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Taking the customer into account: Transcending the construction of the customer through the promotion of self-accounting

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  • Roslender, Robin
  • Hart, Susan J.

Abstract

The importance that businesses have accorded their customers during the past thirty years has not, as yet, been fully matched by the development of accounting for the customer. A range of customer-related techniques has emerged, including customer profitability analysis, the balanced scorecard and several strategic management accounting approaches. In large part these can be characterised as attempts to construct the customer in a very conventional manner, one which serves the interests of business rather than customers. Similar emphases can also be identified in the marketing management literature, which in recent years has shown worrying signs of becoming focused on the adoption of a form of hard number accounting. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review and critique of extant customer accounting techniques and approaches, as well as identifying some of the fundamentals of a more appealing attempt at ‘taking the customer into account’.

Suggested Citation

  • Roslender, Robin & Hart, Susan J., 2010. "Taking the customer into account: Transcending the construction of the customer through the promotion of self-accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(8), pages 739-753.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:21:y:2010:i:8:p:739-753
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2010.04.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Roslender, Robin & Nielsen, Christian, 2021. "Accounting for the value expectations of customers: Re-imagining the Integrated Reporting initiative," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Robin Roslender & Susan J Hart, 2010. "Strategic Management Accounting: Lots in a Name?," Accountancy Discussion Papers 1005, Accountancy Research Group, Heriot Watt University.
    3. Roslender, Robin & Marks, Abigail & Stevenson, Joanna, 2015. "Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: Conflicting perspectives on the virtues of accounting for people," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 43-55.
    4. Ahmad Mohammed Alamri, 2018. "Strategic Management Accounting and the Dimensions of Competitive Advantage: Testing the Associations in Saudi Industrial Sector," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 8(2), pages 48-64, April.
    5. Matsuoka, Kohsuke, 2022. "Effects of revenue management on perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 131-148.
    6. Kohsuke Matsuoka, 2020. "Exploring the interface between management accounting and marketing: a literature review of customer accounting," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 157-208, September.
    7. Alharthi, Amal & Cortese, Corinne & Moerman, Lee & Tanima, Farzana, 2022. "Surveillance capitalism in the middle east retail sector," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

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