scholarly journals Another development challenge: gaining emancipation from a functional hegemony in accounting and management control research

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saiful Alam ◽  
Seuwandhi B. Ranasinghe ◽  
Danture Wickramasinghe

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflectively narrate the methodological journey of the authors in penetrating the positivitic hegemony of accounting and management control research in their native countries, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers an auto-ethnography to demonstrate the lack of diversity in accounting, accountability and management control research.FindingsGlobal developments in accounting and accountability reforms entail not only about how developing countries being governed through these reforms but also about how accounting research itself can be pursued alternatively. In the past several decades, a camp of British accounting researchers initiated a programme of research in this direction. Inspired by post-positivistic traditions, they aimed to explore how these reforms are predicated upon cultural-political milieus in developing countries. However, the academia in most accounting and management researchers from local universities in these countries are blindly bombarded with positivistic traditions.Originality/valueThe authors unpack how this hegemony formed and how attempts were made towards some emancipatory potentials.

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Brivot ◽  
Yves Gendron ◽  
Henri Guénin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into how a constellation of actors seek to define, shape, and reinvent the notion of organizational control at the confluence of social media (SM) and corporate reputational risk. Design/methodology/approach Following the approach suggested by Janesick (1998) and Denzin and Lincoln (1998), the authors undertook an in-depth qualitative analysis of a large number of data sources including interviews, best-selling books by renowned SM specialists, relevant press articles drawn from a Factiva search, and documents published by the Big Four firms and professional accounting institutes in Canada on how organizations should use SM to protect their reputational capital. Findings Four competing SM reputational risk control perspectives inductively emerged from the analysis: the Beyond Control frame, the Subveillance frame, the De-territorialization frame, and the Re-territorialization frame, with large accounting firms and professional accounting institutes especially promoting the latter. Originality/value The control literature has been criticized by many scholars as being in urgent need of updating. By inductively theorizing four original control frames in the SM arena, the research aims to move management control research in new directions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-206
Author(s):  
Carson Lewis Jenkins

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective on the role of government in the tourism sector in developing countries in the past 75 years. Design/methodology/approach A perspective article. Findings The main reasons that governments support development of tourism will remain: including foreign exchange earnings, contribution to government revenues, employment generation and regional development stimulus. Originality/value This paper provides a perspective from a senior academic who specialises in the field of tourism relating to the developing world.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1227-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan O’Dwyer ◽  
Jeffrey Unerman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning of interdisciplinarity in accounting research and the possible benefits of moving toward a more integrated interdisciplinary approach. It also examines the drawbacks and institutional impediments to such a move. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon and synthesizes the authors’ experiences of involvement in the interdisciplinary accounting community over the past two decades. Findings – The paper distinguishes between interdisciplinarity at the field level and interdisciplinarity within individual studies. Noting a lack of study-level interdisciplinarity within accounting research, it explores the potential for novel insights emerging from encouragement of such an approach. Research limitations/implications – Institutional impediments to study-level interdisciplinarity need to be addressed if the accounting academy is to realize the potentially powerful benefits and social contribution of such an approach to research. A key limitation is that the paper is based primarily on the observations and perspectives of the authors. Originality/value – The paper provides a distinction between field-level and study-level interdisciplinarity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharusha N. Gooneratne ◽  
Zahirul Hoque

PurposeThis paper aim to review existing research in the management control systems field in the banking industry. It identifies gaps in the existing literature and suggests some directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe review was carried out principally by consulting leading accounting journals, followed by other relevant journals covering all publications from the inception of the particular journal to 2010. The published articles are categorized by their research topics, theories, methodologies and settings.FindingsThe review reveals a dearth of detailed studies on management controls in the banking sector. As evident from the sizeable number of descriptive studies, most prior studies do not engage in an in‐depth inquiry into control issues of banks, and most lack clear articulation either theoretically or methodologically. It finds that currently little is known on the concerns encountered by banks and the nature of management control practices deployed.Research limitations/implicationsThis review is selective and, while illustrative of the state of management control research in the banking sector, does not attempt a comprehensive coverage of all research. However, it identifies gaps in the current literature and makes calls for further research on a number of management control issues in the banking industry. Further, in light of the review findings, the paper offers some lessons and insights for practicing managers.Originality/valueAlthough some general reviews on various facets of management accounting across time have been undertaken by past researchers, industry‐based reviews have not been their focus. Through a systematic review of management control research in the banking arena, this paper shows that despite both the significant position occupied by the banking industry in nations' economies and the importance of management controls for banks, there remains a need for researchers to pay adequate attention to exploring control issues in this sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-116
Author(s):  
Rochelle Wimalasinghe ◽  
Tharusha N. Gooneratne

