Determinants of the choice of management accounting according to the IFAC (1998) model

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Abstract

This study explores how various contingency factors influence the sophistication of management accounting practices (MAPs) in manufacturing firms in Tunisia, based on the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC, 1998) framework. Data were collected through structured surveys administered to both managers and accountants, providing a comprehensive dataset for the quantitative analysis. The research is particularly relevant as it addresses a gap in the literature on MAPs in developing and Arab economies, offering new insights into how contextual factors shape accounting practices in these settings. The study uses a robust dataset encompassing responses related to 38 MAPs and eight contingency variables across a representative sample of Tunisian manufacturing firms. Using the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, the findings indicate that organizational structure, business strategy, total quality management (TQM), just-in-time (JIT) systems, advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), and environmental uncertainty significantly influence the adoption of advanced MAPs. Conversely, firm size and market competition were not found to be significant predictors, which contrasts with common assumptions in the existing literature. Overall, the study highlights the importance of achieving a contextual “fit” between firm characteristics and accounting practices to ensure the effectiveness of MAPs as tools for information and decision-making. It represents the first known analysis of this scale in the Arab region, contributing original empirical evidence to the field of management accounting.

Keywords: Management Accounting Practices, IFAC Model, Contingency Theory, Firm Characteristics

Authors’ individual contribution: Conceptualization — F.N.S.; Methodology — S.B.; Software — F.N.S.; Validation — S.B.; Formal Analysis — S.B.; Investigation — S.B.; Resources — S.B.; Data Curation — S.B.; Writing — Original Draft — S.B.; Writing — Review & Editing — F.N.S.; Visualization — F.N.S.; Supervision — F.N.S.; Project Administration — F.N.S.; Funding Acquisition — F.N.S.

Declaration of conflicting interests: The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

JEL Classification: M4, M410, M480

Received: 07.05.2025
Revised: 21.07.2025; 06.08.2025
Accepted: 02.09.2025
Published online: 05.09.2025

How to cite this paper: Benelifa, S., & Nasfi Salem, F. (2025). Determinants of the choice of management accounting according to the IFAC (1998) model. Corporate Ownership & Control, 22(3), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv22i3art6