scholarly journals A gap in management accounting education: fact or fiction

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vida Lucia Botes ◽  
Umesh Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Management Accountants ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Management Accounting Education

Purpose The aim of this paper is to gain insights into the gap that persists between management accounting education (MAE) and practice. Design/methodology/approach MAE is examined from four perspectives of the balanced scorecard (BSC), in terms of what is being taught at tertiary level: customer satisfaction, learning and growth, internal business and financial. A survey questionnaire was sent to management accountants selected randomly from a list of practicing management accountants identified by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in South Africa. Findings The study finds support for allegations that a gap exists between MAE and practice and indicates that to address this gap, a holistic focus using the four perspectives of the BSC would be useful to investigate the gap. Research limitations/implications Previous studies in relation to the gap in management education have focused on the lack of skills provided by tertiary education. As one of the few studies to focus on the overall performance of MAE, this study identifies that the gap is not limited to the provision of adequate skills. The findings show that the gap is significant in terms of customer perspective but is not significant in relation to the internal business, learning and growth and financial perspectives of the BSC. The study provides deeper insights into the gap and will help tertiary education providers to improve their performance. Practical implications As one of the few studies on gaps between MAE and practice, the study provides insights to the potential gaps. The findings serve as a basis for further empirical and theoretical enquiries. Originality/value The study contributes to the management accounting literature by focusing on the gap in MAE using a BSC approach. Rather than single out the lack of skills provided by MAE as a reason for the gap, this paper provides information on the four areas of the BSC as ways to identify the gap.

scholarly journals Constructing constructivism in management accounting education: reflections from a teaching cycle with innovative learning elements

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelum Jayasinghe
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Constructivist Teaching ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Radical Constructivist ◽  
Innovative Learning ◽  
Management Accounting Education

Purpose This study aims to address the possibility of integrating some elements of the “radical constructivist” approach to management accounting teaching. It answers the following two questions: to what extent should management accounting educators construct a “radical constructivist” foundation to guide active learning? Then, in which ways can management accounting educators use qualitative methods to facilitate “radical constructivist” education? Design/methodology/approach The study uses a teaching cycle that implements innovative learning elements, e.g. learning from ordinary people, designed following the principles of “radical constructivism”, to engage students with “externalities” at the centre of their knowledge construction. It adopts an ethnographic approach comprising interviews and participant observation for the data collection, followed by the application of qualitative content and narrative analysis of the data. Findings The study findings and reflections illustrate that the majority of students respond positively to radical constructivist learning if the educators can develop an innovative problem-solving and authentic environment that is close to their real lives. The radical constructivist teaching cycle discussed in this study has challenged the mindsets of the management accounting students as it altered the traditional objectivist academic learning approaches that students were familiar with. Its use of qualitative methods facilitated active learning. Student feedback was sought as part of the qualitative design, which provided a constructive mechanism for the students and educators to learn and unlearn from their mistakes. This process enriched the understanding of learners (students) and educators of successful engagement in radical constructivist management accounting education and provides a base upon which to design future teaching cycles. Originality/value The paper provides proof of the ability of accounting educators, as change agents, to apply radical constructivist epistemology combined with multiple qualitative research methods by creating new constructive learning structures and cultures associated with innovative deep-learning tasks in management accounting education.

Educating management accountants as business partners

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-541
Author(s):  
Morten Jakobsen ◽  
Falconer Mitchell ◽  
Hanne Nørreklit ◽  
Mihaela Trenca
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Partner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Pragmatic Constructivism ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Management Accountants

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a paradigmatic foundation for educators to prepare students of management accounting for the new demands of the role of trusted business partner in practice. Design/methodology/approach The paper argues for the use of pragmatic constructivism as a basis for development of a paradigmatic foundation for educating advanced students of management accounting. Furthermore, it contains an empirical insight through a case example of how pragmatic constructivism can be used as a pedagogical tool in different management accounting educational situations. Findings The analysis shows how pragmatic constructivism can be used as a less reductionist paradigm than realism to tackle the research-teaching-practice deficiencies found in conventional thinking on accounting education. Pragmatic constructivism is shown to provide important methodological and conceptual elements in developing, understanding and guiding the application of management accounting techniques in dynamic business practices. Placing an emphasis on teaching methodological skills relevant for management accountants is shown to have an important impact on students and their ability to act as business partners. Research limitations/implications The analysis is exploratory in the sense that a new paradigmatic framework for educating students of management accounting to be business partners is outlined and illustrated through its implementation in a specific master’s degree programme. However, this analysis should be viewed as only a first step towards developing pragmatic constructivism as a paradigmatic foundation for teaching management accounting as a basis for a business partner role. Originality/value The proposed use of research on pragmatic constructivism as a basis for management accounting education to support a future business partner role is novel in the literature on management accounting. The value of its application lies in its potential to create successful utilisation of the practices of management accounting.

scholarly journals The unfolding rationales surrounding management accounting innovations: a balanced scorecard case

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio de Araujo Wanderley ◽  
John Cullen ◽  
Mathew Tsamenyi
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Electricity Distribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Focal Firm ◽  
Distribution Company

