This is a very short article by Richard Vangermeersch considering the nature of the topic. The paper could have been a very long discussion of the historical significance of classic management accounting literature. The purpose of the paper is to promote the study of 100 articles selected from 30 volumes of NACA Bulletins and Yearbooks published between 1919 and 1949. Vangermeersch mentions some of these papers in relation to each of ten reasons for studying this literature, but there are no in-depth discussions and no references to help the reader locate the specific papers he mentions. A summary of his ten reasons is provided below:

    1. Many ideas that could be useful today were well developed during this period, but were lost. He mentions papers related to overhead allocations using machine hours, the natural business year, and an article that included 77 types of costs.

    2. The old ideas from this classic literature can be used to support current proposals.

    3. These old writers (e.g., James H. Rand Jr., J. Brooks Heckert, Keith Powlison, Warren G. Bailey and Howard Greer) were very articulate. Reading their work can help you increase your own ability to speak and write about management accounting.

    4. Learning from, an about accounting heroes enhances one's ability to find novel solutions to problems. The authors who wrote the classic literature provide good role models for management accountants.

    5. The classic set of literature referred to in this paper includes a number of case studies that help the reader understand how some current accounting problems were treated in the past. Many of these studies are related to service oriented organizations such as the motion picture industry, the Post Office, the New York World's Fair, and the airline industry. 

    6. This set of materials helps one build an interdisciplinary organizational perspective and recognize that management accountants cannot solve problems in a vacuum. These articles and cases reveal that management accounting is an eclectic field. He mentions accounting problems related to marketing, behavioral issues, economic issues, and engineering. 

    7. Studying this work helps accountants build the pride in their profession that is vital to success in accounting.

    8. These authors discuss some old controversial topics that are still controversial today. For example, there are debates in the classic literature related to what basis should be used for burden (overhead) rates, and when group bonuses should be used. 

    9. Studying the classic articles and cases provides an incentive to build your accounting library with a rich literature base that few people know about.

    10. Your study will make you more flexible and more valuable to your employer. 

Additional note: I believe these ten reasons are applicable to most of the management and accounting literature published during the past hundred years. Although textbooks are very helpful, if we want to know management and accounting, we have to continuously read the literature including  journal articles and non-textbooks. A few examples of important non-textbooks include the following. All of these books help us understand how management accounting developed and how it has and continues to evolve. For many more, see MAAW's book section. Many early articles in The Accounting Review are also very helpful.

Berliner, C., and J. A. Brimson, eds. 1988. Cost Management for Today's Advanced Manufacturing: The CAMI Conceptual Design. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Deming, W. E. 1993. The New Economics for Industry For Industry, Government & Education. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Engineering Study.

Goldratt, E. M. and J. Cox. 1986. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. New York: North River Press. 

Johnson, H. T. and R. S. Kaplan. 1987. Relevance Lost: The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting. Boston: Harvard Business School Press; 

Johnson, H. T. 1992. Relevance Regained: From Top-Down Control to Bottom-up Empowerment. New York: The Free Press; 

Johnson, H. T. and A. Broms. 2000. Profit Beyond Measure: Extraordinary Results through Attention to Work and People. New York: The Free Press. 

Kaplan, R. S. and D. P. Norton. 1996. The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action Boston: Harvard Business School Press; 

Kaplan, R. S. and R. Cooper. 1999. Cost & Effect: Using Integrated Cost Systems to Drive Profitability and Performance. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press; 

Kaplan, R. S. and D. P. Norton. 2001. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.