LEICESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An academic from De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK has been awarded a grant from the British Accounting Association (BAA) to fund a visit to China to research the influence of Confucian philosophy on the work of Chinese accountants.

The bursary, awarded by the BAA’s Financial Accounting Special Interest Group, will fund senior accounting lecturer John Margerison’s travel to partner institution, Liaoning University in Shenyang, China, and The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China, where he is a fellow of the Centre for Global Finance.

Over the last decade, there has been a revival of Confucianism in China, in particular in relation to ecology and environmental issues. John Margerison will interview Chinese accountants to examine the extent to which traditional values are influential in environmental accounting and reporting in China where they are seeking to improve sustainability.

John Margerison, from the Department of Accounting and Finance at DMU’s Leicester Business School, said: “I am pleased to receive this bursary, which will provide the opportunity to explore the usefulness of Confucianism in accounting practice.

“Confucianism is very topical and timely as the world tackles climate change and China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is a key player in the fight to limit C0₂ emissions. Clearly companies are where such limits will be imposed. This research hopes to find that Confucian values can be useful in justifying such actions and accounting for them.”

ENDS