Insights into method triangulation and “paradigms” in interpretive management accounting research

This paper seeks to develop our understanding of method triangulation and research paradigms in interpretive management accounting research. Relying on field illustrations, the paper provides insight into how method triangulation has actually been received within the Finnish management accounting research community. At present, talk can be distinguished from action in method triangulation. Relying further on this insight, the paper discusses the meaning of a “paradigm”. It points out that for the individual scholar the paradigm is not necessarily a coherent, well-reflected philosophical standpoint. Instead, it represents a socio-political assemblage that suggests a “methodological identity” and provides “paradigmatic economies” for the self-interested academic. We also put forward a view on the future of method triangulation and paradigmatic détente more generally.     

Democracy,sustainability and dialogic accounting technologies: Taking pluralism seriously

There is wide-ranging recognition of the need for “new accountings” that foster democracy and facilitate more participatory forms of social organization. This is particularly evident in the sustainable development and social and environmental accounting literatures, with calls for more dialogic forms of accounting. However, there has been very little consideration of how “democracy” should be approached; and, in particular, the implications of any particular model of democracy for the kinds of accounting technologies that might be advocated. This paper seeks to contribute to the theoretical development of dialogic accounting and focuses on the sustainability arena for illustrative purposes. It draws on debates between deliberative and agonistic democrats in contemporary political theory to argue the case for an agonistic approach to dialogics; one that respects difference and takes interpretive and ideological conflicts seriously. In recognition of the ways in which power intrudes in social relations so as to deny heterogeneity and privilege certain voices, it seeks to promote a broadly critical pluralist approach. To this end, the paper proposes a set of key principles for dialogic accounting and draws on ecological economist Peter Söderbaum’s work on positional analysis applied to an existing accounting tool – the Sustainability Assessment Model (SAM) – to illustrate how such an approach might be operationalized. The paper also discusses limitations of the dialogic accounting concept and impediments to its implementation.     

The financial Logos: The framing of financial decision-making by mathematical modelling

This paper introduces the notion of “financial Logos”, defined as a structuring discourse embedded in management tools and beliefs of financial practices. I hypothesize that this discourse contains a specific representation of risk mathematically modelled by probability measures. Next I use a performativity based approach to describe the concrete action of the financial Logos on financial practices: the framing of financial decision-making by mathematical modelling. I argue that it is not possible to think of a given financial practice without epistemologically and sociologically thinking of the contribution of the mathematical modelling to this practice. I conclude with consequences for ethics of finance: extending ethics of action to epistemic ethics, I suggest that, in finance, any preference in mathematical modelling is also a preference in ethics.     

Policy models in accounting: A critical commentary

The accounting profession, through its rule-making apparatus, employs a particular choice model for identifying and resolving policy issues. This model is referred to in this article as the “constitional” approach. It is of interest to inquire why accountants have adopted this paradigm and eschewed other policy models, such as the “legal” or “scientific” approaches, even though the latter have generated considerable advocacy within the recent history of the profession. This paper examines the interesting hypothesis that the choice of the “constitutional” approach is consistent with the Group Self-Interest Hypothesis. By forming an associative group the major accounting firms have a primary interest in achieving higher prices for the industry's products. These higher prices can be achieved in three ways: (1) restricting entry, (2) restraining supply and (3) increasing demand. The “constitutional” approach is more efficacious in achieving these results than are the proposed alternative policy models.     

On the relevance of earnings components in valuation and forecasting

This paper articulates the links between relevance of an earnings component in forecasting (abnormal) earnings and its relevance in valuation in a nonlinear framework. The analysis shows that forecasting relevance does not imply valuation relevance even though valuation irrelevance is implied by forecasting irrelevance. Firstly, I consider an accounting information system where earnings components “add up” to a fully informative earnings number. Secondly, I analyze two accounting systems where a “core” earnings component is the relevant earnings construct for valuation and the second earnings component is irrelevant but may be predictable and relevant in forecasting other accounting items. I find that dividend displacement effect on earnings and the dynamics of individual earnings components are critical in this analysis.     

Perceptions of journal quality and research paradigm: results of a web-based survey of British accounting academics

This paper reports the results of a web-based perception study of the ranking of peer reviewed accounting journals by UK academics. The design of the survey instrument allows an interactive selection of journals to be scored. The web-based format is unique in that it also includes a step in which respondents classify the journals according to methodological perspective (paradigm). This is depicted graphically in the paper in a bubble diagram that shows the “positioning” of journals according to perceptions of both paradigm and quality.     

