No premature closures of debates,please: A response to Ahrens

In this response to Ahrens [Ahrens, T. (2008). Overcoming the subjective–objective divide in interpretive management accounting research. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 33(2–3), 292–297.] we clarify both the motivation and the core points of the Kakkuri-Knuuttila et al. [Kakkuri-Knuuttila, M.-L., Lukka, K., & Kuorikoski, J. (2008). Straddling between paradigms: A naturalistic philosophical case study on interpretive research in management accounting. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 33(2–3), 267–291.] paper. We remind the management accounting academia that we should be careful not to close prematurely examinations and debates on issues, which are not yet truly resolved.     

The most influential journals in academic accounting

In this article we summarize the findings of articles that have ranked academic accounting journals, as well as articles that provide other bases for considering journal quality. Results indicate that five journals—Accounting, Organizations and Society, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Accounting Research, and The Accounting Review—rank consistently as the top journals in the field. However, these five journals differ substantially as to the numbers of articles they publish overall as well as the proportions of articles that are related to the various specialty areas of accounting. Further, the relative proportions of articles by area do not correspond to the numbers of individuals working in the specialty areas. Financial accounting articles appear in disproportionately high numbers for all journals except Accounting, Organizations and Society, whereas management accounting articles appear in disproportionately low numbers for all journals except Accounting, Organizations and Society. In all journals, systems and tax articles also appear to be disproportionately low vis-à-vis the numbers of individuals working in these areas. Auditing receives fairly even exposure across journals and vis-à-vis individuals in the area, except in the Journal of Accounting and Economics.     

The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note

Legitimacy theory suggests companies with poorer environmental performance would be expected to provide more extensive off-setting or positive environmental disclosures in their financial reports. However, recent investigations of the performance/disclosure relation [Al-Tuwaijri, S. A., Christensen, T. E., &; Hughes II, K. E. (2004). The relations among environmental disclosure, environmental performance, and economic performance: a simultaneous equations approach. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 29, 447–471; Hughes, S. B., Anderson, A., &; Golden, S. (2001). Corporate environmental disclosures: are they useful in determining environmental performance? Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 20, 217–240; Hughes, S. B., Sander, J. F., &; Reier, J. C. (2000). Do environmental disclosures in US annual reports differ by environmental performance? Advances in Environmental Accounting and Management, 141–161; Patten, D. M. (2002). The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 27, 763–773] report mixed results. In this study, we use size-matched groups based on industry membership (environmentally sensitive versus non-environmentally sensitive) and environmental performance (worse performers versus better performers, based on data from KLD Research and Analytics, Inc.) to test for differences in the use of monetary and non-monetary non-litigation related environmental disclosure. Results indicate that the use of monetary and non-monetary components of the non-litigation related environmental disclosure varies across groups. In general, the findings provide additional support for the argument that companies use disclosure as a legitimizing tool.     

Observations on measuring the differences between domestic accounting standards and IAS: A reply

In the commentary that precedes this reply, Nobes makes several comments on our article published in this journal (Ding, Y., Hope, O.-K., Jeanjean, T., Stolowy, H., 2007. Differences between domestic accounting standards and IAS: measurement, determinants and implications. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy 26, 1–38). In our reply, we start with the key issue raised: the comment on the distinction between accounting practices (de facto) and accounting regulations (de jure). We then discuss the IAS bias in the “GAAP 2001” study, before presenting our reply on the endogeneity issue and on the robustness check for the “divergence” score. We conclude with a discussion of the separate dimensions of absence vs. divergence.     

Professional accounting development in Nigeria: threats from the inside and outside

