Shannon W. Anderson

Shannon W. Anderson is a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management. From 2017 until 2022 she was the inaugural recipient of the Michael and Joelle Hurlston Presidential Chair of UC Davis. She is a leading expert in the design and implementation of performance measurement and cost control systems, with research spanning management accounting and operations research. Professor Anderson's research applies economic theory to examine performance management and cost accounting within and at the boundaries of firms. Her research integrates theory from business strategy, operations management, and management accounting to evaluate the design and implementation of cost accounting and management control systems that are used within the firm as well as between firms that engage in strategic alliances or supply chain partnerships.

Professor Anderson's research has been funded by prestigious organizations including the National Science Foundation, the Australian Research Council, and professional accounting bodies such as AICPA, IIA, IMA, and CIMA. She has made significant contributions to the field and her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2006 American Accounting Association's Notable Contribution Award for research on activity-based costing, three Notable Contribution to the Management Accounting Literature Awards (2012, 2006, 2003) from the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association, and the 2020 David Solomons Prize for best paper published in Management Accounting Research.

Throughout her career, Professor Anderson has published in leading journals including The Accounting Review, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Management Science, and Journal of Management Accounting Research. She co-authored the award-winning book "Implementing Management Innovations" (Springer, 2001) and is a co-author of the widely used textbook "Fundamentals of Cost Accounting" (McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 7th ed., 2023). Her contributions to the academic community extend to editorial roles, having served on the editorial boards of seven academic journals and as an area editor of The Accounting Review and associate editor for Management Science.

Professor Anderson's expertise spans various industries, including manufacturing (automotive, electronics, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods), services (airlines, retail, IT/software, insurance, financial services), and the not-for-profit education sector. This breadth of experience informs her research and teaching, making her insights particularly valuable for organizations seeking to improve their cost management, performance measurement, and management control practices. She has provided litigation support in cases related to transfer pricing, determining product and business segment profitability, and other matters requiring cost analysis.

Before joining UC Davis in 2010, Professor Anderson held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and Rice University. She has also held visiting appointments at prestigious institutions including Harvard Business School, the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, and Free University Amsterdam. Professor Anderson received her Ph.D. and A.M. in Business Economics from Harvard University and a B.S.E. in Civil Engineering from Princeton University.

At UC Davis, Professor Anderson taught MBA and Masters of Accountancy courses in management accounting and control and strategic cost management, for which she received numerous teaching awards. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in doctoral student advising and mentorship, contributing to the development of the next generation of management accounting scholars. Her combination of rigorous research, practical industry insights, and dedication to education makes Professor Anderson a distinguished figure in the field of management accounting and control systems.