DrSimona Scarparo

I am a Senior Lecturer in Accounting at Deakin Business School. Formerly, I worked at Warwick Business School, in the UK. I hold a PhD in Accounting from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, a Master in Public Sector Management and Accounting in the University of Bologna and a Bachelor degree in Economics and Commerce in University of Cagliari in Italy.

My research explores the dynamic interface between management accounting, accountability, and social equity. My work spans both public and private sectors, and I adopt a qualitative, interpretative, and critical lens to examine how organisations respond to contemporary challenges such as gender equality, sustainability, and transparency through their reporting and control systems.

My research is structured around three key pillars:

• Integrated Thinking, Reporting and Managerial Control Systems: I investigate how integrated reporting is translated and operationalised within organisations, focusing on its role as a boundary object and its potential to foster integrated thinking.
• Transparency and Accountability in Not-for-Profit and Public Sector Organisations: I examine innovative reporting mechanisms in charities and hospitals, and the implications of accounting logics in healthcare, particularly in relation to equity of access and decision-making.
• Gender Issues in Accounting and Budgeting: I explore gender-responsive budgeting, the implementation of gender equity frameworks in public finance, and the experiences of female professionals in accounting.

In addition to my primary research program, I am also engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning, where I focus on the evolving nature of academic work, blended learning, and the transformation of professional identity in higher education.

My research has been published in leading journals such as Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, Financial Accountability & Management, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, and the British Journal of Educational Technology. I collaborate with scholars across Australia, and the UK, and I actively engage with practitioners, professional bodies, and policy-makers to ensure my research has real-world impact.

Ultimately, my work is driven by a commitment to uncovering and challenging institutional logics that shape organisational practices, with the goal of fostering more equitable, transparent, and accountable systems.