Professor Chris Cowtonc.j.cowton@hud.ac.uk | 01484 473063
Chris joined the Business School as Professor of Accounting in 1996 after ten years at the University of Oxford, where he was University Lecturer in Management Studies and a Fellow of Templeton College. Prior to that, he lectured in Cardiff and Aberystwyth. He became Dean in 2008.
He holds a BA with First Class Honours in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Sheffield, an MScEcon from the University of Wales, an MA (by Special Resolution) from the University of Oxford, a PhD from the University of Sheffield and a Graduate Diploma in Philosophy from the University of York. He is a Chartered Secretary (ACIS), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Chris has undertaken a wide range of research projects and supervised many PhD students. In addition to quantitative and qualitative empirical research, his writings have also included conceptual and mathematical analyses. His publications range from philosophy to operations management, but much of his current research is focused on business and financial ethics. He is particularly well known for his writing on SRI/ethical investment, and he leads the Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group (FEGReG).
Chris is Editor of the quarterly international journal Business Ethics: A European Review, published by Wiley Blackwell. He is a member of the editorial boards of several others and regularly reviews papers for major journals.
On 30th May 2007 he gave the P.D. Leake Lecture at Chartered Accountants’ Hall in London and he is a member of the Institute's Ethics Standards Committee.
Chris is a member of many professional associations and from 1998 to 2001 he was Chair of EBEN-UK, the UK Association of the European Business Ethics Network. He also chaired the 13th Annual Conference of the European Business Ethics Network, held at Churchill College, Cambridge in September 2000.
Cowton, C (2013) ‘Taking stock of accounting ethics scholarship: a review of the journal literature ’ Journal of business ethics . ISSN 1573-0697
Cowton, C (2012) ‘Time for an ethics stimulus package? ’ Philosopher's magazine (59), pp. 19-20. ISSN 1354-814X
Cowton, C. and Avison, L. (2012) ‘UK audit committees and the Revised Code’ Corporate Governance , 12 (1), pp. 42-53. ISSN 1472-0701
San-Jose, L. and Cowton, C. (2011) ‘¿Es justo retrasar los pagos a los proveedores?’ Estrategia Financiera (288), pp. 62-69. ISSN 1130-8753
Willis, R. and Cowton, C. (2011) ‘Looks good on paper...’ Times Higher Education Supplement , p. 41. ISSN 0049-3929
Cowton, C (2011) ‘Putting Creditors in Their Rightful Place: Corporate Governance and Business Ethics in the Light of Limited Liability’ Journal of business ethics , 102 (Supp 1), pp. 21-32. ISSN 1573-0697
Cowton, C (2009) ‘Accounting and the ethics challenge: Re-membering the professional body’ Accounting and Business Research , 39 (3), pp. 177-190. ISSN 0001-4788
Cowton, C (2009) ‘Banking on the banks’ International Accountant (47), pp. 13-15. ISSN 1465-5144
San-Jose, L. and Cowton, C. (2009) ‘Etika merkataritza kredituan: bertuteak eta ekimenak’ Gogoa: Euskal Herriko Unibertsitateko Hizkuntza, Ezagutza, Komunikazio eta Ekintzari buruzko aldizkaria , 9 (1), pp. 93-110. ISSN 1577-9424
Cowton, C., Brierley, J. and Drury, C. (2008) ‘Investigating activity-based costing in manufacturing industry’ Cyprus International Journal of Management , 13 (1), pp. 21-33. ISSN 1450 0000
Cowton, C (2008) ‘Aileen Pierce, Ethics and the Professional Accounting Firm: A Literature Review , Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, Edinburgh (2007) ISBN 1-904574-24-6 xiii+185pp., £15.00 or free pdf download’ British accounting review , 40 (2), pp. 193-194. ISSN 0890-8389
Brierley, J., Cowton, C. and Drury, C. (2008) ‘The application of product costs in pricing in British manufacturing industry’ Sasin Journal of Management , 14 (1), pp. 4-14.
