Rethinking the academic accounting research model

Journal title FINANCIAL REPORTING
Author/s Mark C. Dawkins
Publishing Year 2024 Issue 2024/1
Language English Pages 18 P. 5-22 File size 81 KB
DOI 10.3280/FR2024-001001
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Current academic incentive systems primarily reward accounting faculty for publishing research articles in elite journals. Faculty members decide what research questions to address and what research methods to use to investigate those re-search questions. Regulators, accounting service firms, and practicing accountants have little input about which research questions are investigated, how the research is conducted, and how and where the results are disseminated. This current ap-proach often results in financial accounting and auditing research that is not rele-vant to the practice of accounting. This commentary proposes a market-driven approach to the conduct of financial and auditing accounting research similar to that used in the medical sciences where pharmaceutical companies and govern-mental entities determine the most pressing medical issues. Besides university-sponsored research, faculty members in the medical sciences apply for grants to support research targeted at improving the treatment of these medical issues, and relevant research findings are quickly disseminated through highly-regarded peer-reviewed outlets such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, the British Medical Journal, and The Lancet so doctors and other medical professionals may quickly implement them into practice.

Keywords: accounting research relevance, accounting research, accounting schol-arship, relevant accounting research, research innovation, research impact, ac-counting practice relevance.

Jel codes: M41

  1. AAA Research Impact Task Force (2009). The impact of academic accounting research on professional practice: An analysis by the AAA Research Impact Task Force. Accounting Horizons, 23(4), 411-456.
  2. Ashton, R., & Ciani, A. (1998). Contributions of the “Research Opportunities in Auditing” program: An empirical assessment. Accounting Horizons, 12(2), 120-138.
  3. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International (2008). Final report of the AACSB International Impact of Research Task Force. Tampa, FL: AACSB. -- https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/reports/impact-of-research.
  4. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International (2012). Impact of research: A guide for business schools (Insights from the AACSB International Impact of Research Exploratory Study). Tampa, FL: AACSB. -- https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/reports/impact-of-research-a-guide-for-business-schools.
  5. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International (2022). 2018 Standards for Accounting Accreditation (Updated July 1, 2022). Tampa, FL: AACSB. -- https://www.aacsb.edu/educators/accreditation/ accounting-accreditation/aacsb-accounting-accreditation-standards.
  6. Barth, M. (2015). Financial accounting research, practice, and financial accountability. Abacus, 51(4), 499-510.
  7. Bernstein, L. (1965). Whither accounting research?. The Journal of Accountancy, December, 33-38.
  8. Birnberg, J. (2009). The case for post-modern management accounting: Thinking outside the box. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 21(1), 3-18.
  9. Bonner, S., Hesford, J., Van der Stede, W., & Young, S. (2006). The most influential journals in academic accounting. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 31(7), 663-685.
  10. Boyle, D., Boyle, J., & Hermanson, D. (2020). The intersection of academia and practice: Publishing in leading U.S. accounting organizations’ journals. Issues in Accounting Education, 35(2), 1-17.
  11. Broedel, A., & Flores, E. (2021). Accounting research: The false choice between methodological consistency and practical relevance. Contemporary Administration Magazine, 25(6), 1-5.
  12. Brown, R. (2009). Revisiting the expectations gaps after 15 years. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 10(2), 92-95. DOI: 10.1108/09675420910984655
  13. Burgstahler, D. (2019). Promoting research relevance. Accounting Horizons, 33(2), 1-2.
