Reviewed by Richard Vangermeersch University of Rhode Island
This book is a very good “company history” of the Institute of Management Accountants, 19191994. As a “company history,” academics should not expect a heavily referenced work, although there are some references, nor a very critical look at the organization or its leadership, both volunteer and staff. A very good “company history” does provide a base for academic researchers to add these historical dimensions.
A very good “company history” is written by authors who have done their homework. In this instance, the authors brought much to the plate. Grant U. Meyers was national president of the IMA in 196970 and has remained qiuite active since then as well. He joined the IMA in 1946 and was a national vice president in 196263. He was program chairman for the 1969 annual meeting. Erwin S. (Speed) Koval was a former editor of Management Accounting and a longtime, 27 years, IMA staff member. A very good “company history” is well documented and, at the same time, interesting to read. The documentation that is presented is: (1) original letter of invitation; (2) the attendees of the organizational meeting; (3) the opening address by J. Lee Nicholson at that meeting; (4) charter members; (5) advertisement about the formation in Industrial Management; (6) membership numbers by years; (7) former presidents; (8) chapter growth; (9) competition trophy winners; (10) excerpt from LongRange Objectives Committee Report 1968; (11) CMA activity by year; (12) front page of first bulletin; and (13) Lybrand Awards to best authors. The book has a nice mix of photographs. The text is extremely well written.
Members of The Academy of Accounting Historians will probably be most interested in the people who founded the IMA [first, in 1919, the National Association of Cost Accountants (NACA) and then, in 1957 and until 1991, the National Association of Accountants (NAA) J. The authors did an excellent job with the founding father, J. Lee Nicholson, and the first executive secretary, Stuart C. McCleod. In the 75th anniversary issue of Management Accounting (June 1994), Professor Dale Flesher added to that coverage of Nicholson and McCleod and also added two more people, Clinton H. Scovell and I. Wayne Keller. In that same issue, Professor Richard Vangermeersch provided an historical sketch of the organizational meeting. Both these pieces fit well with the book. The book lays a good base for academics to do more extensive work on such important historical figures as Eric A. Camman, William B. Castenholz, John R. Wildman, Thomas H. Sanders, Wyman P. Fiske, Charles A. Reitell, J. Brooks Heckert, R. Lee Brummet, Herbert C. Knortz, and Raymond P. Marple.
Some coverage is devoted in the book to the research publications of the IMA and also its journal. Much of the coverage was based on Professor Robert Jordan’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Mississippi on a citation analysis of IMA publications. In the opinion of the reviewer of this book, the IMA has an extremely rich heritage of research and of journal publications. This book helps make readers more aware of this heritage. Patrick L. Romano, past research director of the IMA, is concluding an annotated listing of about 230 IMA research publications which will further show this rich heritage. Academics will also be interested in the IMA’s successful efforts in membership education and the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) examination.
This book should be “must reading” for those Academy members who are IMA members and/or who are involved in teaching courses in cost/management accounting. This book is a credit to its authors and to the IMA. Good show, Grant and Speed.
