Explaining stable accounting practices at the Mahou brewery, Madrid, 1890s to 1970s

Abstract

Given the generally ubiquitous practice of brewing, exploring accounting in breweries is useful to understand the evolution of accounting practices within firms over time. Breweries, many of which have survived for centuries, operate(d) in differing political, legal, professional and economic contexts, yet produce a relatively standardised product. A standard product but differing context may influence how accounting was practised within breweries over time, and some prior studies have adopted institutional concepts to explore the stability/change of brewery accounting. To date, much of the existing research is in an Anglo-Saxon context. This study contributes to a growing literature in other contexts by exploring Mahou, a Spanish brewer with the aim to examine how internal accounting practices were affected by a differing institutional context and the stability/change of these practices. The accounting records of Mahou reveal stable practices over the study period, despite change in its operating context. They also reveal an emphasis on meeting legal requirements, with less evidence of accounting information which may be useful for decision making. This conclusion is in apparent contrast to practices at other breweries of a similar period.