PurposeThe Balanced Scorecard (BSC) possesses an inherent duality, as it has been described as a carrier of institutions (i.e. the BSC is a “management ideology” or “mode of thinking”) and a flexibly interpretive boundary object at the same time. This study examines how this inherent duality of the BSC may influence the unfolding rationales surrounding its implementation and use.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical support for this investigation is gathered from an in-depth field study. The focal firm is a Brazilian electricity distribution company that transitioned from state to private ownership under hyper-regulation, and whose holding company experienced strategic and structural changes.FindingsThe study identified a misalignment between the characteristics of the firm (e.g. organizational logics) and the perceived BSC features. This misalignment initially produced tensions and institutional logics complexity for the organization forcing the BSC implementers to rationalize it to provide meaning regarding its implementation in the firm. The findings also show why and how the promoters of the BSC conducted its “strategy of translation” in order to disentangle and reassemble both the material and symbolic components of the BSC to facilitate its implementation and use. It was found that promoters of the BSC engaged in contextualization work, which featured two main actions: a combination of coupling and selective decoupling and a change of meaning.Originality/valueThis paper advances current understanding of the process of the unfolding rationales surrounding management accounting innovations (e.g. the BSC). The study shows that the BSC unfolds in more complex, time-related and simultaneous ways than has previously been reported in the literature. Moreover, the paper contributes by explaining how the management's rationales, relating to their historical understanding, perception of legitimation needs and social skills, contributed to the continuous unfolding of the BSC. In addition, four potentially interesting areas for further research were identified.

PENERAPAN BALANCED SCORECARD SEBAGAI PENGUKUR KINERJA MANAJEMEN PADA PT MATAHARI DEPARTMENT STORE TBK

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Nindy Livia Luciawanty ◽  
Ari Christanti
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Department Store ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Financial Perspective ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Voice Of Customer

This study aims to determine the performance of PT. Matahari Department Store using the Balanced Scorecard. This measurement is looking at the business unit from four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business processes, and learning- growth. The analysis showed that: 1) In Financial perspective, which seen from the growth of revenue, ROI (Return onInvestments), and profit margin shows the performance of PT. Matahari Department Store is good; 2) In The customer perspective reflects a good employee performance against customer service with the MCC (Matahari Club Card) card services and VOC (Voice Of Customer) 3) In Internal business perspective from the company's innovation and after sales service, the overall performance of the company's management has shown good results; 4) In Learning and growth perspective about the level of employee satisfaction showed good results by the awards given by companies to employees’s performance through Customer Service All-Star and training to employeesKeywords: balanced scorecard, performance

Management Accounting Education: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germain B. Böer
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Teaching Management ◽  
The Past ◽  
Management Accountants ◽  
Face Management ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Management Accounting Education

For the past 35 years I have been teaching management accounting to undergraduate students, graduate students, and M.B.A. students. My approach to the topic has evolved over the years as my understanding of management accounting and of management decision making has expanded. The real world of business has always fascinated me, and I take every opportunity I can to visit companies to view their operations and to talk with managers about the problems and issues they face. Management accountants at companies like Caterpillar, Inc., Nortel, Dresser (now a division of Halliburton Co.), and numerous other companies have helped me to learn about the ways that management accounting works in organizations. The more I learn about the practice of management accounting the more dissatisfied I become with what I teach in my courses, so my class material is constantly evolving to accommodate my everchanging understanding of management accounting. As my knowledge of management accounting deepens I find myself discussing fewer techniques and procedures and more policy issues. This paper allows me to share with the readers of Issues in Accounting Education some of the things I have learned, and I appreciate the opportunity the editor, David Stout, has provided me to expose my ideas to the readers of this journal. The views I offer on the past, the present, and the future of management accounting may annoy some, delight others, and bore several, but hopefully they will cause the readers to think about how we will train the next generation of management accountants.

scholarly journals Using Balanced Scorecard for Managing Performance in Selected Ghanaian Banks

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Benjamin Agyeman ◽  
James Bonn ◽  
Collins Osei
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Financial Measures ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Financial Perspective ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Internal Business Process

Prior to 1992, Kaplan and Norton posited that organizations solely rely on financial measures to manage their performance. It has become possible for organizations to incorporate in addition to financial measures non- financial measures to manage their performance. It is in this light that balanced scorecard is one of the tools used to manage performance. However, managing the overall performance of organizations using balanced scorecard is limited in literature in Ghanaian banks. This study explores the extent of use of the four perspectives of balanced scorecard as a tool to for managing performance in selected Ghanaian banks. Survey research method was employed. In relation to the extent of used of balanced scorecard perspectives by selected Ghanaian banks to manage performance, it was found that financial perspective was used followed by customer perspective, learning and growth perspective, and internal business process. The ANOVA test showed that the mean scores of the four perspectives of the balanced scorecard was statistically and significantly different from each other. The research concludes that, Ghanaian banks relied heavily on financial perspective to measure performance.

