A STRUCTURATION ANALYSIS OF ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE PRIVATISED GAS INDUSTRY by

This study investigates the consequences of regulation for management control and organisational change in privatised industries by means of a case study of the gas industry. It particularly focuses on the implications of regulation for accounting systems and systems of accountability, as important management control systems. Giddens’ (1979, 1984) structuration theory is adopted as an analytical framework for the study, due to its demonstrated capacity to take into account the interaction of agency and social structures in the production, reproduction and regulation of social order, together with its potential for an analysis of organisational change. A case study research method is identified as valuable for its potential to reveal a rich and detailed understanding of the functioning of management control and the factors influencing change in organisations. A framework is developed which demonstrates the suitability of structuration theory for a cultural analysis of management control and organisational change, and identifies the existence of three distinct cultures in relation to the gas industry over the ten year period following privatisation. These cultures, of public service, commercial business and competition, provide the foundation for the empirical analysis which identifies the distinctive features of each culture, highlights control problems and conflicts, and provides an analysis of the key factors leading to the emergence of each new culture. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the impact of regulation on privatised industries by providing a contextual analysis of management control and organisational change in the gas industry, and also by providing a critique of the change which has taken place.