Cowton, C., Drury, C. and Brierley, J. (2007) ‘Product costing practices in different manufacturing industries: a British survey’ International Journal of Management , 24 (4), pp. 667-675. ISSN 0813-0183
Cowton, C (2006) ‘Editorial: Online production tracking through Author Services ’ Business Ethics: A European Review , 15 (3), pp. 217-217. ISSN 1467-8608
Brierley, J., Cowton, C. and Drury, C. (2006) ‘A comparison of product costing practices in discrete-part and assembly manufacturing and continuous production process manufacturing ’ International Journal of Production Economics , 100 (2), pp. 314-321. ISSN 0925-5273
Brierley, J., Cowton, C. and Drury, C. (2006) ‘The application of costs in make-or-buy decisions: an analysis’ International Journal of Management , 23, pp. 794-800. ISSN 0813-0183
Cowton, C (2006) ‘When the elephants came to town’ Times Higher Education Supplement , 17th February. ISSN 0049-3929
Cowton, C., Drury, C. and Brierley, J. (2006) ‘Reasons for adopting different capacity levels in the denominator of overhead rates: a research note’ Journal of Applied Management Accounting Research , 4 (2), pp. 53-62.
Cowton, C (2005) ‘Animal instincts in the commercial jungle? Reflections on Peter Singer's Ethics in Action’ Business Ethics A European Review , 14 (2), pp. 176-185. ISSN 0962-8770
Cowton, C. and Sparkes, R. (2004) ‘The maturing of socially responsible investment: a review of the developing link with corporate social responsibility ’ Journal of business ethics , 52 (1), pp. 45-57. ISSN 1573-0697
Cowton, C. and Thompson, P. (2004) ‘Bringing the environment into bank lending: implications for environmental reporting’ British accounting review , 36 (2), pp. 197-218. ISSN 0890-8389
Cowton, C (2004) ‘Managing financial performance at an ethical investment fund’ Accounting, auditing & accountability journal , 17 (2), pp. 249-275. ISSN 0951-3574
Low, C. and Cowton, C. (2004) ‘Beyond stakeholder engagement: the challenges of stakeholder participation in corporate governance ’ International journal of business governance and ethics , 1 (1), pp. 45-55. ISSN 1741-802X
Cowton, C. and Cummins, J. (2003) ‘Teaching business ethics in UK higher education: progress and prospects’ Teaching business ethics , 7 (1), pp. 37-54. ISSN 1382-6891
Cowton, C. and Low, C. (2003) ‘The ethical ratings phenomenon ’ New Academy Review , 2 (3), pp. 91-95. ISSN 1476-7201
Cowton, C (2002) ‘Integrity, responsibility and affinity: three aspects of ethics in banking’ Business Ethics: A European Review , 11 (4), pp. 393-400. ISSN 1467-8608
Cowton, C. and Bampton, R. (2002) ‘The teaching of ethics in management accounting: progress and prospects’ Business Ethics: A European Review , 11 (1), pp. 52-61. ISSN 1467-8608
Cowton, C. and Dopson, S. (2002) ‘Foucault’s prison? Management control in an automotive distributor’ Management accounting research , 13 (2), pp. 191-214. ISSN 1044-5005
Cowton, C. and Bampton, R. (2002) ‘Pioneering in ethics teaching: the case of management accounting in universities in the British Isles’ Teaching business ethics , 6 (3), pp. 279-295. ISSN 1382-6891
Cowton, C. and Bampton, R. (2002) ‘The e-interview’ Forum: qualitative social research/Forum qualitative sozialforschung , 3 (2). ISSN 1438-5627
Brierley, J., Cowton, C. and Drury, C. (2001) ‘Research into product costing practice: a European perspective ’ European Accounting Review , 10 (2), pp. 215-256. ISSN 0963-8180
Cowton, C (2001) ‘On two-by-two grids: or, the arkeology of management thought’ Reason in practice: the journal of philosophy of management , 2 (1), pp. 47-51. ISSN 1473-589X
Cowton, C. and Thompson, P. (2001) ‘Financing the social economy: a case study of Triodos Bank’ International journal of nonprofit and voluntary sector marketing , 6 (2), pp. 145-155. ISSN 1465-4520
