Management accounting change has become a topic of much debate in recent years. These debates comprise various issues including whether management accounting has not changed, has changed or should change. Nevertheless, little research attention has been paid to the processes of change through which new management accounting practices have emerged. Management accounting change is a complex multiple dimensional phenomenon and has to be studied as an ongoing, cumulative process, not in isolation from the organizational context in which it is located. To highlight the unfolding characteristics of management accounting change as process rather than as outcome, a 'processual' approach is appropriate. Furthermore, to address management accounting change in its specific context, a conceptual framework will also be useful. The conceptual framework adopted in this study is drawn from institutional theory, a theoretical approach which is congruent with a processual approach. The present study aims to tease out, conceptually at least, the temporal dimensions of management accounting change; and, demonstrates why and how new forms of management accounting practice evolve in the manner they do.

This book presents a comprehensive and holistic study on being a financial practitioner today. Using a practice theory approach, the book analyzes the work life stories of four financial practitioners who have been working between 13 and 25 years during the period of 1973 to 2015 and explains how their work identities are constituted in the practices throughout the years. It clarifies the public image of the management accountants and provides a better understanding of today’s management accountants—who they are and how they are formed—while theorizing on how to develop the next generation.

The implementation of management accounting change constitutes much more than the selection of what may be perceived as being 'optimal' accounting systems and techniques, followed by a 'technical' process of implementation. Selecting and implementing the 'right' accounting systems and techniques and the technical aspects of implementation are important, but change implementation and change management also involves important behavioural and cultural issues that must be understood and addressed. The main focus of The Challenge of Management Accounting Change is on understanding the processes involved in the implementation of management accounting change and the complexities of, and difficulties involved in, changing management accounting systems, techniques and roles in the UK. This book outlines a framework for interpreting and understanding management accounting change as an on-going process and a range of case studies are used to illustrate both successful and unsuccessful implementations, drawing out the various lessons that can be learned and suggesting some pointers for those embarking on a programme of management accounting change. * Describes the finding of a research project investigating management accounting change in the UK * Focuses on the difficulties involved in changing management accounting systems * Written by experts in the field of management accounting

Covering established and emerging areas in the fast changing field of management accounting, this work discusses accounting practices such as budgeting, costing, responsibility accounting and capital investment analysis.

Written by two experienced lecturers, this is the first student-centered textbook to bridge the technical and theoretical aspects of management accounting change. Packed full of pedagogical features, including mini-cases, learning outcomes, key terms, article summaries, key concept boxes, real-world cases, chapter summaries and further reading suggestions and resources, it is clear and accessibly written, covering all the major emerging topics in management accounting theory. Discussing technical developments in management accounting from conventional cost accounting to contemporary strategic management accounting and beyond, in four parts it: shows how conventional cost accounting techniques and management control models evolved in line with the development of mass production and bureaucracy explores how recent developments such as customer and strategic orientations in business, flexible manufacturing, post-bureaucracy, network and virtual organizational technologies implicate in management accounting provides a number of alternative theories through which the transition of management accounting from mechanistic to post-mechanistic approaches can be explained – elaborating both rational and interpretive/critical theories. This excellent text meets a desperate need for an advanced management accounting textbook that incorporates theory and practice and is accessible and engaging for all those studying in this challenging area.

Literature has identified that changes in both external and internal organizational factors have influenced changes in management accounting practices in organizations. When business organizations respond to challenges by embarking on a change management path, they are faced with the choices of which ones of the many management methods, techniques and systems would be most effective. This is important as the management accounting system plays an important role in providing useful information to management, especially in the decision making process. The framework of the study comprise changes in competitive environment, advanced manufacturing technology, structure, strategies, management accounting practices and performance.The distinctive findings obtained in this study make a contribution to our knowledge of the relationship between management accounting systems and organizational change, as well as providing helpful insights to practitioners in making decisions in the face of a changing business environment.