An AAAJ tribute to Professor Reg Mathews

Citation

(2012), "An AAAJ tribute to Professor Reg Mathews", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 25 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaaj.2012.05925eaa.001

An AAAJ tribute to Professor Reg Mathews

Article Type: An AAAJ tribute to Professor Reg Mathews From: Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Volume 25, Issue 5

The AAAJ community has lost one of its strongest influences from the pioneering years of the social accounting movement, namely Professor Reg Mathews, a founding influence on both AAAJ and its scholarly community. Let us briefly explain how AAAJ came into being. In the late 1970s Reg Matthews and James Guthrie produced the Social Accounting Monitor (SAM) Newsletter. This newsletter was distributed in hard copy via the post to a small group of interested accounting academics around the globe. The main purpose of the newsletter was to inform the group of research, grants, conferences and other relevant matters. In response to this a representative from then named MCB University Press in the UK contacted us in 1985 to open a conversation about the possibility of launching a new journal and as a result under the editorship of James Guthrie and Lee Parker the birth of AAAJ took place in 1988. The editorship of the SAM Newsletter was taken over by Rob Gray and formed an important part of the CSEAR network internationally and in later years was consolidated into their journal Social and Environmental Accountability Journal.

From small beginnings and reflecting the intellect of Reg and his views on social accounting, many emerging scholars were influenced, institutional building took place and a community of supporting scholars emerged, including the both of us. We are personally indebted to his founding and indelible influence upon both of us. On these pages of AAAJ there are a number of personal tributes to Reg, there were many more.

Reg will be sadly missed.

James and Lee

Personal tributes to Reg Matthews from the AAAJ community

It is with great sadness that I now e-mail you to advise that Reg passed away in Wagga Wagga Australia at approx. 4 a.m. Aust EST today. I understand his passing was sudden and unexpected, caused by what would seem at this time to have been another stroke, although this is as yet unconfirmed.

Lin TozerSchool of Accountancy, Massey University

Reg with his family migrated to New Zealand from England 30 years ago. He spent his academic career mostly at Massey University, Palmerston North. During that period he held the positions of Professor in the Department of Accountancy, and Associate Dean and Acting Dean, College of Business at that University.

Reg was known internationally as a pioneer in that area of social accounting. In the 1980s he was passionate about promoting social and environmental accounting as an acceptable area of research, and he did so through his research and publications. He was affectionately known as a Professor of Accounting without numbers!

He attended and presented papers in the area of social and environmental accounting at numerous international conferences. He was well known for his extensive conference attendance. He was even named at a conference as an academic who had attended the most number of international conferences. The story is that when his name was called, he was not there to receive the award, and somebody in the audience yelled out saying “he just left to go to another conference”!

He will be remembered as a kind-hearted person who was generous in helping students and junior colleagues, and as an academic who enjoyed getting involved in collaborative research in his area of interest.

Hector Perera

Macquarie University

I was saddened to hear news of Reg’s passing. He was an early influence on my career, and a real character among our community. I first met him as editor and author through the pages of the Social Accounting Monitor. Later, I was to meet him – suit and tie – and hear his booming voice at some conference. I cannot remember where, he attended so many. He wasn’t quite as I had imagined! My first assignment was to review his 1984 piece in the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, and embark on a supervised research essay. Fresh from Lancaster, I was all set to pursue a career in behavioural management accounting, but he and Dave Owen changed all that (for the better I think). I can recall many early Australasian CSEAR conference conversations. To celebrate Reg’s contributions to our community at APIRA 2007 in Auckland with his Festschrift when he was so full of life and his usual self was an absolute highlight: they provide lasting memories of a giant of a man, along with his ever loving wife Rita.

Markus Milne

University of Canterbury

It was with delight that I “discovered” that it was possible to be a social and environmental accountant – almost exactly at a time when I was heading out of academia to do something that I thought would be more engaging and meaningful with my life. The fact that there was a putative field to become a part of is in so small way down to Reg (in partnership with others) and for that I shall be ever grateful. What is more, Reg was always unfailing kind and supportive of my (and I know others’) attempts to better understand and change the world we find ourselves in. His legacy lives on in very many ways in his own work and in the work of others.

Jan Bebbington

University of St Andrews

A poem

We didnae alwaysSee eye to eyeI didnae alwaysLike his shirt and tieEndless papers,Never boring;Conference papers,Always snoring;A real good palIn times of needSupporting us all,He planted the seedWe stand on his shoulders,He’s one of a kindHe’s out of sightBut not out of mind

Rob Gray

The Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research, University of St Andrews

I will never forget the moment when I “discovered” Reg. Dave Owen and I were two lost, bewildered and slightly lonely souls wondering what social accounting might be (despite Keith Maunders’ best attempts at mentoring) and we stumbled upon Reg – and through him James and Lee – and suddenly we were a gang! Six is a gang. Maybe this social accounting thing might actually fly. Without Reg it probably wouldn’t have done. Thanks mate!”

Professor R.H. Gray

Professor of Social and Environmental Accounting, Director of The Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research

I very sorry to hear the sad news. I had the honour of meeting Reg a few times and he will always be remembered for his integrity and commitment to make the world better place. Please pass my condolences to his family.

Prem Sikka

Professor of Accounting, Centre for Global Accountability, Essex Business School, University of Essex

I am very sorry to hear about Reg, and remember well the dedication to him at APIRA in Auckland.