“Who am I? Where are we? Where do we go from here?” Marxism,voice, representation,and synthesis

Recently Kim (2008) and Chua (1998) have warned critical accounting researchers of the dangers involved in oral history research in accounting involving a privileged researcher(s) and a cultural or racial “other”. The end result of this research often is that the researcher gets a promotion and a pay rise whilst the others remain in the same position that they were in before the research. These warnings are extremely important and should be the source of much personal reflection and even agonizing on the part of those researchers that do this type of research. However, I argue that Kim's negative tone, whilst justified in a polemic, should not discourage researchers to the extent that they shy away from compassionate explorations of topics involving the other in favour of “safer” capital markets or other mainstream accounting research. Those researchers writing from a Marxist perspective will continue to see the primary source of exploitation as the capitalist production process and its extraction of surplus-value from the workers without payment. This does not mean that such researchers somehow “ignore race” although some types of racist acts Marxism finds hard to explain satisfactorily. To illustrate these arguments, I present a case study of the legendary 1970s punk musician and philosopher Joe Strummer of the Clash to suggest how a compassionate and authentic individual can meaningfully and boldly address issues of the other and the exploitation that they face within a Marxist framework. The maturation and increased sophistication of Strummer's lyrics by 1978 suggest that young artists (and researchers) need to be permitted the opportunity to make mistakes and to grow as part of their own existentialist personal journeys.     

A fundamentalist perspective on accounting and implications for accounting research

This paper presents a framework for addressing normative accounting issues for reporting to shareholders. The framework is an alternative to the emerging Conceptual Framework of the International Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The framework can be broadly characterized as a utilitarian approach to accounting standard setting. It has two main features. First, accounting is linked to valuation models under which shareholders use accounting information to values their stakes. Second, the desirable characteristics of accounting information are inferred from the demand of investors and analysts who use the information in practice. This stands in contrast to the “qualitative characteristics” in the Boards’ Framework which are embraced largely on the basis of their aesthetic appeal. These features lead to a set of broad accounting principles that resolve “recognition” and “measurement” issues at the core of the Boards’ Conceptual Framework and also the central issue of a balance sheet approach versus an income statement approach. The framework in the paper also frames the research questions for researchers interested in accounting policy.     

Synthetic commodity money

The conventional dichotomy of “commodity” and “fiat” base monies overlooks a third possibility that shares some features of each. This third type, which I call “synthetic commodity money,” resembles fiat money in having no nonmonetary value; but it resembles commodity money in being not just contingently but absolutely scarce. I discuss some actual examples of synthetic commodity monies, and then argue that special characteristics of synthetic commodity money are such as might allow such a money, if properly designed, to supply the foundation for a monetary regime that does not require oversight by any monetary authority, yet is able to provide for a high degree of macroeconomic stability.     

Reimagining design science and behavioral science AIS research through a business activity lens

In this paper, we present a novel approach for reimagining the scope and impact of design science and behavioral science accounting information systems (AIS) research. We do so by first explicitly considering the broad impact of accounting on business functions. The proliferation of information technology throughout the organization coupled with the blurring of the lines between “accounting” and “business” activities has spawned a world where (technology-enabled) accounting has truly become the language of (technology-driven) business. Leveraging the International Standards Organization model of the phases of business activity, we highlight how utilization of information systems artifacts in each business activity phase yields a broad array of AIS research questions. Second, we encourage design science and behavioral science AIS research to work synergistically, such that the outputs of each paradigm inform the research conducted in the other paradigm. We suggest that a more purposeful integration of design science and behavioral science AIS research over time can improve the rigor and relevance of AIS research to advance knowledge in the field, amplify the impact of AIS research for our colleagues in both accounting and information systems, and improve the practical applicability of the research findings.     

The process of measurement in managerial accounting: A psycho-technical systems perspective

This paper develops a formal framework of the act or process of measurement in managerial accounting. Although the traditional paradigm of measurement underlying accounting treats it as a technology designed to represent properties of events and transactions in numerical terms, this paper is based on the notion that managerial accounting measurement is intended to facilitate behavior, and thus requires an alternative view of measurement as a “psycho-technical system”. The paper presents the psycho-technical framework and examines its application in selected areas of managerial accounting: human resource accounting, social accounting, divisional performance evaluation, zero-based budgeting, standard costing, and evaluation of internal control systems.     

Reconciling conflict: The role of accounting in the American Indian Trust Fund debacle

