Accounting and Finance

The Department is responsible for accounting and finance teaching at all academic levels, providing teaching on certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Not surprisingly, given the professional community from which its members are drawn, it is the most homogeneous of all the departments in terms of the functional areas in which the members specialise - both in teaching and research. The Department conducts pioneering qualitative and quantitative research in a range of areas including equality, diversity,  inclusion and social justice in different contexts, sustainability and ethics in accounting and finance, accounting, business and financial history, corporate governance, corporate financing and regulatory issues.  

Research focus

Staff members are interested in various areas of accounting and finance undertaking research with an interdisciplinary perspective and employing a range of different methodological approaches.  These areas include equality, diversity and inclusion within professions, sustainability within the chocolate industry, the circular economy, modern slavery and child labour, fraud, governance and accountability, the public interest in accounting, UN sustainable development goals, gender and financial history, professionalisation of accounting in different environments, asset pricing, corporate finance, institutional investors, and financial markets. 

The Department has strengths in both qualitative and quantitative research methods including interview based research, historical research and quantitative research using a range of econometric/statistical techniques.

Centre for Public Understanding of Finance, Institutions and Networks (PUFIN)

Launched in 2013, this unique centre of research excellence focuses on financial education and its impact, consumer behaviours relating to savings, debt and spending and investment choices and decisions. The Centre of Public Understanding of Finance, Institutions and Networks (PUFIN) seeks to lead and engage in events that will enable the public to interact with both academics and practitioners in order to increase their awareness of some of the major contemporary challenges and how these may impact their financial decisions. It seeks to develop a multi-disciplinary research agenda that will enable members of the centre develop research ideas pertaining to decision-making by individuals within a highly connected world.  The Centre also seeks to engage with organisations (e.g. charities) and policymakers, where possible, in order to understand and influence mechanisms and/or systems that support people’s financial decisions.

History and Political Economy of Business and Finance (HYPE)

Established in 2020, the History and Political Economy (HYPE) of Business and Finance is a research cluster bringing together scholars who aim at developing a critical approach to business and financial theory. HYPE puts forward an interdisciplinary research agenda using insights from the perspective of political economy (i.e. an interdisciplinary approach to the relations among individuals, governments, and public policy) and history. The cluster aims at providing a critical understanding of the main contemporary issues and challenges facing business and society, such as rising inequalities, and the financial and environmental fragilities. HYPE also works to establishing communication links, dialogue, and knowledge exchange between academics, businesses, and policy makers.

Academic Publications

Our most recent publications are shown below. Full details of our research publications can be found on Open Research Online and via our staff pages.

Contact the Department for Accounting and Finance

For all department-related enquiries, please email us.

Teaching

Teaching responsibilities include contributions to:

The impact of Covid-19 on staff in UK higher education

A research project, funded internally by The Open University, explored how the pandemic impacted academic and professional staff in higher education throughout the UK.

2nd September 2022

Cost-of-living crisis – greatest challenge for 40 years says academic

The Bank of England has raised rates, a recession is looming and cost-of-living issues are dominating the headlines. Martin Upton, Senior Lecturer in Finance, warns people against ill-judged decisions through the cost-of-living crisis

8th August 2022

The Impact of Covid-19 on Staff in UK Higher Education

Invitations are open to attend a face-to-face conference and webinar in July to discuss the findings of a project researching the impact of COVID-19 on staff in UK Higher Education.

28th June 2022

BSc (Honours) Accounting and Finance

As the world of accounting and finance becomes more complex, this specialist degree is designed to provide you with a thorough understanding of the role of accounting and finance/financial management within business and society. Offers exemptions from some Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) professional examinations.

New OU / BBC co-production The Bottom Line is back

A new eight-part series of the OU/BBC collaboration The Bottom Line on Radio 4, presented by OU honorary graduate Evan Davis, starts tonight.

3rd February 2022

Take control of your finances, your career and your health with a Midlife MOT

Legal & General launches its Midlife MOT: a free, educational course, in partnership with The Open University.

2nd February 2022
Title card for the series, copyright BBC

Rich pickings: Revealing BBC/OU series spotlights the years following the banking crash

Academics at The Open University have worked behind the scenes on a fascinating two-part series The Decade The Rich Won that hears from former insiders about the 2008 financial crash and its repercussions.

25th January 2022
Elderly man holding juggling ball

Social care cap: how the new system will work and why it’s unfair – an expert explains

Why means-tested support will impact those who are less well-off, as they will end up losing more of their assets to pay for their care.

1st December 2021

Social care reform: here’s why this tax rise isn’t just unfair on young people

In announcing his plan for funding social care reform in England and the NHS COVID recovery, prime minister Boris Johnson has to honour a promise he made two years ago on the steps of Downing Street.

13th September 2021
Rishi Sunak stands behind a podium with the words "Hands Face Space"

Taxing financial winners from coronavirus to pay for the crisis – lessons from WW1

We are now in the second wave of the COVID-19 virus and have no idea how much this pandemic will eventually cost. But we can learn lessons from the first world war and subsequent crises on how to reduce the final bill. 

20th October 2020
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