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This study aims to examine the role of financial management practices, which consist of financial disclosure, internal control, financial planning and budgeting and financial performance on Islamic social enterprises’ (ISEs) accountability.

Questionnaires were administered to financial officers of 102 Malaysian ISEs. Findings were analysed using Smart-PLS to examine the relationships between financial management practices and accountability.

Results of this study indicate a direct relationship exists between internal control and accountability. Relationships between other financial management practices and accountability are indirect through internal control. Hence, the data demonstrates that internal control has a mediating role on other financial management practices, which are financial disclosure and financial performance management with the accountability of ISEs.

This study has implicated the significant role of financial management practices in ISEs in the pursuance of their accountability especially internal control to achieve public trust.

Appropriate financial management practices, especially internal control, are essential for the ISEs to achieve good accountability.

This study contributes to the field of management and social accounting by providing empirical evidence on ISE practices specifically on financial management practices and accountability. This framework thus presents among the early attempts in studying accountability issues in ISEs.

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of financial governance practices in influencing both financial management and Islamic work ethic practices to affect Islamic social enterprises (ISEs) accountability.

Questionnaires were administered to financial officers of 102 Malaysian ISEs. Data was analysed using Smart-PLS to examine the relationships between financial management, Islamic work ethic, financial governance and accountability.

Results of this study indicate direct relationship only exist between Islamic work ethic and accountability. The relationship between financial management and accountability are indirect through financial governance. Hence, the data proves that financial governance has a mediating role on both the relationships between financial management and Islamic work ethic with the accountability of the ISEs.

The study has highlighted the greater role of financial management, Islamic work ethic and financial governance practices over accountability to achieve public trust, especially for Malaysian ISEs.

ISEs need to have good financial governance practices besides financial management and Islamic work ethic practices to achieve good accountability.

The study contributes to the field of management and social accounting by providing empirical evidence on the ISEs practices specifically on financial management, Islamic work ethic, financial governance and accountability. This framework thus presents amongst the first attempts in studying accountability issues in ISEs.

The purpose of this study is to utilize a configuration approach to examine the relationships between multiple contingent variables and management control systems (MCS) in service organizations from various industries. The contingent variables include service process type, cost leadership and differentiation strategies, environmental unpredictability, change and complexity and organizational life cycle stage.

Questionnaires were administered to the financial controllers of service organizations operating in Australia. Cluster analysis is utilized to reveal the MCSs fit.

The data reveals that high-performing service organizations are those firms that place high emphasis on a differentiation strategy. The lower performers, on the other hand, are firms with a lack of emphasis on both cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Overall, the data demonstrates that strategic orientation plays an important role in high-performing organizations and the ability to incorporate various contingent situations determines the effectiveness of an organization.

The potentially broad framework offered in this study allows managers from various service industries to relate the variations in the combination of situations to those of their firms. The service managers’ experience with certain type of combinations can assist them to identify the strategic position of their respective organizations. Consequently, service managers can estimate the prospect for further development to enhance the firm performance.

This study offers a holistic view of the multiple and simultaneous relationships between contingent factors and MCS design in service organizations using a configuration approach. This paper contributes to the literature on organizational configurations in particular by studying the systematic nature of effective MCSs in service organizations when adapting to the contextual settings of the organizations.

This study aims to present an effort to construct a measurement instrument to capture Islamic accountability from “accountability for what” aspect. These measurement instruments are developed by considering both social and economic natures in Islamic organisations.

This study defined the concept of Islamic accountability from the perspective of “accountability for what”. It is decomposed into specific items that suit an Islamic social enterprise (ISE). Next, these items are operationalised into scale items and re-composed empirically through factor analysis on data obtained from ISE stakeholders in Malaysia.

This study successfully developed an Islamic accountability measurement instruments from the “accountability for what” perspective for ISE. A total of 25 items are recognised and validated under four accountability dimensions, namely, accountability for input, accountability for output, accountability for procedural and accountability for Islamic principles and values.

Not all measurement instruments are fit for every Islamic organisation type because of the different characteristics of Islamic organisations.

