Accounting and navigating legitimacy in Tanzanian NGOs. (In special issue: NGO accountability)
Accounting and navigating legitimacy in Tanzanian NGOs. (In special issue: NGO accountability)
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of accounting in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It seeks to understand accounting processes and reporting practices in NGOs and the conditions that sustain those processes and practices. NGOs have become important institutions in world affairs but accounting research has not developed significant interest in their operations.
Design/methodology/approach – The research executes a grounded theory strategy as the principal methodology for the inquiry. Fieldwork was undertaken in three Tanzanian NGOs.
Findings – The research established the importance of accounting in the process of navigating organisational legitimacy. This was achieved due to its important role in symbolising organisational competence. Two principal strategies were employed by organisations in navigating legitimacy – building credibility and bargaining for change.
Originality/value – The paper makes a contribution to the limited empirical research into accounting in NGOs in developing countries and to grounded theory, accounting research. The principal finding, that in the NGOs studied the primary purpose of accounting was its symbolic use in navigating legitimacy and that it has a minimal role to play in internal decision making, is an important finding for practice as well as for understanding and knowledge. Finally, the paper sheds light on accountability in NGOs by narrating how the phenomenon is constructed and perceived by organisations and stakeholders. Future research should extend our understanding of these phenomena across a broader range of NGOs to incorporate differences in geographical location, religious affiliation and also include Northern donor organisations.
accounting, culture, non-governmental organizations, regulation, tanzania
377-404
Goddard, Andrew
1bee5bd5-13fe-43e5-9c7d-a23acdf431b2
Assad, Mussa Juma
3aca6987-111b-427f-8b04-943acc181188
2006
Goddard, Andrew
1bee5bd5-13fe-43e5-9c7d-a23acdf431b2
Assad, Mussa Juma
3aca6987-111b-427f-8b04-943acc181188
Goddard, Andrew and Assad, Mussa Juma
(2006)
Accounting and navigating legitimacy in Tanzanian NGOs. (In special issue: NGO accountability).
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 19 (3), .
(doi:10.1108/09513570610670343).
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of accounting in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It seeks to understand accounting processes and reporting practices in NGOs and the conditions that sustain those processes and practices. NGOs have become important institutions in world affairs but accounting research has not developed significant interest in their operations.
Design/methodology/approach – The research executes a grounded theory strategy as the principal methodology for the inquiry. Fieldwork was undertaken in three Tanzanian NGOs.
Findings – The research established the importance of accounting in the process of navigating organisational legitimacy. This was achieved due to its important role in symbolising organisational competence. Two principal strategies were employed by organisations in navigating legitimacy – building credibility and bargaining for change.
Originality/value – The paper makes a contribution to the limited empirical research into accounting in NGOs in developing countries and to grounded theory, accounting research. The principal finding, that in the NGOs studied the primary purpose of accounting was its symbolic use in navigating legitimacy and that it has a minimal role to play in internal decision making, is an important finding for practice as well as for understanding and knowledge. Finally, the paper sheds light on accountability in NGOs by narrating how the phenomenon is constructed and perceived by organisations and stakeholders. Future research should extend our understanding of these phenomena across a broader range of NGOs to incorporate differences in geographical location, religious affiliation and also include Northern donor organisations.
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Published date: 2006
Keywords:
accounting, culture, non-governmental organizations, regulation, tanzania
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 35662
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/35662
ISSN: 0951-3574
PURE UUID: 764d563c-8e97-4cbd-951e-26d7012b7b30
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Date deposited: 06 Jun 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:53
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Author:
Andrew Goddard
Author:
Mussa Juma Assad
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