International Journal of Finance & Managerial Accounting

International Journal of Finance & Managerial Accounting

Modeling the challenges of the accounting profession with a mixed approach

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
hasan shabihi
Hossein shafiee
abbas Sheybani
Department of Accounting, Si.C., Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran.
10.22034/ijfma.2026.79509.2407
Abstract
The accounting profession is undergoing profound transformation due to technological advances, regulatory complexity, economic instability, and evolving stakeholder expectations. This study aims to identify and model the fundamental challenges facing the accounting profession and examine their effects on professional outcomes through adaptive factors. A mixed-methods approach was employed. In the qualitative phase, a systematic review of domestic and international studies, combined with expert interviews, identified the key dimensions of professional challenges. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 384 professional accountants using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS software. The findings identified ten major challenge categories: digital transformation, legal and standard changes, economic and financial complexity, professional ethics and trust, workload pressures, educational gaps, evolving professional roles, reporting and transparency demands, emerging business models, and internationalization issues. SEM results showed that environmental drivers significantly affect professional outcomes. Adaptive factors, including skill development, technological competence, and continuous learning, also have a direct effect and significantly mediate the relationship between environmental drivers and professional outcomes. Model fit indices confirmed the adequacy of the proposed model. The findings indicate that the sustainability and legitimacy of the accounting profession largely depend on its capacity to adapt. Strengthening professional education, technological capabilities, ethical foundations, and work management systems can transform environmental pressures into opportunities for development. The novelty of this study lies in developing a national, integrated model and empirically examining causal relationships among influencing factors, challenges, adaptive capacities, and professional outcomes.
Keywords
Accounting profession challenges
Digital transformation
Adaptive factors
Professional credibility
1.    Antonini, C. (2024). Accounting digitalization in the quest for environmental sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 66, 101399. 
2.    Asgari, S., Rahnamay Roodposhti, F., & Goodarzi, A. (2010). Critical ethics as a platform for critical accounting. Journal of Management Accounting, 4(8), 123–134. (In Persian) 
3.    Ashouri Kiesami, M. A., & Parvizi, M. (2018). Ethics from the perspective of Allameh Tabatabai and Thomas Aquinas. Allameh Tabataba'i University Journal, 5(9), 73–96. (In Persian) 
4.    Deegan, C., & Unerman, J. (2011). Financial accounting theory (A. Parsaeian, Trans.). Tehran: Tarmeh Publications. (In Persian) 
5.    Delavari, R. (2011). Pathology of organizational training in the public sector based on the three-pronged model. Proceedings of the First Conference on Pathology of Organizational Training (pp. 1–10). Tehran: Afagh Sanat Institute. (In Persian) 
6.    Gulin, D., Hladika, M., & Valenta, I. (2019). Digitalization and the challenges for the accounting profession. Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference. https://doi.org/10.38142/jisdb.v3i3.1431   
7.    Guthrie, J., Parker, L. D., & Dumay, J. (2015). Public sector performance reporting: Renewing the research agenda. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 28(6), 942–968. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-04-2015-2037   
8.    Hajihaha, Z., & Rashki Gazmeh, A. (2017). The relationship between accounting ethics and decision-making ability and managers' behavior. Quarterly Journal of Ethics in Science and Technology, 12(2), 155–160. (In Persian) 
9.    International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). (2020). The future-ready profession: Accountancy in a changing world. Accounting and Finance, 60(Suppl. 1), 1023–1042. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12597
10.    Khanifar, H. , & Moslemi, N. (2016). Principles and foundations of qualitative research methods (Vol. 1). Negah-e Danesh Publications. (In Persian) 
11.    Kokina, J., & Davenport, T. H. (2017). The emergence of artificial intelligence: How automation is changing auditing. Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, 14(1) , 115–122. https: //doi.org/10.2308/jeta-51730
12.    Namazi, M. , & Rajab Dori, H. (2017). Reviewing the number and content analysis of articles related to professional accounting ethics in Iran. Journal of Accounting Advances, Shiraz University, 9(1) , 193–226. (In Persian)
13.    Nobes, C. , & Parker, R. (2004). Comparative international accounting.
14.    Palermo, T. , Power, M. , & Ashby, S. (2022). How accounting ends: Self-undermining repetition in accounting life cycles. Contemporary Accounting Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12800
15.    Shamsi, R. , & Gholami Jamkerani, R. (2023). Information disclosure in the capital market: Challenges and pathologies. Financial and Investment Advances, 4(1) , 1–28. (In Persian)
16.    Sledgianowski, D. , Gomaa, M. , & Tan, C. (2017). Toward integration of Big Data, technology and information systems competencies into the accounting curriculum. Journal of Accounting Education, 38, 81–93.
17.    Spraakman, G. , Sanchez-Rodriguez, C. , & Tuck-Riggs, C. A. (2020). Data analytics by management accountants. Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, 18(1) , 127–147.
18.    Sutton, S. G. , Holt, M. , & Arnold, V. (2016). The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated—Artificial intelligence research in accounting. Accounting Horizons, 30(1) , 1–15. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-51365
19.    Syamsiyah, K. N. , Leniwati, D. , & Affan, M. W. (2025). Digitalization of accounting: Accountant profession in facing challenges of Era 5.0. Journal of Accounting and Strategic Finance, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.33005/jasf.v7i2.444
20.    Tiron-Tudor, A. , Deliu, D. , Farcane, N. , & Dontu, A. (2021). Managing change with and through blockchain in accountancy organizations: A systematic literature review. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(2) , 477–506.
21.    Vasarhelyi, M. A. , Kogan, A. , & Tuttle, B. M. (2015). Big data in accounting: An overview. Accounting Horizons, 29(2) , 381–396.
International Journal of Finance & Managerial Accounting

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 11 October 2026