UNO Ltd$.$ is a listed public company. It is in a volatile industry. The market price of its shares is highly sensitive to its earnings. The company$$s annual meeting is to be held soon and the president is concerned, expecting to be attacked strongly by a dissident group of shareholders. One issue the dissidents are expected to focus on is the company$$s depreciation policy. They will claim that the reducing balance method gives rise to a depreciation expense that is excessive $$ that the company$$s depreciation policy seriously understates annual earnings per share, causing the shares$$ market price to be artificially low. Threats have even been made of suing management and the board of directors to $$recover the resulting loss in market value, relative to shareholders in companies with straight$-$line method depreciation policies, suffered by UNO$$s shareholders.$$ The president has asked you to help prepare a defence against the expected attack on the company$$s depreciation policy. Which financial accounting theory $($theories$)$ could help you out?