Research Roundup: Accounting and Financial Management – July 2026
We’re shining a spotlight on our Accounting and Financial Management research colleagues, as well as showcasing the impactful work taking place within the group.
20 July 2026
Publications
The groups latest publications explore the forces shaping financial and corporate markets, from AI and digitalisation to the impact of incentives on work friendships.
British business-government relationships: A case study of the Burmah Oil Company, 1974-1975
Business History
This paper investigates the bailout of the Burmah Oil Company by the British government in 1975, focusing on risk, business-government relations, and informality.
The research highlights how risk management was deployed in the bailout process, the implications of which had beneficial consequences for the company’s continued existence.
Read publication at Taylor & Francis Online
Harnessing reasoning-based AI for digital entrepreneurship in creative authorship
Artificial Intelligence in Education
This autoethnographic case study demonstrates how reasoning-based AI (ChatGPT o1) can co-write and self-publish a complete novel, achieving roughly 50-fold productivity gains.
Its contribution lies in showing reasoning models' transformative potential for creative authorship while affirming that human oversight remains essential for thematic depth, character nuance, and ethical disclosure – offering actionable guidance for authors and publishers.
Read publication at Emerald Insight
Carbon emissions, carbon reporting channels and corporate debt: Evidence from developed and emerging markets
Emerging Markets Finance and Trade
This research compares top emitters in developed markets with mandatory reporting (US, UK) against major emitters in emerging markets (China, India). The aim is to test how disclosure regimes shape debt financing.
The results show three main factors: higher carbon intensity enhances debt capital in developed markets while suppressing it in emerging markets; increased carbon intensity in developed markets is associated with a higher cost of debt; and in developed markets, investors incorporate firm-reported emissions in their lending decisions, while in emerging markets, vendor-estimated emissions are considered more reliable.
Read publication at Taylor & Francis Online
Does international oil price risk affect the corporate propensity to save? Evidence from China
Dr Erwei (David) Xiang (and Yong Wang, Adrian (Wai Kong) Cheung, and Wei Hu)
Emerging Markets Review
This study examines how international oil price risk affects corporate cash-saving behaviour among Chinese listed firms. Using a dynamic multi-equation model, the paper finds that oil price risk reduces firms’ propensity to save from cash flows, especially among non-state-owned enterprises, highly leveraged firms, and firms with lower investment opportunities.
The findings show how external commodity price uncertainty can intensify financial constraints and shape corporate liquidity management in emerging markets.
Appointments
Our colleagues regularly take on new editorial and leadership roles both within the Business School and beyond. They contribute their expertise to the wider academic community.
Dr Lana Liu
Congratulations to Dr Lana Liu on being appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Pragmatic Constructivism
Professor Josie McLaren
Congratulations Professor Josie McLaren on being reappointed to the Research Advisory Board, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) for a second three-year term.
Dr David Ririmasse
Congratulations Dr David Ririmasse on being appointed as Subject Expert in Sustainability by the Association of International Accountants (AIA).
Joanne Parker
Congratulations to Joanne Parker on her appointment as North Board Chair at ICAEW.
Collaborations
Collaboration sits at the heart of our research, bringing together expertise and interdisciplinary work to tackle complex challenges.
The contribution of the Stephenson Company, engine manufacturers to the genesis of the British railway industry c.1823–1840
Professor David McCollum-Oldroyd, Neveen Abdelrehim, Tom McGovern (and Tom McLean, and Thomas N. Tyson)
Business History
This research investigates the part played by the railways in boosting industrialisation worldwide as an old story. How do you start something new and unproven from scratch which requires massive investment in infrastructure to make it work?
The research found that in the first ten years of a company’s existence, its business model was focused on technical innovation, creating demand for investment, and expanding capacity by subcontracting its designs to other manufacturers rather than protecting its patents. From an accounting perspective, maintaining sufficient cash flow was the key issue rather than turning a profit, which came later.
Read publication at Taylor & Francis Online
Managing agency business groups, elite directors, and the rubber boom, 1897–1913
Professor David Higgins (and Professor Steve Toms, Leeds University Business School)
The Economic History Review
This research identifies a new organisational form, the Managing Agency Business Group (MABG), to explain how agency houses used interlocking directorships based on commercial and plantation expertise to access finance on London stock markets and local capital markets in the pre-1914 rubber boom – the last of the great booms before 1914.
This new organisational form selects boards to balance quality in the custody and management of overseas assets with access to city networks and associated finance.
Read publication at Wiley Online Library
Does digitalization imply uncertainty about the future prospects of a firm? Evidence from analyst forecast accuracy
Dr April Li (and He Guanming and Lin Tiantian)
The Financial Review
This paper investigates the pressing question of ‘does embracing digital technologies make a firm’s future easier or harder to predict?’
It sheds light on the issue, using a large sample of Chinese-listed firms and focusing on financial analysts, whose earnings forecasts reflect how predictable a firm’s prospects appear to the market.
The research shows that analysts make more accurate forecasts for firms with higher levels of digitalization, indicating that digital transformation reduces, rather than adds to, uncertainty about a firm’s prospects.
Read publication at Wiley Online Library
Interview with Tracey Wilson: Meet AIA Chief Examiner Tracey Wilson
The Association of International Accountants (AIA)
In this interview Tracey explains how AIA is shaping accountants to think, question and lead with integrity. The key themes of the interview include why judgment and ethical reasoning are now core accounting skills, how global standards support trust in the profession and the growing importance of sustainability and integrated thinking.
