current research topics in management accounting

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150 Original Accounting Research Paper Topics

Our academic experts understand how hard it can be to come up with original accounting research paper topics for assignments. Students are often dealing with multiple responsibilities and trying to balance numerous deadlines. Searching the web or class notes takes up a lot of time. Therefore, we have put together our list of 150 accounting research topics that students can choose from or gather inspiration from.

Managerial Accounting Topics for College Students

This area of study has tremendous upside as more businesses rely on managerial accountants to bring innovative changes to their organizations. Here is a list of topics for research paper in this area:

• Differences between financial accounting and managerial accounting.
• Managerial accounting in the 21 st century.
• The impact of managerial accounting in big businesses.
• The major components of activity-based costing.
• How managerial accounting affects international finance.
• The impact managerial accounting has on human resources.
• The major components of capital budgeting.
• How managerial accounting affects internal business decisions.
• Effective ways of adopting managerial accounting into small businesses.
• Differences between variable costing and absorption costing.

Accounting Blog Topics for Today’s Generation

The following collection can be considered accounting hot topics because they deal with the issues that are most important to today’s generation of accountants that utilize advanced software to keep businesses successful:

• Cost of manufacturing goods overseas.
• The cost of instituting anti-harassment programs.
• Inventory and cost of products sold in the U.S.
• Reinventing accounts payable processes.
• Using best practices to boost the bottom line.
• The cost of keeping human resources on staff.
• Simplifying procedures in accounts payable.
• The cost of updating internal systems with technology.
• The cost-effectiveness of employee training.
• Working capital increasing in large companies.

Advanced Accounting Topics

As students advance academically, they may want to consider these topics for research paper to earn higher scores in their classes. Here are some suggestions:

• How to run an efficient large accounting department.
• Red flags in outdated accounting processes.
• Identifying unconventional processes in payment processes.
• Utilizing paperless processes in small businesses.
• Applying EDP to accounts payable processes.
• The benefits of automating payables and receivables.
• Outsourcing procurement processes to save money.
• Automation to handle repetitive processes.
• The need for diversifying skills in accounting.
• The ways time affects seasonal cash flow.

Controversial Accounting Topics

Many accounting topics for research papers need to draw a reader’s attention right from the start. This list of topics is controversial and should accomplish just that:

• The impact the Jobs Act will have on large businesses.
• The positive effects tax cuts will have on small business.
• The risks of offshore accounting on U.S. businesses.
• The need to update software each year to avoid accounting problems.
• How small businesses are falling behind in accounting practices.
• The impact bonus depreciation allows businesses.
• Applying to government relief programs.
• Describe the role the internet has on accounting.
• The trustworthiness of online accounting programs.
• The negatives of auditing collusion.

Intermediate Accounting Topics

These accounting paper topics are meant for students that have acquired skills in writing but may not have developed the skills needed to write a top-notch paper quite yet. They should be easy to research given a proper planning period:

• Discuss why companies need to incorporate automated processes.
• The problems with ethics in accounting practices.
• Technology advancements that improve accounting accuracy.
• The problem with accuracy in decade-old software.
• Explain the best way to help accountants work manually.
• Describe the historical prospect of best accounting practices.
• The most effective way to become a certified accountant.
• Compare accounting systems that improve processes.
• The quick flow of data and the value on today’s accountants.
• The negatives that come from relying on accounting software.

Interesting Accounting Topics

Sometimes you need to consider accounting project topics that would be great for numerous situations. You may need to present before a class or write a paper for a discussion panel. These ideas may suit your needs:

• Explain the concept of accounting theory to practice.
• The theories behind normative accounting practices.
• The effect theories in accounting have on businesses.
• Challenges of taking theory to practice.
• The major changes in accounting practices over the last 25 years.
• The impact the internet has had on accounting ethics.
• Accounting practices in the 21 st century.
• The challenges of accounting technologies on fast-growing companies.
• The dangers the internet poses toward ethical accounting.
• Describe the difficulties that come from putting theories into practice.

Accounting Projects Topics for a Short Project

Some cost accounting topics are worthy of an audience but need to be completed within a tight deadline. These project ideas are easy to research and can be completed within one week:

• Use of efficient accounting software in tax season.
• Applicable Professional and Legal Standards.
• The difficulties in using offshore accounting.
• The most effective way of managing earnings.
• The development of cash flow in the United Kingdom.
• The development of cash flow in the United States.
• The best way to manage personal finances.
• The effect financial markets have on personal spending.
• Debt management in large corporations.
• Accounting challenges during the pandemic.

Forensic Accounting Research Topics

This is another area of accounting that has a promising future for small to large businesses. Here are forensic accounting research paper topics you can use if you are interested in this booming segment:

• Methods for identifying instances of money laundering.
• The government’s right to search private accounts.
• The use of tax records to report possible crimes.
• Class action litigation cases in the United States.
• Court use of forensic accounting in criminal cases.
• Forensic accounting to develop better anti-fraud programs.
• A company’s reliance on forensic accounting to prevent theft.
• Establishing controls in emerging international markets.
• Forensic accountants and their role in court proceedings.
• Natural disaster and loss quantification practices.

Accounting Theory Topics for College

Good accounting thesis topics should mirror personally important issues. Essay ideas should reflect the things you want to learn more about and explore in-depth. Here is a list that may pique your interest:

• Impact of accounting research on financial practices.
• Scientific research studies in modern economies.
• Modern accounting concepts and applications.
• The change in accounting practices over the last two decades.
• Describe the components of Positive Theory.
• Marketplace discipline across major industries.
• Major accounting theories and techniques in big businesses.
• The use of technology to reduce accounting costs.
• Technology theory in the use of modern accounting.
• Risk management and the most effective theories.

Accounting Dissertation Topics for Grad Students

The following topic ideas delve into some serious issues in accounting and are much more difficult to handle. These should be approached with the utmost academic determination to earn a master’s or a Ph.D.:

• Compare accounting software versus manual accounting.
• Tax management procedures in the 21 st century.
• The risks of updated technology in small companies.
• The costs associated with broader health care in the workplace.
• The history of accounting in the 20 th century.
• The best method of managing debts without difficulties.
• Accounting problems caused by online transactions.
• Cryptocurrency and its impact on modern accounting practices.
• Forecasting jobs in the field of accounting.
• The danger technology poses to the accounting industry.

Current Accounting Topics for College

If you don’t have enough time to research current topics in accounting, these ideas will help you save time. There are plenty of online resources discussing current issues and you can also find information in the library:

• Compare and contrast different cryptocurrencies.
• The definition of a successful and modern business account.
• Non-profit organizations and tax reductions.
• Sports accounting in today’s world of social media.
• The financial benefits of having a second stream of revenue.
• Financial stock management of overall earnings.
• The relationship between corporate donations and accounting.
• Minimizing risks in big and small-sized businesses.
• The impact that tax deductions have on big businesses.
• Financial strategies to ensure employee retention.

Hot Topics in Accounting for a Graduate Level Course

These are the topics you should be considered for a graduate-level course if you want to make a great impression on the professor. Just be sure to do your due diligence and research your selected topic thoroughly:

• The instances of “cooking books” in the 21 st century.
• The best approach to update accounting systems.
• Fraud cases currently in the United States.
• The importance of forensic accountants in fraud cases.
• The reasons account reports have government regulations.
• The benefits of incorporating computerized accounting.
• The need for companies to make changes to accounting departments.
• Evolving accounting practices that reduce the risk of theft.
• The effects offshore gambling has had on accounting.
• Privacy protocols to keep accounting practices secret.

Financial Accounting Topics Being Discussed Today

Topics in accounting are rooted in financial processes that date back centuries. Yet, there are still many innovative ideas that drive business success. Consider these topics for an essay on issues that are current for today’s world:

• The evolution of accounting practices over the last century.
• The biggest ethical concerns about accounting.
• Minimizing taxes when you are a small company.
• Accounting software that will cut company costs.
• The best way to lower taxes through accounting practices.
• Describe the way managerial accounting is affected by international markets.
• Explain the major factors of management earnings.
• The most accurate way to figure out the estimated tax on a company’s earnings.
• The quickest way to become a certified accountant.
• Describe how culture influences accounting practices.

Accounting Information Systems Research

The next set of topics are great for anyone wanting to combine accounting with technology. We put together this set to generate interest in this area:

• The ways small businesses can benefit from advanced technologies.
• Describe how IT affects financial analysis for reporting.
• Explain how companies use AIS to collect and store data.
• Explain the 10 elements used to understand AIS.
• Rank the best accounting information systems.
• The future of AIS in small business financial practices.
• Explain how AIS eliminates the use of balance sheets.
• AIS technologies save money in large businesses.
• The future of AIS in small to mid-size businesses.
• Describe the role of AIS in modern business.

Accounting Presentation Topics for College

These presentation topics cover a wide range of areas that are perfect for diverse interests. At the college level, students must conduct a lot of academic research to guarantee they have all the most relevant information needed to present on a great topic:

• Describe how forensic accounting can reduce risk to small businesses.
• Describe the challenges value and cost that managers deal with.
• The biggest changes to accounting practices in the 21 st century.
• The benefits of having separate controlling accounts.
• The rapid flow of data and the importance of modern accountants.
• Describe how forensic accountants conduct their investigations.
• The most likely causes of financial instability in small businesses.
• Explain the factors one must consider before investing.
• Describe the differences between financial and management accounting.
• Describe the impact of new taxation policies on managerial accounting.

What do you think of our accounting research topics? These are available for free and can be shared with other students. If you need a custom list of accounting topics, our academic experts can take your assignment details and provide you with original and simple accounting research topics to facilitate your project and help you earn a top grade. We can also provide you with writing, editing, and proofreading services to ensure your assignment is error-free and gets you the highest score possible.

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• Open access
• Published: 27 November 2021

Strategic management accounting and performance implications: a literature review and research agenda

• Jafar Ojra 1 ,
• Abdullah Promise Opute   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6221-1856 2 , 3 &
• Mohammad Mobarak Alsolmi 4  

Future Business Journal volume  7 , Article number:  64 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

36k Accesses

9 Citations

Metrics details

The important role that management accounting plays in driving organisational performance has been reiterated in the literature. In line with that importance, the call for more effort to enhance knowledge on strategic management accounting has increased over the years. Responding to that call, this study utilised a qualitative approach that involved a systematic review to synthesise existing literature towards understanding the strategic management accounting foundation, contingency factors, and organisational performance impact. Based on the evidence in reviewed literature, we flag key directions for advancing this theoretical premise towards providing further insights that would enable practitioners strategically align their strategic management accounting practices for optimal organisational performance. The limitations of this study have been acknowledged.

Introduction

Successful managerial decisions enable organisational profitability and accounting aids effective managerial decisions [ 75 ]. Aimed at optimising the decision-enabling substance of accounting, management was criticised in 1980s as being too focused on internal operational issues that offer little to management from the point of strategy formulation and sustaining competitive advantage (CIMA Report Footnote 1 ). Recognising the importance for a broader impact of accounting on managerial decision-making, Simmonds [ 82 , p. 26] introduced and defined strategic management accounting (SMA) as “the provision and analysis of management accounting data about a business and its competitors, for use in developing and monitoring business strategy” .

Subsequently there has been increasing efforts that stress the importance for organisations to embrace strategic management accounting theory towards boosting strategic decision-making and organisational performance (e.g. [ 4 , 8 , 9 , 17 , 23 , 53 , 58 , 86 , 90 , 48 ], amongst others). As rightly noted by Turner et al. [ 86 ], organisations that aim to enhance their competitiveness and performance, must not only develop but also “implement internal policies and procedures such as strategic management accounting that are consistent with their business strategies and account for changing competitive demands” (p. 33). Doing that will enable the strategic management accounting tool to be effectively used to drive corporate success. This is the underlying argument in this study.

The task of profitably satisfying customers is becoming more challenging [ 61 , 65 , 67 ]. Meeting that challenge requires that organisations recognise the importance for effective decision-making. Accountants play a significant role in enabling effective decision-making in organisations (e.g. [ 21 , 23 , 27 ]). Accounting information enables the organisation determine the going concern [ 6 , 36 ]. Accounting provides the management with relevant information for ensuring and sustaining growth and profitability. The strategic management accounting foundation emphasises that in order to fully fulfil its management decision-making enabling function, accounting practices must not only focus on the internal but also on the external components relating to the organisation's operations. In other words, accounting should embrace a much broader and market-oriented approach and focus on costing (e.g. [ 8 , 17 , 58 , 78 ]); planning, control and performance measurement (e.g. [ 17 , 58 ]), strategic decision-making (e.g. [ 8 , 58 ]), customer accounting (e.g. [ 58 , 86 ]) and competitor accounting (e.g. [ 17 , 58 , 86 ]).

Given the importance of strategic management accounting to effective management decision-making and corporate success, there remains a growing interest in understanding the topic. Little wonder therefore that the advocacy for more research towards a better understanding of what strategic management accounting practices organisations adopt and what motivates their preference for one technique over the other (e.g. [ 4 , 53 , 58 , 86 , 90 ]) remains current. While embracing strategic management accounting is a critical path for enabling effective managerial decision-making and boosting organisational performance (e.g. [ 3 , 9 , 58 ]), the enablement outcome of strategic management accounting practice would hinge on the effectiveness of the organisation in tailoring its strategic management accounting practices to its strategy and environment [ 9 , 11 , 58 ].

Following that contingency logic, this research is a response to the aforementioned call and the aim in this study is to contribute to strategic management accounting discourse by critically analysing the body of knowledge towards enhancing the understanding of how knowledge has evolved in this theoretical domain and also to contribute to knowledge by flagging directions for further knowledge development. To achieve the aim of this study, the theoretical focus in this study is premised along three questions:

What strategic management accounting techniques can organisations use towards driving organisational performance?

What factors would influence strategic management accounting techniques usage and performance association? and

What future research gaps exist based on the explored literature?

Literature review

This study follows the theoretical foundation that strategic management accounting would aid effective management decision-making, and ultimately boost organisational performance. In line with the aim of this study, relevant literature is reviewed to explain the theoretical premise of this study. The literature review is organised along three core themes in strategic management accounting discourse, namely, strategic management accounting techniques, contingency factors of strategic management accounting usage, and the impact of strategic management accounting on organisational performance.

Strategic management accounting: definition and techniques

Management accounting is noted to involve the “generation, communication, and use of financial and non-financial information for managerial decision-making and control activities” ([ 28 ] p. 3). One major criticism of accounting in the 1980s relates to the fact that accountants have hardly taken a proactive role in the strategic management process [ 7 , 8 ]. According to Nixon and Burns [ 55 , p. 229], although strategic management has been variously defined, there is “broad consensus that the key activities are (1) development of a grand strategy, purpose or sense of direction, (2) formulation of strategic goals and plans to achieve them, (3) implementation of plans, and (4) monitoring, evaluation and corrective action”. The role of management accounting is to enable effective decision-making, and it involves typically information gathering and analysis, identifying options, implementation, monitoring and evaluation [ 16 ]. Thus, the focus in strategic management accounting, rephrased also as accounting for strategic positioning [ 73 , 74 ], is to embrace a broader approach that incorporates a strategic management focus into its dynamics towards effectively enabling management decision-making and organisational performance [ 8 , 80 ]).

Since the first attempt by Simmonds [ 82 , p. 26] who defined strategic management accounting as “the provision and analysis of management accounting data about a business and its competitors, for use in developing and monitoring business strategy” , there have been numerous attempts to enhance that definition and identify core techniques of strategic management accounting. For example, CIMA [ 16 ] describes strategic management accounting as a management accounting form that emphasises focusing on information relating to external factor of the entity and also on non-financial information as well as information that is generated internally. In a much earlier contribution, Bromwich [ 7 , p. 28] offers a description of strategic management accounting as involving “the provision and analysis of financial information on the organisation’s product markets and competitors’ costs and cost structures and the monitoring of the organisation’s strategies and those of its competitors in the market over a number of periods” (Cited in [ 56 , p. 14]).

In their 2008 study, Cadez and Guilding asked the question “what is strategic management accounting?” (p. 838). In that same study, they conclude, based on evidence from reviewed literature, that there are two perspectives of strategic management accounting. While one perspective focuses on strategically oriented accounting techniques, the other focuses on the actual involvement of accountants in the strategic decision-making process. Following the former perspective (e.g. [ 8 , 9 , 17 , 58 ]), existing literature distils sixteen (16) strategic management accounting techniques that are categorised under five SMA themes (e.g. [ 9 , 11 , 58 ]):

Strategic costing;

Strategic planning, control and performance measurement;

Strategic decision-making;

Competitor accounting; and

Customer accounting.

Strategic costing

According to literature (e.g. [ 8 , 11 , 23 ]), strategic and marketing information-based cost data can be leveraged by organisations to ensure effective strategies for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Thus, organisations must recognise the importance of integrating cost strategies and undertake multiple strategic cost analyses. Literature distils five key costing techniques: attribute costing (e.g. Roslender and Hart 2003), life-cycle costing (e.g. [ 8 , 17 ]), quality costing (e.g. [ 17 ]), target costing (e.g. [ 8 , 17 ]) and value chain costing (e.g. [ 8 ]).

Strategic planning, control and performance measurement

Literature has also underlined the need for organisations to give due attention to planning, control and performance measurement features of the strategic management accounting, as doing that is important in the pro-active market orientation approach for competing effectively in the marketplace (e.g. [ 8 , 58 ], Chenhall 2005). Core components under the strategic planning, control and performance measurement tool includes benchmarking (e.g. [ 8 , 17 ]) and integrated performance management (Balanced Scorecard) (e.g. [ 8 , 17 ]).

Strategic decision-making

As a strategic management accounting tool, strategic decision-making is a critical tool for supporting strategic choice [ 11 ]. Core strategic decision-making options include strategic costing (e.g. [ 58 ]), strategic pricing (e.g. [ 11 , 58 ]) and brand valuation (e.g. [ 11 , 58 ]).

The importance of addressing strategic costing as a key strategic decision-making element has been emphasised in the literature (e.g. [ 58 , 78 , 79 ]). In this discourse, it is underlined that effectively driving competitive advantage requires cost analysis that explicitly considers strategic issues. In line with that viewpoint, Cadez and Guilding [ 8 ] note that strategic costing involves “the use of cost data based on strategic and marketing information to develop and identify superior strategies that will produce a sustainable competitive advantage” (p. 27).

In the literature too, strategic pricing is underlined as another core element the strategic decision-making typology of strategic management accounting (e.g. [ 8 , 58 ], Simmonds 1982). According to scholars, understanding market competition level, which as noted by Guilding et al. [ 29 , p. 120] entails the appraisal of the following factors: “competitor price reaction, price elasticity; projected market growth; and economies of scale and experience”, is important (e.g. [ 8 , 11 , 58 ]).

