The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association have recognized two professors for their contributions to management accounting research.
Adam Presslee, assistant professor of accounting at the School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and Laura Wang, a Fred and Virginia Roedgers Faculty Fellow and assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, were named dual recipients of the 2019 Best Early Career Researcher Award. This marks the first time the award was presented to two individuals.
To qualify for the award, research must have been completed within five years of the researcher earning their doctoral degree. The award is sponsored by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and given on behalf of the Association’s Chartered Global Management Accountant designation.
“Management accountants play an important role in helping their organizations create value, and providing incentives that drive performance is a key component of that process,” stated Bob Sannerud, chair of the Association’s Americas Region Advisory Panel and chief financial officer of Life Link III. “The insights from Dr. Wang and Dr. Presslee’s research will help CPAs and CGMA designation holders better advise and direct their organizations in this area.”
Presslee and Wang earned the award for their research on the effects of incentives on employee performance. Presslee’s research focused on the effects that various incentive system features and control environments have on employee performance. Wang’s research examined how the design of management control systems affects individual differences in employee skills, personalities and goals. The award is accompanied by a $2,000 grant.
Presslee earned his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Waterloo in 2014. Past recognitions include a Teacher of the Year award from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business in 2017 and the Outstanding Management Accounting Paper Award from the AAA in 2011.
Wang earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Prior to teaching, she worked as a senior associate at Grant Thornton.
