11 December 2017
We are delighted that Professor Stephen Walker’s paper titled ‘Accountants and the pursuit of the national interest: A study of role conflict during the First World War’ was published in the prestigious Critical Perspectives on Accounting Journal in August 2017. Stephen Walker is a Professor of Accounting, Head of the Accounting and Finance Group and a Director of the Centre for Accounting and Society (CAS) at the University of Edinburgh Business School.
The recently published paper importantly considers whether the accounting profession acts in the public interest and this specifically connects with the CAS Accounting profession theme. Professor Walker suggests that historical and contemporary studies continue to question the accountancy profession’s commitment to the public interest. During periods of national trauma, such as total war, the extent of the profession’s pursuit of altruism is thrown into sharp relief.
The study presented in the paper draws on role theory and examines the emergence and resolution of conflicting expectations of public accountants in Britain during the First World War. While it was initially assumed that the national interest was best accomplished by the enlistment of men from accounting practices for military service, practitioners complained that the resulting depletion of labour adversely impacted on the operation of their firms. This role conflict for leaders of the profession was successfully resolved by the construction of an expansive redefinition of accountants’ contribution to the national interest. The expertise of accountants in taxation and audit was deemed essential to the successful prosecution of the war. A role transition thus resulted!
Initially identified as contributors of physical manpower on the field of battle, professional accountants became suppliers of essential ‘brainpower’, exercised within the office space. In this way, the self-interest of practising accountants was reconciled to the nation’s object of winning the war.
Throughout the paper, the role of the accountancy profession is in the spotlight in relation to World War One, but it provides insights into how the profession has evolved and touches on the conceptualisation of the national interest. It was a challenging time for the profession as accountants agonised over whether to satisfy the demands of the state and encourage the enlistment of accounting manpower for the military, or preserve their own interests by retaining staff in accounting firms. The paper delves deeper into this as well as the motivations and complexities around the role transition which meant accountants were no longer conscripted for military service but authorised to continue practising to avoid, what they felt, would be the demise of the profession.
This insightful piece is a must read. View the full paper below: