IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v142y2017i2d10.1007_s10551-016-3157-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Professional Accountants’ Identity Formation: An Integrative Framework

Author

Listed:
  • François Brouard

    (Carleton University)

  • Merridee Bujaki

    (Carleton University)

  • Sylvain Durocher

    (University of Ottawa)

  • Leighann C. Neilson

    (Carleton University)

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, we explore professional accountants’ identity formation and the roles played by various audiences in society, accounting associations, and accounting firms in shaping the identity of professional accountants. We integrate constructs from social identity theory and the sociology of professions literature with previous research on professional identity, image, and widely held stereotypes of accounting and accountants, to propose an integrated framework of professional accountants’ identity formation. Based on the framework developed, we propose directions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • François Brouard & Merridee Bujaki & Sylvain Durocher & Leighann C. Neilson, 2017. "Professional Accountants’ Identity Formation: An Integrative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 225-238, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:142:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3157-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3157-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-016-3157-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-016-3157-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Steve Evans & Kerry Jacobs, 2010. "Accounting: an un‐Australian activity?," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(3), pages 378-394, August.
    2. Jeacle, Ingrid, 2008. "Beyond the boring grey: The construction of the colourful accountant," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(8), pages 1296-1320.
    3. Anderson-Gough, Fiona & Grey, Christopher & Robson, Keith, 2005. ""Helping them to forget..": the organizational embedding of gender relations in public audit firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 469-490, July.
    4. Bertrand Malsch & Yves Gendron, 2013. "Re-Theorizing Change: Institutional Experimentation and the Struggle for Domination in the Field of Public Accounting," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 870-899, July.
    5. Lupu, Ioana, 2012. "Approved routes and alternative paths: The construction of women's careers in large accounting firms. Evidence from the French Big Four," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 351-369.
    6. Paul Gillis & Richard Petty & Roy Suddaby, 2014. "The transnational regulation of accounting: insights, gaps and an agenda for future research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(6), pages 894-902, July.
    7. Dimnik, Tony & Felton, Sandra, 2006. "Accountant stereotypes in movies distributed in North America in the twentieth century," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 129-155, February.
    8. Walker, Stephen P., 1991. "The defence of professional monopoly: Scottish chartered accountants and "satellites in the accountancy firmament" 1854-1914," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 257-283.
    9. Carnegie, Garry D. & Edwards, John Richard, 2001. "The construction of the professional accountant: the case of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants, Victoria (1886)," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 26(4-5), pages 301-325.
    10. Ramirez, Carlos, 2009. "Constructing the governable small practitioner: The changing nature of professional bodies and the management of professional accountants' identities in the UK," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(3-4), pages 381-408, April.
    11. Richardson, Peter & Dellaportas, Steven & Perera, Luckmika & Richardson, Ben, 2015. "Towards a conceptual framework on the categorization of stereotypical perceptions in accounting," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 28-46.
    12. Cooper, David J. & Robson, Keith, 2006. "Accounting, professions and regulation: Locating the sites of professionalization," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(4-5), pages 415-444.
    13. Duff, Angus, 2011. "Big four accounting firms’ annual reviews: A photo analysis of gender and race portrayals," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 20-38.
    14. Kornberger, Martin & Justesen, Lise & Mouritsen, Jan, 2011. "“When you make manager, we put a big mountain in front of you”: An ethnography of managers in a Big 4 Accounting Firm," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 514-533.
    15. Walker, Stephen P., 1995. "The genesis of professional organization in scotland: a contextual analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 285-310, May.