Developed items can be used as part of Islamic accountability index, especially by ISE and other similar organisations to measure their accountability practices. Besides, these developed items can also be adopted for reporting purposes. In the case of Malaysia, respective government agencies, such as the Companies Commission of Malaysia , the Registry of Society, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development as well as the Malaysia Institute of Accountant, should have a look at the developed items to be considered into their respective guidelines or standards.

This study is believed to be a pioneering study in developing measurement instruments of Islamic accountability specific for ISE. It proposes measurement instruments of Islamic accountability that can be re-used for future research and is among the few studies of ISE.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of product complexity and communication quality on inter-organizational cost management (IOCM) and open book accounting (OBA) practices in buyer–supplier relationships in Malaysian manufacturing firms.

A questionnaire survey was administrated to CFOs or accounting managers of Malaysian suppliers. Exploratory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling procedures were applied to test convergent and discriminant validity of the measurement model and examine the relationships among the latent constructs in the structural model.

The results suggest that IOCM and OBA scales show acceptable reliability and validity. The findings also report that both product complexity and communication quality have a positive effect on IOCM and OBA in buyer–supplier relationships. However, the results suggest that IOCM does not influence OBA practice.

Although IOCM and OBA constructs exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity, future research is required to refine and further validate these constructs. The data were only collected from the supplier’s perspective. Thus, future research is invited to benefit from matched data from both suppliers and buyers to generate additional insights on IOCM and OBA.

This study may assist suppliers and buyers in relationships by suggesting that complex products require the adoption of IOCM and OBA practices to reduce information asymmetries and manage costs. Furthermore, emphasizing quality of communication may enhance the implementation of these practices.

Theoretically, this study contributes to the academic stream of management accounting and cost management as it enhances an understanding of contributions introduced in prior literature on IOCM and OBA. It uses a complementary approach of transaction cost theory (TCT) and social exchange theory (SET) to explain the research model. Methodologically, the study validated scales for measuring IOCM and OBA in a new environment.

Firms in Malaysia are in an enviable position in view of Malaysia's standing as a leading outsourcing hub in the region. Despite that, little is known about the accounting outsourcing practices, risks and control in Malaysia. This paper aims to explore the practices, decisions, processes and perception of risks and control in accounting outsourcing.

This paper is written based on survey data which were collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaires were directed to the head of the accounts and finance department of each company. A total of 51 companies participated in this study and approximately 47.1 percent of the respondents are involved in accounting outsourcing.

Findings show that the most common outsourcing activities are financial reporting and auditing while the main reasons to outsource are quality service, core competencies and scale economies. The decision to outsource accounting services is related to the type of industry and expertise in the firms. Most of the firms outsource their preparation of account and audit work as well as tax for better quality services. Firms rely more on formal contracts and concerns about confidentiality and security of accounting data.

Because of the limited number of responses, the findings may not be generalized to the overall population. Nevertheless, they can be used as background information for subsequent research in accounting outsourcing activities. Future research may consider the use of in‐depth case studies for understanding challenges in accounting outsourcing particularly in making decisions, managing processes and mitigating risks.

While it can be regarded as exploratory, this study makes an attempt to uncover the risks and control issues in accounting outsourcing. The findings will contribute to the body of knowledge in accounting outsourcing and enhance the understanding of the current accounting outsourcing practices in Malaysia.

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of accounting outsourcing practices in Malaysia and the management control strategies undertaken by these practising firms to mitigate inherent risks.

This study employs survey methodology using structured questionnaires and case studies using interviews. A total of 51 companies responded to the questionnaires and two companies participated in the interview.

The survey data revealed that the primary reason for engaging in accounting outsourcing was to gain quality accounting service from the experts. With regard to management control strategies, it was shown that respondents place high emphasis of behavior, output and social controls. Further investigation using case studies involving a vendor and client companies reveal that the control mechanisms involved were stated in the outsourcing contract, namely the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and penalties. Informal controls were also used in both cases to assist in solving conflicts and dissatisfaction among vendors and clients.

The identification the control strategies in the accounting outsourcing process is useful for companies to manage the inherent risks in outsourcing relationships. The knowledge on the control practices by firms involved in accounting outsourcing provides additional assurance to potentials interested in seeking accounting services in this country.

