Until now, most governments have been using pay-as-you-go accounting, which does not show the benefits' total cost.

Once you're using annual accounting, you can keep using it until your turnover is more than £1.6 million.

Using standard accounting, Computer Associates reported that revenues fell to $713 million, from $1.14 billion in the same period a year ago.

Analysts have long derided the Chinese market as a gambling den crowded with companies using suspect accounting.

Experts already knew that the Whitman administration had used creative accounting to justify a series of tax cuts.

Most companies using lean accounting create standard templates for the various kinds of daily routine decisions.

Some software companies, like Microsoft, use conservative accounting, while others are much more aggressive.

"While we have used historical-value accounting for a long time, I think in many ways market value is more relevant," he said.

Some investors avoid companies that seem to be using accounting in creative ways.

Delta, using different accounting, estimated that its pension plans were $6.37 billion shy of their obligations.