    16. Anna Samsonova-Taddei & Christopher Humphrey, 2014. "Transnationalism and the transforming roles of professional accountancy bodies," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(6), pages 903-932, July.
    17. Sikka, Prem, 2009. "Commentary on Roy Suddaby, Yves Gendron and Helen Lam "the organizational context of professionalism in accounting"," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(3-4), pages 428-432, April.
    18. Frances Miley & Andrew Read, 2012. "Jokes in popular culture: the characterisation of the accountant," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 25(4), pages 703-718, May.
    19. Suddaby, Roy & Cooper, David J. & Greenwood, Royston, 2007. "Transnational regulation of professional services: Governance dynamics of field level organizational change," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(4-5), pages 333-362.
    20. Hamilton, Susan E., 2013. "Exploring professional identity: The perceptions of chartered accountant students," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 37-49.
    21. Martin Kornberger & Lise Justesen & Jan Mouritsen, 2011. "“When you make manager, we put a big mountain in front of you” : An ethnography of managers in a Big 4 Accounting Firm," Post-Print hal-02311997, HAL.
    22. Willmott, Hugh, 1986. "Organising the profession: A theoretical and historical examination of the development of the major accountancy bodies in the U.K," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 11(6), pages 555-580, October.
    23. Beard, Victoria, 1994. "Popular culture and professional identity: Accountants in the movies," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 303-318, April.
    24. Anderson-Gough, Fiona & Grey, Christopher & Robson, Keith, 2001. "Tests of time: organizational time-reckoning and the making of accountants in two multi-national accounting firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 99-122, March.
    25. Keke Hiller & Matthias D. Mahlendorf & J�rgen Weber, 2014. "Management Accountants' Occupational Prestige Within the Company: A Social Identity Theory Perspective," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(4), pages 671-691, December.
    26. Garry D. Carnegie & Brendan T. O'Connell, 2012. "Understanding the responses of professional accounting bodies to crises," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 25(5), pages 835-875, June.
    27. Hopwood, Anthony G., 1994. "Accounting and everyday life: An introduction," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 299-301, April.
    28. Heather Vough, 2012. "Not All Identifications Are Created Equal: Exploring Employee Accounts for Workgroup, Organizational, and Professional Identification," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 778-800, June.
    29. Angus Duff & John Ferguson, 2012. "Disability and the professional accountant: insights from oral histories," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 25(1), pages 71-101, January.
    30. Christopher Humphrey, 2005. "'In the aftermath of crisis: Reflections on the principles, values and significance of academic inquiry in accounting': Introduction," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 341-351.
    31. Gammie, Elizabeth & Whiting, Rosalind, 2013. "Women accountants: Is the grass greener outside the profession?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 83-98.
    32. Samantha Warren & Lee Parker, 2009. "Bean counters or bright young things?," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(4), pages 205-223, October.
    33. repec:dau:papers:123456789/1369 is not listed on IDEAS
    34. Fiona Anderson-Gough & Christopher Grey & Keith Robson, 2002. "Accounting professionals and the accounting profession: linking conduct and context," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(1), pages 41-56.
    35. Annisette, Marcia & Trivedi, Viswanath Umashanker, 2013. "Globalization, paradox and the (un)making of identities: Immigrant Chartered Accountants of India in Canada," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-29.
    36. Anna Samaonova-Taddei & Christopher Humphrey, 2014. "Transnationalism and the transforming roles of professional accountancy bodies: Towards a research agenda," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 27(5), pages 903-932.
    37. Rihab Khalifa, 2013. "Intra-professional hierarchies: the gendering of accounting specialisms in UK accountancy," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(8), pages 1212-1245, October.
    38. Carnegie, Garry D. & Napier, Christopher J., 2010. "Traditional accountants and business professionals: Portraying the accounting profession after Enron," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 360-376, April.
    39. Empson, Laura, 2004. "Organizational identity change: managerial regulation and member identification in an accounting firm acquisition," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 759-781, November.
    40. Yves Gendron & Roy Suddaby & Sandy Q. Qu, 2009. "Professional–Organisational Commitment: A Study of Canadian Professional Accountants," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 19(3), pages 231-248, September.