Within the strategic management accounting literature, brand valuation is the third element of the strategic decision-making technique. The brand valuation component “involves combining projected brand earnings (an accounting-orientated measure) with a multiple derived from the brand’s strength on strategic factors such as the nature of the brand’s market, its position in that market and its level of marketing support” [ 29 , p. 118]. In the view of Cescon et al. [ 11 ], brand valuation enables organisations to understand market reputation trends over time and potential implications for marketing executives and strategic accounting. Cescon et al. [ 11 ] contend that organisations would achieve a variable brand valuation that would provide a potential measure of marketing achievement when perceived quality and branded products are considered, while Guilding et al. [ 29 ] remind that achievable impact of brand valuation would hinge, amongst others, on the valuation method used.

Competitor accounting

According to Porter [ 72 ], strategy involves developing appropriate tools that enable a firm to analyse and determine its position in a competitive market. Thus, a firm selects suitable strategies that enables it compete more effectively over its rivals. To effectively do that, a firm needs to collect competitor accounting information. The importance of giving due attention to competitor accounting has been underlined in the literature (e.g. [ 11 , 17 , 58 ]). Three forms of competitor accounting tools are described in the literature, namely, competitor cost assessment (e.g. [ 11 , 17 , 58 ]), competitor position monitoring (e.g. [ 11 , 58 ]) and competitor performance appraisal (e.g. [ 11 , 17 , 58 ]).

Customer accounting

The fifth cluster of strategic management accounting techniques described in the literature relates to customer accounting (e.g. [ 49 , 58 ]). Customer accounting concerns practices aimed at appraising profit, sales or costs related to customers or customer segments [ 58 ]. Core customer accounting techniques include customer profitability analysis (e.g. [ 30 , 58 ]), lifetime customer profitability analysis (e.g. [ 58 ]) and valuation of customers as assets (e.g. [ 30 , 58 ]).

The contingency factors of strategic management accounting

According to management accounting discourse, when organisations carefully embrace appropriate strategic management accounting practices, they would ensure successful managerial decisions that would ultimately lead to optimising organisational performance (e.g. [ 48 , 53 , 56 , 58 ]). Thus, the extent of improved performance that an organisation would achieve would depend on its careful utilisation of appropriate strategic management techniques. As noted by Roslender and Hart (2003), p. 4 and further supported by subsequent literature (e.g. [ 34 , 58 ]), “the adoption of strategically oriented management accounting techniques and accountants’ participation in strategic management processes”, is a core research premise. In line with the carefulness notion mentioned above, the contingency perspective has been widely utilised in the effort to understand strategic management accounting practices and performance impact (e.g. [ 8 , 12 , 30 , 34 , 58 ]). The underlying foundation in the contingency perspective is based on the notion “that an organisation maximises its efficiency by matching between structure and environment” [ 22 , p. 49]. According to Otley [ 68 ]:

The contingency approach to management is based on the premise that there is no universally appropriate accounting system that applies equally to all organisations in all circumstances. Rather, it is suggested that particular features of an appropriate accounting system will depend on the specific circumstances in which an organisation finds itself. Thus, a contingency theory must identify specific aspects of an accounting system which are associated with certain defined circumstances and demonstrate an appropriate matching (p. 413).

Thus, the central foundation in the contingency perspective is that no one single accounting system is universally fit for all organisation in all circumstances (e.g. [ 41 ]). No one accounting control system can be seen as “best” for all situations; rather, the appropriateness of any control system would depend on the organisation's ability to adapt effectively to the environment surrounding its operations [ 41 , 58 , 86 ].

From reviewed literature, numerous researchers have flagged key contingency factors that should be considered in relation to strategic management accounting practice. Four factors were identified as critical contingency factors in the strategic management accounting systems design in Cadez and Guilding's [ 8 ] study, namely: business strategy, strategy formulation pattern, market orientation and firm size. On their part, Islam and Hu [ 41 ] identify core organisational effectiveness factors to include technology, environmental volatility, organisational structure, information system and size of the organisation.

Analysed together, the conceptualisation in the aforementioned studies [ 8 , 41 ] reflect perspectives that have been recognised in the 1980s. For example, Merchant [ 50 ] describe contingency factors to include firm size, product diversity, extent of decentralisation and budgetary information use. In their study of accounting information systems, Gordon and Narayanan [ 26 ] classify three core contingency factors to include perceived environmental uncertainty, information characteristics and organisational structure. Based on a study that examined the extent to which accountants were involved in the strategic management process, CIMA Footnote 2 reports three key contingency factors: “organisational influences, accountant led influences and practicalities” (p. 12). Exploring strategic management accounting practices in the Palestinian context, Ojra [ 58 ] conceptualised a comprehensive contingency perspective that considered (1) organisational structure (involving formalisation and decentralisation), (2) organisational size, (3) technology and (4) organisational strategy. In more recent literature, Pavlatos [ 70 ] suggests seven factors that affect strategic management accounting usage in the hospitality industry (hotels) in Greece, namely, “perceived environmental uncertainty, structure, quality of information systems, organisational life cycle stage, historical performance, strategy and size” (p. 756).

The contingency framing in this study draws from the theoretical guideline which suggests that both the internal and external environments of organisations should be considered in the effort to advance strategic management accounting literature (e.g. [ 58 , 70 ]). The conceptual framing in this study includes two external (perceived environmental uncertainty—competitive intensity, and market turbulence) and three internal (organisational structure—formalisation, and decentralisation, and organisational strategy) factors.

Perceived environmental uncertainty and strategic management accounting usage

From the perceptual lens, the environment could be viewed as certain or uncertain only to the extent that decision makers perceive it to be (e.g. [ 1 , 11 ]). Perceived environmental uncertainty is described as the absence of information relating to organisations, activities and happenings in the environment [ 20 ]. According to Cescon et al. [ 11 ], organisations must give due attention to their operational environment because engaging with environmental uncertainty factors would enable them identify key change drivers.

Prior literature has documented that perceived uncertainty significantly influences the extent to which firms would embrace strategic management accounting practices (e.g. [ 49 , 58 , 70 ]). According to that foundation, how firms respond from the point of strategic management accounting practices that they would endorse would depend on the nature of environmental uncertainties that surround their operational activities.

Studying the hotel property setting, Pavlatos [ 70 ] documents a positive correlation between the degree of environmental uncertainty and the use of strategic management accounting tools. In other words, the higher the perceived environmental uncertainty, the higher the need for use of strategic management accounting tools. Intensified use of strategic management accounting tools is essential because that will enable the hotels to manage the uncertainties, and be more effective in managerial decision-making, and ultimately improves organisational performance [ 70 ]. The notion of a significant influence of environmental uncertainty on strategic management accounting practices is supported by prior literature (e.g. [ 15 ]). According to them, managers who operate in highly uncertain environments would require information that is timely, current and frequent. Other scholars have also argued that environmental uncertainty would be associated with more pro-active and externally focused accounting systems (e.g. [ 32 , 38 ]).

In their study of Italian manufacturing companies, Cescon et al. [ 11 ] found a positive association of perceived environmental uncertainty and strategic pricing usage as a feature of the strategic decision-making SMA technique. In other words, the more the perceived environmental uncertainty, the higher the usage of the strategic pricing feature of the strategic decision-making SMA component.

In the perceived environmental uncertainty literature, two core dimensions have been distilled, namely competitive intensity and market turbulence (e.g. [ 30 , 58 ]). Market turbulence—a subset of environmental turbulence [ 47 ], is defined by Calantone et al. [ 10 ] as characterised by continuous changes in customers’ preference/demands, in price/cost structures and in the composition of competitors. In settings where there is high market turbulence, organizations would need to modify their products and approaches to the market more frequently [ 44 ]. On the other hand, the notion of competitive intensity relates to the logic that organisations compete for numerous resources, such as raw materials, selling and distribution channels, as well as quality, variety and price of products [ 26 , 46 ]. Achieving organisation-environment alignment in highly competitive environments requires that organisations have the capacity to effectively detect environmental signals and timely communicate environmental information (e.g. [ 88 ]).

Exploring Australian hospitality industry, McManus [ 49 ] examined the association of competition intensity and perceived environmental uncertainty on customer accounting techniques usage. The study suggests that competition intensity positively associates with customer accounting practices but also found that higher perceived environmental uncertainty would not lead to greater usage of customer accounting techniques in the explored hotels. In a much similar conceptualisation, Cescon et al. [ 11 ] examined the association of environmental uncertainty and competitive forces on strategic management accounting techniques usage in large Italian manufacturing firms. Empirically, that study found that external factors (environmental uncertainty and competitive forces) positively associate with SMA usage (strategic pricing, balanced scorecard, risk analysis, target costing, life-cycle costing). Based on the two-dimensional conceptualisation, Ojra [ 58 ] examined the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and SMA usage in Palestinian firms. Ojra [ 58 ] hypothesised a positive correlation of perceived environmental uncertainty (conceptualised to include competition intensity and market turbulence) but found no support. To the contrary, Ojra [ 58 ] documents a potential for negative influence of perceived environmental uncertainty on strategic management accounting techniques usage, however only significant for the market turbulence dimension. In other words, Ojra [ 58 ] suggests that market turbulence associates negatively with strategic management accounting techniques usage in medium Palestine firms.

Organisational structure (formalisation) and strategic management accounting usage

Across the various streams of management, formalisation has been mentioned as a key contingency factor in understanding the operational dynamics of organisations (e.g. [ 58 , 63 , 64 ]). With regard to strategic management accounting discourse, this notion has been numerously supported (e.g. [ 26 , 58 , 85 ]).

Studying the influence of formalisation in the functional relationship between the accounting and marketing departments, Opute et al. [ 64 ] suggest a positive association. In other words, they argue that the more formalised the processes in the firm, the higher the achieved integration between both functional areas. However, Opute et al. [ 64 ] note that whether this positive association is achieved would depend on the integration component (information sharing, unified effort and involvement) considered.

In the strategic management accounting domain, there is mixed evidence of the association of organisational structure on strategic management accounting usage. For example, Ojra [ 58 ] hypothesised that less formalised organisational structure would lead to higher use of strategic management accounting techniques in Palestinian firms but found no support for that hypothesis. In that study, no support was found for the notion that less formalised structures would lead to higher use of strategic management accounting techniques, both for total SMA as well as for all the dimensions of SMA. Thus, that study concludes that formalisation has no significant influence on strategic management accounting techniques usage in Palestinian firms. That conclusion supports the findings in Gordon and Narayanan [ 26 ], but contrast the view in Tuan Mat’s [ 85 ] exploration of management accounting practices.

Organisational structure (decentralisation) and strategic management accounting usage

Similar to formalisation, management scholars have noted decentralisation as a core organisational structure factor that should be given due attention in the drive to enhance the understanding of contingency theory (e.g. [ 58 , 62 , 63 ]). Organisational structure has been noted to influence the strategic management accounting practices of a firm (e.g. [ 58 , 70 ]). Within that foundation, decentralisation (or its opposite) has been flagged as a major factor. A contention that has been underlined numerously in the discourse is that strategic management accounting usage would be higher in organisations that embrace decentralised structure. Following that foundation, Pavlatos [ 70 ] hypothesised that SMA usage is higher in decentralised hotels than in centralised hotels in Greece. The results support the hypothesis: there is higher need for strategic management accounting practices in decentralised firms, as lower-level managers require more information to aid decision-making.

The above conclusion supports as well as contrasts prior literature, namely Chenhall [ 14 ] and Verbeeten [ 87 ], respectively. According to Chenhall [ 14 , p. 525], “strategic management accounting has characteristics related to aspects of horizontal organisation as they aim to connect strategy to the value chain and link activities across the organisation…”. Chenhall [ 14 ] adds that a typical approach in horizontal organisation is identifying customer-oriented strategic priorities and then exploiting process efficiency, continuous improvements, flattened structures and team empowerment, to initiate change, a conclusion that suggests that higher use of strategic management accounting practices would seem ideal in such decentralised organisational structure. The reason for that outcome is that in decentralised structure, lower-level managers can adapt their MACS as necessary to meet requirements [ 52 ], a logic that finds support in McManus [ 49 ] who found that customer accounting usage is higher in Australian hotels that are decentralised than those that are centralised. In contrast to that logic, Verbeeten [ 87 ] found decentralisation to associate negatively with major changes in the decision-influencing components of MACS.

Insight about the less developed context, namely about Palestinian firms lend support to, as well as contrast past literature. According to Ojra [ 58 ], decentralisation has a tendency to associate negatively with strategic management accounting usage. Therefore, although statistically insignificant, the results indicate that explored Palestinian firms that endorse decentralised decision-making process would seemingly have lesser need for strategic management accounting practices. On the evidence that decentralisation may have a negative influence on strategic management accounting usage, Ojra [ 58 ] supports Verbeeten [ 87 ] but contrasts Pavlatos [ 70 ].

Organisational strategy and strategic management accounting usage

An internal organisational factor that has been considered important in the understanding of contingency perspective of management accounting relates to organisational strategy (e.g. [ 8 , 17 , 58 ]). Hambrick [ 33 ] defined strategy as:

A pattern of important decisions that guides the organisation in its relationship with its environment; affects the internal structure and processes of the organisation; and centrally affects the organisation’s performance (p.567).

In the strategic management accounting discourse, organisational strategy has been mentioned as one of the key factors that would condition strategic management accounting practices of a firm (e.g. [ 9 , 58 , 70 , 86 ]). For example, Turner et al. [ 86 ] note that in hotel property setting, strategic management accounting use would hinge on the market orientation business strategy of the firm. Given the notion that strategic management accounting would aid management decision-making and lead ultimately to improved organisational performance, there is some legitimacy in expecting that organisations that align their strategic management accounting practices to the strategic orientation of the firm would achieve a higher organisational performance.

Following Miles and Snow’s [ 51 ] strategy typology (prospector, defender, analyser, and reactor), efforts to understand the association of strategy to strategic management accounting tools usage have also tried to understand how the various strategy typologies play out in this association. For example, Cadez and Guilding [ 9 ] considered the prospector, defender and analyser typologies in the Slovenian context, while Ojra [ 58 ] considered the prospector and defender typologies in the Palestinian contexts.

Cadez and Guilding [ 9 ] report that companies that endorse the analyser strategy, which is a deliberate strategy formulation approach, are not highly market oriented, but tend to show high usage of SMA techniques, except for competitor accounting technique. Further, they report that prospector strategy-oriented companies also pursue a deliberate strategy formulation approach, but are highly market oriented, and SMA techniques usage is fairly high (for competitor accounting) and averagely high (for strategic costing). For very high prospector-oriented companies, they are highly market oriented, have a strong strategy drive and a very high SMA techniques usage. For the defender strategy-type companies, they suggest that such companies are not only average in their market orientation, but also in their usage of SMA techniques.

In the study of Palestinian companies, Ojra [ 58 ] offers insights that resonate relatively with the findings in Cadez and Guilding [ 9 ]. Ojra [ 58 ] suggests that prospector companies have a higher usage of SMA techniques than defender-type companies. So, SMA technique usage is positively associated to prospector strategy (see also [ 8 ]. Elaborating the findings, Ojra [ 58 ] reports that prospector-type companies focused more on four SMA techniques (mean values reported), namely SMAU-Planning, Control and Performance Measurement (4.601), SMAU-Strategic Decision Making (4.712), SMAU-Competitor Accounting (4.689) and SMAU-Customer Accounting (4.734), statistical results that are significantly higher than the results for 'defender'-type companies. Cinquini and Tenucci [ 17 ] lend support to Ojra [ 58 ]: 'defender'-type companies give more attention to the Costing dimension of SMA.

Without emphasising the strategy typologies, Pavlakos (2015) comments that organisational strategy affects SMA usage in the Greek hotel industry.

Strategic management accounting and organisational performance

A central tenet in the strategic management accounting foundation is that management accounting would significantly aid organisations to achieve sustained competitiveness [ 7 , 82 ]. Implicitly, these scholars argue that in order to stay competitive in the marketplace, organisations should not only focus on cost-volume-profit issues, but rather embrace a broad externally focused management accounting approach that is strategically driven and provides financial information that enables management to effectively formulate and monitor the organisation's strategy. Thus, management accounting should also focus on competitor information as that will enable management effectively organise the firm's strategic structure.

Over the years, there is growing recognition of the importance of strategic management accounting to organisations, leading therefore to increasing research attention. One area that has received attention in the strategic management accounting discourse relates to the organisational performance enhancement notion (e.g. [ 23 , 56 , 58 , 77 , 86 ]).

Insights from Malaysia also add to the discourse on the impact of strategic management accounting usage on organisational performance. In their study of Malaysian electrical and electronic firms, Noordin et al. [ 56 ] examined the extent of usage of strategic management accounting and influence on the performance of the participating firms. The study found that in explored Malaysian companies, the extent of strategic management accounting usage was significantly related to organisation’s performance. That conclusion supports Cadez and Guilding [ 8 ] who contend that there is a positive association between strategic management accounting usage and organisational performance.

In a performance perspective that considers the ISO 9000 Quality Management System (QMS) aspect, Sedevich-Fons [ 77 ] examined the connection between strategic management accounting and quality management systems performance. The findings show that strategic management accounting and quality management are complementary and their effective implementation would enhance overall performance. Sedevich-Fons [ 77 ] notes further that when both are used in conjunction that would spread SMA techniques and enable full exploitation of Quality Management Systems.

Insights from the less developed economy context also associate organisational performance to the implementation of strategic management accounting practices (e.g. [ 3 , 57 , 58 ]). In a conceptual approach that aimed to address one major gap in previous literature, Ojra [ 58 ] examined both the financial and non-financial dimensions of organisational performance. According to Ojra [ 58 ], strategic management accounting usage does not impact the financial dimension of organisational performance but exerts significant positive impact on non-financial performance. That finding resonates with Perera et al. [ 71 ] conclusion that various forms of management accounting associate positively with the use of non-financial measures.

On their part, Oboh and Ajibolade [ 57 ], in their investigation of the association between strategic management accounting practices and strategic decision-making in Nigerian banks, found that explored Nigerian banks “practice SMA not as a concept, but as a principle of operation, and that SMA contributes significantly to strategic decision-making in the area of competitive advantage and increased market share” (p.119).

Alabdullah [ 3 ] offers evidence that adds support to the insights in the aforementioned studies [ 57 , 58 ]. In a study that explored the Jordanian service sector, Alabdullah [ 3 ] found that strategic management accounting enables performance in the service sector in Jordan. If strategic management accounting is effectively implemented, that will enable optimal strategic decision-making and ultimately improve organisational performance.

Research methodology

Research design.

Qualitative research method [ 18 , 76 ] is used in this study to achieve the objectives of this research. Following the methodological approach, as well as responding to the research call, in a past study on the contingency perspective of strategic management accounting [ 41 ], a study which was literature review-based, literature review-based qualitative research approach was deemed fit in this study.

