Controlling and Accounting

Research Profile of the Chair of Controlling and Accounting

In terms of content, the research activities of the chair are divided into the following focal points: (a) performance measurement and incentive systems, (b) controlling in regulated industries, (c) accounting quality and accounting valuation issues, and (d) sustainability-oriented reporting and control systems. Thus, the main topics of controlling and external accounting are dealt with in equal measure. The research areas are linked by a focus on behavioral aspects. Methodologically, the professorship represents a broad spectrum in order to cover the specific requirements of individual research questions. The focus is on empirical surveys and experimental laboratory studies.

a) Performance measurement and incentive systems

This research area examines aspects of the design of performance measurement and evaluation systems in order to consistently align corporate management with the interests of shareholders and stakeholders. In this context, both measures for the value-oriented provision of information, such as the use of key performance indicators and reporting systems, and measures for behavioral control, such as the design of compensation systems, are examined. In addition, this research field focuses in particular on the behavioral incentive effects of different performance measurement systems. The research projects of the professorship thus offer corporate practice approaches for optimizing incentive structures and systems for performance measurement and evaluation.

b) Controlling in regulated industries

This research area is particularly dedicated to the special features of controlling in health care institutions. Against the background of an increasing economization of the health care market, actors and institutions must increasingly take into account a business management perspective in the process of providing medical services. Within the framework of this focal point, suitable methods of controlling will be developed to support an efficient orientation and strategic positioning of health care institutions while simultaneously taking ethical requirements into account. In particular, the behavioral effects of controlling systems and instruments in hospitals will be investigated, and how conflicts of objectives between medical and business personnel can be reduced.

c) Accounting quality and accounting valuation issues

In research projects of the chair, the possibilities of designing accounting according to international standards are critically evaluated and examined with regard to their interdependencies with other areas of business administration such as internal accounting (e.g. relevance of international standards for controlling) and financing (e.g. accounting of financial instruments). Issues in the field of international accounting and its influence on the accounting quality and the capital market impact of companies are in line with the investor relations approach, which focuses on the target-oriented communication of decision-relevant information. In particular, recent developments, such as the increasing importance of fair value accounting or the design of earnings reporting according to IFRS, represent a focus of the chair's research activities in terms of their effect on accounting quality and capital market impact. Innovative technologies, such as eye-tracking experiments, are used to gain new insights into how investors process accounting information.

d) Sustainability-oriented reporting and management systems

This research area examines the ways in which sustainability aspects can be integrated into controlling. In particular, incentive systems to promote sustainability-oriented behavior of individuals play an important role, but performance measurement in the form of sustainability-related performance indicators is also considered. On the other hand, our research is dedicated to aspects of external sustainability reporting and its interaction with financial reporting as well as investor reactions to the publication of this information.