The IMA Research Foundation (IRF) is dedicated to funding relevant, thought-provoking research that furthers the knowledge and scope of accounting and financial management globally. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $1,000,000 in research grants to academics and doctoral students. Click below to sample recently IRF-funded whitepapers:
• The Naughty List or The Nice List? Earnings Management in the Days of Corporate Watchdog Lists
• Sustainability CFO: The CFO of the Future?
The IRF is launching its 2023 Call for Research Proposals. Research in the areas described below is especially encouraged although other topics will be considered. Proposed studies can use basic or applied research methods including analytical, archival, experimental, survey, or case study.
Up to three (3) proposals received by the Foundation will receive grants of $20,000, based on their potential to advance the practice of management accounting. Other proposals submitted to the Foundation will also be considered for grants.
Grant proposal criteria:
Proposals should meet the appropriate IRF proposal guidelines (excluding budget):
Researchers will be expected to produce a 3,000-word report for a professional audience.
Deadline for Submission of Proposals: March 3, 2023, 12:00 Midnight EDT. Winners to be announced by June 30, 2023.
Topics of interest include:
ESG/Sustainability
The refocus from issuing conventional financial statements toward holistic leadership over long-term performance and value creation are leading to significant changes to the CFO’s role and contribution. An enterprise perspective can bring about insights regarding the information, processes, and milestones that lead to enhanced performance and value. Potential research topics in this area include:
• How can the CFO and finance function lead enterprise-wide integration of sustainable business through corporate governance, strategy, and innovation?
• How to assess and manage the cost and benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions?
• How companies’ carbon reduction goals influence the development of performance measurement, budgeting, and other control systems?
• How do specific sustainable business performance metrics correspond to intangible assets, long-term performance, and value? Key areas include customer relationships, governance, trust, transparency, human capital, and sustainable projects.
• How to design and implement human resource capital metrics?
• What are the challenges in globalization of sustainability accounting standards and reporting and how to address them?
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Accounting and finance are being disrupted by a whole host of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These have the potential to eliminate many positions and create new ones. Key to the latter is the continued evolution of the role of management accountants from their traditional focus on financial reporting and stewardship to a more complete business partner who enables an organization to enhance performance. Potential research topics in this area include:
• What are the impacts of technological changes such as AI, ML, data science/big data on management accounting, management accountants and the finance organization?
• How to integrate real time data, AI and ML into process and performance improvements?
• What are the most important emerging technology (e.g., blockchain, RPA, visualization, advanced analytics) skills for management accountants to possess? What levels of skills do they typically have, what levels will be required in the future, and how can skill gaps be addressed? How will this impact future collaborations between management accountants and other areas of the organization?
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
FP&A is the most frequently cited “pain point” for accounting and finance professionals. The increasing interconnected global business environment, rapid technological change, and the need to address these and other changes continue to make this a challenging area. Potential research topics in this area include:
• Developing effective skills for FP&A to overcome people, leadership, and process challenges.
• How can technology, data, and intangible assets be leveraged to deliver more value?
• How can enhanced managerial costing and revenue modeling be improved to enhance FP&A?
Revenue Management
While cost management and control has been the traditional focus of management accounting, a more holistic approach to increasing organizational profitability is needed as management accountants strive to become business partners. The integration of revenue management (RM) principles with cost management practices is key to maximizing organizational profitability. Possible research topics in this area include the exploration of:
• how revenue generation practices differ across organizations,
• how management accountants help employ RM practices, and
• how organizations can invest to improve revenue management.
Impact of Distributed Workforce on Management Control Systems (MCS)
COVID-19 has resulted in a paradigm shift in how organizations globally do work. The implications of the distributed workforce for MCS are enormous. It can affect all parts of the MCS, including cultural, planning, measurement, reward and compensation, and administrative controls. How can management accounting tools and MCS concepts support the focus of a distributed-workforce company’s resources at all hierarchal levels on the strategic objectives of the company?
Supply chain management and the Role of the Management Accountant.
Supply chain issues are a large business problem for many companies today but have been little addressed by management accounting research. Opportunities for management accountants to contribute to research in the area include addressing bottlenecks, operational metrics, outsourcing, risk analysis, and profitability modeling, as well as the impact of supply chain disruptions on businesses.
Please submit applications through the IMA Application Portal by March 3, 2023. Questions regarding this call or other IRF grant programs can be sent to Dr. Susie Duong, Director of Research, at research@imanet.org.
