Trends in scientific and public interest in managerial accounting: Bibliometric analysis

Abstract

In conditions of fierce market competition, changing business environment, digitalization and remote workplaces, managerial accounting plays an increasingly important role in facilitating effective monitoring of a company’s activities, making optimal decisions, achieving its goals and development. The paper deals with identifying main trends of scientific and public interest in managerial accounting. Bibliometric analysis is made to determine interconnected clusters of multidisciplinary research in connection with which managerial accounting is considered, and to investigate dynamics in scientific interest on this issue based on tools of Scopus and WoS databases and VosViewer software (the sample of 10,495 articles, including 3,586 in Scopus for 1941–2022 and 6,909 in WoS for 1953–2022). These identified interconnections proved the significance of the managerial accounting component in the system of a company’s management, showed dominate place and described its multidimensionality. In particular, six defined clusters reflect key scientific and practical fields, goals, tasks, potential effects, and risks of managerial accounting. Based on analytical analysis using Google Trends (from 2004 to present) and Google Books Ngram Viewer (for 1800–2019), dynamics and trends of public interest on the issue of managerial accounting were also explored and visualized. The highest level of public interest in managerial accounting was indicated in Jordan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Thailand, Korea, the USA, and Canada.