Accounting and Business Research Special Issue Call for Papers
Accounting Narratives: Quantification, Storytelling and Sensemaking

OVERVIEW: Accounting-related narratives are found in various media, and written by various stakeholders. Preparer-created narratives are now acknowledged as a crucial component of the business reporting package (IASB, 2010), and the role of the reader in their interpretation is well understood. Research into accounting narratives (broadly defined as written or spoken discourse) has been developing for some time and covers a broad spectrum from large-scale positivist economics-rooted quantitative analyses, more recently assisted by computerised linguistic techniques (e.g. Li, 2010; Schleicher, T. & Walker, M., 2010), to content analysis supported by theory from the social sciences (e.g. Merkl-Davies & Brennan, 2011), to finely worked qualitative case studies, using methods from the humanities (e.g. Davison, 2008).

In the social sciences, the 'narrative turn' has permeated many disciplines and is associated with a shift away from realism and positivism (Riessman, 2008). Storytelling is a specific narrative form of particular significance because stories help people make sense of events (Gabriel, 2000; Weick, 1995). A range of devices (such as structure, plot, viewpoint, character and rhetorical techniques) are employed in storytelling. Yet, narrative theory and analysis remains a relatively neglected area of accounting research.

This special issue aims to encourage the broad spectrum of research into narratives. Papers may adopt any theoretical or methodological perspective, including blended theory papers. These could include, for example, studies based in economics, psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophy, (social) linguistics, sociology, literary criticism, and could be large-scale positivist studies through to qualitative case studies.

Traditionally, the textual material examined has resided in formal documents such as annual reports, social responsibility reports, IPO prospectuses, profit forecasts, takeover documents, analysts' reports, accounting standards and interpretations, statements by professional bodies and regulatory oversight reports. We welcome new work on such narratives as well as submissions on aspects that have been relatively neglected, such as: authorship; the process of compilation of accounting narratives; issues of language translation; less-researched media channels and documents (media coverage, social media, websites, reports of not-for-profit organizations); spoken discourse (presentations, conference calls, AGMs and other internal and external meetings or conversations), and the interface with marketing and other functions.

REFERENCES
Davison, J., 2008. Repetition, rhetoric, reporting and the 'dot.com' era: words, pictures, intangibles. Accounting, auditing and accountability journal, 21 (6), 791-826
Gabriel, Y., 2000. Storytelling in organizations: facts, fictions, and fantasies. Oxford: OUP.
IASB, 2010. Management commentary: Practice statement. London: International Accounting Standards Board.
Li, F., 2010. Textual analysis of corporate disclosures: a survey of the literature, Journal of accounting literature, 29: 143-165.
Merkl-Davies, D.M. & Brennan, N.M., 2011. A conceptual framework of impression management: new insights from psychology, sociology and critical perspectives, Accounting and business research, 41 (5), 415-437.
Riessman, C.K., 2008. Narrative methods for the human sciences. London: Sage Publications.
Schleicher, T. & Walker, M., 2010. Bias in the tone of forward-looking narratives, Accounting and business research, 40 (4), 371-390.
Weick, K.E., 1995. Sensemaking in organizations. London: Sage Publications.

EDITORS OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE: Vivien Beattie, University of Glasgow (Vivien.Beattie@glasgow.ac.uk) and Jane Davison, Royal Holloway, University of London (Jane.Davison@rhul.ac.uk). The editors welcome informal enquiries from authors.

PAPER SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Submission deadline: 31st March 2014.
Manuscripts should be submitted online at
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/abr. Author guidelines can be found here. All papers will be reviewed in accordance with ABR's normal processes. It is anticipated that this special issue will be published in 2015.