AICPA presents award to best early career researcher

Kristy Towry, Ph.D., assistant professor of managerial accounting and finance at the Goizueta Business School, Emory University was awarded the Best Early Career Researcher Award from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the United Kingdom and the Society of Management Accountants (CMA Canada) co-sponsored the award. It was granted in collaboration with the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association.

Ken Merchant, Ph.D., chair of the American Accounting Association Award Selection Committee presented the award today at the Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association in Anaheim, CA. The $2,000 grant is given to a researcher with the best overall body of research in management accounting. Eligible research will have been completed within the first five years of joining a faculty.

"Research on management accounting is critical to the accounting profession," said Christopher McKittrick, director of the AICPA's Business, Industry and Government Group. "We think Towry's research will significantly contribute to better understanding of complex issues faced by our business and industry members, many of whom are CEOs and CFOs responsible for making key decisions on the creation of collaborative environments within their organizations."

Towry's research on the use of accounting information for managerial decision making, with a special focus on managerial control systems and financial incentives is published in multiple publications including Accounting Education, The Accounting Review and Contemporary Accounting Research. The Accounting Review and other publications are expected to publish more of her research, which has examined control systems in a teamwork setting and how a strong team identity leads to greater collaboration.

"The effects of control systems in collaborative environments are critical business problems that need to be understood," said Merchant. "Towry's research provides key information to enhance the environment for management accountants."