Position practices of the present-day CFO: A reflection on historic roles at Guinness, 1920–1945

Purpose Accountants are portrayed as important advisors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, increasing numbers of SMEs now use software for their transactional and compliance-related accounting work. This latter work is considered to be the “entry ticket” for accountants serving in advisory roles. This study aims to examine whether the relevance of accountants as advisors to SMEs has been lost. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the resource-based view and applying a qualitative cross-sectional field study, interviews with small businesses in the European craft brewing/distilling sector are the data source. Findings The study’s analysis paints a concerning picture of the use of external accountants by SMEs. While not suggesting that accountants are incapable of offering value-adding advice, the findings suggest that the involvement of potentially value-adding accountants by SMEs is rare. The interviewees note that they would not approach their accountants for advice due to the existence of more cost-attractive alternatives. The study finds that external accountants are not imperfectly imitable and can be substituted, particularly by social media and community groups. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the role of accountants in the craft brewing/distilling industry and one of the first to assess empirically the importance of accountants as advisors to SMEs with audit exemptions and to consider the increasing threat of substitution by software. The findings suggest that accountants have lost relevance as advisors to the businesses studied, or have never had much relevance.

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Management accounting routines: a framework on their foundations

Quinn¹,

Hiebl

2018

QRAM

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Purpose Recent research provides useful insights on management accounting routines, yet little is written on their foundations. In particular, factors which may contribute to eventual management accounting routines have not been detailed in terms of the process of routinization. Thus, this paper aims to provide an initial theory-based understanding on the foundation of management accounting routines. In turn, it is hoped that this will raise further research interest on this topic. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on extant literature, a framework on foundations of management accounting routines is developed, and two empirical cases illustrate its operationalization. Findings The framework illustrates that a more complete understanding of change to management accounting routines can be gleaned when more is known about their foundations. The foundations are likely to be influenced by a combination and/or interaction of factors at the organizational level, the organizational field level and the economic and political level. Research limitations/implications Because of the so far limited understanding of the foundation of management accounting routines, more research is required. This framework may be useful to guide such research. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of few papers to offer an initial theory-based understanding on the foundations of management accounting routines specifically. This understanding can be built on to improve our knowledge in the management accounting domain of the complex, but ubiquitous, concept of organizational routines.

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Position practices of the present-day CFO: A reflection on historic roles at Guinness, 1920–1945

Cited by 3 publications

References 79 publications

Explaining stable accounting practices at the Mahou brewery, Madrid, 1890s to 1970s

Explaining stable accounting practices at the Mahou brewery, Madrid, 1890s to 1970s

Accountants as SME advisors: relevance lost?

Management accounting routines: a framework on their foundations

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