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Understanding the Role of Management Accounting and the Management Accountant in the Development and Operationalization of the Metaverse

Doctoral Training Grant Funding Information

This funding model includes a 36 month fully funded PhD Studentship, set in-line with the Research Council values. For 2025/6, this will be £20,780 per year. The tax-free stipend will be paid monthly. This PhD Studentship also includes a Full-Time Home Fee Scholarship for up to 3 years. The funding is subject to your continued registration on the research degree, making satisfactory progression within your PhD, as well as attendance on and successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice. 

All applicants will receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status. 

Application Closing Date:
Midday (UK Time) on Wednesday 16th April 2025 for a start date of the 1st September 2025. 

How to Apply

To apply, please follow the below steps:

  1. Complete the BCU Online Application Form here: Business PhD.
  2. Complete the Doctoral Studentship Proposal Form in full, ensuring that you quote the project ID. You will be required to upload your proposal in place of a personal statement on the BCU online application form.
  3. Upload two references to your online application form (at least one of which must be an academic reference).
  4. Upload your qualification(s) for entry onto the research degree programme. This will be Bachelor/Master’s certificate(s) and transcript(s).
  5. International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification. Please see the list of English language qualifications accepted here. Please check the individual research degree course page for the required scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

To help support you to complete your application, please consult the frequently asked questions below:

If your question is not answered above and you need any further information, please use the contact details below: 

- For enquiries about the project content, please contact: Sarah.Mohamed@bcu.ac.uk

- For enquiries about the application procedure, please contact: research.admissions@bcu.ac.uk

Project Title: Understanding the Role of Management Accounting and the Management Accountant in the Development and Operationalization of the Metaverse 

Project Lead: Dr Sarah G. Mohamed and Dr Kifayat Khan Sarah.Mohamed@bcu.ac.uk, Kifayat.Khan@bcu.ac.uk 

Project ID: 41661970

Project Description: 

Metaverse refers to the merging of physical and virtual space accessed through technology enabling virtual, augmented and mixed reality. The metaverse holds great promise and challenges for business and the way it is done. Though accounting literature on the metaverse is flourishing, it is still scant (Massaro et al, 2023), focusing on small aspects of the metaverse, such as blockchain technologies and non-fungible tokens with very few papers focusing on the metaverse more widely. Also, recent studies, mainly focus on how the metaverse will impact financial accounting, auditing and accountability. Yet, no attention is paid to management accounting and how the role of the management accountant will be impacted on by participation in the metaverse. 

This project seeks to achieve the following research objectives: 

  • To understand how participation in the metaverse will impact on management accounting practices and the work of the management accountant in organizations 
  • To understand what new skills and trainings are required for the management accountant to operate effectively in the metaverse 
  • To explore what role management accountants can play in the development and operationalization of the metaverse 

The research project will involve performing systematic literature review of the existing research in the domain, adopt a qualitative approach including interviews (virtual and in-person), focus groups and panel discussions to be undertaken in phases. This will involve a range of stakeholders including actors in the metaverse such as; management accountants, academics, representatives of professional bodies and senior decision makers in organisations already participating in the metaverse, IT specialists and accounting firms. In this way, our aim is to collect the relevant data and apply required AI and Machine Learning tools and techniques to evaluate and achieve the aforementioned objectives of the research.  

Anticipated findings and contributions to knowledge:

  • This study will further our understanding of the role of management accounting and the management accountant in the development and operationalization of the metaverse.  
  • The study will develop insights into how the nature of management accounting and the role of the management accountant will be impacted by engaging in the metaverse. This is through exploring the experiences and opinions of a diverse set of stakeholders (accountants, senior managers, IT specialists, other senior decision makers, etc), especially those in organizations which already engage with the metaverse.  
  • The study will also enable us to gain a better understanding of what knowledge and skills the management accountant of the future will need to thrive in this new environment.  
  • Demonstrate in practical terms the contribution management accounting/accountants make to organizations launching their businesses into the metaverse and adopting business models and practices, which enable them to create value and compete effectively in this new environment.  
  • Provide insights on how management accounting/accountants can underpin the transformation of decision making within organizations to enable a transition into the virtual reality of the metaverse.  
  • Findings of this research project will enable a redevelopment of the management accounting curriculum by universities and professional bodies like CIMA/AICPA. This will also help ensure that professional management accountants are adequately equipped to lead and drive change towards resilient business models suited to working in the metaverse. 

Person Specification:

International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0.