Brierley, J., Cowton, C. and Drury, C. (2001) ‘How product costs are calculated and used in decision making: a pilot study’ Managerial auditing journal , 16 (4), pp. 202-206. ISSN 0268-6902
Cowton, C. and Drake, J. (2000) ‘General practice, special management?’ Clinician in management , 9 (3), pp. 129-131. ISSN 0965-5751
Cowton, C., Drake, J. and Thompson, P. (2000) ‘Charities’ bankers: an analysis of UK market shares’ International Journal of Bank Marketing , 18 (1), pp. 42-47. ISSN 0265-2323
Cowton, C. and Drake, J. (1999) ‘Went Fundholding, Going Commissioning? Some Evidence-Based Reflections on the Prospects for Primary Care Groups ’ Public Money and Management , 19 (2), pp. 33-37. ISSN 1467-9302
Cowton, C. and Drake, J. (1999) ‘Taking the lead in fundholding ’ Journal of Management in Medicine , 13 (4), pp. 218-233. ISSN 0268-9235
Cowton, C (1990) ‘Bankers to Charity’ International Journal of Bank Marketing , 8 (1), pp. 35-39. ISSN 0265-2323
Cowton, C (1982) ‘Charities and company giving: Some reflections ’ Charity Statistics , pp. 16-18.
Cowton, C (1981) ‘Company charitable giving: Practice and disclosure ’ Charity Statistics , pp. 54-55.
Bampton, R., Cowton, C. and Downs, Y. (2013) ‘The e-interview in qualitative research’. In: Advancing social and business research methods with new media technology. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global. pp. 329-343. ISBN 9781466639188
Cowton, C (2013) ‘Accounting ethics’. In: International Encyclopedia of Ethics. : Wiley-Blackwell. .
Cowton, C. and Sandberg, J. (2011) ‘Socially Responsible Investment’. In: Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. London: Elsevier. pp. 142-151. ISBN 978-0-12-373632-1
Cowton, C (2011) ‘The moral status of the corporation, collective responsibility and the distribution of blame’. In: Business Ethics And Corporate Sustainability. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. pp. 18-28. ISBN 978 1 84980 371 7
Feather, D., Anchor, J. and Cowton, C. (2011) ‘The Value of the Undergraduate Dissertation: Perceptions of Supervisors’. In: Paper presentations of the 2010 University of Huddersfield Annual Learning and Teaching Conference. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield. pp. 41-56.
Cowton, C (2010) ‘Banking’. In: Finance Ethics: Critical Issues in Theory and Practice. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 325-337. ISBN 978-0-470-49916-0
San-Jose, L. and Cowton, C. (2009) ‘El Crédito Comercial y la Crisis Crediticia: un Análisis Descriptivo en Europa; Reino Unido y España / The Trade Credit and Credit Crunch: a Descriptive Analysis in Europe, UK and Spain ’. In: Administrando en entornos inciertos. : ESIC. p. 217. ISBN 9788473566094
Cowton, C (2008) ‘Governing the corporate citizen: reflections on the role of professionals ’. In: Corporate citizenship, contractarianism and ethical theory: on philosophical foundations of business ethics. Aldershot: Ashgate. pp. 29-48. ISBN 9780754673835
San-Jose, L. and Cowton, C. (2008) ‘Trade credit from an ethical perspective in UK’. In: Building Bridges in a Global Economy. Madrid, Spain: ESIC. . ISBN 978-84-7356-556-1
Cowton, C (2006) ‘Auditor independence and integrity in accounting firms’. In: Research methods for business students (4th edition). : Pearson Education. pp. 240-242. ISBN 9780273701484
Cowton, C., Drury, C. and Brierley, J. (2006) ‘A note on the importance of product costs in decision-making ’. In: Advances in management accounting. : Elsevier. pp. 249-265. ISBN 9780762313525
Cowton, C. and Sparkes, R. (2005) ‘La Maturazione dell'investimento socialmente responsabile: una revisione del suo legame con la responsabilita sociale d'impresa’. In: Etica e Finanza, Persona,Impresse e Societa. : FrancoAngeli. pp. 222-244. ISBN 88-464-6790-6
Cowton, C (2005) ‘Managing by Numbers’. In: Poetic Accounts: An Anthology of Accounting and Business Poetry. : Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. p. 77. ISBN 1-85908-416-8