  14. Burton, F., Summers, S., Wilks, T., & Wood, D. (2022). Relevance of accounting research (ROAR) scores: Ratings of titles and abstracts by accounting professionals. Accounting Horizons, 36(2), 7-18. DOI: 10.2308/HORIZONS-2020-147
  15. Burton, F., Summers, S., Wilks, T., & Wood, D. (2021). Do we matter? Attention the general public, policymakers, and academics give to accounting research. Issues in Accounting Education, 36(1), 1-22. DOI: 10.2308/ISSUES-2020-017
  16. Chan, K., Chan, K., Seow, G., & Tam, K. (2009). Ranking accounting journals using dissertation citation analysis: A research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34(Nos. 6-7), 875-885.
  17. Dechow, P., Ezzell, B., Harris, T., Healy, P., Kaplan, R., Kinney, B., Lambert, R., Libby, B., Munter, P., Sloan, R., Swieringa, B., Wood, D., & Yohn, T. (2018). AAA research relevance task force: Recommendations. -- https://aaahq.org/ portals/0/documents/task-force/2018%20research%20relevance%20task%20for ce%20report.pdf ?ver=2018-07-26-135928-413.
  18. Demski, J. (2007). Is accounting an academic discipline? Accounting Horizons, 21(2), 153-157.
  19. Dyckman, T. R. (1989). Practice to research - What have you done for me lately?. Accounting Horizons, 3(1), 111-118. -- https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/practice-research-what-have-you-done-me-lately/docview/208908379/ se-2.
  20. Dyckman, T. R., & Zeff, S. (2015). Accounting research: Past, present, and future. Abacus, 51(4), 511-524.
  21. Fellingham, J. (2007). Is accounting an academic discipline? Accounting Horizons, 21(2), 159-163.
  22. Fogarty, T., & Markarian, G. (2007). An empirical assessment of the rise and fall of accounting as an academic discipline. Accounting Horizons, 22(2), 137-161.
  23. Fraser, K., & Sheehy, B. (2020). Abundant publications but minuscule impact: The irrelevance of academic accounting research on practice and the profession. Publications, 8(4), 46.
  24. Glick, W., Tsui, A., & Davis, G. (2018). The moral dilemma of business research. BizEd. -- https://bized.aacsb.edu/articles/2018/05/the-moral-dilemma-of-business-research.
  25. Glover, S., Prawitt, D., & Wood, D. (2006). Publication records of faculty promoted at the top 75 accounting research programs. Issues in Accounting Education, 21(3), 195-218.
  26. Haka, S. (2008). The accounting academy at a tipping point: renewal or decline?. Accounting Education News, 36(4), 2-3.
  27. Haka, S. (2009). Accounting tipping points and thought leadership. Accounting Education News, 37(1), 2-3.
  28. Heck, J., & Jensen, R. (2007). An analysis of the evolution of research contributions by The Accounting Review, 1926-2005. Accounting Historians Journal, 34(2), 109-141. DOI: 10.2308/0148-4184.34.2.109
  29. Hopwood, A. (2008). Management accounting research in a changing world. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 20(1), 3-13.
  30. Hopwood, A. (2007). Whither accounting research? The Accounting Review, 82(5), 1365-1374.
  31. Inanga, E., & Schneider, W. (2005). The failure of accounting research to improve accounting practice: A problem of theory and lack of communication. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 16(3), 227-248.
  32. Ittner, C., & Larcker, D. (2002). Empirical managerial accounting research: are we just describing management consulting practice?. The European Accounting Review, 11(4), 787-794. DOI: 10.1080/0963818022000047082
  33. Jorgensen, B., Linthicum, C., McLelland, A., Taylor, M., & Yohn, T. (2007). Recent developments at the Securities and Exchange Commission: Academic contributions and opportunities. Accounting Horizons, 21(3), 313-323.
  34. Kaplan, R. (2011). Accounting scholarship that advances professional knowledge and practice. The Accounting Review, 86(2), 367-383. -- https://www.jstor.org/ stable/29780239.
  35. Lee, T. (2004). Accounting and auditing research in the United States. In The Real Life Guide to Accounting Research: A Behind-the-Scenes View of Using Qualitative Research Methods (pp. 57-71). Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/B978-008043972-3/50006-2
  36. Lee, T. (1997). The editorial gatekeeper of the accounting academy. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 10(1), 11-30.
  37. Lee, T. (1995). Shaping the US academic accounting research profession: The American Accounting Association and the social construction of a professional elite. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 6(3), 241-261.