A systematic review approach (e.g. [ 5 , 39 , 81 ]) is used in this research on the topic of strategic management accounting. Using the systematic review approach in this study is appropriate because it enables a systematic and transparent approach in identifying, selecting, and evaluating relevant published literature on a specific topic or question [ 42 , 83 ]. Furthermore, systematic review approach was deemed appropriate for this study as it has been documented to aid core research gaps identification and steering future research (e.g. [ 40 , 59 , 66 ]).

Alves et al. [ 5 ] forward a two-stage guideline for systematic review of literature: planning the review and conducting the review and analysis. As they noted, researchers should describe how the systematic approach was planned (in the former) and also describe the phases of the review and selection of literature (in the latter). In this research, effort was made to combine the best evidence: careful planning was used to determine literatures for inclusion or exclusion (e.g. [ 5 , 65 , 67 ]). The planning was focused at identifying relevant publications in various academic journals on the topic of strategic management accounting. First, the theoretical themes to be considered in the conceptual premise of this study were confirmed and academic resource for tracking relevant publications determined [ 5 , 66 , 83 ].

In the preliminary stage of the literature review, electronic search was carried out to identify relevant literature relating to strategic management accounting. Three steps were taken in the systematic review: we searched the literature, analysed and synthesised the literature, and wrote the review. Several databases were scanned using key search terms to capture relevant literature [ 81 ]. Core search terms were used, such as strategic management accounting, historical aspects of strategic management accounting, contingencies of strategic management accounting practices, strategic management accounting and organisational strategy, strategic management accounting and organisational performance, amongst others. Relevant publications were also found using data extraction tools such as Google Scholar, Emerald Insight and Research Gate.

Using the aforementioned methodological approach, a collection of relevant articles published in academic journals was identified. Identifying the relevant literature in this study followed methodological guideline [ 69 ]: criteria of language, relevance and type of research to identify relevant studies were embraced, and articles that contained non-English contents and also articles that did not fit closely to the thematic premise of this study were excluded. It is important to emphasise here that this study recognises that not all publications relating to the topic of strategic management accounting may have been considered in this research. However, for the scope of this piece of research, the body of literature covered in this study was deemed adequate for the conceptual framing.

Table 1 shows a sample of selected literature covered in this piece of research, pinpointing clearly the focus, context of the studies and findings from the studies.

The analysis

The interpretive approach of analysis was followed in processing the qualitative data to achieve reliable meaning in this study (e.g. [ 59 , 65 , 67 , 84 ]). Following that precedence, an iterative approach that involved reading reviewed literature back and forth, was used in this study. Using that approach, a synthesis of literature was undertaken to capture the core threads, debates and themes in the literature (e.g. [ 65 , 67 ]). Guided also by that methodological approach, relevant directions for future research have been flagged towards enhancing the knowledge about strategic management accounting and performance association.

Subjectivity is a major concern in qualitative researches (e.g. [ 18 , 76 ]). To address that concern, steps taken in this research to validate the articles incorporated into this research include rigor of conduct and strength of evidence by cross-referencing, as well as undertaking a duplicate check (e.g. [ 76 , 81 ]).

The findings

Prompted by the central threads that emerged from the analysis of the selected literature, the findings from this study are organised along three core themes: strategic management accounting techniques, contingencies of strategic management accounting techniques usage and the organisational performance implications of strategic management accounting usage.

The importance of management accounting, and in particular the strategic management accounting element as a tool for enabling top management to make effective decisions that enable organisation compete effectively in the marketplace, is gaining increasing mention in management discourse. In that discourse, five core categorisations of SMA techniques: strategic costing; strategic planning, control and performance measurement; strategic decision-making; competitor accounting; and customer accounting. While literature distils numerous forms of strategic management accounting techniques that organisations may embrace towards enabling effective management decision-making and organisational performance, evidence was found in reviewed literature that in some organisations, practitioners do not believe that strategic management accounting as a separate concept is a notion they subscribe to (e.g. CIMA Footnote 3 ; [ 48 , 55 ]). For example, CIMA Footnote 4 documents that participants unanimously do not subscribe to the notion, a conclusion which lends support to prior literature [ 48 , 55 ] that notes that strategic management accounting as a term, did not exist in the lexicon of accounting practitioners.

Grounded on the substance that effective use of the SMA techniques would improve organisational performance, immense research effort has focused on how organisations can effectively align the SMA usage towards achieving desired performance improvement. Premised in that theoretical domain, this study examined existing literature on the contingency factors of competitive intensity, market turbulence, formalisation, decentralisation and organisational strategy and SMA usage. Cumulative evidence obtained from the review of literature reinforces the need for organisations to pay particular attention to their operational environment in their use of SMA techniques. Reinforcing the fit principle, the cummulative evidence underlines that optimising the benefits of the strategic management accounting techniques in enabling effective customer orientation and boosting organisational performance is dependent on the organisation's ability to effectively align strategic management accounting practices to its operational environment. In other words, what works for an organisation would depend on the organisational dynamics, internal, as well as external. For example, formalisation may work for some but not for some, as decentralisation could work for some but not for some. Similarly, the utility of SMA techniques would hinge on the competitive intensity and market turbulence features of an organisation. Thus, aligning SMA practices to the internal and external features of an organisation is essential to enable them adapt effectively to their circumstances, make rational decisions and optimise their performance. So, alignment is critical because there is no one-size fits all approach for achieving customer orientation and organisational performance goals.

The third focal point of this study relates to the association of SMA techniques usage to organisational performance. Reviewed literature shows that organisations are achieving higher performance through the use of SMA techniques. In other words, effective use of SMA techniques would improve organisational performance. The plausibility in that performance outcome lies in the fact that organisations are able to utilise appropriate SMA measures to ensure effective, customer, competitor, strategic decision-making, costing, and planning and control orientation in their operational activities. Further on the performance point, literature also suggests that management control systems (MCS)–performance relationship is mediated by business strategy (e.g. [ 2 ]). Also, that study documents that the impacts (both indirect and total) of MCS on performance are stronger for family businesses than non-family businesses.

Conclusions

Conclusions and implications.

One of the major challenges that organisations are facing in today's dynamic marketplace is to steer their organisations in a way that they can stay competitive. In the contemporary world, where globalisation and technological evolution have expanded the options that customers have (e.g. [ 31 , 61 , 65 , 67 ]), organisations must strive hard to win the loyalty of customers. For organisations wishing to achieve that, strategic management accounting practices offer a strategic pathway. Organisations must embrace strategic management accounting practices that would enable them understand the market, their competitors, and the customers and leverage the intelligence from that knowledge to organise their operations towards profitably satisfying the customer. To effectively do that, organisations must avoid the mistake of focusing only on the internal issues; rather, their effort must be tailored towards embracing strategic management accounting practices that would enable them to be fully informed of the market trends, customer dynamics and competitor trends. Thus, organisations must ensure that good costing, planning, control and performance measurement; strategic decision-making, customer accounting and competitor accounting measures are embraced to enable them compete effectively.

Furthermore, in that drive to compete effectively in the market and profitably satisfy customers, organisations would not only need to embrace appropriate strategic management accounting techniques but also do that bearing in mind the environments that surround the operational activities. In other words, organisations must give due attention to the contingencies of their operational setting. Organisations must ensure a good blend of critical factors that would enable their optimal operation. Due attention must be given to organisational structure (centralisation or decentralisation of decision-making process), external environment (dynamism and turbulence), technological development, strategic approach, size of the organisation, amongst others. Doing that is critical for corporate success because there is no one size fits all approach—the outcome achieved would depend significantly on the dynamics surrounding the operational activities of the firm.

Thirty-three months on after Covid 19 was documented, Footnote 5 the pandemic is still ever present and has remained a daunting global challenge. Competing effectively in the dynamic marketplace is a major challenge for organisations, and with the Corona pandemic exerting unprecedent effects on organisations globally, most organisations are facing a more daunting challenge to survive (e.g. [ 65 , 67 ]). Organisations must strive to strategically orientate their management accounting practices to enable them find ways to effectively navigate the daunting challenges they face in this Corona era.

Implications of this study

The implications of this study are organised along managerial and theoretical implications.

Managerial Implications —Managers are reminded that optimal use of strategic management accounting techniques would boost organisational performance. Achieving high levels of organisational performance would however hinge on an organisation's ability to effectively align its SMA techniques usage to its internal and external dynamics. In other words, managers must bear in mind that there is no one-size fits all approach; therefore, they should endorse SMA techniques usage that fits their operational dynamics.

Theoretical Implications —In line with the central objective of this paper to sensitise the need for enhancing the understanding of the contingency perspective of strategic management accounting, the theoretical implications of this study are tailored towards specifying core gaps in the reviewed literature.

Overall, evidence from reviewed literature underlines the criticality of SMA techniques usage to organisational performance. Thus, if organisations strategically align SMA techniques usage to their operational setting, this would positively impact organisational performance. Within the goal of enhancing the literature on how to optimise the performance impact, much gaps still exist from the point off illuminating how differences in marketing and national culture differentiate SMA acceptance, usage, contingencies and performance impact.

Finally, on the point of performance, reviewed literature documents an obvious gap in the literature from the point of illuminating SMA techniques usage impact along the performance dimensions. As noted by Ojra [ 58 ], for some societies (especially ones that are Islamic cultured), non-financial performance is of central importance. Theoretical development from the point of SMA techniques usage, contingencies and non-financial performance impact is scanty.

Limitations of the study

Based on systematic review approach, this study aimed to drive further knowledge development on the contingency perspective of strategic management accounting, drawing on the evidence from reviewed literature to understand the core debates in the literature and pinpoint directions for future research. Two core limitations of this research relate to the conceptual framework and volume of literature reviewed.

The conceptual framing of this study embraced only three themes in the SMA discourse, namely perceived environmental uncertainty, organisational structure and organisational strategy. Elaborated, the contingency premise considered in this study relates to perceived environmental uncertainty (competitive intensity, and market turbulence), organisational structure (formalisation and decentralisation), and organisational strategy. This study recognises that there are other contingencies of strategic management accounting practices that have not been included in the conceptual framing of this study.

To capture the central debates in the SMA discourse, extant literature was reviewed. It is however important to acknowledge that this study may have ignored some literature relevant to the conceptual premise of this study. Finally, although efforts were made by the researchers to ensure validity in this research by adopting an analytical approach that involved thorough reading of literature to ensure valid meaning in the interpretation, it must be reminded that subjectivity is a concern in every qualitative research.

Future research directions

In explaining the theoretical implications of this study, core gaps in the literature were underlined (Section “ Implications of this study ”), while the limitations of this study were acknowledged in Section “ Limitations of the study ”. Building on these, this Section “ Future research directions ” extends the contribution of this study by specifying core directions for further knowledge development on the contingency perspective of strategic management accounting.

No doubt, this study has limitations, amongst which are the conceptual framework and the literature review scope. In their study, Naranjo-Gil et al. [ 54 , p. 688] note that “future research is needed to examine other factors to add a more comprehensive view of management accounting”. Given the conceptual limitation of this study, this study reinforces the research call by Naranjo-Gil et al. [ 54 ]. Future research could expand the work done in this research and knowledge development by incorporating contingency factors that have not been considered in the conceptual framing of this study. More research is required in that regard, both from the point of a systematic literature review approach, as well as from the point of empirical investigations that seek to illuminate the contextual (industrial sectors and geographical settings) differentiators to the contingency impacts on the use of strategic management accounting techniques.

Furthermore, more research effort is required from the point of gaining deeper understanding of the various strategic management accounting techniques. Marketing dynamics (e.g. [ 62 ]) and national culture [ 35 , 60 ] differ from one setting to another, therefore exploring the nature of strategic management accounting techniques that organisations endorse and why are core premises for research.

As flagged in the findings, there is a growing support of the notion that accounting practitioners do not subscribe to the use of the term strategic management accounting (e.g. CIMA Footnote 6 ; [ 48 , 55 ]). Further research could help to shed more light not only on why practitioners may not subscribe to the use of the term strategic management accounting, but also on the understanding of how practitioners would prefer to describe the management accounting practices that they embrace, and also why the specific practices are prioritised.

Furthermore, on the point of the content of strategic management accounting, researchers have also noted that not much effort is given to highlighting clearly the accounting information that organisations should give much attention to towards boosting organisational performance (e.g. [ 53 , 89 ]). Future research should aim to fill this gap. Doing that is critical to fully optimising the performance benefits of strategic management accounting [ 56 ].

Reviewed literature has documented that the extent to which strategic management accounting practices would aid management decision-making and organisational performance would depend on the contingency dynamics of the organisation (e.g. [ 11 , 58 ]). Understanding the contingency premise of strategic management accounting utility in driving effective management decision-making and organisational performance is a critical research premise, and future research should aim to shed more light on that. No one size fits all approach that works for all organisations in all contexts. Therefore, future research should seek to enhance the 'fit' foundation of strategic management accounting relevance and performance outcome. In that regard, future research should seek to illuminate further how perceived environmental uncertainty, decentralisation, formalisation, strategy and other contingency factors not considered in this study, would influence strategic management accounting techniques usage and organisational performance impact. In the particular case of perceived environmental uncertainty, more research is not only required from the point of understanding the influence of the construct, but also clarifying the competitive intensity and market turbulence associations.

An insight that emerged from the reviewed literature relates to the fact that majority of efforts to improve strategic management accounting discourse have considered mainly financial aspects of organisational performance (e.g. [ 58 , 86 ]). Focusing only on financial performance is inadequate as the customer perspective of performance is neglected [ 45 , 58 ]. The importance of focusing on customer performance has been re-echoed in further literature: organisational-level customer satisfaction associates positively to financial performance (e.g. [ 24 , 86 ]), and customer performance enables business strategy and an organisation's ability to deliver value to its shareholders as well as customers [ 25 ]. Supporting prior research (e.g. [ 49 , 58 , 86 ]), this study underlines the need for more studies that illuminate non-financial performance aspects and strategic management accounting association.

Finally, the Corona pandemic, which remains a global crisis, has exerted unprecedent global economic damage. Organisations are facing daunting challenges as a result of the Corona pandemic and are still seeking ways to successfully navigate these challenges. Future research should illuminate what strategic management accounting practices organisations are endorsing in the effort to effectively navigate the Corona-crisis-induced challenges.

Availability of data and materials

This study is based on the review of literature.

Management Accounting in support of the strategic management process. https://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/Thought_leadership_docs/Management%20and%20financial%20accounting/Academic-Research-Report-Strategic-Management-Process.pdf .

January 9—WHO Announces Mysterious Coronavirus-Related Pneumonia in Wuhan, China.

Abbreviations

• Strategic management accounting

Strategic management accounting usage

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Management accounting and control system

Management control systems

Quality management system

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Ojra, J., Opute, A.P. & Alsolmi, M.M. Strategic management accounting and performance implications: a literature review and research agenda. Futur Bus J 7 , 64 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-021-00109-1

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Spotlight on 130+ Accounting Research Topics: Bridging Theory and Practice

• Post author By admin
• August 12, 2023

Explore diverse Accounting Research Topics, from AI’s influence to sustainability and blockchain’s impact. Stay updated with the latest trends and insights

Hello, fellow explorers of financial knowledge! Ready to dive into the intriguing world of Accounting Research Topics? Whether you’re a numbers aficionado or just curious about finance, you’re in for a treat.

Uncover the mysteries behind financial statements, explore auditing intricacies, and venture into evolving taxation strategies.

Imagine numbers as gateways to unraveling business secrets and economic insights. We’re not just skimming the surface; we’re diving deep into the heart of accounting research, revealing captivating stories beneath jargon and formulas.

Ever wondered how auditors ensure financial compliance? How technology transforms accounting practices? Or the ethical compass guiding finance?

No stone unturned, all questions answered. But that’s not all. We’ll delve into intersections of accounting with sustainability, blockchain, and the art of valuing businesses.

Join us, whether you’re a student, professional, or someone curious about finance. Together, we’ll explore accounting research topics, shedding light on concepts, trends, and insights that make you part of the financial conversations shaping our world.

Grab your virtual passport, and let’s journey into the fascinating universe of Accounting Research Topics!

Table of Contents

What are Accounting Research Topics?

Accounting research topics refer to specific subjects or areas within the field of accounting that scholars, researchers, and students focus on for in-depth investigation, analysis, and exploration. These topics aim to contribute new knowledge, insights, and understanding to the accounting discipline.

Accounting research topics can cover a wide range of areas, including financial reporting, auditing, taxation, management accounting, ethics, technology, and more.

Researchers in accounting delve into these topics to address questions, challenges, and gaps in knowledge within the accounting profession and its various subfields.

The goal of accounting research is to advance the understanding of accounting principles, practices, regulations, and their impact on businesses, economies, and society as a whole.

Accounting Research Topics

Check out some of the most interesting accounting research topics to work on.

Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Comparative Analysis of Financial Statements.
• Earnings Management and Manipulation.
• Financial Ratios and Performance Evaluation.
• Predictive Analytics in Financial Forecasting.
• The Impact of Fair Value Accounting on Financial Statements.
• Revenue Recognition Practices Across Industries.
• Financial Statement Fraud Detection Techniques.
• Volatility in Earnings and Stock Prices.
• Implications of IFRS Adoption on Financial Reporting.
• Market Reaction to Earnings Announcements.

Auditing and Assurance

• Auditor Independence and Ethics.
• Audit Quality and Auditor Rotation.
• Fraud Detection and Forensic Accounting.
• Internal Control Evaluation and Audit Risk.
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Auditing.
• Audit Committee Effectiveness and Financial Reporting.
• Materiality and Audit Planning.
• Auditor Liability and Legal Implications.
• Auditor Communication and Financial Statement Users.
• Comparative Study of Audit Regulations in Different Countries.

Taxation and Tax Planning

• Tax Avoidance vs. Tax Evasion.
• Transfer Pricing and International Taxation.
• Taxation of Digital Transactions.
• Tax Incentives and Economic Development.
• Environmental Taxation and Sustainability.
• Tax Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions.
• Tax Planning Strategies for High-Net-Worth Individuals.
• Tax Policy and Income Inequality.
• Tax Compliance Behavior of Small Businesses.
• The Role of Tax Advisers in Tax Planning.

Corporate Governance and Ethics

• Board Composition and Financial Reporting Quality.
• Executive Compensation and Corporate Performance.
• Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting.
• Whistleblowing and Ethical Decision-Making.
• The Impact of Corporate Governance on Financial Fraud.
• Shareholder Activism and Corporate Governance.
• Dual-Class Share Structures and Corporate Governance.
• Ethical Leadership and Organizational Culture.
• Corporate Governance Reforms and Regulatory Changes.
• Diversity and Gender Representation in Corporate Boards.