Read the interview at The Association of International Accountants
NET 250: Combining students as research partners and collaborating with external stakeholders
NET 250 is a collaborative project between Newcastle University Business School, North East Times (NET) and PwC, which began in October 2024. It shines a light on the companies in the North East to recognise the top 250 firms in the region by turnover.
The research for the listing was undertaken by four students, with support from Aidan Beck, Education Lead for Accounting and Financial Management.
Exploring the lived experience of women in accounting around Menstruation, Menopause and Miscarriage (3M) in the workplace
Emerita Professor Louise Crawford
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) funded research project
As part of the Shaping the Profession research project, ICAS has commissioned a repost on the impact of menstruation, menopause and miscarriage on women’s careers in accountancy. The investigation reveals damaging collective reluctance to speak openly.
Funding
Our research attracts funding to address pressing economic, environmental, and societal challenges.
Examining the use of digital mental health services in the United Kingdom
Funding source: ADU (Abu Dhabi University) and Liwa College (Abu Dhabi)
The study focuses on services such as mobile mental health applications, online counselling, telepsychiatry, and web-based self-help platforms. These services expanded after the COVID-19 pandemic, as healthcare providers needed remote ways to support people experiencing mental health difficulties. However, access, awareness, and continued use remain uneven across different groups.
The grant will support research into the factors that influence digital mental health service use, including age, income, digital skills, trust, privacy concerns, and service availability. The study will assess who uses these services, who does not, and why some people stop using them. The findings can help improve digital mental healthcare planning in the UK. They can also support better service design, reduce access gaps, and make digital mental health support more useful across demographic groups.
Investigating Kuwait’s developmental transformation between 1951 and 1967
Funding source: The public authority for applied education and training in Kuwait
The project will examine how Kuwait moved from a British-protected, oil-dependent economy to a sovereign state with a planned development strategy. It will analyse how the Kuwaiti leadership used oil revenues to create the Kuwait Investment Board in 1953, fund domestic development plans, and reduce dependence on the colonial concession system.
The research will use records from the British Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, Treasury, and Kuwaiti Construction Council to trace this process. It will apply dependency theory and post-colonial theory to assess how Kuwait exercised agency while still operating within structures of dependency. The project will also compare Kuwait with Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria to show how early institutional design shaped long-term development.
The grant will support archival research that contributes to Gulf business history and debates on oil, sovereignty, and postcolonial state building.
Conferences and panels
From joining scientific panels to developing policies and strategies, our researchers are shaping the accounting and financial field through active engagement.
ADU Global Engagement Program panel and working groups that advise governments and international organisations on climate change
ICAIF 2024
These panels leverage Dr Abdelrehim’s expertise to develop more effective climate policies and strategies. Her participation in these groups not only validates her research but also places her at the forefront of global climate change discussions.
View the conference themes here
OECD Food Chain Analysis Network meetings, Paris
OECD Food Chain Analysis Network (FCAN)
Professor Josie McLaren was invited to attend two recent OECD Food Chain Analysis Network (FCAN) meetings, held in Paris in November 2025 and February 2026.
FCAN is a specialised OECD expert group dedicated to the study and analysis of food systems, informing multi-country dialogue and supporting the development of effective policies. At the meetings Josie presented findings from her research project on 'Accounting for Food Waste by UK and EU food retailers', together with Professor Lisa Jack from the University of Portsmouth.
Impact and engagement
The Alnwick Garden: 25 Years of Economic Impact
Dr David Ririmasse and Tracey Wilson
Dr David Ririmasse and Tracey Wilson designed a practical economic-impact model for The Alnwick Garden Trust, combining visitor and postcode data with recognised UK benchmarks, to demonstrate how garden-linked spending supports local businesses and jobs.
They researched comparable organisations and developed a methodology, drawing on the STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) model, that was both academically credible and practical for the client.
The model separates income and activity streams to avoid double-counting, with scenario testing and a multi-year view, so the Trust can easily update figures and apply the results confidently in reports and stakeholder discussions.
The Doorman Fallacy
As part of an ongoing series of short-form YouTube videos and podcast episodes exploring business strategy and management theory, Ben released an episode on the Doorman Fallacy.
Popularised by Rory Sutherland, the concept highlights how organisations can undervalue employees and activities by focusing only on visible tasks rather than the wider value they create. The episode forms part of a growing collection of accessible, evidence-based content designed to bring management and strategy theory to life through real-world examples, helping students, and anyone else with an interest in business strategy, engage with key business concepts in a more engaging and practical format.
Insights and thought leadership
Our academics are sharing their expertise, insights, and innovative ideas.
“National car parks is in administration – some big companies are so dependent on debt that they can’t adjust to change”
This article uses the collapse of National Car Parks (NCP) as a case study to explain how high debt levels can reduce corporate flexibility, leaving firms vulnerable when demand weekends, costs rise or business conditions change.
Due to his research in this area, Dr Xiang was invited to appear on BBC Radion 5 Live as an expert guest to discuss NCP’s collapse, where he offered financial commentary on debt dependence and the important of corporate resilience during periods of structural change.
Find out more about our research on our Research page.
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