  38. Lee, T. (1989). Education, practice and research in accounting: Gaps, close loops, bridges and magic accounting. Accounting and Business Research, 19(75), 237-253. DOI: 10.1080/00014788.1989.9728854
  39. Leisenring, J., & Johnson, L. (1994). Accounting research: On the relevance of research to practice. Accounting Horizons, 8(4), 74-79. -- http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/editorials/9503010830/accounting-research-relevance-research-practice.
  40. Lowensohn, S., & Samelson, D. (2006). An examination of faculty perceptions of academic journal quality within five specialized areas of accounting research. Issues in Accounting Education, 21(3), 219-239.
  41. Merchant, K. (2012). Making management accounting research more useful. Pacific Accounting Review, 24(3), 334-356. DOI: 10.1108/01140581211283904
  42. Miller, D., Greenwood, R., & Prakash, R. (2009). What happened to organization theory?. Journal of Management Inquiry, 18(4), 273-279. DOI: 10.1177/1056492609344672
  43. Moon, J., & Wood, D. (2020). Research initiatives in accounting education: Research relevance and research productivity. Issues in Accounting Education, 35(4), 111-124. DOI: 10.2308/ISSUES-2020-012
  44. Oler, D., Oler, M., & Skousen, C. (2010). Characterizing accounting research. Accounting Horizons, 24(4), 635-670.
  45. Pathways Commission (2012). Charting a national strategy for the next generation of accountants. -- www.Pathwayscommission.org.
  46. Pfeffer, J. (2007). A modest proposal: How we might change the process and product of managerial research. Academy of Management Journal, 50(6), 1334-1345. -- https://www.jstor.org/stable/20159475.
  47. Polzer, J., Gulati, T., Khurana, R., & Tushman, M. (2009). Crossing boundaries to increase relevance in organizational research. Journal of Management Inquiry, 18(4), 280-286. DOI: 10.1177/1056492609345429
  48. Research!America (2022, January). U.S. Investments in Medical and Health Research and Development 2016-2020. -- https://www.researchamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ResearchAmerica-Investment-Report.Final_.January-2022-1.pdf.
  49. Schön, D. (1992). The crisis of professional knowledge and the pursuit of epistemology of practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 6(1), 49-63. -- https://www.jstor.org/stable/42977793.
  50. Shapiro, D., & Kirkman, B. (2018). It’s time to make business school research more relevant. Business Education. -- https://hbr.org/2018/07/its-time-to-make-business-school-research-more-relevant.
  51. Shinn, S. (2010). Making an impact. BizEd, July/August, 26-32. -- https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55878-julyaugust2010/27?.
  52. Sunder, S. (2011). Imagined worlds of accounting. Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, 1(1), 1-14. DOI: 10.2202/2152-2820.1014
  53. Swieringa, R. (2019). Building connections between accounting research and practice. Accounting Horizons, 33(2), 3-10.
  54. Swieringa, R. (1998). Accounting research and policy making. Accounting and Finance, 38(1), 29-49. Doi. 10.1111/1467-629X.t01-1-00003.
  55. Tucker, B., & Lowe, A. (2014). Practitioners are from Mars; academics are from Venus? An investigation of the research practice gap in management accounting. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 27(3), 394-425. DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-01-2012-00932
  56. Waymire, G. (2012). Seeds of innovation in accounting scholarship. Issues in Accounting Education, 27(4), 1077-1093.
  57. Willmott, H. (2008). Listening, interpreting, commending: A commentary on the future of interpretive accounting research. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 19(6), 920-925.
  58. Zimmerman, J. (2001). Conjectures regarding empirical managerial accounting research. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 32(1-3), 411-427. DOI: 10.1016/S0165-4101(01)00023-4
  59. Zucker, L., & Darby, M. (1996). Star scientists and institutional transformation: Patterns of invention and innovation in the formation of the biotechnology industry. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA, 93(23), 12709-12716.

Mark C. Dawkins, Rethinking the academic accounting research model in "FINANCIAL REPORTING" 1/2024, pp 5-22, DOI: 10.3280/FR2024-001001