Management Accounting and Costing

• Activity-Based Costing and Resource Allocation.
• Budgeting and Variance Analysis.
• Just-in-Time Inventory Management.
• Target Costing and Pricing Strategies.
• Performance Measurement in Nonprofit Organizations.
• Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis and Break-Even Point.
• Costing Methods in Service Industries.
• Lean Accounting and Waste Reduction.
• Transfer Pricing in Multinational Corporations.
• Balanced Scorecard and Performance Measurement.

International Accounting and Reporting

• Convergence of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Cross-Cultural Differences in Financial Reporting.
• Accounting for Foreign Exchange Transactions.
• Harmonization of Accounting Standards in Global Markets.
• Implications of Brexit on Financial Reporting in the EU.
• International Transfer Pricing Regulations.
• Cultural Influence on Financial Disclosure Practices.
• Comparative Analysis of Accounting Regulations in Different Countries.
• Challenges of Adopting IFRS in Developing Economies.
• Multinational Corporations’ Reporting of Tax Liabilities.

Emerging Technologies and Innovations

• Blockchain Technology in Accounting and Auditing.
• Cloud-Based Accounting Systems and Data Security.
• Robotic Process Automation in Financial Reporting.
• Artificial Intelligence in Fraud Detection.
• Big Data Analytics for Decision-Making.
• Cybersecurity and Data Privacy in Accounting.
• Digital Currencies and Cryptocurrency Accounting.
• Role of Chatbots in Financial Customer Service.
• Automation of Tax Compliance and Reporting.
• Machine Learning in Credit Risk Assessment.

Sustainability and Environmental Accounting

• Carbon Accounting and Emissions Reporting.
• Social and Environmental Performance Reporting.
• Green Financing and Sustainability Reporting.
• Integrated Reporting and Triple Bottom Line.
• The Role of Accounting in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
• Environmental Disclosures and Investor Decisions.
• Sustainability Performance Metrics and Benchmarks.
• Valuation of Natural Resources in Financial Statements.
• Sustainability Assurance and External Auditing.
• Impact of Climate Change on Corporate Financial Reporting.

Behavioral Aspects in Accounting

• Behavioral Biases in Financial Decision-Making.
• Role of Cognitive Psychology in Auditing.
• Ethical Behavior and Moral Dilemmas in Accounting.
• Psychological Factors Affecting Investor Behavior.
• Nudging Techniques for Promoting Financial Literacy.
• Overconfidence and its Effects on Financial Decision-Makers.
• Herd Behavior in Financial Markets.
• The Influence of Framing on Investment Choices.
• Prospect Theory and Risk Perception in Accounting.
• Biases in Financial Reporting and Disclosure.

Financial Markets and Investments

• Portfolio Management and Risk Diversification.
• Capital Market Efficiency and Information Asymmetry.
• Behavioral Finance and Investor Sentiment.
• Market Microstructure and High-Frequency Trading.
• Financial Derivatives and Hedging Strategies.
• Impact of Market Regulations on Investor Behavior.
• Volatility Spillover Across Global Financial Markets.
• Investment Strategies in Bull and Bear Markets.
• Cryptocurrency Investment and Volatility.
• Algorithmic Trading and Market Liquidity

Advanced Accounting Research Topics

Have a close look at some of the advanced accounting research topics in details.

The Role of Sustainability Accounting in Corporate Decision-Making

Investigate how integrating environmental and social factors into financial reporting influences strategic decisions and performance metrics in businesses.

Auditor Judgment and Decision-Making in Complex Financial Environments

Explore how auditors make judgments and decisions when faced with intricate financial transactions and complex reporting issues.

Financial Reporting Quality and Market Valuation

Analyze the relationship between the quality of financial reporting and the market valuation of firms, considering factors like transparency, accuracy, and consistency.

Tax Avoidance Strategies of Multinational Corporations

Examine the methods multinational corporations employ to minimize their tax liabilities across different jurisdictions and the implications for governments and stakeholders.

Corporate Governance and Earnings Management

Investigate the impact of different corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management practices, including the role of board structures, executive compensation, and ownership concentration.

Behavioral Biases in Investment Decision-Making

Study how cognitive biases and behavioral factors influence investment decisions made by individuals and institutional investors in financial markets.

Digital Transformation and Accounting Information Systems

Analyze the integration of emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and cloud computing in accounting information systems and their effects on efficiency, accuracy, and security.

Financial Distress Prediction Models for Firms

Develop and validate predictive models that use financial and non-financial indicators to anticipate the likelihood of a company facing financial distress or bankruptcy.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Reporting Frameworks

Evaluate the effectiveness and comparability of various ESG reporting frameworks in promoting sustainable business practices and attracting socially responsible investments.

Regulatory Changes in the Post-Global Financial Crisis Era

Investigate the impact of post-financial crisis regulations (e.g., Dodd-Frank Act, Basel III) on financial institutions’ risk management practices, capital requirements, and reporting obligations.

Impact of IFRS Adoption on Financial Reporting Quality

Assess how the transition from local GAAP to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) influences the quality and comparability of financial statements across countries.

Blockchain Technology in Auditing and Assurance

Examine the potential of blockchain to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and reliability of auditing processes, including real-time transaction verification and fraud detection.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosures and Stakeholder Perception

Analyze the relationship between a firm’s CSR disclosures and stakeholders’ perceptions of the company’s ethical practices, reputation, and long-term value.

Mergers and Acquisitions Accounting Challenges

Investigate the complexities of accounting for business combinations, including issues related to goodwill impairment, fair value measurement, and post-merger integration.

Behavioral Ethics in Accounting Professionals

Study how psychological biases and ethical reasoning impact the ethical decision-making of accounting professionals, examining factors that influence ethical behavior.

These topics delve into advanced areas of accounting research that can contribute valuable insights to the field and your postgraduate studies.

Remember to choose a topic that aligns with your interests, expertise, and the resources available for your research.

What are current research topics in accounting?

Here are some current research topics in accounting

Smart Computers Changing Accounting

Imagine computers that think like humans! People are studying how super-smart computers, known as Artificial Intelligence (AI), are transforming accounting tasks.

They’re finding ways AI can make accounting quicker and more accurate, like spotting errors and helping with money reports.

Numbers for a Better Earth

Did you know accounting can help save the planet? Researchers are figuring out how to use numbers to track how well companies take care of nature, society, and fairness.

They’re making new rules and plans so companies can show off how they’re reducing pollution, treating everyone fairly, and being good citizens.

Super Safe Money Records

Have you heard about the magical ledger called Blockchain? It’s like a special book that everyone can see but can’t change.

People are studying how this cool thing can make accounting super secure. It helps keep track of money, things people own, and makes sure money stories are true.

Numbers that Tell Stories

Nowadays, businesses make tons of information. Researchers are finding ways to make sense of this big data to help accounting be even better.

They’re making new tricks to understand money stories, predict risks, and decide what’s best for companies. But, they’re also thinking about being fair and good while using these tricks.

School for Future Accountants

How can we teach future number wizards the right skills? The accounting world is changing fast, and experts are thinking about what students should learn.

They want to teach not just numbers, but also thinking smart, solving problems, and using data to make great choices.

Remember, these are just a few exciting things happening in accounting research. As accounting grows, there will be even more cool things to explore!

What are good topics for a project in accounting?

Here are some good topics for a project in accounting

Smart Computers and Money

Ever wondered how smart computers are changing how we deal with money? You can dive into the world of AI and see how it’s making accounting faster and less mistake-prone. Think of it like a computer buddy that helps accountants do their job even better!

Numbers for a Greener World

Want to explore how numbers can help our planet? Check out how businesses are using accounting to be more eco-friendly.

You’ll find out how they measure stuff like pollution and fairness, and how this helps them be better citizens of the Earth.

Magic Books for Money

Imagine a magical book that makes sure no one can trick it. That’s what blockchain is like! You can dig into how this cool tech is shaking up the way we keep track of money and stuff people own. It’s like a super-secure money diary for everyone to see.

Spying Secrets in Numbers

Big data, big secrets! Find out how big companies are using special tricks to understand their huge piles of info.

You’ll learn how they use data to tell financial stories, predict problems, and make smart choices. But remember, using these tricks the right way is super important!

School for Future Money Wizards

Want to know how future accountants will learn their tricks? The accounting world is changing faster than a speeding bullet.

You can explore what skills accounting students need to be super successful, like solving problems, thinking smart, and using data like a superhero.

These are just a few exciting project ideas for your accounting assignment. Pick the one that tickles your curiosity the most, and get ready to dive into the world of numbers and secrets!

How to select Best Accounting Research Topics?

Selecting the best accounting research topic is crucial for a successful and meaningful study. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you choose the ideal topic:

Define Your Interests

Start by identifying areas of accounting that genuinely interest you. Consider whether you’re drawn to financial reporting, auditing, taxation, sustainability, technology, or any other subfield. A topic that aligns with your passion will keep you motivated throughout your research.

Research Current Trends

Stay updated on the latest trends and emerging issues in the accounting field. Browse academic journals, news articles, and industry reports to identify topics that are relevant, timely, and in demand.

Assess Available Resources

Evaluate the resources available for your research. Do you have access to relevant data, literature, or experts in the chosen topic? Adequate resources will ensure you can conduct thorough research and analysis.

Consider Your Audience

Think about your target audience. Are you writing for academics, professionals, policymakers, or the general public? Tailor your topic to address the interests and needs of your intended audience.

Narrow Down Your Focus

Accounting is a vast field, so narrow down your focus. For instance, if you’re interested in financial reporting, you could narrow it down to a specific aspect like revenue recognition or fair value measurement.

Identify Research Gaps

Look for gaps in existing literature. Is there a question that hasn’t been adequately answered or an area that lacks comprehensive research? Addressing research gaps adds value to your study.

Consider Practical Relevance

Consider the practical implications of your chosen topic. How does it relate to real-world accounting practices, challenges, or opportunities? A topic with practical relevance is more likely to have an impact.

Consult with Advisors or Experts

Discuss your ideas with mentors, advisors, or experts in the field. They can offer valuable insights, help you refine your topic, and provide guidance on feasibility.

Evaluate Feasibility

Assess the feasibility of your chosen topic. Do you have the skills, time, and resources to carry out the research effectively? Avoid topics that are too ambitious or beyond your capabilities.

Personal Significance

Consider the personal significance of the topic. Does it resonate with your long-term goals, career aspirations, or values? A topic that holds personal meaning is likely to drive your dedication.

Test Your Hypothesis

If you have a specific research question or hypothesis in mind, test it by conducting preliminary research. This will help you gauge the availability of data and whether your hypothesis is worth investigating.

Flexibility for Adaptation

Choose a topic that allows some flexibility for adaptation. As you delve deeper into research, you might uncover new angles or perspectives that could enhance your study.

Balance Challenge and Interest

Strive for a balance between a topic that challenges you intellectually and one that keeps you engaged due to your interest. An overly complex topic might lead to frustration, while a too-easy topic might not be fulfilling.

Remember that selecting a research topic is a significant decision, and it’s perfectly normal to spend time exploring different possibilities before settling on the best fit.

Take your time, conduct thorough research, and choose a topic that you’re genuinely excited to explore

Exploring the multifaceted realm of accounting research topics presents a treasure trove of insights, equipping individuals, professionals, and entities with the wisdom to make astute financial choices.

From deciphering intricate financial statements to embracing the strides of technological progress, the landscape of accounting research remains a cornerstone of shaping the finance landscape of tomorrow.

As you embark on this journey of exploration, bear in mind that keeping abreast of the freshest trends and revelations is pivotal in this perpetually evolving domain.

If you want to suggest us any other accounting research topics then comment down below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some key areas of accounting research.

Accounting research spans various areas, including financial statement analysis, auditing, taxation, sustainability accounting, and more. Each area contributes to enhancing financial transparency and decision-making.

How Does Technology Influence Accounting Research?

Technology has revolutionized accounting research by enabling efficient data collection, analysis, and reporting. Advanced tools like data analytics and AI enhance accuracy and provide deeper insights.

Why Is Ethical Consideration Important in Accounting Research?

Ethical considerations ensure the integrity of research findings and the accounting profession as a whole. Upholding ethical standards is vital to maintain credibility and trust.

What Is the Significance of International Accounting Standards?

International accounting standards, such as IFRS and GAAP, provide a common framework for financial reporting across borders. They enhance comparability and transparency in global financial markets.

How Does Sustainability Accounting Drive Business Decision-making?

Sustainability accounting integrates ESG factors into financial reporting, influencing business decisions by highlighting the environmental and social impacts of choices.

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Contemporary Issues in Management Accounting

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Over the past decade, management accounting has seen changes not just within existing domains of the field but has also witnessed extensions outside its established realms of activity. Wider systemic transformations including changes in political regimes, novel conceptions of management controls, the impact of globalizing forces on commercial affairs, shifts in notions of effective knowledge management, governance and ethics, and technological advances, including the rise of broadband, have all impacted management accounting endeavours. The field is as fast changing as it has ever been. This book captures key facets of current thoughts, concerns, and issues in management accounting. The book consists of eighteen chapters. The topic areas covered in some chapters reflect established management accounting topics such as budgeting and responsibility accounting, contract theory analysis, contingency frameworks, performance measurement systems and strategic cost management which are considered within the perspective of changing concerns facing modern organizations and present day management thought. Other chapters deal with newly emerging concerns in management accounting, including network relations, integrated cost management systems, knowledge management pursuits, environmental management accounting and accounting and digitization. Each chapter encompasses discussions of basic premises complemented by insights from modern day practice, research, and thought.

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Experimental research in management accounting

• Open access
• Published: 10 February 2021
• Volume 91 , pages 1–3, ( 2021 )

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• Thorsten Knauer 1 ,
• Hans-Ulrich Küpper 2 ,
• Philipp Schreck 3 ,
• Friedrich Sommer 4 &
• Arnt Wöhrmann 5  

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A Correction to this article was published on 02 June 2021

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Experimental research in management accounting has spread in the last decades for at least three reasons. First, regarding content, it allows to investigate in how far the behavior of individuals and groups within organizations deviates from the predictions of economic theory. Second, regarding methodology, it allows for a stronger causality link than other methods. Third, due to the perfect observability especially in lab experiments, results can be tied closely to underlying psychological constructs and thus establish strong causal links not only between manipulation and results, but also the psychological mechanisms in-between. In this vein, research in this field contributes to a better understanding of how to facilitate and influence decision-making in organizations.

In this Special Issue, we sought to bring together state-of-the-art research on experimental management accounting and to call for stimulating contributions to existing streams of research in this field. In response to our call, we received 13 submissions which went through a double-blind peer-review. This issue finally contains four excellent research articles.

In the first contribution of this special issue, “The effect of readability and language choice in management accounting reports on risk-taking: an experimental study”, Ewgenij Besuglov and Nils Crasselt investigate the relation between the readability of documents in a management accounting context and beneficial risk-taking, i.e., taking risk that is advantageous from the perspective of the firm. Using a laboratory experiment, they find that low readability hinders beneficial risk-taking, which they attribute to the cognitive load effect. Motivated by the fact that English is the corporate language for most multinational corporations, Besuglov and Crasselt also investigate the effect of foreign language and (cautiously) conclude a positive effect of foreign language use on beneficial risk-taking in their high-readability condition and especially if subjects’ language skills are rather advanced.

Kai A. Bauch, Peter Kotzian, and Barbara E. Weißenberger are the authors of the second article, “Likeability in subjective performance evaluations: does it bias managers’ weighting of performance measures?” In their experimental study, the authors shed new light on the likability bias in subjective performance evaluations. Consistent with prior research, they predict and find that more likable subordinates receive more favorable evaluations. They provide novel evidence in this stream of research by investigating the role of performance information and concluding that the likability bias can be driven by the differential weighting of alternative performance measures. More precisely, the likability effect is stronger in the presence of likability-consistent information than in the presence of likability-inconsistent information. Additionally, the authors report that the effect of subordinate performance on managers’ subjective performance evaluation is partially mediated by perceived likability.

In their experimental paper „The contextual effect of completion on the effectiveness of performance feedback “ Nicole Nikiforow and Sebastian Wagener investigate the joint effect of the state of completion and performance feedback on performance. The authors thereby contribute to a stream of management accounting research investigating how certain task characteristics determine performance and the effectiveness of feedback. A standard assumption in prior research is that employees work on tasks that result in the completion of a product or process. This study acknowledges that often employees perform just a single step during the production process and therefore work on non-complete products or processes. Using an origami folding task, the authors find that performance is significantly lower under completion vs. non-completion, given the absence of performance feedback. Further, they show that the state of completion moderates the effectiveness of performance feedback.

Christian Brück, Thorsten Knauer, Harald Meier, and Anja Schwering contribute the fourth paper: “Self-Set Salaries and Creativity”. The authors address a very topical question: Do employees work harder and more creatively when they have a say in setting their own pay? This question is particularly relevant for companies in which continuous innovation is key to success. In this and other cases, management needs to incentivize employees to be innovative, and self-set salaries have received increasing attention in this context. Based on the argument that self-set salaries will increase intrinsic motivation, the authors hypothesize that in comparison to fixed-pay contracts, self-set salaries will increase output quantity, but not creativity. In a lab experiment, in which participants solve rebus puzzles, the authors find that, compared with fixed payments, self-set salaries lead to a higher quantity of output while average creativity is unaffected. Based on these findings, they derive some very interesting implications for practice and further research in this field.

Taken together the four articles compiled in this special issue are prime examples of how experimental research in management accounting can further our understanding of control systems in various organizational settings. We hope these studies will have a stimulating effect on the steadily growing field of behavioral management accounting, and that the evidence they offer will be useful to both interested practitioners and members of our research community.

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02 june 2021.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-021-01041-0

Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

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Chair of Management Accounting, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany

Thorsten Knauer

Institute for Accounting and Control, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany

Hans-Ulrich Küpper

Friede-Springer Endowed Chair of Business Ethics and Management Accounting, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany

Philipp Schreck

Chair of Management Accounting, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

Friedrich Sommer

Chair of Managerial Accounting, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

Arnt Wöhrmann

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Correspondence to Philipp Schreck .

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Knauer, T., Küpper, HU., Schreck, P. et al. Experimental research in management accounting. J Bus Econ 91 , 1–3 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-021-01031-2

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Accounting » Management Accounting » 99 Management Accounting Dissertation Topics & Research Titles

99 Management Accounting Dissertation Topics & Research Titles

By Adam Jul 23, 2023 in Accounting , Management Accounting | No Comments

If you are a student embarking on the challenging journey of finding compelling dissertation topics in management accounting, rest assured that your quest ends here. Either, you are searching for management accounting thesis topics, or want a topic to write your master’s or undergraduate dissertation. This list is for you. Management accounting or managerial accounting, […]

If you are a student embarking on the challenging journey of finding compelling dissertation topics in management accounting, rest assured that your quest ends here. Either, you are searching for management accounting thesis topics, or want a topic to write your master’s or undergraduate dissertation. This list is for you.

