Addressing directions in interdisciplinary accounting research

• Published in: Accounting, auditing & accountability journal auditing & accountability journal, 2014-10, Vol.27 (8), p.1218-1226
• Main Authors: D. Parker, Lee, Guthrie, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accountability; Accounting; Accounting & Finance; Accounting/accountancy; Communities; Creep (materials); Design engineering; Economics; Evaluation; Governments; Innovations; Interdisciplinary aspects; Interdisciplinary research; Money; Performance measurement; Research methodology; Researchers; Scholarly publishing; Social responsibility; Traditions; Trajectories
• ISSN: 1368-0668; 0951-3574; 1758-4205
• DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-06-2014-1737

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address and critique the current state and trajectory of the interdisciplinary accounting movement. Design/methodology/approach – An interdisciplinary literature sourced analysis and critique of the movement's positioning and trajectory. Findings – It observes the creeping currency of the financial economics-based accounting research tradition, with its attendant limitations in scope and policy/practice relevance of its subject matter and findings. The paper reveals the persistent growth and development of an interdisciplinary accounting community despite the pressures of careerist research score-based goal displacement produced by government and university performance measurement systems. Originality/value – The interdisciplinary movement is seen as offering issues focused and innovation-driven research that aims to engage with the complexities of the organisational and institutional actors’ worlds. This remit remains essential to the challenge of the accounting academy's pursuit of issues of societal significance.