An historical analysis of budgetary thought in Finnish specialist business journals from c.1950 to c.2000

Abstract

Parker (2002) argued that the formalized budgetary discourse in English language textbooks in the 1990s may restrict students’ conceptions of budgeting and thereby block uninhibited budgeting change. This study concentrates on the budgetary discourse found in Finnish specialist business journals from the 1950s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. A total of 106 articles on budgeting were analysed using content analysis and then contextualized by the contemporary development of the Finnish business environment. The budgetary thought contained in the studied articles emphasizes the importance of challenge, innovation and change and the texts tried to present new ideas to readers. Matching and flexibility were held to be the cornerstones of effective budgeting.