    41. Danielle E. Warren & Miguel Alzola, 2009. "Ensuring Independent Auditors: Increasing the Saliency of the Professional Identity," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 41-56, January.
    42. Martin Kornberger & Lise Justesen & Jan Mouritsen, 2011. "“When you make manager, we put a big mountain in front of you” : An ethnography of managers in a Big 4 Accounting Firm," Post-Print hal-02276736, HAL.
    43. Sylvain Durocher & Yves Gendron, 2014. "Epistemic commitment and cognitive disunity toward fair-value accounting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 630-655, December.
    44. Claire-France Picard & Sylvain Durocher & Yves Gendron, 2014. "From meticulous professionals to superheroes of the business world," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(1), pages 73-118, January.
    45. Richardson, Alan J., 1988. "Accounting knowledge and professional privilege," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 381-396, June.
    46. Kerry Jacobs & Steve Evans, 2012. "Constructing accounting in the mirror of popular music," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 25(4), pages 673-702, May.
    47. Daniel Muzio & David M. Brock & Roy Suddaby, 2013. "Professions and Institutional Change: Towards an Institutionalist Sociology of the Professions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 699-721, July.
    48. Dirsmith, Mark W. & Covaleski, Mark A., 1985. "Informal communications, nonformal communications and mentoring in public accounting firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 149-169, April.
    49. Gammie, Elizabeth & Kirkham, Linda, 2008. "Breaking the link with a university education in the creation of a chartered accountant: The ICAS story," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 356-375.
    50. Paul Gillis & Richard Petty & Roy Suddaby, 2014. "The transnational regulation of accounting: insights, gaps and an agenda for future research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 27(5), pages 894-902.
    51. Gudrun Baldvinsdottir & John Burns & Hanne Nørreklit & Robert W. Scapens, 2009. "The image of accountants: from bean counters to extreme accountants," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(6), pages 858-882, July.
    52. Bougen, Philip D., 1994. "Joking apart: The serious side to the accountant stereotype," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 319-335, April.
    53. Annisette, Marcia, 2000. "Imperialism and the professions: the education and certification of accountants in Trinidad and Tobago," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 25(7), pages 631-659, October.
    54. Carlos Ramirez, 2009. "Constructing the governable small practitioner: The changing nature of professional bodies and the management of professional accountants' identities in the UK," Post-Print hal-00491673, HAL.
    55. Prem Sikka, 2008. "Enterprise culture and accountancy firms: new masters of the universe," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(2), pages 268-295, February.
    56. Czarniawska, Barbara, 2008. "Accounting and gender across times and places: An excursion into fiction," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 33-47, January.
    57. Suddaby, Roy & Gendron, Yves & Lam, Helen, 2009. "The organizational context of professionalism in accounting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(3-4), pages 409-427, April.
    58. David Smith & Kerry Jacobs, 2011. "“Breaking up the sky”," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(7), pages 904-931, September.
    59. Grey, C., 1998. "On being a professional in a "Big Six" firm," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 23(5-6), pages 569-587.
    60. Aranya, N. & Pollock, J. & Amernic, J., 1981. "An examination of professional commitment in public accounting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 271-280, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Camélia Radu & Nadia Smaili, 2022. "Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Response to Cyber Risk: Evidence from Cybersecurity Related Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(2), pages 351-374, May.
    2. Darius Fatemi & John Hasseldine & Peggy Hite, 2020. "The Influence of Ethical Codes of Conduct on Professionalism in Tax Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 133-149, June.
    3. Guo, Ken H., 2018. "The odyssey of becoming: Professional identity and insecurity in the Canadian accounting field," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 20-45.
    4. de Vries, Marlies & Blomme, Rob & De Loo, Ivo, 2022. "Part of the herd or black sheep? An exploration of trainee accountants’ suffering and modes of adaptation," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    5. Cameron Graham & Martin E. Persson & Vaughan S. Radcliffe & Mitchell J. Stein, 2023. "The State of Ohio’s Auditors, the Enumeration of Population, and the Project of Eugenics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(3), pages 565-587, October.