Management accounting or managerial accounting, as a dynamic and essential aspect of the accounting discipline, offers a wealth of intriguing research areas suitable for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels of study. As a vital tool for aiding managerial decision-making, management accounting plays a crucial role in guiding organizations towards optimal financial strategies, resource allocation, and performance improvement.

In this post, we present a comprehensive list of carefully curated dissertation topics in management accounting, designed to ignite inspiration and guide you on your academic voyage. These topics encompass a diverse array of issues, from cost analysis and budgeting to performance measurement, sustainability accounting, and the integration of technology. Whether you seek to explore the impact of management accounting in specific industries or investigate the latest advancements in financial reporting techniques, our list serves as a gateway to unlock your potential and contribute valuable insights to the ever-evolving world of management accounting research. Let’s embark on this scholarly expedition together and pave the way for transformative discoveries in the realm of management accounting.

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List of Management accounting dissertation topics

A comparative analysis of incentive systems and their impact on employee motivation and performance in various sectors.

Impact of management accounting techniques on working capital efficiency in retail industries.

Analyzing the role of budgeting and forecasting in managing uncertainty and risk.

An analytical review of the models for performance management in manufacturing firms.

Evaluating the role of management accounting in detecting and preventing fraudulent activities: a case study of UK businesses.

A comparative analysis of management accounting practices in manufacturing and service industries.

The influence of management accounting on project cost control and performance.

Reviewing the role of management accounting in supply chain management : current practices and future opportunities.

How are indirect costs allocated to externally funded projects at schools in developed economies? Explorative research from the UK.

Evaluating the effectiveness of management accounting in identifying cost drivers and cost reduction opportunities.

Evaluating the use of management accounting techniques in adapting to remote work during the pandemic.

Analyzing the impact of management accounting on working capital management and cash flow optimization

Accounting for performance control systems at non-profit organizations – lessons from the UK.

A theoretical framework for understanding the role of management accounting in supporting sustainability reporting initiatives.

Evaluating the effect of covid-19 on budgeting and forecasting in organizations.

The effect of management accounting information on firm value and investment decisions.

Analyzing the effect of incentive systems on employee motivation and performance: a case study of UK technology firms.

A comprehensive review of activity-based costing: applications, limitations, and future research directions.

A systematic review of budgeting and forecasting techniques: a comparative analysis of traditional and beyond budgeting approaches.

How can firms enhance their strategic planning and performance through decision support systems? A review of the construction industry in the UK.

Evaluating the use of data analytics in management accounting for business insights and efficiency.

The application of management accounting controls in family firms in the UK- an investigation.

How do banks mitigate and manage risks- the HSBC perspective.

Evaluating the effectiveness of management accounting in healthcare cost control and quality improvement.

Management accounting information and financial decision-making: a review of behavioural finance studies.

How do higher education institutions practice contingency-based management accounting? A primary investigation.

Evaluating the use of data analytics in management accounting for crisis decision-making.

Evaluating the use of management accounting in working capital management: a case study of UK construction companies.

How does activity-based costing add value to a project?

Evaluating the integration of sustainability metrics into management accounting practices.

Analyzing the impact of management accounting on performance measurement and evaluation in public sector organizations.

Conceptualizing a theoretical model for analyzing the influence of organizational culture on management accounting practices.

The role of management accounting in identifying cost reduction opportunities and efficiency improvements in the post-pandemic landscape.

Analyzing the relationship between management accounting and lean management techniques.

Theoretical perspectives on the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics into management accounting systems.

Analyzing the effectiveness of performance measurement systems in a non-profit organization: a case study of organization y.

Evaluating the effectiveness of performance measurement systems in small and large organizations: a comparative study.

How does top management use performance management data to make strategic decisions?

Impact of management accounting techniques on performance evaluation and incentive compensation.

The relevance of break-even analysis in budgeting- data from the globe.

How can the cost accounting approach help an entrepreneur achieve productivity efficiency in emerging economies?

A study of risk management in the UK’s agricultural sector.

The increasing relevance of strategic management within enterprises.

Management accounting in the digital era: a review of technological advancements and challenges.

A systematic review of cost accounting in museums- evidence from across the globe.

A systematic review of management accounting tools in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting: a meta-analysis of global studies.

Implementing cost accounting in the oil and gas sector- challenges and limitations.

The influence of covid-19 on performance measurement and incentive systems: a case study.

What are the important elements of an accounting decision support system? A look at UK’s banking sector.

The role of management accounting in assessing risk and uncertainty in post-pandemic recovery strategies.

The integration of sustainability metrics into management accounting practices: a case study of leading UK organizations.

Strategic management accounting in the hotel industry- how relevant is the concept?

Analyzing the role of management accounting in detecting and preventing fraudulent activities

Analyzing the use of budgeting and forecasting in managing uncertainty and risk: a case study of UK financial services firms.

Theoretical perspectives on integrating risk management practices into management accounting processes.

Evaluating the impact of Management accounting tools on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting.

The role of management accounting in aligning budgeting and strategy implementation.

Analyzing the role of management accounting in implementing and evaluating corporate strategy.

Impact of activity-based costing on cost allocation and decision making in manufacturing industries.

Impact of management accounting on supply chain performance and collaboration.

How do project accounting segments gain a competitive advantage?

Impact of covid-19 on sustainability reporting and management accounting practices.

A review of the challenges faced by corporations in quantifying and qualitatively managing risk- the case of the British oil and gas sector.

Developing a theoretical model for evaluating the effectiveness of performance measurement systems in public sector organizations.

A theoretical framework for integrating environmental and social sustainability metrics in management accounting practices.

Evaluating the use of management accounting in performance evaluation and reward systems in professional service firms.

Evaluating the adoption and impact of target costing in new product development.

The impact of activity-based costing on cost allocation and decision making.

Analyzing the relationship between management accounting and risk management in banking and financial institutions.

The application of strategic management accounting in the world of publishing- the case of Ivey Publishing.

Risk management in politically unstable economies- a review of the literature.

The influence of management accounting information on firm performance: a comparative study between public and private companies.

The du pont as a performance appraisal method in electrical contracting firms- evidence from the UK.

A comparative review of the strategic management accounting practices between developed and emerging economies.

The impact of the cost of goods produced on pricing in the strategic decision-making process.

The influence of management accounting on corporate governance and executive compensation.

Management accounting and performance management in the healthcare sector.

How effective are organisational financial controls in communicating security to employees? An exploration.

Management accounting and sustainability reporting: a critical review of integrated reporting practices.

Cost accounting as a management tool for material flow in manufacturing firms- a systematic review.

The impact of decision support systems on managerial effectiveness- a case study of UK’s food industry.

A comparative analysis of budgeting and forecasting techniques in profit and non-profit organizations.

The impact of management accounting tools on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting: a case study of UK companies.

Impact of management accounting on working capital management and cash flow optimization.

Evaluating the use of management accounting in environmental management and sustainability initiatives.

The role of management accounting in assessing supply chain disruptions and resilience post-covid.

Impact of cost management techniques on pricing strategies and profitability.

Does the balanced scorecard approach allow for both performance appraisal and strategic management?

Evaluating the role of management accounting in supporting decision-making during economic crises.

Conceptualizing a theoretical framework for assessing the influence of behavioural factors on management accounting decision-making.

An empirical analysis of the impact of activity-based costing on cost allocation and decision-making in manufacturing industries.

Risk analysis in project accounting – how is risk identified, quantified and accounted for?

Developing a theoretical model for analyzing the impact of information technology on management accounting systems.

An analysis of the reasons why management accounting can help with organisational sustainability issues.

Analyzing the role of management accounting in integrating financial and non-financial performance measures.

The influence of management accounting on investment appraisal and capital budgeting decisions.

Analyzing the impact of government support programs on financial management and reporting in the pandemic.

Impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning on management accounting practices.

The role of management accounting in supporting strategic cost management in global companies.

There you go. Use the list for management accounting research topics well and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions for our topics-related blog posts for the future or looking to get help with dissertation writing , send us an email at [email protected] .

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Top 15+ Accounting Research Topics For Students In 2023

Accounting is a highly versatile field with numerous applications in the business world. It is also a constantly evolving field, making it a great area for research. 

Accounting research helps us better understand how financial systems work and how we can improve them. 

It also enables us to make informed decisions in business and our personal lives. 

Accounting is a broad subject with numerous research topics and ideas. Selecting the right one can be a difficult task.

This blog will discuss some of the top-rated accounting research topics. To save you from the struggle, we’ve compiled a list of the top accounting research paper topics. These topics are sure to impress your professor.

Table of Contents

Here are the top 15+ accounting research topics for students in 2023:

1. Financial Reporting

Financial reporting is an essential aspect of accounting. 

It involves preparing and presenting financial statements that provide useful information to investors, creditors, and other stakeholders. 

Financial reporting research focuses on improving the accuracy and reliability of financial statements. 

It also examines the impact of financial reporting on the decision-making process of stakeholders.

2. Accounting Ethics

Accounting ethics is an important topic in accounting research. 

It examines the ethical issues that arise in accounting practices, such as conflicts of interest, fraud, and ethical decision-making. 

Accounting ethics research aims to guide ethical behavior and improve the ethical standards of the accounting profession.

3. Corporate Governance

Corporate governance refers to the processes and structures that govern the behavior of corporations. 

Corporate governance research examines the effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms in promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical behavior. 

It also explores ways to improve corporate governance to prevent fraud and other unethical practices.

4. Financial Analysis

Financial analysis is a crucial aspect of accounting research.

 It involves analyzing financial data to assess the financial health of companies. 

Financial analysis research explores how to improve financial analysis methods, including data analytics and artificial intelligence. 

It also examines the impact of financial analysis on decision-making processes.

5. Sustainability Accounting

Sustainability accounting is a relatively new area of accounting research. 

It involves accounting for business operations’ social, environmental, and economic impacts. 

Sustainability accounting research explores ways to integrate sustainability into accounting practices to improve decision-making and promote sustainable business practices.

6. Cost Accounting

Cost accounting is an essential accounting aspect involving analyzing and managing costs in business operations. 

Cost accounting research explores ways to improve cost accounting techniques to enhance decision-making. It also examines the impact of cost accounting on business performance.

7. International Accounting

International accounting involves the application of accounting principles in a global context. 

International accounting research explores ways to improve accounting practices to meet the needs of global stakeholders. 

It also examines the impact of globalization on accounting practices and the global economy.

8. Financial Statement Analysis

Financial statement analysis is a process that helps a company understand its finances. It involves reviewing a company’s financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, and notes to accounts.

Creditors, investors, regulatory authorities, and executive management rely on financial statements to make intelligent business decisions. They need to know whether a company is financially sound and can pay back debts when they are due.

Financial statement analysis uses several techniques to help stakeholders make informed decisions about the future of a business. It also considers risks and uncertainties that can affect the information in a company’s financial statements.

9. Financial Planning

Financial Planning is the process of assessing your current financial situation and taking that information to manage your money in a way that allows you to achieve your goals. This can include everything from retirement to estate planning and tax planning.

The key to a successful financial plan is to monitor your progress, compare forecasts with actual results, and make necessary adjustments. This helps you to spot any issues before they become a problem and find smarter growth opportunities.

The traditional approach to business planning has evolved from a largely manual, periodic activity to a more data-driven and connected, increasingly predictive process. It incorporates advanced technologies like machine learning to predict outcomes based on multiple data points, scenarios, and trends.

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10. Auditing

Auditing is examining financial statements to ensure that they are accurate and reliable. 

Auditing research explores how to improve the audit process, including technology and data analytics. It also examines the impact of auditing on financial reporting and the decision-making process of stakeholders.

It ensures that they comply with the appropriate accounting standards. It also helps identify areas that may have been mishandled or fraudulent.

During an audit, auditors examine a company’s records, including financial reports and other documents, for accuracy, efficiency, and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). They also look for potential fraud risks or other issues that could affect the organization.

The evidence that auditors use during an audit can come from a number of sources, such as legal documents, presentations, or oral interviews with employees. The nature and relevance of this evidence are important factors in determining the effectiveness of an audit.

11. Accounting Theory

Accounting theory is a set of principles that guides accountants in generating, recording, and classifying information. They are also responsible for interpreting and communicating the financial data to readers appropriately.

Sociological and economic environments influence accounting theories. Moreover, they are also influenced by social and political views.

The research explores accounting theory’s origin, growth, and development and its fundamental theoretical concepts. It also discusses theories of Income Determination and diversities in using Accounting Information.

12. Management Accounting

Management accounting is a type of accounting that uses data to help managers make decisions. Unlike financial accounting, management accountants rely on historical trends and future forecasting to determine a business’s best course of action.

Management accounting involves using accounting information to make informed decisions in business operations. Management accounting research explores ways to improve management accounting techniques to enhance decision-making. It also examines the impact of management accounting on business performance.

Management accountants gather and analyze information to help internal managers formulate policies, budgets, and other financial and non-financial information needed to make informed decisions. They also help plan operations, prepare financial forecasts, and analyze business risks and opportunities.

The key difference between managerial and financial accounting is that management accountants provide information based on the needs of the company’s management rather than merely representing it according to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). Management accounting produces data intended for internal stakeholders within a company, including shareholders, owners, employees, lenders, and government agencies.

13. Taxation

Taxation is a critical aspect of accounting that affects individuals and businesses alike. Taxation research examines how tax policies impact economic growth and development. It also explores ways to improve tax systems to make them more efficient and effective.

Also, Taxation has been an essential part of human civilization since ancient times. A government taxes its citizens and corporations to raise funds for the services they provide or for the public good.

There are different types of taxes, including corporate and personal income taxes, sales and property taxes, and tariffs. There are also different regulations for each type of tax.

Accountants use tax data to calculate taxable income and determine company tax liabilities. They then convey this information to managers, shareholders, creditors, and regulators.

14. Accounting Information Systems

Accounting information systems are software tools that allow businesses to record, classify, interpret, and present accounting data. They can also be used to monitor a business’s operations and make recommendations for improvement.

An AIS can be as simple as paper and pen, or it can be highly sophisticated with advanced technology. The system’s main goal is to meet the organization’s and its people’s needs.

A major concern with accounting systems is security. They need to be built to protect customer, vendor, and other company information. This can be done through policies and procedures that limit access to specific information by users and through physical access approvals, login requirements, and authorizations.

Another important component of an AIS is storage. This is where the ledgers and reports are stored after the system has processed them. This is usually done through hard disks, flash drives, memory cards, or cloud infrastructure.

15. Inventory Management

Inventory management is a critical aspect of any business that deals with physical goods. 

It involves monitoring, controlling, and optimizing inventory levels to ensure that products are available when customers need them while minimizing the costs associated with carrying inventory. 

Effective inventory management can help businesses improve their cash flow, reduce waste, and increase customer satisfaction.

There are several key components of inventory management, including forecasting, ordering, receiving, storing, tracking, and analyzing inventory levels.

16. Quality Control

Quality control in accounting refers to the measures taken by accounting firms and professionals to ensure that their work meets the required quality standards. 

It is a systematic approach to maintaining high standards of accounting and auditing practices, and it helps to ensure that the financial information reported by an organization is complete and free from material misstatements.

Quality control is essential for maintaining the integrity and credibility of accounting information used by businesses, investors, and other stakeholders to make important decisions.

In conclusion, accounting research is an essential aspect of the accounting profession.

It helps us better understand financial systems and improve decision-making processes. 

The topics discussed above are just a few of the many areas of accounting research.

As students, you can contribute to the field by researching and advancing our understanding of accounting.

There are many accounting research topics for students to consider. The most important factor when choosing a topic is the interest and skills of the student.

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Blockchain in accounting research: current trends and emerging topics

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal

ISSN : 0951-3574

Article publication date: 19 October 2021

Issue publication date: 22 August 2022

This paper provides a structured literature review of blockchain in accounting. The authors identify current trends, analyse and critique the key topics of research and discuss the future of this nascent field of inquiry.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s analysis combined a structured literature review with citation analysis, topic modelling using a machine learning approach and a manual review of selected articles. The corpus comprised 153 academic papers from two ranked journal lists, the Association of Business Schools (ABS) and the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC), and from the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). From this, the authors analysed and critiqued the current and future research trends in the four most predominant topics of research in blockchain for accounting.

Blockchain is not yet a mainstream accounting topic, and most of the current literature is normative. The four most commonly discussed areas of blockchain include the changing role of accountants; new challenges for auditors; opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application; and the regulation of cryptoassets. While blockchain will likely be disruptive to accounting and auditing, there will still be a need for these roles. With the sheer volume of information that blockchain records, both professions may shift out of the back-office toward higher-profile advisory roles where accountants try to align competitive intelligence with business strategy, and auditors are called on ex ante to verify transactions and even whole ecosystems.

Research limitations/implications

The authors identify several challenges that will need to be examined in future research. Challenges include skilling up for a new paradigm, the logistical issues associated with managing and monitoring multiple parties all contributing to various public and private blockchains, and the pressing need for legal frameworks to regulate cryptoassets.

Practical implications

The possibilities that blockchain brings to information disclosure, fraud detection and overcoming the threat of shadow dealings in developing countries all contribute to the importance of further investigation into blockchain in accounting.

Originality/value

The authors’ structured literature review uniquely identifies critical research topics for developing future research directions related to blockchain in accounting.

• Literature review
• Machine-learning approach
• Future trends

Garanina, T. , Ranta, M. and Dumay, J. (2022), "Blockchain in accounting research: current trends and emerging topics", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal , Vol. 35 No. 7, pp. 1507-1533. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2020-4991

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Tatiana Garanina, Mikko Ranta and John Dumay

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Blockchain is a technology for storing and verifying transactional records that works by adding “blocks” of data to a ledger, called the blockchain, that is maintained across a network of peer-to-peer computers ( Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ). It is a potentially disruptive technology that has begun to have dramatic impacts on the business models and market structures of many industries ( Casey and Vigna, 2018 ), including accounting ( Bonsón and Bednárová, 2019 ; Deloitte, 2016 ). However, the wealth of information produced about blockchain can make it challenging for researchers to stay up-to-date with the latest developments ( Cai et al. , 2019 ; Linnenluecke et al. , 2020 ). In these circumstances, the role of a structured literature review (SLR) of emerging research of blockchain in accounting should be a helpful tool ( Cai et al. , 2019 ; Moro et al. , 2015 ).

