Aims and Scope
Aims & Scope
Advancing rigorous, context-rich and practice-relevant scholarship in business management, leadership and accounting, with particular emphasis on research that connects theory and evidence with real organisational challenges.
Reflecting its association with the Management & Leadership Case Study Centre, Universiti Utara Malaysia, JBMA places particular emphasis on case-based, context-rich and practice-relevant scholarship that enhances understanding of managerial decision-making, leadership, governance, accountability, organisational transformation and contemporary business challenges.
Our Aim
The Journal of Business Management and Accounting (JBMA) aims to advance knowledge in business management, leadership and accounting through rigorous, theoretically grounded and methodologically sound research.
The journal seeks to strengthen the relationship between theory, evidence and practice. Priority is given to manuscripts that address significant organisational and managerial problems, make a clear scholarly contribution, and generate insights that extend beyond a narrowly defined organisation, sample or geographical setting.
JBMA welcomes research from diverse organisational and geographical contexts. Studies from Southeast Asia and other emerging and transforming economies are particularly encouraged where their findings contribute to broader theoretical, managerial or policy debates. Comparative, cross-country and internationally collaborative research is also strongly welcomed.
Core Areas of Interest
JBMA focuses on four interconnected areas that reflect contemporary challenges facing organisations, managers and policymakers.
Leadership, Strategy & Organisational Transformation
- Strategic management and decision-making
- Leadership and managerial behaviour
- Organisational change and transformation
- Organisational behaviour and culture
- Human resource and talent management
- Crisis management and organisational resilience
- International and cross-cultural management
Digital Transformation, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Digital transformation
- Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
- Technology-enabled organisational change
- Digital business and platform models
- Innovation management
- Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems
- SMEs and family businesses
- Business model innovation
Sustainability, Governance & Responsible Management
- Sustainability and sustainable business
- Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices
- Corporate governance
- Business ethics and integrity
- Corporate social responsibility
- Stakeholder management
- Responsible leadership
- Social and environmental accountability
Accounting, Accountability & Organisational Control
- Management accounting
- Accounting information and managerial decision-making
- Auditing and assurance
- Internal control and risk management
- Accountability and governance
- Performance measurement and management
- Financial management and organisational decision-making
- Accounting practices in contemporary organisational contexts
Case-Based Scholarship
Case-based scholarship represents an important part of JBMA's evolving editorial identity. The journal particularly welcomes research that examines management, leadership, accounting and organisational phenomena through authentic organisational contexts and real-world evidence.
Single, embedded, longitudinal and process-oriented case research.
Research across organisations, industries, institutions or countries.
Authentic managerial and organisational dilemmas for analysis and learning.
The JBMA CASE Orientation
Strong case-based submissions should demonstrate four core elements:
A clearly articulated organisational, institutional, industry or social setting.
Relevant decision-makers, organisations, stakeholders or groups.
A meaningful managerial, leadership, governance, accounting or organisational issue.
Credible and sufficiently rich evidence supporting the analysis.
The CASE orientation is intended as a quality framework rather than a rigid manuscript structure. The use of a case-study design alone does not establish suitability for publication. Case-based manuscripts must demonstrate methodological rigour, theoretical relevance and a contribution extending beyond description of the individual case.
Types of Scholarly Contributions
JBMA considers the following manuscript types:
While JBMA gives particular priority to case-based scholarship, high-quality quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, conceptual and review research remains welcome where it is strongly aligned with the journal's aims and demonstrates a clear scholarly contribution.
Journal Fit
A manuscript's suitability for JBMA is determined not simply by whether it addresses a topic associated with business, management or accounting.
Priority is given to manuscripts that:
- address significant organisational or managerial problems;
- demonstrate clear theoretical grounding;
- use appropriate and rigorous research methods;
- provide meaningful organisational, institutional or managerial context;
- generate insights extending beyond the immediate research setting;
- connect evidence meaningfully to theory, practice or policy;
- demonstrate originality and scholarly contribution; and
- are relevant to a wider academic and professional audience.
JBMA generally does not prioritise studies that are predominantly descriptive, narrowly localised without broader implications, weakly connected to theory, or primarily replicate well-established relationships without demonstrating a meaningful contribution.
Is Your Manuscript a Good Fit for JBMA?
JBMA seeks scholarship that contributes to a deeper understanding of management, leadership, accounting and organisational challenges in real-world contexts. Authors are encouraged to review the Manuscript Guidelines before preparing their submission.
View Manuscript Guidelines Make a Submission →