Over the years several, sometimes conflicting, theories attempting to explain the development of professions have emerged. The “functionalist” and “interactionist” theories have since lost the spotlight to a more critical approach based on the Weberian concept of closure. Limitations in the concept and practice of this neo-Weberain concept have led to suggestions that research into the sociology of professions, should also include historical analyses of professionalism that capture historical specificities with the aim of generating theory that sees beyond “just massive historical variation” [Collins, R. (1990). Changing conceptions in the sociology of the profession. In R. Torstendahl, & M. Burrage, The formation of professions: Knowledge, state and strategy. London: Sage Publications]. Such research should also investigate the structural conditions under which the professionalisation process takes place [Johnson, T. (1977). The profession in the class structure. In R. Scase, Industrial society: Class, cleavage and control. London: George Allen and Unwin.]. In order to achieve this, there is the need to critically study the relationship of the State and the profession [Klegon, D. (1978). The sociology of professions: an emerging perspective. Sociology of Work and Occupations, 5, 3, 259–283.] and to document more extensively, the process, rather than the product, of closure [Chua, W. F., & Paullaos, C. (1993). Rethinking the profession-state dynamic: the case of the Victorian Charter Attempt, 1885–1906, Accounting, Organizations and Society, pp. 128–691; Chua, W. F., & Paullaos, C. (1998). The dynamics of “closure” amidst the construction of market, profession, empire and nationhood: an historical analysis of an Australian Accounting Association. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 23 (2), 155–187; Ramirez, C. (2001). Understanding social closure in its cultural context: accounting practitioners in France (1920–1939), Accounting, Organizations and Society.]. Such is the approach of this article, which focuses on the development of the accounting professions in Nigeria. It critically examines the profession/ State dynamics that have helped shape the outcome of the various episodes in the history of the accounting profession in Nigeria. An important influence in this dynamics is the nature of government in place (i.e. military or civilian).     

Securities legislation and the accounting profession in the 1930s: The rhetoric and reality of the American Dream

Merino and Neimark (“Disclosure Regulation and Public Policy", Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Fall 1982, pp. 33–57) examined passage of securities regulation in the United States in the 1930s, concluding that the regulation should be viewed as symbolic (i.e. not expected to result in significant changes in distribution of economic resources), a means of restoring investor confidence and preserving the status quo. Since that time, a number of traditional and critical studies have examined that thesis and offered new insights into the complex interrelationships found in the passage of securities legislation (e.g. Neu, “Reading the Regulatory Text: Regulation and the New Stock Issue Process", Critical Perspectives on Accounting, December 1992, pp. 359–388; Bealing, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words: An Institutional Perspective on the SEC", Accounting Organizations and Society, Vol. 19, 1994, pp. 555-569; Bealing, et al., “Early Regulatory Actions by the SEC: An Institutional Theory Perspective on the Dramaturgy of Exchange"Accounting Organizations and Society, Vol. 21, No. 4, 1996, pp. 317–338). We continue this line of research by developing the rationale behind the argument that symbolic legislation might be sufficient to restore investor confidence. We use as our framework the pragmatic concept of democratic conversation, unique to the United States, to frame the ideological debate. We posit that securities legislation can best be understood as an effort to reestablish the viability of what has been labeled the “American dream". We concur with the conclusion of Wettergreen (“The Regulatory Policy of the New Deal", The New Deal, 1989, pp. 199–213) that passage of the securities legislation must be examined as a response to a moral crisis of capitalism, generated by the “immoral behavior" of the capitalist elite. Following Dewey, we posit that the first priority of any regulation had to be to establish the moral legitimacy of capitalism by restoring trust in the existing system. As Dewey (Liberalism and Social Action, New York: Putnam, 1935) concluded, radical change was needed, otherwise it would merely be symbolic and used as propaganda to maintain the status quo.We then focus on the framers of regulation and the accounting profession. We do this by examining the private correspondence and the actions of the regulators during the early years of the SEC act. We believe our analysis shows that the early SEC commissioners had a commitment to the private property rights paradigm, and were unwilling to confront the monied interests. We support our position in a historical analysis of Accounting Series Release(ASR) No. 4, the Whitney case and the North American case. We interpret the historical evidence as a desire by the regulators to maintain the status quo. Thus, even if we believed the legislation was intended to cause a “real" change, the enforcement was not performed in an activist manner to initiate the change. For example, William O. Douglas (the second chairman of the SEC), who was no doubt a modern day judicial activist, was not an activist when it came to regulation and accounting related issues (e.g. full disclosure). Personal correspondence shows he had close relations with the accounting profession and raises the possibility that he may have been “captured" by the profession.In summary, our arguments are as follows: (i) the rhetoric used by the New Deal was intended to restore trust and fairness in American society; (ii) the underlying basis for the political persuasion was the restoration of the American dream in a liberal environment; (iii) in a contemporaneous analysis of the New Deal environment, Dewey (Liberalism and Social Action, New York: Putnam, 1935) states that, without radicalism of change, the New Deal was doomed to failure since it would be viewed as protecting the status quo—we concur with this view as to the securities regulation and the behavior of Douglas; (iv) Douglas appears to act in favor of the status quo due to his close relations with the accounting profession, and, in our view, being “captured" by the profession and (v) we support our thesis by examining several SEC actions during Douglas’s tenure.     

