The discursive construction of professionalisation in British management

Abstract

In assessing the professionalisation of British management and the influential position enjoyed by accountants in British business, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted in order to provide a better understanding of the processes at work. After devoting some space to analysing the literature on professionalisation, our main concerns are: 1) the degree to which British management has become professional; 2) the relationship between managers and accountants; 3) the extent in which the former 'mimic' the latter. The power exerted by accountants could well be seen to have successfully challenged the autonomy of other managers, further undermining the ability of the latter to lay claim to any professional status.