Investigating causal linkages in the balanced scorecard: an Indian perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Zahoor ◽  
Musadiq Amin Sahaf
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sequential Dependency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
Employee Learning ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Kaplan and Norton (1996b) claimed that there exists a sequential dependency between the four balanced scorecard perspectives (learning and growth, internal business processes, customer, and financial). Although theoretically supported by various researchers, the said claim has, somehow, attracted limited empirical attention. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether empirical evidence will support the theoretically grounded interrelations between the four balanced scorecard perspectives. Design/methodology/approach For this study, a total of 13 key performance indicators were identified and then clustered into the four perspectives of balanced scorecard, followed by the development of causal linkages. Data related to these indicators were collected from 1,001 employees and 985 customers of two Indian retail banks and then tested for hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling. All the constructs were measured using scales developed in previous research works. Findings The results indicate that employee learning and growth positively influence the internal business processes which in turn influence the customer perspective. Finally, the customer perspective has a significant positive influence on the financial performance. Further, it was also revealed that internal business processes mediate the relationship between employee learning and growth and customer perspective. Also, the relationship between internal business processes and financial performance is significantly mediated by customer perspective. Originality/value Majority of the previous research on causal linkages of balanced scorecard has been theoretical in nature. Whatever little empirical research is available in this regard is limited to developed nations. In a developing nation like India, these linkages have seldom been examined in the past. The study has been conducted to plug this gap in the literature and, resultantly, provide further insights into the interrelations of the balanced scorecard perspectives.

scholarly journals Analisis kinerja berbasis Balanced Scorecard pada koperasi simpan pinjam

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Farida Ainun Nikmah ◽  
Retno Mustika Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Study Data ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Future Performance ◽  
Financial Perspective ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
Performance System ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive ◽  
Assessment Result

This study aims to assess the performance of the Koperasi Pasar (Koppas) Wanita in Jatiprahu Village using the Balanced Scorecard method. This is a quantitative descriptive study, data collected through documentation, interviews and questionnaires from 158 samples. The results of the analysis obtained that three of the four research variable perspectives had bad results, the financial perspective, internal business, as well as growth and learning have decreased assessment results compared to the previous year. While the customer perspective variable has a good assessment result, increased compared to the previous year’s assessment. The overall performance Koperasi Pasar Wanita Kartini is satisfactory. The management and supervisor of the cooperative need to improve the existing performance system, so that in the future performance of the cooperative will be better.

scholarly journals Using A Group Work Project As An Educational Tool In Management Accounting Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riaan Rudman ◽  
Wandi Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Group Work ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Competency Models ◽  
New Business ◽  
Skills Group ◽  
Management Accounting Education

Having pervasive skills is becoming more important to employers as well as to professional bodies and associations. Consequently, the ability to work in groups is regarded as an essential skill. Although working in groups is found to heighten the performance of students and lead to the development of various pervasive skills, group work still forms a very small part of most South African tertiary education teaching frameworks. As a consequence, most professional bodies have updated their competency models and syllabuses they prescribe to tertiary institutions. In response to this development, the Department of Accounting at Stellenbosch University in South Africa has developed a management accounting project requiring students to prepare a business plan for a new business venture while working in groups, giving consideration to the skills they believe they should develop. A questionnaire was created to investigate students perceptions of group work. Responses were favourable with the majority of respondents being of the opinion that the ability to work in groups is an important skill to develop while at university before commencing their professional careers. The study highlighted some obstacles which need to be considered in developing a project requiring group work. The main constraints appear to be group selection, group size, group management and assessing group work and time.

The fate of the balanced scorecard: alternative problematization and competing networks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharusha N. Gooneratne ◽  
Zahirul Hoque
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
System Data

Purpose This paper aims to report on an empirical investigation of the fate of the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach in an organization. Design/methodology/approach Building on actor-network theory and using a qualitative case study approach, this study analyses how across time certain actors attempted to build a competing network in the organization to gain support for their underlying rationales for replacing the BSC with a budgeting system. Data were collected using interviews, observations and archival data from a Sri Lankan commercial bank. Findings This paper finds that despite the enthusiastic journey with all its potentials to be a sustainable accounting innovation, the attraction towards the BSC innovation by the organization appeared to be temporary because the BSC knowledge claims that were advanced by its promoters had not been widely accepted by those involved in the practice. Such a consequence of innovation diffusion appeared to be the result of the failure of the innovation promoters in coordinating the heterogeneous interests of various actors involved in the practice. This study concludes that the BSC failed to be sustained, amid varying ideologies and interests of powerful actors across time and opponent actors’ perceived deficiencies in its adapted design attributes. Research limitations/implications Although the findings relate to a Sri Lankan case, they offer important insight into how parallel, competing networks advocating different control systems may exist in an organization, and that the sustainability of a specific system may depend upon the efforts and the relative power of the advocators of that system. Practical implications This paper sheds useful insights for practitioners on the effective implementation of accounting innovations and managing management control systems in organizations amid tensions associated with competing networks. Originality/value The outcomes enhance the knowledge of how multiple networks operating in an organization could compete with one another, with the result that one network may fall apart while another network gains prominence in the corporate landscape across time, amid varying interests of key actors, their actions and interessement devices used.

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