An empirical study of the evidence for contingency theories of management accounting systems in conditions of rapid change

This paper continues the theme of Jones (Accounting, Organizations & Society, 10, 177–200, 1985) which described the findings of an empirical study of the changes introduced into management accounting systems following acquisition. It adopts a contingency theory perspective of the findings; relates them to existing hypotheses; and introduces a test of the theory involving measurement of the control relationships established between acquisition partners. Theoretical expectations for the adaptation of effective post- acquisition MAS are developed and related to success/failure.     

Do managers manage earnings to ‘just meet or beat’ analyst forecasts?: Evidence from Australia

This paper examines whether managers manage earnings to ‘just meet or beat’ analyst forecasts in Australia. Previous Australian studies on benchmark-beating have focused on loss avoidance and small earnings increases as benchmarks [Coulton, J., Taylor, S., & Taylor, S. (2005). Is ‘benchmark beating’ by Australian firms evidence of earnings management? Accounting and Finance, 45, 553-576; Holland, D., & Ramsay, A. (2003). Do Australian companies manage earnings to meet simple earnings benchmarks? Accounting and Finance, 43, 41-62]. This paper extends this earlier research on benchmark-beating in Australia by incorporating analyst forecast as an important benchmark. Using three different models of unexpected accruals as proxies for earnings management, this study did not find any significant difference between the mean and median unexpected accruals of the “‘just meet or beat” group as against the “just miss” group. Furthermore, for a long period of time (1997-2002), the proportion of Australian firms ‘just meeting or beating’ analyst forecasts benchmark increased, although such increase was not statistically significant.     

Incorporating real-options analysis into the accounting curriculum

In this paper, we argue that accounting curricula should be expanded to cover the topic of real options. Our argument relies on reference to the [American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (1999) (Core Competency Framework, New York, NY: AICPA <http://ceae.aicpa.org/Resources/Education+and+Curriculum+Development/Core+Competency+Framework+and+Educational+Competency+Assessment+Web+Site/> Accessed 21.08.08], the framework for curriculum change espoused by [Arya, A., Fellingham, J. C., & Schroeder, D. A. (2003). An academic curriculum proposal. Issues in Accounting Education, 18(1) 29–35], a global study of core competencies for management accountants [International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), (2002). Competency profiles for management accounting practice and practitioners. New York, NY: International Federation of Accountants], a global capital-budgeting “best practices statement” [International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), (2008). International good practice guidance: Project appraisal using discounted cash flow. New York, NY: International Federation of Accountants], current specifications of the CMA exam [Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), (2008). Certified management accountant (CMA) learning outcome statements (effective 07/01/04), updated 07/2008. <http://www.imanet.org/pdf/CMA%20%20LOS.pdf> Accessed 29.10.08.], and elements of the Albrecht and Sack report [Albrecht, W. S., & Sack, R. J. (2000). Accounting education: Charting the course through a perilous future. Accounting education series, Vol. 16. Sarasota, FL: American Accounting Association]. We make special reference to the linkage of the topic of real options to two broad educational goals: decision-modeling and risk analysis. Existing resources that accounting faculty can use to incorporate real options into the curriculum are limited. As a response, we provide an extended example that accounting educators can use to cover the topic of real options. This example uses a set of binomial trees (one for cash inflows and another for cash outflows). The step-by-step approach presented in this paper allows students without a technical/mathematical background to extend discounted-cash-flow (DCF) decision models (e.g., NPV) to incorporate real options that are embedded in proposed investment projects.     