There are published literature reviews on how blockchain might be applied in a wide variety of academic disciplines, including business and management ( Xu et al. , 2019 ), supply chains ( Wang et al. , 2019 ; Gurtu and Johny, 2019 ), FinTech ( Cai, 2018 ; Rabbani et al. , 2020 ), the Internet of things ( Conoscenti et al. , 2016 ), and even cities ( Shen and Pena-Mora, 2018 ) but there has only been one for accounting and it was limited to 16 articles and 20 industry reports/websites ( Schmitz and Leoni, 2019 ). Other authors have also proposed different ways of applying blockchain technology in accounting and auditing (e.g. Yu et al. , 2018 ; Kokina et al. , 2017 ; Faccia and Mosteanu, 2019 ; Bonsón and Bednárová, 2019 ), without offering a comprehensive overview. Similarly, Bonsón and Bednárová (2019 , p. 737) conclude that “blockchain is an under-explored phenomenon, [and] future research is necessary to obtain a full understanding of this emerging technology and its implications for the accounting and auditing sphere”.

What are the current major research trends and topics related to blockchain for accounting?

What is the focus and critique of the key research topics?

What are the future research trends related to blockchain in accounting?

The studies collected for the review were drawn from accounting journals indexed by the Association of Business Schools (ABS), the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) and the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). To help analyse the corpus, we enlist the support of machine learning as found in other studies ( Cai et al. , 2019 ; El-Haj et al. , 2019 ; Black et al. , 2020 ; Bentley et al. , 2018 ). From this, we contribute and provide a comprehensive picture and critique of the literature on blockchain in accounting. This includes an analysis of impact; an examination of the four most widely-examined topics, being the changing role of accountants, new challenges for auditors, the opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application and the regulation of cryptoassets; and a discussion on areas for future research. Identifying emerging topics in the field is an important element in generating insights for future research ( Small et al. , 2014 ) and leading research innovations ( Cozzens et al. , 2010 ). Understanding what we have learnt and how blockchain technology is impacting accounting is of benefit to everyone connected to this area. It may also help to guide future research in this exciting area.

The remainder of the paper is as follows. In Section 2 , we discuss the concept of blockchain as an accounting technology. Section 3 outlines the methodology used for the review, followed by the results in Section 4 . The most representative articles are analysed in Section 5 , with future research directions discussed in Section 6 . Section 7 concludes the paper with the implications of this research for theory, practice and policy, along with the limitations of the study.

2. Blockchain in accounting

The main advantage of blockchain technology is that once a transaction is approved by the nodes in the network, it cannot be reversed or re-sequenced. The inability to modify a transaction is essential for the blockchain's integrity and ensures that all parties have accurate and identical records. Because blockchain is a distributed system, all changes to a ledger are transparent to all the members of a network.

Hence, if transparency is key, implementing blockchain may help to enhance a company's competitive advantage ( Deloitte, 2019 ), and it should certainly help to cultivate trust between market participants ( Yu et al. , 2018 ). In blockchain, the transaction verification process is not managed centrally. Rather, it involves all the computers in the network, so blockchain does not suffer from point of failure events. Nor can individuals collude to override controls or illicitly change or delete official accounting records ( Wang and Kogan, 2018 ). Companies that incorporate blockchain into their accounting systems therefore may reduce their risk of fraud ( Dai et al. , 2017 ). Using blockchain might also mean more transactions can be automated, less data are lost, transactions can be tracked better and users' needs throughout the process can be detected more easily ( Fullana and Ruiz, 2021 ; Bonsón and Bednárová, 2019 ). However, the primary and most valuable difference between traditional databases and blockchain is its novel solution to control whereby transactions cannot be deleted or changed ( Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ; Dai et al. , 2017 ).

Even though, for most industries, blockchain is still a new and not yet well-established technology, the World Economic Forum estimates that, by 2025, at least 10% of global gross domestic product (GDP) will rely on blockchains. And, by 2030, blockchains will have created $3.1tn in business value ( Panetta, 2018 ). It should therefore be unsurprising to consider that this revolution will start to change the nature of accounting and, in turn, the work of its practitioners and theorists (e.g. Yermack, 2017 ; Schmitz and Leoni, 2019 ; Yu et al. , 2018 ).

As such, a literature review on the status of blockchain in accounting is both topical and timely. The insights provided into this emerging technology will have implications for the accounting ecosystem–some beneficial, others challenging. Hopefully, this SLR will serve as a helpful baseline for practitioners, professionals and academics as we navigate the next potential revolution in accounting information systems.

3. Methodology

Massaro et al. (2016 , p. 2) characterise an SLR as “a method for studying a corpus of scholarly literature, to develop insights, critical reflections, future research paths and research questions”. The review process is conducted in several steps.

3.1 The research questions

RQ1. What are the major trends and topics developing within the research related to blockchain in accounting?

RQ2. What is the focus and critique of the key identified research topics?

RQ3. What are the future research trends related to blockchain in accounting?

3.2 Defining a set of articles for further analysis

Phase 1. We first composed a list of all accounting journals from the 2018 Chartered Association of Business Schools rankings (the ABS rankings), which amounted to 87 journals. We did the same for the 2019 Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List (the ABDC rankings). This netted 157 journals.

Phase 2. After removing duplicate journals covered in both ranking systems, we were left with 149 journals. In these, we looked for relevant papers published in the period Jan 2008 till June of 2020. We started our search in 2008 as this was when Satoshi Nakamoto first mentioned blockchain in his paper ( Nakamoto, 2008 ). Using the EBSCO, Scopus and Web of Science databases, we searched for any article with the key words “blockchain” or “distributed ledger technology” in the title or abstract. From 2,335 documents, we identified 112 papers that matched our criteria for publication source.

Phase 3. Massaro et al. (2016) outline that when undertaking an SLR, researchers should broaden the boundaries if there is very little published research. They also warn that what is published may already be out of date because of the long lead times involved in publishing academic articles. Massaro et al. (2016) bring clarity to “broadening the boundaries”, arguing that researchers need to search for sources other than academic journals, which may provide valuable insights into emerging research fields. The other sources might include conferences and open-source publishing platforms that offer researchers greater opportunities to disseminate their research to practice ( Massaro et al. , 2015 ).

Since blockchain is just such an emerging topic in the accounting literature ( Schmitz and Leoni, 2019 ; Bonsón and Bednárová, 2019 ; Yu et al. , 2018 ), we decided to add papers not yet published in the accounting journals but uploaded to the SSRN. SSRN is the leading social science and humanities repository and online community that provides “tomorrow's research today” ( Gordon, 2016 ). With more than 950,000 papers from over half a million authors in the e-library, SSRN offers an extensive pool of research ideas that can be tracked before publication to detect emerging research topics and current trends. These papers added an important contribution to our literature review. Here, we searched for “accounting” AND “blockchain” or “accounting AND distributed ledger” over the same period and found 68 papers, some of which overlapped with papers already retrieved. These were excluded, plus we also excluded any of the papers that had subsequently been published in a non-accounting journal or an accounting journal not ranked by ABS or ABDC. This left 41 additional articles to add to the corpus. Thus, our final sample comprised 153 papers on blockchain for accounting.

Portable Document Format  (PDF) versions of each of the articles were downloaded and stored in a Mendeley database with full referencing details. The sources and number of papers from each source are given in Table 1 .

3.3 Methods of analysis: Latent Dirichlet Allocation combined with manual analysis

In machine learning, there are many different text mining techniques, each designed to suit different types of data and different end purposes (see Wanner et al. , 2014 for a comprehensive review). We used a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model, which is well-suited to providing a systematic and non-biased method of investigating a body of literature ( Cai et al. , 2019 ; El-Haj et al. , 2019 ; Black et al. , 2020 ; Bentley et al. , 2018 ; Fligstein et al. , 2017 ). El-Haj et al. (2019 , p. 266) explain that LDA leads to “wider generalizability, greater objectivity, improved replicability, enhanced statistical power, and scope for identifying ‘hidden’ linguistic features”. Research shows LDA to be a relevant and useful tool for working with both big and small literature corpora (e.g. Li, 2010 ; Asmussen and Møller, 2019 ; El-Haj et al. , 2019 ). Asmussen and Møller (2019 , p. 16) highlight that applying LDA to even small sets of papers provides “greater reliability than competing exploratory review methods, as the code can be rerun on the same papers, which will provide identical results”. For these reasons and more, the LDA method is currently one of the most commonly employed topic identification methods that does not simply rely on a static word frequency measure ( Blei et al. , 2003 ). Moreover, El-Haj et al. (2019 , p. 292) recommend employing machine learning methods and high-quality manual analysis in conjunction as they “represent complementary approaches to analyzing financial discourse”. We followed this advice, applying a hybrid approach that comprised LDA analysis, citation analysis and a manual review.

LDA allows us to explore latent relationships between terms and topics in a sample, identify the most representative articles for each topic and identify the trends within the topics. Using LDA helps us capture the idea of a document being composed of a (predetermined) number of topics that represent a probability distribution over a vocabulary. The number of topics is optimised using grid-search and coherence of topics ( Röder et al. , 2015 ). The model also supplies a list of articles that most strongly “belong” to each topic.

The text mining procedure is straightforward. In a Python environment ( www.python.org ), the articles are first converted from PDF documents into text files. The text is then converted into lower case, and all characters other than letters are removed. Next, stop words, such as the , and , but , if , or , are removed, and the remaining words are lemmatised into their dictionary word. Additionally, all words other than nouns are discarded. Finally, the documents are turned into a bag-of-words format and fed into the LDA model.

The results showed that the four topics with the highest marginal distribution accounted for more than half of the overall content of the sample. To test the validity and reliability of this result, we applied several other types of analysis suggested by researchers working with literature reviews. For example, Dumay and Cai (2014) and Jones and Alam (2019) argue that citation impact factors are increasingly important because they identify the most influential articles. Highly cited articles represent a “corpus of scholarly literature” that can help “develop insights, critical reflections, future research paths and research questions” ( Massaro et al. , 2016 , p. 767). To conduct a citation analysis, we use citation counts based on Google Scholar data, based on queries employing Harzing's Publish or Perish software as of 5 March 2021. This step also helped us validate that the papers and topics identified by the LDA analysis were among the most cited.

Although the LDA method helped us to identify past and current trends in the literature, Cai et al. (2019 , p. 710) contend that “the human researcher is potentially better equipped to evaluate future trends in the literature”. Hence, we also manually reviewed the 15 articles identified in the LDA analysis as the most representative of each topic. This review affirmed the results of the LDA analysis and gave us the opportunity to offer a critique and gain more insights while identifying future research directions.

This section provides answers to RQ1 : What are the current research trends and topics in blockchain for accounting?

Figure 1 demonstrates that the volume of articles on the topic is increasing annually. The first articles began to appear in 2015 and, by 2019, 4 articles had increased to 40 papers, with 35 already published just in the first half of 2020.

Of the top-ranked journals–either 4-star ABS or A* ABDC–only two have each published one paper on blockchain. This is a clear indication that the phenomenon has not yet fallen into mainstream research. Given its relatively recent appearance in the literature, this is not surprising. Additionally, most of the articles that have been published are normative in approach and look at the future applications of blockchain in accounting. From this, we can assume that, in future, more cases of blockchain applications in accounting practice will be researched. Once the literati start to read of blockchain having a real influence on the profession, we expect the number of papers published in the leading journals will increase.

4.1 Results of LDA analysis

The LDA analysis unearthed ten topics, which we needed to find appropriate names for. This we did in a two-step procedure. First, we looked at the terms listed against each topic, then we read the most representative articles for each group identified by the model. One author then developed a descriptive title, which was reviewed and perhaps modified before being approved by the remaining authors. The final topic names are listed in Table 2 , along with the 20 most important words for each topic and the marginal distribution of each topic.

As shown in Table 2 , the most widely analysed topics are: the changing role of accountants; new challenges for auditors; the opportunities and challenges of applying blockchain technology and the regulation of cryptoassets. These account for more than half of the papers. No other topic amounts to more than 10% of papers on its own. Figure 2 shows the representation of the different topics from 2016 to 2020. Since there were so few papers in 2015, we did not include this year in the chart.

Two of the most widely discussed topics–“the changing role of accountants” and “the new challenges for auditors”–only seem to be getting more popular. These two subjects account for the highest proportion of the articles. Although “new skills for teams” began to attract attention in 2019, papers on this topic still only account for a small portion of the sample. Interesting, even over such a short period, interest in some topics is already waning, e.g. “FinTech in banking”, “cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets”, and “blockchain and taxation”. With this in mind, and given the overwhelming interest in just a handful of topics, we focused the rest of our analysis on the top four topics.

4.2 Article impact

As mentioned in the methodology, we checked the validity and reliability of the topic results using citation analysis ( Dumay et al. , 2018 ). Table 3 shows the total citation counts for the top 10 articles as listed in Google Scholar citations (5 March 2021).

As shown, all but one of the ten most-cited articles were published in ranked accounting journals. In fact, three were published in the Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. The one exception was found on SSRN. Additionally, the topics cited match the topics revealed by the LDA analysis, particularly new challenges for auditors, opportunities and challenges of blockchain applications, and the regulation of cryptoassets.

Dumay and Cai (2014 , p. 270) note that “One problem with determining the impact from citations alone is that older articles can accumulate more citations”. To overcome this problem and to identify emerging articles, in Table 4 , we also calculated the citations per year (CPY). Six articles are common to both rankings: Kim and Laskowski (2018) , Fanning and Centers (2016) , O'Leary (2017) , La Torre et al. (2018) , Kokina et al. (2017) , Issa et al. (2016) . This offers clear support for the results of the LDA analysis. Further, two of the articles were published in 2019 and are already in the top 10, which is a sign of just how strong the interest in blockchain technology is.

The results of Table 4 allow us to confirm our choice of the topics for further analysis. The top 10 papers with the highest citations per year belong to one of the four research topics that have the marginal distribution over 10% represented in Table 2 and account for more than a half of the overall distribution.

5. Key research topics: focus and critique

In this section, we answer RQ2 : What is the focus and critique of the key identified research topics?

While the LDA analysis revealed ten topics, much of the literature is focussed on four of these: the changing role of accountants, new challenges for auditors, opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application and the regulation of cryptoassets. In the next sections, we analyse and critique these subject areas in more detail, paying attention to the papers that the model deemed to be strongly representative of each topic.

5.1 The changing role of accountants

Each of the papers on this topic discusses ideas about how the role of accountants and accounting treatments would change if/when blockchain becomes a mainstream technology. For example, several authors discuss the advantages of using blockchain to record transactions on a real-time basis ( Yermack, 2017 ; Dai and Vasarhelyi, 2017 ). Routine accounting data would be recorded permanently with a timestamp, preventing it from being altered ex-post, which Alles (2018) argues would further ensure the reliability of current accounting information systems. Real-time accounting would also reduce the potential opportunities for earnings management ( Yermack, 2017 ). Additionally, using blockchain means anyone can review all transactions, even those that may be suspicious or related to conflicts of interest. Irreversible transactions also mean accountants could not backdate sales or report depreciation expenses in future periods when they should be expensed immediately. As a tool for accuracy and transparency, blockchain places pressure on accountants to justify their accounting choices. It also creates a closer link between accounting and a company's responsibilities to its stakeholders and makes it more challenging for financially-distressed companies to hide their situation ( Smith, 2017 ).

Anyone could aggregate the firm's transactions into the form of an income statement and balance sheet at any time, and they would no longer need to rely on quarterly financial statements prepared by the firm.

We agree that blockchain will impact how accounting information is recorded, but we do not expect that accounting functions will disappear. Rather, accountants will likely retain some old functions, either as-is or modified to suit the new paradigm, and find they have an entirely new set of responsibilities, some of which will require them to develop new skills. For example, well-developed IT competencies may become a prerequisite for the accounting profession, at least in the interim period where firms are prepared to face the changes brought about by integrating blockchain ( Uwizeyemungu et al. , 2020 ; McGuigan and Ghio, 2019 ). That said, we do not think that such changes will happen overnight. It will take time before companies implement blockchain as a ‘foundational technology’, and any disruptions to the profession will take place over years ( Iansiti and Lakhani, 2017 , p. 4).

What could be an even more profound transformation of the profession is how the work of accountants might no longer involve only recording transactions. In future, accountants may need to provide professional judgements during the accounting process ( McGuigan and Ghio, 2019 ; Dai and Vasarhelyi, 2017 ). Even if blockchain takes over the recording and storing of basic accounting transactions, there will be a need to decide on the choice of the most appropriate amortisation and depreciation methods, the length of the useful life of property, plant and equipment, the accounting policies regarding accounting for inventories and fair-value accounting. Moreover, with an increase in the number of cryptoassets and initial coin offerings (ICOs) accountants may also need to develop their skills as advisors and consultants on how to report these kinds of assets and transactions. Further, if blockchain is implemented on a broad scale, accountants will not only have more information for planning and control, they may be required to synthesise it. This, too, will change the role of accountants, particularly management accountants. No longer relegated to the back office, accountants would likely take a much more prominent position as agents of intelligence, advising, communicating and attempting to closely link their firm's activities to strategic decision-making.

Blockchain may also lead to more disclosures of non-financial information, such as that related to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The transparency of blockchain might prompt companies to do more explaining. They may wish to quantify and make visible “feel-good” information as a counterpart to the financial ( Smith, 2017 ). Additionally, blockchain provides opportunities to collect qualitative social and environmental data, which will continue to require assurance in the future. La Torre et al. (2018) argue that blockchain will generate an automatic assurance system for non-financial information that could substantially modify the current assurance paradigm. Therefore, blockchain may help accountants move away “from traditional accounting assumptions, such as monetary unit[s], economic entit[ies] and time periods, leading organisations more towards holistic views of their relations with the society” ( McGuigan and Ghio, 2019 , p. 800).

Lev and Gu (2016) argue that blockchain may reduce information asymmetry and lead to more effective decision-making. They put forward that the relevance of information disclosed only in financial statements is diminishing because of the growing importance of non-financial information and that blockchain's ability to store quantified non-financial information may see accountants working more closely with other decision-making bodies.

The disruptive potential of accounting technologies can only be fully realised with a similarly profound revolution in accounting thinking. Without an accompanying “mental revolution”, new technologies may result in incremental as opposed to step change.

5.2 New challenges for auditors

Blockchain may also disrupt the auditing profession. With the ability to autonomously execute some audit procedures based on blockchain, smart contracts will provide stakeholders with already partly verified information ( Rozario and Vasarhelyi, 2018 ). La Torre et al. (2018) claim that participants in the accounting ecosystem may act as auditors themselves. Accounting information may be verified by different actors thanks to the assurance abilities of blockchain and because companies can continuously share information. Moreover, there is the possibility to automate some external auditing functions over the blockchain to improve audit quality and narrow the expectation gap between auditors, financial statement users and regulatory bodies ( Rozario and Vasarhelyi, 2018 ). Some authors call for the appearance of a new brand of auditor that can offer attestation services for independent evaluations of blockchain controls ( Canelón et al. , 2019 ; Sheldon, 2019 ).