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the co-existence of multiple logics, resulting complexities and their implications on control practices within a traditional industry (southern cinnamon) in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach The paper is premised upon the qualitative methodology and case study approach, while the theoretical backing is provided by the institutional logics perspective. Findings The findings reveal that controls are exercised in the southern cinnamon industry to manage competing facets stemming from the co-existence of multiple logics, such as family logic, commercial logic and state logic. Amid the recurring complexity caused by competing logics, the industry remains in a state of control through mediators, such as the exporter trade union (the Spice Council), which although predominantly guided by commercial logic, acts in easing-off tensions between competing logics, while serving the interest of multiple actors. Controls in southern cinnamon nevertheless take a peculiar form, giving way to the continuation of traditional rudimentary practices, which essentially represent the interests of ground level actors. Originality/value Moving beyond corporate settings, which are the typical focus of mainstream studies, this paper adds to the existing body of knowledge on control practices in traditional industries, where informal and localized controls prevail. Theoretically, it expands the use of the institutional logics perspective, recognizing multiple logics, tensions and complexities in management control research. In doing so, the authors probe into informal control mechanisms in traditional industries to understand the controls and complexities in practice. Practically, the paper portrays beliefs, issues and incidents in the field (of the southern cinnamon industry in Sri Lanka), which explains why the field operates as it does, thereby offering insights to actors in the field, ranging from practitioners to policymakers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Brian Rubin ◽  
Adam Pollet

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) 2017 disciplinary actions, the issues that resulted in the most significant fines and restitution and the emerging enforcement trends from 2017 and beyond. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this paper discusses the disciplinary actions in 2017 and prior years, details the top 2017 enforcement issues measured by total fines assessed, including anti-money laundering, trade reporting, electronic communications, books and records, research analysts and research reports, and explains current enforcement trends, including restitution, suitability cases and technological issues. Findings In 2017, restitution more than doubled from the prior year, resulting in the fourth highest total sanctions (fines combined with restitution and disgorgement) assessed by FINRA over the past 10 years. Practical implications Firms and their representatives should heed the trends in both the substantial restitution FINRA is ordering and the related enforcement issues in the cases FINRA has brought. Originality/value This paper provides expert analysis and guidance from experienced securities enforcement lawyers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Chunchun Wang

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the transformations of prosthetic practices in China, as well as the daily experiences and dilemmas arising from the everchanging practices since 1949. On the basis of materials, this paper explores an everyday perspective to review the history of technology.Design/methodology/approachEthnography was collected with the application of participant observations, informal interviews and in-depth interviews during a 13-months study at a rehabilitation center in Chengdu, China. The literature on prosthetic manufacturing was also reviewed for this paper.FindingsChina's prosthetic technology seems to evolve from traditional to modern. However, this progressive narrative – innovation-based timeline (Edgerton, 2006, xi) – has been challenged by daily practices. Due to institutional pressures, prosthetists are in a dilemma of selectively using their knowledge to create one kind of device for all prosthesis users with a certain kind of disability, thereby regulating the physical and social experiences of prosthesis users. Besides, prosthesis users are accustomed to prostheses made with old techniques, and must correct themselves from old experiences to the daily practices recognized by the selected techniques.Originality/valueThis paper provides a cross-cultural case to reexamine Edgerton's criticism of the progressive and orderly innovation-centric technological narrative. More importantly, it reviews the history and practices of China's prosthetics from daily experiences rather than Edgerton's concentration on technology; therefore, it provides an everyday perspective for future research on technological transformations.


Author(s):  
Aly Elgayar ◽  
Salwa Mamoun Beheiry ◽  
Alaa Jabbar ◽  
Hamad Al Ansari

Purpose Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced several green regulatory guidelines, federal decrees, and a considerable number of environmentally friendly initiatives. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the top green materials and systems used currently in the UAE construction industry as per the new laws dictate as well as see if professionals are switching over to incorporate more green materials, systems, and/or designs. Design/methodology/approach The work involved reviewing internationally popular green materials and systems for construction, developing a questionnaire based on the literature review, surveying professionals in the seven UAE emirates, and ranking the findings based on the relative importance index. Findings Findings found the top used green materials and system in the UAE’s construction industry. As well as identified that there is a communication gap between the design and implementation phases that is possibly hindering the use of more green materials and systems. Originality/value This study sets a baseline to measure the UAE’s progress over the coming years in terms of integrating more green construction materials, systems, methodologies, and trends.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 36-38

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings It is said that Latin America is one of the hardest places in which to do business, and within Latin America as well as considering the differing challenges that Argentina or Columbia may present, Brazil is perhaps the most difficult place to go to in order to develop trade and commercial agreements. In addition to the different language as compared to the rest of the region, there is a very specific culture and life view that will be wholly alien to many business people, whether they are from developed or developing countries around the world. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1100-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee D. Parker ◽  
Deryl Northcott

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and articulate concepts and approaches to qualitative generalisation that will offer qualitative accounting researchers avenues for enhancing and justifying the general applicability of their research findings and conclusions. Design/methodology/approach – The study and arguments draw from multidisciplinary approaches to this issue. The analysis and theorising is based on published qualitative research literatures from the fields of education, health sciences, sociology, information systems, management and marketing, as well as accounting. Findings – The paper develops two overarching generalisation concepts for application by qualitative accounting researchers. These are built upon a number of qualitative generalisation concepts that have emerged in the multidisciplinary literatures. It also articulates strategies for enhancing the generalisability of qualitative accounting research findings. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides qualitative accounting researchers with understandings, arguments and justifications for the generalisability of their research and the related potential for wider accounting and societal contributions. It also articulates the key factors that impact on the quality of research generalisation that qualitative researchers can offer. Originality/value – This paper presents the most comprehensively sourced and developed approach to the concepts, strategies and unique deliverables of qualitative generalising hitherto available in the accounting research literature.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document