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The Dilemma of Accountability for Professionals: A Challenge for Mainstream Management Theories

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  • Maliheh Mansouri

  • Julie Rowney

Abstract

Professional institutions are increasingly confronted by fiscal constraints and political pressures to improve and increase their accountability in a competitive consumer-driven market. Accordingly, the need to ensure efficiency and accountability is of strategic importance. This article reports on a qualitative study of medical professionals that assessed the utility of financial incentives and external control methods derived from agency theory to ensure accountability of professionals. The authors argue that approaches derived from stewardship and institutional theories can extend the principal–agent perspective to sustain greater social and ethical accountability. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Maliheh Mansouri & Julie Rowney, 2014. "The Dilemma of Accountability for Professionals: A Challenge for Mainstream Management Theories," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 45-56, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:123:y:2014:i:1:p:45-56
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1788-x
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    2. Margaret Fletcher & Pavlos Dimitratos & Stephen Young, . "How can academic-policy collaboration be more effective? A stewardship approach to engaged scholarship in the case of SME internationalization," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    3. Virginia R. Stewart & Deirdre G. Snyder & Chia-Yu Kou, 2023. "We Hold Ourselves Accountable: A Relational View of Team Accountability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(3), pages 691-712, March.
    4. Monika Kostera & Jerzy Kociatkiewicz & Michał Zawadzki, 2019. "In search of a Dérive: for alternative media narratives of management and organization," Post-Print hal-02401109, HAL.
    5. Ruben Burga & Davar Rezania, 2015. "A Scoping Review of Accountability in Social Entrepreneurship," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(4), pages 21582440156, October.
    6. Tassisius Muzivi, 2022. "An Effective and Prompt Assessment of Good Corporate Governance on Public Sector Entities- Evaluation of Ideal Best Practices," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(1), pages 690-698, January.
    7. Florian Hoos & Jorien Louise Pruijssers & Michel W. Lander, 2019. "Who’s Watching? Accountability in Different Audit Regimes and the Effects on Auditors’ Professional Skepticism," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 563-575, May.

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