Trends in Accounting Research

Capital Markets
Often emerge at the
interface of finance,
economics and
statistics
Cost Behaviors and
Organizational
Perormance
Conducted in tandem
with insights and
approaches from
social psychology and
organizational studies
Contemporary accountancy research is strongly
interdisciplinary in orientation.
Trends in Accounting Research
Accountancy research has remained to be
evolving.
Hopwood (2007)
Concluded that accounting and accounting research
have repeatedly changed across time, adopting new
forms, methods and roles.
The very role of accounting research is in part to make
both accounting and the knowledge of it different to
move forward the understanding of accounting and at
times the practice of itself.
The practice of accountancy has the dynamics of
change.
Trends in Accounting Research
Accountancy must:
Draw on a variety of sources of ilumination and
progress (rather than being a discipline in its
own right)
Continue to be a site for interdisciplinary
inquiry
Must follow the path of dynamism in
accountancy practice
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
In financial accounting,
accountancy research,
Started to embrace the study of not only financial
accounting itself but also the consequences and
the modes of functioning in wider institutional
setting.
Can be shaped by a more global form of inquiry
Also characterized by a rapid rise in regulation and
the associated pressures for greater
standardization
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
In management accounting,
The new direction is towards practice-oriented
research
There has been a shift from the traditional
functions of cost reporting and budgeting to duties
with broader scope like financial analysis and
business advisory.
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
Selto and Widener (2002)
-motivation towards practice-oriented include the desire to:
1. Gain increased understanding of why organizations
2. Gain increased understanding of how and which techniques
are used in practice impact organizational
performance
3. inform practitioners
4. increase the applicability of accounting textbooks,
coursework, and programs
5. satisfy personal taste
6. increase consulting opportunities
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
Selto and Widener
17 major topics as indicative of the new directions
in management accounting research:
Accounting software
Budgeting
Business process
improvement
Cash management
Cost accounting
Cost management
Effects of financial
reporting on internal
systems
Effects of IT on internal
systems
Improving profits
Internal control
Management accounting
practices
Outsourcing
Performance
measurement
Research methods
Shareholder value
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
In auditing,
Public accountancy firms are not only international in
practice but have explicitly become commercial in
orientation
Quality assurance and ethical standards are increasingly
required
Categories of recent research
The interaction between auditors and their external
environment
The audit process and developments in audit
technology
Microeconomic studies of the industries
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
Lesage and Wechlter (undated)
Typology of Research Topics in Audit: A Content
Analysis
identified 17 themes
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
Audit engagement
Audit education
Audit markets
Audit procedures
Audit report and
going-concern opinion
Audit review
Audit sampling
Audit behavior
Auditors judgment
Corporate governance
Earnings quality
Information processing
Internal auditing
Internal regulation
Liability fraud and
litigation
Profession and
regulation
Tax audit
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
The focus of contemporary research varies
among nations and cultures.
Chen and Schipper (2008) cited that Chinese
research has relatively greater focus on auditing,
earnings management and corporate government.
In terms of purpose, contemporary
accountancy research remains to be
descriptive and explanatory
Functional Characterization of
Accountancy Research
Alternative methods:
Analytical modeling, using the tools of economics,
mathematics, and statistics can be considered in
examining issues related to planning, budgetting,
communication, and the like.
Behavioral experimentation can be used on areas
related to judgments and decisions, specifically an the
area of auditing.
Evaluation research with respect to the assumptions
used, the incentives offered, and the extent of
restrictions imposed in different functional areas of
accountancy is also worth trying.
2.4 MOTIVATIONS FOR ACCOUNTANCY
RESEARCH
The state of accountancy research depends on
the countries, it has not taken much progress
in the Philippines.
Accountancy research is still in its infancy
stage in our country.
2.4 MOTIVATIONS FOR ACCOUNTANCY
RESEARCH
Factors that influence the level of production
of research outputs:
1. The research mandates of educational
institutions
2. Publication of professional journals
3. Conduct of conferences on various areas of
accountancy