    6. Céline Baud & Marion Brivot & Darlene Himick, 2021. "Accounting Ethics and the Fragmentation of Value," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(2), pages 373-387, January.
    7. Feng Guo & Bo Zou & Jinyu Guo & Yan Shi & Qingwen Bo & Liangxing Shi, 2019. "What determines academic entrepreneurship success? A social identity perspective," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 929-952, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Durocher, Sylvain & Bujaki, Merridee & Brouard, François, 2016. "Attracting Millennials: Legitimacy management and bottom-up socialization processes within accounting firms," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1-24.
    2. Claire France Picard & Sylvain Durocher & Yves Gendron, 2013. "From Meticulous Professionals To Superheroes Of The Business World: A Historical Portrait Of A Cultural Change In The Field Of Accountancy," Post-Print hal-00993019, HAL.
    3. Daoust, Laurence, 2020. "Playing the Big Four recruitment game: The tension between illusio and reflexivity," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Beau, Pauline & Jerman, Lambert, 2022. "Bonding forged in “auditing hell”: The emotional qualities of Big Four auditors," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    5. Anderson-Gough, Fiona & Edgley, Carla & Robson, Keith & Sharma, Nina, 2022. "Organizational responses to multiple logics: Diversity, identity and the professional service firm," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    6. Edgley, Carla & Sharma, Nina & Anderson-Gough, Fiona, 2016. "Diversity and professionalism in the Big Four firms: Expectation, celebration and weapon in the battle for talent," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 13-34.
    7. Annisette, Marcia, 2017. "Discourse of the professions: The making, normalizing and taming of Ontario's “foreign-trained accountant”," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 37-61.
    8. Hamilton, Susan E., 2013. "Exploring professional identity: The perceptions of chartered accountant students," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 37-49.
    9. Guo, Ken H., 2018. "The odyssey of becoming: Professional identity and insecurity in the Canadian accounting field," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 20-45.
    10. Haynes, Kathryn, 2017. "Accounting as gendering and gendered: A review of 25 years of critical accounting research on gender," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 110-124.
    11. Richardson, Peter & Dellaportas, Steven & Perera, Luckmika & Richardson, Ben, 2015. "Towards a conceptual framework on the categorization of stereotypical perceptions in accounting," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 28-46.
    12. Kelly Thomson & Joanne Jones, 2017. "Precarious Professionals: (in)Secure Identities and Moral Agency in Neocolonial Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(4), pages 747-770, December.
    13. Dermarkar, Simon & Hazgui, Mouna, 2022. "How auditors legitimize commercialism: A micro-discursive analysis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    14. de Vries, Marlies & Blomme, Rob & De Loo, Ivo, 2022. "Part of the herd or black sheep? An exploration of trainee accountants’ suffering and modes of adaptation," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    15. repec:mth:ijafr8:v:8:y:2018:i:2:p:166-178 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Guénin-Paracini, Henri & Malsch, Bertrand & Paillé, Anne Marché, 2014. "Fear and risk in the audit process," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 264-288.
    17. Bitbol-Saba, Nathalie & Dambrin, Claire, 2019. "“It’s not often we get a visit from a beautiful woman!” The body in client-auditor interactions and the masculinity of accountancy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    18. Ghattas, Peter & Soobaroyen, Teerooven & Marnet, Oliver, 2021. "Charting the development of the Egyptian accounting profession (1946–2016): An analysis of the State-Profession dynamics," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    19. Gammie, Elizabeth & Whiting, Rosalind, 2013. "Women accountants: Is the grass greener outside the profession?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 83-98.
    20. Ariela Caglio & Mara Cameran, 2017. "Is it Shameful to be an Accountant? GenMe Perception(s) of Accountants' Ethics," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 53(1), pages 1-27, March.
    21. Daoust, Laurence & Malsch, Bertrand, 2019. "How ex-auditors remember their past: The transformation of audit experience into cultural memory," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-1.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:142:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3157-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.