However, some researchers are not convinced that blockchain will dramatically impact the auditing profession. Rather, they suggest that auditing will take on new features and become more complicated ( Dai et al. , 2019 ; Issa et al. , 2016 ). Distributed public recording on the blockchain will allow real-time audits in many locations and organisations simultaneously ( Issa et al. , 2016 ). These authors argue that auditors will need improved skills to audit the data not only for one company but also for the whole accounting ecosystem.

… continuously collect data from the real world, create a variety of intelligent modules for real-time auditing, monitoring, fraud detection, etc., and thereby improve the effectiveness and efficiency of assurance services.

Blockchain will require auditors to gain new IT skills and technical knowledge as without an improved understanding of blockchain, they will not be able “to design efficient and effective audit processes, to collect accurate audit evidence, and to review the system for potential risks and frauds” ( Dai et al. , 2019 , p. 38). Of course, for blockchain technology to enable continuous auditing and for it to give auditors a better understanding of their clients' businesses, companies will need to record all transactions on the blockchain ( Schmitz and Leoni, 2019 ). After all, “real-time auditing” can only be delivered to the degree that transactions are recorded on the blockchain.

Auditors should be concerned about the risks of privacy breaches deriving not only from both external unauthorised access but also from accessing and using certain corporate and external data to perform audit activities; the latter being a task that needs to engage principles that go beyond legal prohibitions.

Blockchains do not provide a guarantee for transactions taking place in the real world. Even if they are recorded onto blockchains, transactions may still be fraudulent, illegal or unauthorised. Hence, given the need for auditors to detect and investigate transaction errors or fraud, the argument of auditors becoming obsolescent is not evident.

Essential roles for auditors in the future will be assuring the reliability, credibility and authorisation process of blockchain transactions.

Implementing blockchain may benefit most accountants and auditors, but it may be negatively perceived by those who work in the black economy, those who are keen on earnings management, and those who need to manipulate the appearance of illicit transactions. Therefore, we assume that automating data collection and storage using blockchain will not mean the auditing profession disappears. Rather, we see it evolving into a new role within companies and the ecosystem of blockchain accounting.

5.3 Opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application

Papers on this topic are mostly written from the perspective of a company implementing blockchain. Opportunities range from improved efficiency, transparency and trust to the high potential of new business models and ecosystems that evolve due to blockchain. Challenges include potential risks related to blockchain implementation, the influence of context and a high demand for energy consumption.

Because blockchain eliminates the need to enter and reconcile information in multiple databases, efficiency gains are a key strength. Blockchain also saves time by increasing the speed of transactions, reducing human error and minimising fraud ( Kokina et al. , 2017 ; O'Leary, 2017 ). The use of smart contracts may also improve processes in a range of industries. Smart contracts on the blockchain execute when certain conditions are met without the need for trusted intermediaries to verify the fact ( Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ; Kokina et al. , 2017 ). There is already evidence to show how blockchain may reduce costs in the finance industry (e.g. Fanning and Centers, 2016 ; Kokina et al. , 2017 ).

One of the challenges for implementing blockchain is context ( Stratopoulos and Calderon, 2018 ). It is unlikely that small firms would want to make their transactions publicly available or that they would benefit from blockchain accounting as much as big companies. Distributed ledgers may not be attractive or even needed by every company, so there is a real need to ascertain exactly what the up and downsides of implementing blockchain are. As O'Leary (2019) observes, the opportunities for using blockchain may be limited by the desire and ability of all agents in the ecosystem to implement it. For example, some companies may wish to use a private blockchain, but we do not yet know how to accommodate multiple private blockchains with different levels of secrecy and different kinds of trading partners, some of whom may be members of a public blockchain ( O'Leary, 2019 ; Kim and Laskowski, 2018 ).

It is also important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of joining a public or a private blockchain ( O'Leary, 2017 ). There are many different configurations of blockchain, e.g. peer-to-peer and public, cloud-based, private and these all need to be analysed before they can be soundly implemented in different settings. Further, those investigations must include analyses at the accounting, auditing and supply chain levels. For example, O'Leary (2017) argues that public blockchains are not the best approach to capturing accounting or supply chain transactions. Instead, he believes private and cloud-based blockchain configurations will dominate the corporate landscape. In a private blockchain, only a preselected number of nodes are authorised to use the ledger. Hence, not everyone has access to all company's data. Yet many researchers speak positively about how blockchain technology will mean provenance in the supply chain that is much more traceable ( Kim and Laskowski, 2018 ). In our opinion, it will be important for all the agents in the ecosystem to understand how blockchain provides similar benefits. For example, due to the potential risks of disclosing information, we assume that blockchain will have a more restrictive effect on business entities than non-profit organisations, because non-profits tend not to hold as many commercial secrets.

Moreover, Kokina et al. (2017) note that the scalability of blockchain is an issue from a technical perspective, as blockchain is computationally intensive and requires a lot of energy. This raises sustainability questions and may not be an issue that gets resolved until renewable energy accounts for most of our energy production ( Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ). Three further risks are often raised, each surrounding changing business processes ( Canelón et al. , 2019 ; Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ; Kokina et al. , 2017 ). The first relates to the centralisation of computing power, also called the “51% attack risk”, which can happen when most of the computing power in a blockchain's network is centralised. In this case, whoever controls that power can, with impunity, discard a valid link in the chain or substitute an invalid block for a valid one. The second risk is transaction malleability, which occurs when an attacker copies a transaction and modifies it to receive tokens (payment) then claims that no tokens were ever received. The third risk relates to flawed smart contracts that can hide malicious code or another contract with a weakness. This risk highlights the need for independent external auditors to approve transactions before the contract enters the blockchain. In short, the ability of blockchain to store records makes it a target for potential cyberattacks. Therefore, to ensure the security of information in a blockchain, there is a need to implement internal and cybersecurity controls that consider privacy preservation issues ( Chohan, 2017 ; Coyne and McMickle, 2017 ; O'Leary, 2017 ).

To gain real efficiencies in the use of blockchain or any technology, there is a need to reengineer, rather than just automate, existing processes. Unfortunately, many of the proposals for the use of blockchain are aimed at automating existing processes, typically in an approach to leverage the immutability and digitisation of paper, but generally do not propose or use changes in the processes.

Unless existing processes and systems are truly scrutinised for their potential to benefit from blockchain technology, the full range of opportunities that blockchain presents will not be realised. Blockchain will only become a “game-changer” if all parties involved in the accounting ecosystem are open to its potential.

5.4 Regulation of cryptoassets

The papers devoted to this topic analyse a variety of questions related to the regulation of cryptoassets (also called tokens), including cryptocurrencies and ICOs (e.g. Gurrea-Martínez and Remolina, 2018 ; Wiśniewska, 2018 ). These assets are not addressed by any accounting standards, that leads to challenges in their classification and measurement and reflects the lack of economic characteristics for a “standard” intangible asset ( Procházka, 2018 ) or a financial asset ( Smith et al. , 2019 ). There are several regulatory issues that need to be solved: classification of cryptoassets in accounting; the kinds of insolvency that affect buyers and sellers of tokens; and the regulation of potential money laundering via blockchain ( Pimentel et al. , 2019 ; Zhang et al. , 2021 ). Moreover, with the increased competitiveness of the market, questions related to data protection and data safety on the blockchain become extremely important for further regulation ( Cai, 2018 ).

The uncertainty linked to valuing cryptoassets is affecting the development of proper regulations, as this issue affects the fundamental qualitative aspects of financial accounting, such as relevance and faithful representation. Moreover, as highlighted in the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting , the principles of prudence, neutrality and conservatism continue to pose challenges for properly presenting cryptoassets in financial statements ( FRC, 2018 ; The Interpretations Committee, 2019 ).

There is no commonly shared point of view among researchers on the best way to regulate cryptoassets. Some say that they fit in with the existing accounting standards, while others state there is a need to develop a new regulatory framework that will decrease the probability of fraud ( Auer, 2019 ; Pimentel et al. , 2019 ). For example, there is a high demand for developing regulations for ICOs, cryptoassets that do not offer investors concrete products or services but provide an opportunity for capital gains from reselling cryptocurrencies in the future ( Zhang et al. , 2021 ). In December 2017, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton stated that ICOs are vulnerable to fraud and manipulation because there is less investor protection than in the stock market ( Clayton, 2017 ). We think that as the tokenisation of securities would be a useful tool in capital markets in the future (as already reflected by their fast development in Asian markets) and because ICOs and crowdsourced platforms represent a legitimate means of exchange in ecosystems, the regulatory issues need to be resolved to make this instrument available to wider markets participants ( Gurrea-Martínez and Remolina, 2018 ; Zhang et al. , 2021 ; Sixt and Himmer, 2019 ).

Currently, regulators monitor the field of cryptoassets on a case-by-case basis, but not to the extent that investors, or would-be-investors, could determine with certainty how cryptoassets may be treated ( Smith et al. , 2019 ). Nor are all market participants eager to treat cryptoassets as a security due to their volatility, making it difficult to ascertain an appropriate value to record for income statement and balance sheet purposes ( Smith et al. , 2019 ; Tan and Low, 2019 ). Finally, it is worth noting that financial accounting is characterised by accounting prudence and conservatism, which can lead to differences between a company's market and book value ( Dumay and Guthrie, 2019 ). As cryptoassets are often characterised as a potential future economic benefit, their acquisition may lead to even greater discrepancies between the market and book values of companies, especially in markets with optimistic valuations of intangible assets.

Thus, the uncertainty on measuring cryptoassets leads to the problems of comparability, verifiability, timeliness and understandability in financial accounting ( IASB, 2018 , p. 6). Therefore, in line with Smith et al. (2019 , p. 166), we conclude that for now, “this innovative technology has the potential to change internal management systems …; however, lack of regulation and information makes investment planning for cryptoassets complex and forbidding”. The divergence of crypto classifications means that worldwide regulation and availability of information on cryptoassets will be the most important factors for their spread. As a result, we see the need for a proactive regulatory framework rather than merely reacting to questions regarding the regulation and accountability of cryptoassets.

6. Future research directions

This section answers RQ3 : What are the future research trends related to blockchain in accounting?

The following views regarding the future research trends were framed by the insights in the previous section and reviewing the most representative papers for each topic.

6.1 The changing role of accountants

As discussed in Section 5.1 , most papers on the changing role of accountants are normative. They talk mainly about various assumptions over how blockchain may influence accounting. One of the main changes frequently discussed is how blockchain will change the way accountants collect information. Given this, we think the future will result in more case studies and practically-oriented papers that empirically test blockchain's impact on accounting ( Alles, 2018 ). According to Zhang et al. (2017) , new business reporting models, such as triple-entry accounting, will demand investigations into how blockchain strengthens or alters functions like valuations and contracting. Further, the monitoring role of accountants in managing information for the benefit of stakeholders will need to be established ( Zhang et al. , 2017 ). However, Alles (2018) warns that there is a danger of the “empirical takeover” effect when papers become empirically driven. Thus, there is a need to establish a solid theoretical and conceptual background for how blockchain will disrupt accountancy.

The role of management in implementing blockchain is very important. According to Jarvenpaa and Ives (1991 , p. 205), “Few nostrums have been prescribed so religiously and ignored as regularly as top management support in the development and implementation of IT.” A high degree of support for specific IT innovations is needed to ensure companies hold fast to a long-term vision and optimally manage their resources to see it through. At the same time, these innovations can create a favourable organisational climate that can overcome barriers and resistance to change ( Clohessy and Acton, 2019 ). Future research might therefore investigate the structure of management bodies and the role of top management in blockchain implementation.

Prior research points to a growing trend in the topic of new skills for teams when implementing blockchain and using this technology in day-to-day work ( Changati and Kansal, 2019 ). Fang and Hope (2021) indicate that blockchain is more effectively implemented in teams comprising accountants, managers and experienced analysts as opposed to teams consisting only of highly experienced analysts. We expect that blockchain will involve more multi-tasked teams with diverse knowledge and skills to generate additional synergies. Therefore, future research may analyse the characteristics of teams and government bodies that work better together for the most efficient implementation and decision-making using blockchain.

6.2 New challenges for auditors

In the realm of auditing, future research could explore how different types of blockchain (public, private and permissioned) could be used in accounting and Audit 4.0 to improve the quality of the data collected ( Dai et al. , 2019 ). The dilemma of adopting blockchain in accounting and auditing is in finding the right trade-off between information confidentiality and transparency. The simultaneous protection of data privacy and maintenance of data accuracy is an important area for future research. Further, the ways of creating effective smart audit contracts and smart reporting contracts should also be studied with a special focus on executing traces and enforceability ( Schmitz and Leoni, 2019 ).

More extensive analysis is also needed on the auditing ecosystems based on blockchain ( Smith, 2020 ). For example, if a client is a part of several blockchains, any engagement to audit or attest that information must include an examination of all associated blockchains. In the case of supply chains, cross-border payments, and transfers of intellectual capital, the chains–be they digital or physical in nature–can include dozens, if not hundreds, of organisations. How to conduct an effective and successful audit of such systems should attract the attention of researchers.

Additionally, more real cases will need to be explored to see how technology might disrupt the auditing community ( Marrone and Hazelton, 2019 ). Researchers might also address data protection issues as well as the new skills and competencies needed to remain relevant and add value ( Moll and Yigitbasioglu, 2019 ). Some, like Siew et al. (2020) , argue that, while digitising the validation process will reduce errors, and the immutability of the blockchain will minimise the opportunity to commit fraud, blockchain accounting does not guarantee that financial reports will be true and fair; the processes still need to be tested and the various accounting judgements still need to be reviewed. Moreover, blockchain will not resolve questions over issues like reconciling accounting standards. Hence, accountants will still need to be involved in the process ( Cai, 2018 ). Thus, many of the benefits and challenges of blockchain for auditing still need to be analysed.

6.3 Opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application

A more fundamental area of future research is the role of financial intermediaries and how their role might change. In the future, we expect to see competition and cooperation among traditional and new intermediaries, and research needs to explore these phenomena to provide guidance to all participants such as incumbents, new entries and regulators ( Cai, 2018 ). The influence of blockchain on risk management and companies' performance indicators is another promising area for future research as there is a need to identify how stakeholders' value creation may be affected by implementing blockchain ( Cai, 2018 ). It would also be worth examining whether the response of managers towards blockchain varies in different industries ( Cao et al. , 2018 ). Burragoni (2017) argues that implementing blockchain in the finance industry might help overcome the threat of a shadow economy, given the improved transparency and legitimacy on offer, but this is an assumption that needs further justification.

Analysing the role of blockchain in changing business models in different industries is sure to be a topic of great interest to researchers ( Johannessen, 2013 ). The efficiency of new business models in comparison to traditional ones may also bring new insights for academics and practitioners. Researchers should test new business models in a market and evaluate transaction efficiency and the degree of novelty in the transaction's content, structure, steering, resource use, network effects and value creation for stakeholders. Researchers can analyse the efficiency of blockchain implementation in different areas and focus on “the benefits of the first-mover advantage” ( Karajovic et al. , 2019 , p. 322). In the future, it will be important to monitor the progress of the implementation of blockchain in different types of organisations ( Gietzmann and Grossetti, 2019 ).

Researchers should analyse how blockchain ecosystems evolve and are applied ( Benjaafar et al. , 2018 ). Blockchain enables real-time, verifiable and transparent accounting, making it reasonable to assume that accounting information systems will become ecosystems. In a data ecosystem that progressively integrates a nearly infinite set of initially disconnected data, the ability to integrate coherently and apply software agents will be of high importance. With an almost infinite supply of new data, novel methods of measuring business performance will inevitably emerge ( Cho et al. , 2019 ). Understanding how blockchain distributes the power of transaction verification and how data are stored and managed to prevent any unauthorised data changes in ecosystems are also key questions in need of investigation.

The challenges of blockchain regarding sustainability and environmental issues should also be a focus in future research. On the one hand, a distributed carbon ledger system based on blockchain technology will not only strengthen the corporate accounting system for carbon asset management but also will fit within existing market-based emissions trading schemes ( Tang and Tang, 2019 ). Blockchain will help integrate national emission trading schemes and corporate carbon asset management into a single synthesised mechanism, making it possible to analyse the overall efficiency of carbon trading markets in some great amount of detail. On the other hand, Nyumbayire (2017) points to environmental sustainability as an issue, explaining that the algorithms that run blockchain require a great deal of electricity. Moreover, as the technology grows, the algorithms become more complicated, and more time and energy are required to validate transactions. We argue that in the future, researchers should investigate the sustainability and environmental issues related to blockchain in more detail.

6.4 Regulation of cryptoassets

To date, the growth of blockchain technology has not led to the building of a corresponding regulatory framework. Thus, there are many questions that need to be resolved surrounding the legal and accounting frameworks for accounting, recognising and valuing cryptoassets. Further, when these frameworks are developed, they will need to be analysed. Researchers will also likely want to determine whether the standard-setting bodies have developed credible reporting conventions over the financial implications of cryptocurrency transactions ( Raiborn and Sivitanides, 2015 ; Tan and Low, 2019 ). Future research could explore whether blockchain has or will have a positive effect on the timeliness of disclosures; how financial reporting standards welcome new types of assets; and how the uncertainty associated with cryptoassets can be overcome.

Academics, together with practitioners, should work on specifying how these regulatory dimensions need to be developed, what type of disclosures are relevant to cryptocurrencies and how disclosure costs may further impact market uncertainty ( Cao et al. , 2018 ). Clarifying the regulatory framework will probably also lead to more ICOs, as initiators will be better prepared and be able to respond to uncertainty in blockchain policy by increasing their voluntary disclosures ( Zhang et al. , 2021 ; Gurrea-Martínez and Remolina, 2018 ). Research on the efficiency and effectiveness of ICOs will be of high interest in the future.

How cryptoassets and cryptocurrencies should be taxed is also open to question ( Ram, 2018 ). Once clarified, researchers will be able to study the taxation policies applicable to this new class of assets in detail. One related research question for the future involves whether blockchain-based instant tax allocation helps to decrease the cost of tax compliance for companies or not ( Karajovic et al. , 2019 ). As the role of external contexts and legal frameworks is highly important to blockchain development ( Allen et al. , 2020 ; Stratopoulos and Calderon, 2018 ), researchers may study the differences in blockchain implementation in environments that are (and are not) “crypto-friendly”.

7. Conclusion

Our aim with this paper was to define the key topics and trends, past, present and future, that concern researchers in blockchain for accounting. Our analysis systematically identified these topics by analysing 153 relevant papers. By combining machine-learning methods with more traditional approaches, we were able to draw a holistic picture of the critical advances and trends in the corpus of literature. The results indicate that the most widely discussed topics are the changing role of accountants, new challenges for auditors, the opportunities and challenges of blockchain technology application, and the regulation of cryptoassets.

