A tribute to Jill McKinnon

Citation

(2008), "A tribute to Jill McKinnon", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 21 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaaj.2008.05921gaa.001

A tribute to Jill McKinnon

Article Type: A tribute to Jill McKinnon From: Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Volume 21, Issue 7

Friends and colleagues were deeply saddened by the death of Jill McKinnon on 15 June 2008. She was a friend and mentor to her colleagues at Macquarie University for over 30 years. We knew her as a warm and generous person who gave unreservedly of her time and widely shared her academic knowledge and skills. Jill was a calm and unassuming scholar with a gentle manner and she was much-admired for the high quality of her research and teaching. Her gentleness often cloaked a very sharp mind which rejected the often self-serving aspirations of the rising “managerial class” in the academy.

Jill was influential in the leadership of the Accounting and Finance Department at Macquarie University, and her contributions were highly valued. She was acclaimed for her teaching quality, which was characterised both by intellectual rigour and the care and assistance provided to students. She was particularly noted for quality research supervision and the high degree of support and guidance afforded to Honours and PhD students. Jill’s commitment to fairness and equity was always directed at ensuring students got the most out of their studies and achieved the best outcomes possible.

Jill’s dedication to research and scholarship earned her great respect around the world. She published over 50 papers in leading journals and books, earning a distinguished international reputation. Her PhD on the historical development of corporate reporting in Japan is considered a seminal study, breaking new ground in the cultural and international dimensions of accounting research. It was pioneering in its cross-disciplinarity and methodological innovation. In 1988, she published a paper in the inaugural issue of AAAJ (“Reliability and validity in field research: some strategies and tactics”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 1 No 1, pp. 34-54), sharing the methodological insights gained through her own research. This paper was premised on a belief that the challenges presented by qualitative work in a range of sites and using diverse methods do not necessitate a sacrifice in quality or credibility. The paper continues to provide methodological guidance to contemporary field researchers in accounting, whether they are beginners or more experienced academics.

The body of research produced by Jill and her partner and collaborator on many research projects, Graeme Harrison, represents a significant milestone in cultural research in accounting, drawing particular attention to the interaction between national culture and organisational management and control systems. For more than 25 years, Jill and Graeme were a highly productive and influential team.

Throughout her career, Jill supported and mentored many colleagues in their academic pursuits. Although she was considered to be one of the most talented academics in her field, Jill’s emphasis was always on the community of scholars of which she was a part, and she never pursued personal academic advancement to the extent merited by her own achievements.

Junior and senior colleagues remember Jill as someone who always had an optimistic attitude, was considerate of others, and exemplified gentleness, sincerity, compassion, and a resolute commitment to fairness. Even while she was seriously ill, enduring more than 1,000 hours of chemotherapy over 28 months, Jill maintained a positive outlook and an unwavering commitment to the academic community and her research students. Her love of flowers and gardening and appreciation of all things colourful helped to sustain Jill and Graeme through these very difficult times.

Jill’s body of research will stand the test of time as a quality contribution to the accounting discipline. She will be remembered as a skilful scholar of integrity who was instrumental in the development of many other academic careers. But, most of all, Jill will be remembered as a dear friend and esteemed colleague. Her warmth and academic insights will always be an inspiration.

Our love and thoughts at this time are especially with Graeme and with Jill’s family.

We are privileged to have known and worked with Jill McKinnon and she will be truly missed. The mark she left as a person and as an academic is indelible.

Prepared by Susan Greer (Sydney University), Gordon Boyce, Cindy Davids, and Bill Blair (Macquarie University).

AAAJ and Professor Jill McKinnon

We were deeply saddened by the early death of Professor Jill McKinnon. We have had a long-working relationship and friendship over nearly 25 years. Jill was one of the first to submit a paper to AAAJ and she was accepted for the inaugural issue of AAAJ (“Reliability and validity in field research: some strategies and tactics”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 1 No 1, pp. 34-54). This paper, like much of her work has stood the test of time as it consistently rates very highly in AAAJ downloads. Also Jill, was one of our early editorial board member and help build the qualitative research methods side of the journal.

Our thoughts at this time are especially with Graeme her partner and with Jill’s family.

James and Lee