Business strategy and strategic deviation in accounting, finance, and corporate governance: A review of the empirical literature

Abstract

We review the empirical archival literature on the consequences of business strategy and strategic deviation on accounting, finance, and corporate governance outcomes. We use Miles and Snow's (Organizational strategy, structure, and process. McGraw-Hill, 1978; Organizational strategy, structure and process. Stanford University Press, 2003) strategy typology that has been quantified using financial statement data by Bentley et al. (Contemporary Accounting Research, 2013, 30, 780). Research has used this strategy score to investigate the consequences of firms following two distinct strategies namely, prospectors versus defenders, on various organisational outcomes. Our survey provides mixed evidence on the relationship between business strategy, financial reporting quality, finance outcomes, and corporate governance including corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. We offer some suggestions for future research.