In 1887, the United States Congress broke American Indian Tribal lands into allotments which it held and controlled “on behalf” of individual American Indians in trust funds. The following century has been marked by allegations of fraud, mismanagement and accounting failures prompting repeated calls for reform, none very successful. As a result, neither the federal government nor trust holders themselves are sure whether the account balances are $7 or $100 billion currently.In 1994, Congress passed yet another attempt to reconcile the American Indian Trusts. This time, legislation spelled out the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior (the department in charge of the trust accounts) to provide a complete “historical” accounting including accurate reports of balances, and to ensure that future payments of principal and interest were accurate and timely. More than 10 years later, the Interior reported its progress in a 24-page brochure that defended the Interior's narrowed definition of “historical” and its decision to limit its reconciliation to accounts that were open on 1994 or later. In the brochure, the Interior argued that its limited definition of historical and any other shortcoming in the Interior's efforts were acceptable given the cost of a more complete accounting. Finally, the brochure argued that the Interior Department had fulfilled its role as trustee and, as such, is the good guy in the conflict over these accounts. It is the Interior's American Indian Trust holders who are unreasonable troublemakers.In this paper, we examine the Interior's brochure and locate it within the larger conflicted relations between American Indians and the federal government. We are interested in the Interior's narrow vision of historical accounting, and the role this narrowness might play in deepening or resolving centuries long conflicts. We argue that the brochure provides an example of how parties in dispute over economic resources may attempt to frame or control the accounting process itself as a way to control those conflicts and limit the possible meanings that could be accorded to accountability within a particular set of relations. This episode illustrates how the ability to frame accounting definitions, formulations, and boundaries becomes a powerful means of controlling the final allocation of both dollars and political privilege. We conclude by accentuating the limitations of accounting in restoring a sense of justice and “balance” to relationships that embody uneven access to power and long-standing conflicts over economic claims.     

The roles and effects of paradigms in accounting research

This paper discusses the roles and effects of paradigms in accounting research in general, and management accounting research in particular. In addition, it forms an introduction to the Special Section of this issue of Management Accounting Research on “Paradigms in Accounting Research”. The paper takes an issue of the notable narrowness of accounting research of today, regarding it as forming a threat to scholarly developments in the field. It argues for the importance of keeping paradigm debates alive in order to foster multi-dimensional openness and true scholarship in accounting research.     

Racial biases in recruitment by accounting firms: The case of international Chinese applicants in Australia

This paper documents the difficulties in finding accounting work faced by international Chinese accounting graduates in Australia in the two years after graduation. We argue that Chinese accounting graduates remain a marginalised group within today's Australian society. The interview results support this assertion, with even high-achieving Chinese graduates finding it difficult to obtain work with mainstream accounting firms and corporations. The main reasons appear to be their lack of Australian working experience, lack of knowledge of Australian culture, and lack of “Australian English”. Australian accounting firms, due to a revealed preference to hire white Australian graduates, appear to be missing out on a vast reservoir of Chinese talent. Chinese accounting graduates speak two or three languages and have established business networks in China or at the very least insider knowledge of how that country's business culture operates. Whilst their sub-cultural capital may be lower on average than white graduates on some conventional measures, it is higher in those areas of bilingual capability and cross-cultural knowledge which are becoming of increasing importance to Australian business.     

税收国际协调与会计准则全球趋同关系之辨析

本文研究经济全球化下税收国际协调与会计准则全球趋同这两大并存趋势的关系。论文认为 ,这两大趋势是经济全球化在国际税收和国际会计这两个相互联系领域中的反映 ,并从六个方面论述了两者之间的内在联系以及所反映的本质内涵。作者认为 ,二者之间的关系是所谓“经济一体化三难”的反映 ;在中国参与经济全球化的过程中 ,应把握两者关系 ,注意政策的内在协调 ,同时考虑国际税收与会计交叉学科的发展 ,为实务界提供指导     

我国政府会计模式构建过程中主体界定问题初探

我国政府会计体系改革的起步相对较晚,有些方面滞后于财政预算管理体制的改革,而且与国际惯例之间也存在着一定的差距,因此适应我国经济体制和财政体制改革的需要。特别是适应我国加入WTO的新形势,积极推进政府会计体系的改革,将是我国下一步会计改革的重要内容。在这个过程中,我们认为首先应当思考这样一个问题,即未来政府会计体系的界限应当在哪里划定?或者说,究竟什么样的经济主体属于“政府”,应当纳入到未来的政府会计体系中?本文在借鉴GASB成功经验的基础上从“组织性质”和“资金来源与用途”两个角度提出了“双主体”模式的初步设想。     

Institutional rationality and practice variation: New directions in the institutional analysis of practice

In this paper, I highlight how popular understandings of neoinstitutionalism as a theory of isomorphism need to be revised as institutionalists have shifted attention towards the study of organizational heterogeneity. As part of this shift, old emphases on arational mimicry and stability have been replaced with new emphases on institutional rationality and ongoing struggle and change. I discuss these new directions and the implications for the study of accounting practice. I argue that given recent efforts by institutionalists to account for actors and practice diversity, there is an important opportunity for dialogue with practice theorists, such as those drawing on Actor Network Theory, and the creation of a more comprehensive approach to the study of practice that attends to both institutional and micro-processual dynamics.     

Bridging the gap between accounting and finance

I suggest that the separation of the academic disciplines of accounting and finance has had some detrimental consequences for the development of research and practice in both disciplines, and especially in finance. I argue that an understanding of financial statement numbers and the accounting principles on which they depend – the accounting microstructure – can be important in developing better valuation and asset pricing models and in identifying relevant dimensions of risk. Therefore finance research can benefit from assimilating recent advances in accounting research. Similarly, accounting research relevant to valuation and asset pricing can benefit by adopting theoretical perspectives and empirical methods from finance research.