Management accounting (1984-1994): development of new practice and theory

Abstract

The past 10 years has seen a revolution in management accounting theory and practice. This paper reviews the development of three management accounting innovations: activity-based costing, operational control systems, and the balanced scorecard. It describes how these practice innovations were initially documented, and then elaborated and disseminated through publications. From the experience of this decade of investigation, documentation and theory development, the author advocates empirical research based on close longitudinal association with innovative organizations as one method for advancing management accounting practice and education.