Who Influences Whom? An Exploratory Analysis of the Interrelations between Accounting Research and the IASB’s Standard Setting Activity

By | 2017-12-22T12:24:18+01:00 December 22nd, 2017|

Pizzo Michele , Moscariello Nicola, Teodori Claudio, Veneziani Monica, Rocca Laura, Quagli Alberto, Roncagliolo Elisa/ Financial ReportingRiviste / Fascicolo: 1-2016


This study investigates the interrelations between accounting research and the IASB activity. Prior research shows a significant gap between academia, the standard setters and the accounting profession and underlines the failure of academic papers to contribute to accounting practice. Although we find some evidence of the intention of the IASB to fill the gap between accounting theory and practice, our analysis confirms the existence of a significant distance between financial accounting research and the IFRSs. The IASB ‘due process’ definitely influences the academic activity, but the accounting literature does not seem to represent a cornerstone for the IFRSs. Particularly, during the ‘due process’ steps that precede the P.I.R. phase, the IASB only quotes few papers. With the P.I.R. process, the number of research papers analysed by the IASB significantly increases, but it is not yet clear how this ex-post activity might really influence the IFRSs statements. Finally, we find that the traditional academic ranking systems are not a key factor driving the IASB selection of the articles to analyse during the P.I.R. process. This evidence sheds light on the risk of an unfruitful self-referentiality of the accounting academic literature and on the self-feeding nature of the academic world.

Keywords: Academic research, academic ranking systems, accounting practice, standard setting, post-implementation review


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The Real Impact Factor and the Gap between Accounting Research and Practice

By | 2017-12-22T12:19:08+01:00 December 22nd, 2017|

Quagli Alberto, Avallone Francesco, Ramassa Paola/ Financial ReportingRiviste / Fascicolo: 1-2016


This paper explores the gap between accounting research and practice with two primary objectives. First, it provides a review of the main results obtained by the impressive literature on the topic to get a comprehensive picture of this phenomenon, considering the different perspectives and research methods used so far. This review aims not only at summarizing results, but also at outlining a logical framework that could be useful for both our analysis and future studies on the topic. Against this background, our second objective is to carry out an empirical analysis on scholars’ motivations and incentives – rather neglected by prior literature – with a particular focus on their relationships with professional associations. Evidence from our survey (with 447 questionnaires completed by EAA members) suggests that there is a hierarchy of objectives informing scholars’ motivations and that the first one is to publish on highly ranked journals. In such a context, the positive attitude of academics towards practice can be sometimes in conflict with scholars’ expectation about effort, individual result and peers’ consideration. In other terms, our study supports the idea that there is a gap between research and practice, together with a risk of an increasingly closed community of scientists. Our results seem in line with studies stating that the reasons for this gap essentially lie in the current evaluation logic driving scholars’ incentives. Additionally, evidence on scholars’ incentives might be helpful in finding new solutions to bridge the gap and supporting future research sharing the same objective.

Keywords: Research-practice gap, research impact, real impact factor, accounting research, accounting practice


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