Potential model misspecification bias: Formative indicators enhancing theory for accounting researchers

This paper describes why and when formative factors, in combination with reflective measures, can be used in accounting research to better represent complex theoretical constructs. We argue that the exclusive use of reflective factors constrains theory development and may lead to imprecise measurement. We provide a review of 66 published research papers from Accounting, Organization and Society, The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Accounting, Auditing, & Accountability Journal, Behavioral Research in Accounting, International Journal of Accounting, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Management Accounting Research, Abacus, and Journal of Management Accounting Research using Structural Equation Models (SEM) from 1992 to 2008 to illustrate improvement of misspecification bias in leading accounting journals. Our findings suggest that most of the studies modeled constructs that did not include formative indicators.     

National differences in incentive compensation practices: The differing roles of financial performance measurement in the United States and the Netherlands

This paper describes the findings of a study aimed at providing an international replication of a US-based study by Gibbs et al. [Gibbs, M., Merchant, K., Van der Stede, W., & Vargus, M. (2004). Determinants and effects of subjectivity in incentives. The Accounting Review, 79(2), 409–436; Gibbs, M., Merchant, K., Van der Stede, W., & Vargus, M. (2006). The structure of incentive contracts: Evidence from auto dealerships. Working Paper, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, London School of Economics and University of Texas-Dallas] focused on the incentive compensation practices of firms in the automobile retailing industry. The purpose was to determine the extent to which these practices and their effects were similar across countries. Theory provides conflicting predictions as to whether international practices should reflect a situational “best fit” or “global best practices.” We collected a dataset comparable to that of Gibbs et al. from Dutch automobile retailers. The findings reveal dramatic differences in practices across the two countries. As compared to the US firms, the Dutch firms are much less likely to provide their managers with incentive compensation in any form. Where Dutch firms do offer incentive compensation, the payouts are smaller and their bonus awards are less likely to be based on profit measures of performance. But where the Dutch firms use incentive compensation, their performance/reward functions are more complex. Moreover, unlike in the US firms, in the Dutch firms the effects of the use of incentive compensation on net profit and pay satisfaction are negative.     

Accounting and corporate accountability: a postscript

This paper comments upon Benston's analysis (Accounting, Organizations and Society, 1982, pp. 87–105) of corporate social accounting and reporting. It scrutinizes the mode of reasoning employed by Benston and pinpoints a number of deficiencies. Furthermore, it challenges the very framework of the analysis, questioning the appropriateness of the perspective adopted and revealing the normative issues involved. Our comments attempt to indicate that the value premises implicit in Benston's analysis are not the only ones possible or acceptable.     

Accounting education literature review (2010–2012)

This review of the accounting education literature includes 291 articles and 104 instructional cases published over the 3-year period, 2010–2012, in six journals: (1) Journal of Accounting Education, (2) Accounting Education: An International Journal, (3) Advances in Accounting Education, (4) Global Perspectives on Accounting Education, (4) Issues in Accounting Education, and (6) The Accounting Educators’ Journal. This article updates prior literature reviews by organizing and summarizing recent additions to the accounting education literature. These reviews are categorized into four sections corresponding to traditional lines of inquiry: (1) curriculum, assurance of learning (AOL), and instruction; (2) educational technology; (3) faculty issues; and (4) students. Suggestions for educational research in all content areas are presented. For the first time in this series of literature reviews, we assess the data collection and empirical analysis methods and recommend adoption of more rigorous techniques moving forward. Articles presenting teaching materials and educational cases published in the same six journals during 2010–2012 are presented in an appendix, categorized by the courses for which they are appropriate.     

Testing the limits of structuration theory in accounting research

In 1985 I published a paper in Accounting Organizations and Society with Bob Scapens titled Accounting Systems and Systems of Accountability; understanding accounting practices in their organisational contexts. The paper suggested the potential usefulness of Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory for efforts to understand accounting in its organisational contexts. Rather than engage in a further review of the use of structuration theory in accounting, this paper sets out to test our original proposition as to the usefulness of Giddens ideas for accounting research. I explore three points of possible criticism in the paper. That structuration theory does not take the ‘agency’ of accounting sufficiently seriously; that Foucault and Lacan allow us to get much closer to the ways in which accounting information works back upon human subjects; and that Giddens and accounting share a lack of ethics.     