This paper provides a compact snapshot of the state of blockchain papers in accounting research. The trends and identified research directions may help predict future citation impact and informed our suggestions for future research. They may also help journal editors decide on calls for special issues as interest in this topic grows.

7.1 Implications for academics

Our analysis reveals that more than two-thirds of the papers under review were published in journals, while less than a third represent works in progress uploaded to SSRN. The top accounting journals from the ABS and ABDC rankings appear to be resistant to the blockchain field of research, as they have published only a few papers devoted to the technology. This could be because those journals are less friendly towards phenomenon-based research ( Von Krogh et al. , 2012 ) than fundamental research or that the publication process takes much longer, and we will see more papers in the upcoming years. Another reason could be that most existing articles are normative and are looking at the future applications of blockchain. We may assume that, in the future, when there will be more cases examining the actual application of blockchain in accounting practices and real examples of the influence of blockchain on the accounting and auditing field, the number of papers in the leading journals may increase. For now, we observe that, with the blockchain landscape changing daily, and ideas and research needing to reach the target audience faster than the traditional journal route allows, researchers are turning to SSRN to share their tentative findings ( Holub and Johnson, 2017 ). We also observe that Australian scholarship is now leading the blockchain research in accounting, as more papers were published in journals included in the ABDC ranking compared to the ABS ranking. Moreover, Australian journals such as the Australian Accounting Review and Meditari Accounting Research are among the top tiers of those who welcome such research.

It will be important to monitor the progress in the take-up of blockchain in the future ( Bonsón et al. , 2019 ; Gietzmann and Grossetti, 2019 ; Bonsón and Bednárová, 2019 ). More papers applying machine learning techniques will help to gather information from reports, and web crawlers will be able to discover new aspects of how blockchain technologies have been implemented in practice. Combined with manual analysis, these data will help to chart new paths forward for researchers.

7.2 Implications for accounting practice

Even though we anticipate that blockchain will influence accounting and auditing, we do not assume they will be totally replaced. Most expect that these professions will be augmented rather than fully automated, and the need for accountants and auditors will not disappear ( Agnew, 2016 ; Marrone and Hazelton, 2019 ). There will still be a need for professional judgement, and, further, issues such as reconciliation are almost impossible to perform at the current stage of blockchain's development. In line with McGuigan and Ghio (2019) , we argue that accountants will not only have to understand the data on blockchain, they will also have to interpret and explain the implications of this information to management and other decision-makers. As a result, accountancy is likely to become a much more strategically oriented profession.

However, the skills required of accountants are likely to change, and there may be a need for fewer entry-level accountants ( Kokina and Davenport, 2017 ; Marrone and Hazelton, 2019 ). There may be a shift towards notions such as creativity, innovation, holistic thinking, complex decision-making and sense-making. The ability to adapt to keep pace with an increasingly evolving business environment and technological context will also be important. Addressing such changes in education through content and delivery is necessary to ensure that graduates have up-to-date and workplace-relevant knowledge and can keep up with global accreditation standards and professional qualifications ( Al-Htaybat et al. , 2018 ). Teams, management and government bodies implementing blockchain and making decisions based on data obtained from blockchain will also need new skills to adapt to the changing environment ( Pimentel et al. , 2019 ; Siew et al. , 2020 ). Therefore, we propose that universities and higher education institutions should change and improve the curriculum of accounting and finance programmes to help students develop the above-mentioned skills. It is essential to start making the changes now as current students will soon become accounting and auditing practitioners as well as managers working with blockchain and other disruptive technologies.

7.3 Implications for policy

The literature review reveals a pressing need for legal frameworks to govern blockchain technologies and regulate cryptoassets. Comprehensive work by regulators and policymakers may help implement and spread these technological innovations further, opening new sources of financing for companies. There is also a need to work on legal and taxation policies for tokens, bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies so that they become valuable tools and stable assets in capital markets. With the improved regulatory framework, we also propose that in the future governments may develop national cryptocurrencies, e.g. crypto-euros or crypto dollars, that will be easier and faster to use compared to existing currencies. A well-developed regulatory framework may help tokens become a legitimate means of exchange in ecosystems that will start growing in the future. Further work is required from accounting bodies to accept new types of digital assets and develop standards that will solve the issues related to their recognition, measurement and disclosure. In the future, the implementation of blockchain may also raise questions related to the regulation of social and environmental accounting that becomes possible with this technology. All this will help to improve transparency further and decrease information asymmetry in the market.

7.4 Limitations

This study has several limitations. First, the sample only covers the period till June 2020. Extending this timeline could be an option for future research. Second, other machine learning techniques could be applied while working with the corpus of literature. Although our LDA approach is much more advanced than mere word count or word cloud methods, it still models documents using a bag-of-words representation. A similar topic model using more advanced neural natural language processing (NLP) architectures like Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) ( Devlin et al. , 2018 ) or Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3) ( Brown et al. , 2020 ) that also consider the context and semantics of words might result in different fields of inquiry or a more revealing combination of topics. Third, we included articles uploaded to the SSRN database as well as published articles in ranked journals. We are aware that the peer-review process is accepted as a proxy for the quality of published works, especially with respect to academic journal articles ( Hart, 1999 ; Massaro et al. , 2015 ). However, we believe that, given the speed of new knowledge development, especially in the areas of disruptive technologies like blockchain, papers from SSRN added an important contribution to the topics identified. Finally, the validity of the results can only be considered at the time of the analysis, as literature reviews “are not a panacea” ( Massaro et al. , 2015 , p. 546). They only identify the current state of the field, and they only offer pathways for future research directions at a particular point in time.

The number of articles per year

Publication trends of the topics

Frequency distribution of articles

List of topics

Top 10 articles by number of citations

The top 10 articles by CPY

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Top 100+ Accounting Research Topics For Students In 2023

“Research is a formalized interest. It is prying and poking with a goal.” — Zora Neale Hurston.

Is finding out the accounting research topics a tricky task for you? How do you get rid of your accounting assignments? This blog has discussed various accounting research topics that will make your work very straightforward.

Before finding out about the research paper, first, you must know some of the essential things to keep in mind. The following vital things to remember are brainstorming unique ideas, the need for the best topic, collecting enough content, etc. 

For various students, figuring out a research topic that suits the account can get hard, particularly in commerce subjects. To help you overwhelm this load, here is a list of 100+ accounting research paper ideas you can use to get started or draw motivation.

If you want to get Accounting dissertation help service from experts, then contact our professional experts to get top-notch service within the given deadline.

Meaning Of Accounting 

Table of Contents

In simple words, the meaning of accounting is that it is a system of summarizing and recording financial and business transactions. Also, reporting and verifying the data results are included in the accounting. 

It is a very simple principle-based process of recording business-related transactions. Moreover, accounting is also divided into various types. The types of accounting are public accounting, financial accounting, accounting information systems, auditing, managerial accounting, etc. 

Accounting- A Technical Subject

Accounting is a technical subject because it involves financial duties and completing accounting duties that need more cutting-edge technical knowledge and skills. As a technical subject, researching accounting topics can be more challenging. 

Also, it becomes crucial to take care of every minute detail and complete the research paper should be backed up with validated facts and instances.  If you would like to maintain the quality of the accounting research technical topic, you need to perform properly thorough research.

To make the overall accounting research process easy, we have to give students some of the best accounting research topics list. It can make your work right. You can enhance one of the accounting topics to suit your requirements

There are a lot of Phenomenal Ideas Of Research Topics For College Students. You can use these ideas for completing your overall task.

What Are The Accounting Research Topics?

Accounting is one of the best and most interesting subjects. It deals with the systematic way of managing and recording financial accounts pertinent to the business. Generally, the common accounting method contains reporting, analyzing, and summarizing.

A good topic is most required for accomplishing the task of writing an accounting research paper. Whereas selecting the research paper topic is one of the most tricky tasks. But choosing the research topic takes too much time and effort. 

Figure out the complete list of accounting research topics below.

Accounting Theory Research Topics

Ultimate financial accounting topics, managerial accounting research topics, tax accounting research topics.

• Online receipt maker

Research Topics on Accounting Thesis

Fund accounting research topics, auditing research topics.

• Bookkeeping Dissertation Topics
• Accounting Project Ideas
• Unique Accounting Research Topics
• Popular Accounting Research Paper Topics

Excellent Topics for Accounting Research Papers

• Advanced Accounting Research Topics
• Latest Accounting Research Topics
• Easy Accounting Research Topics
• Amazing Accounting Research Topics

These are the following accounting research topics for accounting theory, and it is such as;

• Effect of state-of-the-art technologies on the accounting sector.
• Application of accounting software.
• Current expansions in accounting software.
• The trouble of accounting standards.
• The best accounting research topic includes all the historical options for unique accounting interventions.
• Moreover, another topic for research is the significance of instant information for current-day accounts.
• What is the most productive accounting software for accountants?
• Mentoring schedules for corporate accounting.
• Cons discovered in accounting.
• Effect of culture on accounting thesis?
• Mobile accounting.
• The vital steps to make an organization’s finance transparent is also the best research topic of accounting.
• Various steps to becoming a qualified accountant are among the best research topics.
• Accounting practices- critical analysis is best for accounting research.
• Global financial crisis 2008- Reasons and effects are best for accounting research.

Here are the ultimate topics for accounting research are given below.

• Why is the assessment of the financial balance sheets crucial in making business decisions?
• Auditor’s job with the customers and third parties.
• Market research and viewpoints of Cryptocurrencies.
• Due returns in finance and accounting.
• Corporate exposure and management.
• The power of interest rates in accounting and finance.
• The connection between earning management and discretionary accruals.
• The result of digital currency on finance and accounting.
• What are the determinants in the improvement of financial and accounting reporting?
• Check the best techniques of cash flow notifying globally.
• How does time impact the method of cash flow?
• The standard challenges of financial accounting in the hotel industry are the best research topic.

Here are the ultimate topics for managerial accounting research are given below.

• The distinction between financial accounting and managerial accounting.
• What is the role of a manager in account auditing?
• Effect of new taxation systems on managerial accounting.
• Effect of quality HRM ( Human Resource Management ) on auditing organizations.
• Can a double-entry accounting system be good for the administration to operate their business?
• Can strategic administration accounting be utilized in the publishing sector?
• What advantages of the cost accounting view for entrepreneurs to improve their productivity?
• How can a bank control risks? Make use of the HSBC method to manage risks.
• Management accounting and performance administration in the healthcare enterprise.

These are the following accounting research topics for tax, and it is such as;

• Essential research of the impacts of small business budgeting impacts on tertiary organization management.
• Researching the exceptions in the USA’s taxation system.
• Analyzing how income tax impacts start-ups and small corporations.
• Researching how accounting and taxation knowledge among managers can help a country.
• The impact of tax administration on revenue generation
• The effects of revenue generation on tax auditing and investigation in developing economies.
• Analyzing the impacts of intellectual capital on the growth and development of huge enterprises.
• Tax legislation for the freelance market. Discuss the steps and policies to ensure fair taxation for freelancers.
• Analyzing the taxation system concerning the expansion and advancement of underdeveloped countries.
• Confer the different tax evasion standards adopted by CEOs based on gender variety.

Online Accounting Research Paper Topics

• Exploring the significance of audit for large corporate houses.
• Important elements for understanding ratio research.
• The impacts of accounting info on the cost of capital of a company.
• Various methods to monitor liquidity levels using financial accounting tools.
• The part of trendy accounting in the economic growth of appearing economies.
• Components of global accounting.
• Efficient earnings planning methods.
• The impact of tax management on income production.
• Stock control in cost control and its benefits.
• Effect of accounting and public expense.
• Applicability of accounting info for public sector institutions.

These are the following accounting research topics for the fund, and it is such as;

• In-depth analysis and discussion on fund accounting in non-profit associations.
• Checking the various financial research models.
• Distinctions in theory and practice in international fund accounting.
• Exploring the various fund accounting policies.
• Estimate the Non- GAAP indicators.
• Which are Cam’s critical audit matters?
• Which are the non-financial info disclosures by associations?
• The Effect of audit boards and commissions.
• Reasonable deal proportions and auditing accounting estimates.
• Applicability of accounting software.
• Efficient returns are preparation methods.
• Stock control in cost administration and its benefits.
• The impact of tax management on revenue production.
• Applicability of accounting information for public sector association.

Conclusion 

In this blog, we give students a proper list of accounting research topics. This above-given information is most helpful for you and helps you to pick the best topic.

These are the best 100+ accounting research topics. You can use them to save time and improve your accounting research topic. You can use bookkeeping dissertation topics, accounting project ideas, etc. This blog is helpful and gives guesses for your better topics.

Get the best Accounting assignment help experts to improve your grades in your assignments.

Which are the Top 7 Types of Accounting?

Answer:- These are the following seven types of accounting, and it is such as; Managerial Accounting. Government Accounting. Financial Accounting. It even includes the analysis of these financial statements. Tax Accounting. Cost Accounting.  Cost Accounting. Forensic Accounting.

What is the #1 rule in accounting?

Ans:  Debit the receiver and credit the giver. 

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• Exploring "hunhu" as an alternative to Western philosophies in accounting ethics undergraduate curricula in Zimbabwean Universities  Warinda, Togara ( 2023-03-31 ) Accounting scandals that have been experienced at the onset of the 21st century have rekindled interest in accounting ethics education. There is a general consensus on the importance of accounting ethics education. At ...
• Adoption of environmental management accounting in the textile manufacturing industry in South Africa  Omoworare, Temitope ( 2022-12 ) The global profile of environmental concerns has intensified the demand to develop greener practices. This study investigated the green practices employed by textile manufacturing organisations (TMOs) in South Africa, and ...
• The relationship between integrated reporting assurance and investment decision-making  Mushwana, Phoebe Danisa ( 2023-04-24 ) Integrated reporting has received much recognition in the last decade, with many companies, mandated or not, having adopted it and made it the current frontier in corporate reporting. Integrated reporting has become ...
• An integrated framework of environmental management accounting practices to promote greener gold mining in Zimbabwe  Nyakuwanika, Moses ( 2022-03-10 ) Although the Zimbabwean gold mining industry has been praised for its positive contributions to economic growth, it has also come under fire for harming local communities through forced evictions and forced relocation of ...
• Developing a conceptual model linking remuneration governance compliance, executive pay, pay-gap, and performance of JSE firms  Mnyaka, Nomanyano Prim-Rose ( 2022-12 ) Purpose: The global interest in the ability of corporate governance to increase a firm’s wealth based on its reaction to corporate scandals/collapses has led to contestation of the agency theory favoured by extant ...
• A Model for managing working capital optimally  Nobatyi, Andile Enoch ( 2022-12 ) Management of working capital (WC) involves all decisions and actions taken to determine the appropriate level of current assets and current liabilities. Financial managers find it hard to determine the optimum level of ...
• Striving for innovation: a quadruple helix intervention for accounting education in Ghana  Zotorvie, Justice Stephen Tetteh ( 2022-06 ) There have been reports that most newly qualified accounting graduates in Ghana are struggling to secure sustainable employment, mainly because they do not have information communication and technology (ICT) and higher-order ...
• A framework to enhance environmental sustainability of plastic manufacturers in South Africa  Foot, Judith ( 2022-02 ) An integrated view on generative sustainability has taken on acutely important dimensions globally, given the omniscience of degrading environmental forces. This age of the Anthropocene, in the time scale of earth’s ...
• Exploring the adoption of activity-based costing in selected South African crude oil refineries  Makhaza, Sanelisiwe Peacefull ( 2022-02 ) The South African petroleum industry is regulated, with the Department of Energy stipulating import parity as refinery product costs. Refineries may not have an exact view of actual product cost and may base decisions on ...
• An integrated framework for performance measurement in small and medium enterprises : the case of Cape Metropole, South Africa  Mabesele, Lindiwe Albertina ( 2020-12 ) Performance measurement has been in existence and the subject of research for at least two decades. However, it would appear that the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector lags behind other industries in terms of ...
• The millennial open distance learning accountancy academic: career motivation and individual ambidexterity  Leonard, Christi ( 2020-07 ) A shortage in skilled accountancy professionals has been recognised both globally and locally. In South Africa, it is mainly accountancy faculties at higher education institutions that are tasked with addressing such ...
• The signalling effect of dividends on future financial performance: a case of South African listed companies in the post-apartheid era  Masocha, Faustina ( 2017-11 ) Many theorists have linked dividends with the ability to carry signals regarding a firm’s expected financial performance. Despite being grounded on a sound theoretical framework, empirical evidence has failed to unanimously ...
• Do performance measurement reports address the problem of accountability in the public sector?: A case of Gauteng Municipalities  Mahuni, Netsiwell ( 2019-09 ) Public organisations account for their performance by making annual reports available to the public. While such increased emphasis on performance leads to a greater awareness of annual reports, it also raises the question ...
• Factors that influence debt financing of municipal owned entities: a case study of the city of Johannesburg  Galane, Oupa Madala ( 2019-07 ) This quantitative research was conducted to examine factors that have an influence on the debt financing of MoEs for the CoJ. It is quite evident from previous literatures that there has been a plethora of research undertaken ...
• An analysis of the impact of taxation and government expenditure components on income distribution in Nambia  Indongo, Albinus Atugalikana ( 2018-11 ) This research analyses the statistical relationship between income distribution and seven taxation and government expenditure components in Namibia using data from 1996-2016. The research is aimed at creating new knowledge ...
• The role of management control on service delivery in local government : a case study of a South African municipality  Nkadimeng, Mmathume Norman ( 2019-02 ) The management control systems package has been the subject of recent studies but no study was found that examined the role of management control on service delivery in local government. The Victor Khanye Local Municipality ...
• E-learning technologies for open distance learning knowledge acquisition in managerial accounting  Kashora, Trust ( 2018-07 ) This research seeks to establish how e-learning may contribute towards knowledge construction for Management Accounting students at the University of South Africa. More specifically, the research is designed to investigate ...
• The value of governance structures in private family organisations  Van der Westhuizen, Rolandi ( 2018-04 ) Although private family organisations are prevalent role players in both the South African and international economies, limited research has been performed with regard to them. In terms of regulatory requirements, South ...
• Non-academic factors contributing towards performance of postgraduate open distance learning accounting students  Aboo, Fazana ( 2017 ) South Africa has a low throughput rate in the public higher education sector which leads to severe skill shortages that are urgently required by the country. In particular, the financial skills shortages are severe, ...
• A performance measurement framework to enhance the success and survival of retail micro, small and medium enterprises  Mabhungu, Isaac ( 2017 ) The study sought to investigate the performance measurement practice of retail Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Zimbabwe and to develop a performance measurement framework for monitoring and managing the ...

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