Business Administration, Jazan University, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

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