Accounting classification and the international harmonisation debate: a reply to a comment

In this issue of this journal, Christopher Nobes comments on my classification of accounting systems [Accounting Organizations and Society (2001) 26, 327]. He concludes that the classification is unsound because the nature of the data made them unsuitable and they contained errors. I took as a source for my selection process a database that reflects the decisions of the EU directives and the Transnational Accounting (TRANSACC) editors to describe important recognition and valuation rules. This process was made explicit and followed reasonable principles. According to the accuracy issues raised, some discrepancies could be explained by different interpretations. Additionally, the conclusion is still valid as the results are shown to be robust to variations of weightings and methods hence also to unsystematic failures.     

A comparative analysis of the construct validity of coefficients in paramorphic models of accounting judgments: A replication and extension

This study adds to research which examines the construct validity of coefficients of cue importance in studies concerned with how decision-makers use accounting information in formulating judgments (see Larcker & Lessig, The Accounting Review, January, 1983, pp. 58–77; Selling & Shank, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 1989, pp. 65–77). Historically, accounting studies have modelled cue importance with almost exclusive reliance upon linear models. But as the Selling & Shank study indicates, inferring the importance of accounting cues through reliance upon only one kind of model can leave “method variance” undetected and raises threats to the construct validity of coefficients (see Cook & Campbell, Quasi-experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings, 1979, pp. 59–70). To the extent that cue importance appears similar across models, then the model coefficients are presumed more valid. While Selling & Shank compare linear models to process tracing models, we compare a linear model to an eigenvector-scaling routine known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (see Saaty, The Analytic Hierarchy Process, 1980). As with Selling & Shank, we find that the importance of cues is sensitive to model choice, suggesting that more research is needed into method variance before judgments can be made with respect to the construct validity of linear coefficients in accounting studies.     

Regulatory networks for accounting and auditing standards: A social network analysis of Canadian and international standard-setting

Rose and Miller [Rose, N., & Miller, P. (1992). Political power beyond the state: Problematics of government. British Journal of Sociology, 43(2), 173–205] note that governmentality is exercised through “centers of calculation” embedded in “networks of rule;” we focus on the “networks of rule” and use social network analysis to document the linked organizations, both domestic and international, that affect the creation of accounting and auditing standards in Canada. The network is defined as the set of regulatory bodies and other organizations that have the right to appoint (or approve the appointment of) members of another organization’s standard-setting body. The network consists of 61 organizations, sharing 131 interlocks. These organizations are clustered into four groups centered on, respectively, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Canadian Securities Administrators, International Federation of Accountants and the IOSCO/World Bank. The analysis identifies the boundaries of these clusters and the key organizations that maintain the cohesion of the network. The conclusion identifies research opportunities opened by this perspective on accounting and auditing regulation.     

Does implementation guidance affect opportunistic reporting and value relevance of earnings?

In recent years, both the SEC (2003) and the FASB (2004) [Securities and Exchange Commission, 2003. Study Pursuant to Section 108(d) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on the Adoption by the United States Financial Reporting System of a Principles-Based Accounting System. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC; the Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2004. On the road to an objectives-oriented accounting system. Financial Accounting Series: The FASB Report (August 31), 1–5.] have indicated a need for accounting standards where principles are balanced by implementation guidance (i.e., a framework for exercising professional judgment). In this study, we take advantage of a jurisdictional split during 1996–2001 whereby the same economic event (i.e., an impairment in oil and gas assets) in the extractive petroleum industry was accounted for by “full cost” firms under a SEC standard (Regulation SX 4-10) which provides extensive implementation guidance, and by “successful efforts” firms under a FASB standard (SFAS No. 121) that provided relatively little guidance for implementing the standard.     

An analysis of the research contributions of accounting,organizations and society, 1976–1984

This paper evaluates the research contributions of Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS) during the years 1976–1984. We begin by investigating whether AOS has achieved its research objectives as defined by its “aims and scope”. We then examine two major attributes of AOS articles, the foundation disciplines they draw upon and the research methods they employ. Next we use citation analysis to determine the impact AOS's research has had upon research published in the social sciences. Finally, we identify those AOS articles which have exerted the greatest impact on the social sciences.