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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Celebrating advances in LGBT+ diversity in the accountancy profession
T2 - Not letting idealistic purity become the enemy of progress
AU - Unerman, Jeffrey
N1 - This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here.Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
PY - 2018/11/5
Y1 - 2018/11/5
N2 - Purpose: This paper provides a commentary on evidence presented and issues raised in Egan (2018) regarding LGBT+ diversity initiatives in the accountancy profession.Design/methodology/approach:This paper is an invited commentary based on the author’s experiences of LGBT+ and other diversity initiatives in the profession.Findings:There is cause for optimism in how far the profession has progressed in some countries on supporting LGBT+ (and other forms of) diversity.Practical implications:As the multinational accountancy firms can be agents for change in countries where there remains considerable discrimination and hostility to LGBT+ (and other) communities, constructive critique to help further improve the firms’ innovative actions on LGBT+ and other diversity issues could have a major positive impact on social justice. Egan (2018) is an example of such constructive critique.Social implications:Where other academic studies take a disparagingly critical approach they risk both (1) squandering the opportunity to help achieve the progress they espouse and (2) discouraging other firms embracing innovative diversity practices.Originality/value:Provides a counter perspective to some Critical Accounting arguments that appear to value idealism over progress.
AB - Purpose: This paper provides a commentary on evidence presented and issues raised in Egan (2018) regarding LGBT+ diversity initiatives in the accountancy profession.Design/methodology/approach:This paper is an invited commentary based on the author’s experiences of LGBT+ and other diversity initiatives in the profession.Findings:There is cause for optimism in how far the profession has progressed in some countries on supporting LGBT+ (and other forms of) diversity.Practical implications:As the multinational accountancy firms can be agents for change in countries where there remains considerable discrimination and hostility to LGBT+ (and other) communities, constructive critique to help further improve the firms’ innovative actions on LGBT+ and other diversity issues could have a major positive impact on social justice. Egan (2018) is an example of such constructive critique.Social implications:Where other academic studies take a disparagingly critical approach they risk both (1) squandering the opportunity to help achieve the progress they espouse and (2) discouraging other firms embracing innovative diversity practices.Originality/value:Provides a counter perspective to some Critical Accounting arguments that appear to value idealism over progress.
KW - LGBT diversity
KW - accountancy profession
KW - Idealistic purity
KW - Social Justice
U2 - 10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2018-0207
DO - 10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2018-0207
M3 - Journal article
VL - 9
SP - 636
EP - 641
JO - Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal
JF - Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal
SN - 2040-8021
IS - 5
ER -