Furman trio wins ‘Best Article of the Year’ award

An article co-authored by Furman First Gentleman Charles Davis, Department of Art Chair Ross McClain and Furman Innovation and Entrepreneurship Executive Director Anthony Herrera has been named the winner of Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Gold Medal for the best article of the year published in Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly. The article, “Developing Creative Accountants,” details the 10 characteristics of creativity and how to develop those qualities, no matter your vocation or station in life. It appeared in the April 2021 issue of the IMA’s peer-reviewed journal Strategic Finance.

“As we have all seen over the past year, people have had to be more creative than ever in their approach to their work. Surveys of business leaders reveal that creativity increases in employee productivity and happiness, fosters innovation, and leads to improved corporate financial performance,” said Davis, an adjunct professor at Furman and accounting professor at Baylor University. “This article helps accounting and finance professionals, who most people don’t think of as creative types, understand ten characteristics of creativity and how those characteristics can be developed to improve job performance.”

IMA says: “These awards recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the profession through articles published in Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly from May 2020 through April 2021.“

Added Davis: “The paper is a great example of cross-disciplinary collaboration – art, accounting, innovation and entrepreneurship – that is the foundation of a liberal arts education.”