23 Universities as Change Agents in the Medieval Age

Introduction

Universities during the Medieval Age did not start as primary “Change Agents” per se, but their influence did have a major impact in numerous ways throughout the age. While Medieval Universities were often considered part of the lower levels of society, they had the ability to really spread change across society.

Charge and discharge accounting

One of the ways that Medieval Universities acted as Change Agents was through the spread of Charge and Discharge Accounting. This method of accounting started with the English Exchequer, and worked its way down to the Universities. These Universities had begun as primarily religious institutions and were primarily considered as part of the lower levels of society, but this reputation started to change as Universities such as Oxford and Cambridge got their beginnings with powerful backers. When this method of accounting got to the Universities, it signified that it had truly spread throughout society and would be considered the primary method of accounting for a period of time. While charge and discharge accounting has been largely replaced by double entry book-keeping today, we can still see it’s effects in financial statements such as the Statement of Cash Flows, as well as Charge and Discharge Statements that are prepared by executors of an estate to show accountability for cash inflows and outflows.

References

Jones, M. J. (2008). The role of change agents and imitation in the diffusion of an idea: Charge and discharge accounting. Accounting and Business Research, 38(5), 355–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2008.9665771