Cowton, C (2004) ‘Accounting Education for Sustainability’. In: The Sustainability Curriculum: The Challenge for Higher Education. : Earthscan. pp. 157-165. ISBN 1-85383-949-3
Cowton, C. and Low, C. (2002) ‘Ethical issues in purchasing’. In: The Gower handbook of purchasing management. Aldershot: Gower. pp. 223-235. ISBN 9780566084041
Cowton, C., Bampton, R. and Trick, R. (2001) ‘Accounting for business: the ethical dimension’. In: Manazerska etika: inspirace pro 21 stoleti. : Nucleus HK. pp. 19-28. ISBN 8085378191
Cowton, C. and Trick, R. (2000) ‘Teaching business ethics: a British perspective’. In: Manazerská etika : inspirace pro 21 století. : Nucleus HK. pp. 21-27. ISBN 80862250809
Cowton, C. and San-Jose, L. (2009) ‘Better payers? An empirical study of the trade credit practices of signatories of payment codes and members of FTSE4Good’. In: 22nd EBEN Annual Conference, 10-12 September 2009, Athens, Greece
Cowton, C. and San-Jose, L. (2009) ‘Codes of payment practice: do they make a difference?’. In: 2009 SBE Meeting, 6th - 9th August 2009, Chicago, USA , pp. 1-22
Cowton, C. and San-Jose, L. (2009) ‘Better payers? An empirical study of the trade credit practices of signatories of payment codes and members of FTSE4Good’. In: European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) UK, 6, 7 and 8 April 2009, Armada House Conference Centre, Bristol
Cowton, C. and San-Jose, L. (2008) ‘On the ethics of trade credit: an analysis of disclosures in UK company directors’ reports ’. In: EBEN-UK Annual Conference, 1 and 2 April 2008, Cambridge
Cowton, C (2007) ‘Meeting the ethics challenge: prospects and proposals for promoting professional integrity’. In: The P D Leake Lecture 2007, 30th May 2007, Chartered Accountants' Hall
Low, C. and Cowton, C. (2004) ‘The Accountability Challenge to NGOs from Collaborating with Companies’. In: The Inter-Disciplinary CSR Conference, 22nd -23rd October 2004, Nottingham, UK
Low, C. and Cowton, C. (2003) ‘The ethical ratings phenomenon: towards a research agenda’. In: European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) Annual Conference 2003, 2003, Hungary
Elmogla, M., Cowton, C. and Downs, Y. (2011) Corporate social reporting in a transition economy: the case of Libya Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Anchor, J., Benešová, M., Cowton, C. and Feather, D. (2011) Undergraduate dissertations and student performance in business studies and marketing, 2004-2009: evidence from an English business school Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2010) The moral status of the corporation, collective responsibility, and the distribution of blame Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2010) Banking ethics Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C. and San-Jose, L. (2010) Giving credit where it’s due – but no more: an ethical analysis of trade credit Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Bampton, R. and Cowton, C. (2009) Taking stock of accounting ethics scholarship: a review of the journal literature Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2008) Corporate governance and the theory of the firm: a re-assessment of shareholder primacy in the light of limited liability and the position of creditors Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2008) Coming (again) to SRI: a personal note Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Avison, L. and Cowton, C. (2008) Responding to the Revised Code on corporate governance: UK audit committees Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2008) Accounting and the ethics challenge: Re-membering the professional body Huddersfield, UK: Financial Ethics and Governance Research Group University of Huddersfield (Unpublished)
Cowton, C (2011) Socially responsible investment [Video]