Simon Linacre

Emerald Publishing

II am so sorry to hear that Reg has passed away. His influence in our field cannot be underestimated. It may be rather clichéd to say we stand on the shoulders of giants, but had Reg not done so much to lay the foundations of our field, most of us would be nowhere near where we are today, and would not have had such interesting careers. He was also a thoroughly decent, engaging and entertaining bloke who will be sadly missed by many.

Jeffrey Unerman

Head of the School of Management, Professor of Accounting and Corporate Accountability, Royal Holloway, University of London

The extra mile

For some people,Enough is just never…You know…Enough.WantingJust that little bit more.Greedy?That depends.After all,We frown at the prospect ofThe avaricious,The takers,The grandstanders.What of greedy givers?Always wanting…But wanting something else:That chance.For what?To pull on the guernsey.Support the team.Putting in,Boots and all,For nothingBut the thrill of it.“You want to do what?”I asked.“New place?New team?New headaches?New role?Again?”“But you’ve been there”,I said.“Led from the front.Slaved in the trenches.Done the miles”.“You’ve got staying power,I’ll give you that!”“But why rewind the tape?Why rerun the race?Why rebuild the big blue boat?”“Why bother?”And his reply?“I’d like one more shot.To make a difference!”And he did.

In honour of the lifelong and continuing service of Professor Reg Mathews to international accounting academe and inspired by a conversation between Professor Mathews and the poet in the 1990s. Written in San Francisco, 2005.

Lee Parker

University of South Australia

It is difficult to express in words the immense contribution of Reg Mathews to not only social accounting but also to the wider interdisciplinary and critical accounting community. Fortunately we have many words written by him that will allow us to experience a glimpse of this contribution. But for me it is the more invisible influence over the thinking of not only myself but countless others where his real contribution lies. Much of this occurred through his active engagement at conferences and workshops around the world over many years. Every time I went to any conference where Reg was present, and there were many, over more years than I dare to admit to, I knew it would prove to be a better event than would have been the case had he not been there. Some of his comments were completely off the wall but most were not, and all were offered with a passion for ideas and a genuinely collegial concern for everyone he met leaving me, like everyone else, feeling valued, valuable and with something important issue to think about. Conferences are not the same without him. He is greatly missed but his profound contribution over many years to the thinking of myself and many, many others remains.

Richard Laughlin

Emeritus Professor of Accounting, King’s College London

Social accounting, mega-accounting and beyond

The inaugural Australasian CSEAR hall of fame award presentation in Honour of M. R. Mathews, December 2011

Preamble

Reg Mathews retired in 2005. He is such an influential figure in social accounting and has been there since early on in the field’s development that we have decided that he be award the inaugural “Australasian CSEAR hall of fame award” for service to accounting generally and social accounting in particular.

It is almost impossible to recreate what it was like in the 1970s for a young accounting academic who, driven by enquiry, puzzlement and (probably) inarticulate passion, sought to discover what social accounting actually meant. There were very few writings and research projects in the social accounting movement. Unlike today with thousands of scholars, academic publications, professional reports and research projects with a global reach.

Being interested in Social Accounting involved spending time in a very lonely and hostile place. It attracted so much resentment that to commit oneself to social accounting was tantamount to saying that one did not want an academic career. In such an environment, discovering Reg (or Martin if you prefer) Mathews and finding that he possessed both the desire and the ability to support others stumbling into this almost entirely virgin area made a difference beyond words. Without Reg, myself (and many of the older generation of SA scholars, Rob, Richard, Markus, Lee, etc) would have struggled to get to first base in academe. Reg supported me in the late 1970 and one of my first publication was with him. Also with Reg I set up the Social Accounting Monitors (SAM) which served the small group of global scholars with information about what individuals were doing. This survived for 12 years when CSEAR set up the Social Environmental Accounting newsletter. Also during the 1980s in part because of SAM, AAAJ and CSEAR were established. Now 25 years on both of these are very successful institutions, remember Reg was there from the beginning!!.

Whilst Reg was certainly not the first academic into social accounting he was almost certainly the first who made it possible – indeed a passion – that colleagues exercised by social accounting should build a community of supportive scholars and students. It is in the spirit of that community and in recognition of Reg’s pivotal role in its foundation and growth of Social accounting that this award is provided

In putting together this award we relied upon the comments of a number of authors and Reg’s most influential publications – and particularly with an eye to those which have stood the test of time and have remained influential.

Gray, R. and Guthrie, J. (eds) (2007), Social Accounting, Mega Accounting and Beyond: A Festschrift in Honour of M.R. Mathews, Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research, St Andrews University, Scotland.

In conclusion, “To Reg the inaugural winner of the Australasian CSEAR hall of fame award for service to accounting generally and social accounting in particular”. All Reg’s friends, colleagues and others who have been touched by his generosity, time, guidance and his pioneering thought leadership and the many of whom have particular reason to value his contribution to the community.

James Guthrie

December 2011

A selection of key publications

• •

  Mathews, M.R. (1984) “A suggested classification for social accounting research”, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 199-221.

• •

  Guthrie, J.E. and Mathews, M.R. (1985) “Corporate social accounting in Australasia”, in Preston, L.E. (Ed.) Corporate Social Performance and Policy, JAI Press, New York, NY, pp. 251-77.

• •

  Mathews, M.R. (1987) “Social responsibility accounting disclosures and information content for shareholders”, British Accounting Review, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 161-7.

• •

  Mathews, M.R. (1997) “Twenty-five years of social and environmental accounting research: is there a Silver Jubilee to celebrate?”, Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 481-531.