This paper is driven by the lack of empirical evidence of accounting outsourcing practices in Malaysia and paucity of research into the role of management control in an outsourcing relationship. Despite the growth of the outsourcing industry in Malaysia, little has been done to understand the contribution of a professional service sector such as the accounting services to this industry.

The purpose of this paper is to provide understanding on the process of accounting outsourcing turnback from the client's perspective. The aim is to understand the issues faced by clients during turnback process, and provide recommendations to resolve them.

This study adopts a qualitative interpretive case study approach. Data were collected based on documentation, archival records, direct observation, and interviews to allow for triangulation.

This study provides empirical evidence of accounting outsourcing turnback process. Some of the issues faced by clients include lack of management support, limited financial and human resources, and uncooperative vendors.

Theoretically, this study extends Elliot's model by providing empirical evidence on process, identifying issues, and discussing recommendations on accounting outsourcing turnback. The limitation is the use of a single case study of a small company in Malaysia.

Practically, this study enhances understanding on accounting outsourcing turnback process and issues. The recommendations provided can serve as guidelines for clients who are considering outsourcing turnback as a strategic move.

There has been limited research in the area of accounting outsourcing focusing on turnback process. This study contributes to the field of accounting outsourcing by describing an accounting turnback process and issues faced by clients. The study recommends communication, financial support, top management support, back‐up exit plan, and vendor management throughout the turnback period. Finally, gradual reduction of accounting outsourced works rather than immediate termination is favored to reduce the risk in accounting outsourcing turnback.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept of higher education institutions (HEIs) offering educational services based on value for money. The value is determined based on customers’ (i.e. students) expectations of the service and the costs in comparison to the competitors. Understanding the value and creating customer value are a means to attain competitive advantage and constitute the basis of price setting. Drawing upon this belief, as an initial step towards value-based pricing method, the possible value factors are suggested for calculating educational programme prices across HEIs.

This is a conceptual paper introducing the value-based pricing approach in setting HEI tuition fees. Extending prior discussion on the demand for quality education and current financial challenges faced by HEIs, it introduces the concept pricing based upon customer perceived value (student/industry). Value-based pricing is deemed appropriate in view of the value of short tangible and intangible investment by both parties (students and HEIs) to differentiate in terms of setting the right price for the right university for the right student.

The primary aim is to suggest the applicability of value-based pricing for HEIs, which is likely to be both relevant and fruitful for the sustainability of the sector. It represents a personal point of view; building upon a review of the literature, the paper extends the established knowledge one step further in terms of setting the right price for the right university, which is deemed worthy of further study and development.

The paper will be of use to the management and policymakers in the education sector in searching for a contemporary pricing mechanism for higher education.

A shared service (SS) arrangement involves an intra‐firm interrelationship, since the SS centre (SSC), operated as an independent business unit, provides services to clients who are other independent business units in the same company group. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of risks and controls used in mitigating SS risks.

This study adopts a qualitative approach using a case study of a SSC in a bank group in Malaysia. The risks and control framework developed by Das and Teng was used to analyse the appropriate control mechanisms for mitigating internal outsourcing risks, namely relational risk and performance risk.

The main relational risk identified is the possibility of opportunistic behaviour. However, this risk could be mitigated through social control especially when both parties share norms and values. Performance risks in SSC are mainly related to unsatisfactory services in terms of incomplete information, system errors and human mistakes. These risks could be mitigated using either behaviour control or output control. Behaviour control can be exercised through performance reporting, while output control can be achieved through key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLA).

This study is limited to a single case study of a SSC with a certain type of arrangement and discusses business process outsourcing (BPO) in general. Future research may examine cases with other SS arrangements, detailed examination of each BPO and incorporate multi‐perspective views from both SSC and their clients. Issues concerning changes in control in the evolving situation of SSC and bargaining power and trust in mitigating SSC risks are also worth exploring.

The study's findings enable practitioners to draw insights to develop effective control strategies to mitigate risks in intra‐organizational relationships such as SSC.

The paper adds to our knowledge of control mechanisms for mitigating risks in the SS relationship, which is a relatively new concept in the literature.