Alan Graham

The developing role of the financial controller: evidence from the UK

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the work roles undertaken by financial controllers. The literature suggests a recent transformation, with the role of the finance professional making a significant shift from “score‐keeper” to a “value‐added” business partner. The paper suggests that the role has undergone a more complex change and combines elements from both of these descriptions.Design/methodology/approach – The methodological approach starts by analysing job specifications of financial controller vacancies. Using survey data, it then establishes what tasks they now do. Finally, it uses interviews to understand whether financial controllers believe that they could add more value to the organisation and if any barriers exist preventing the transformation of the role.Findings – The findings suggest that the role of financial controller has not transformed in recent years, but has instead enlarged, incorporating more “forward‐looking” elements, which are concerned with the management of the w...

The European dilemma: evaluating the implications of UEFA Europa League participation on English Premier League clubs

For clubs qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, participation generates a series of tensions. UEFA has provided financial rewards for those clubs, but with qualification comes additional pressures on playing squads which are often less able to deal with the performative demands of an extra competition, as they generally possess fewer financial resources compared with teams gaining Champions League qualification. This paper evaluates these conflicting tensions. The study takes a detailed quantitative analysis of the costs and benefits for four Premier League clubs that have repeatedly participated in the Europa League over eight seasons. It demonstrates a positive financial benefit of participation, but this is only significant if the club progresses to the later competition stages and has a robust playing squad. This research fills a gap in a lack of analysis based on reliable empirical data as to the impact of participation in this competition on clubs.