Research in management accounting innovations

Purpose – The purpose of paper is to present a review of the literature on management accounting innovations (MAIs). Specifically, it explores recent developments in research on MAIs and offers suggestions for future research. The review differs from existing reviews by its specific focus on MAIs and the recent time period covered. In this paper, MAIs refer to the adoption of “newer” or modern forms of management accounting systems such as activity‐based costing (ABC), activity‐based management, time‐driven ABC, target costing, and balanced scorecards. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a review of findings from journal articles published in 22 notable accounting journals. Findings – The review finds that research on MAIs has intensified during the period 2000‐2008, with the main focus on exploring the extent to which a host of organizational and environmental factors influence the implementation and use of MAIs in organizations. In addition, research on MAIs indicates the dominant use of sociological theories and increasing use of empirical/field studies. Research limitations/implications – A literature review using a given set of accounting journals and search words used to identify relevant articles may overlook literature within the scope of the review. The paper concludes the importance of more research on MAIs by offering some directions for future research. Originality/value – The paper's specific focus on MAIs and the recent time period offer the reader useful insights on management accounting research and theory.