Accounting, strategy and advanced manufacturing technology investment

One strand in the current debate on AMT investment emphasises technical aspects of investment appraisal. Another calls for a broader focus on wider decision-making processes and strategic considerations. This paper seeks to merge both sets of concerns. It uses two empirical studies of AMT decisions in a number of companies. The first demonstrates specific linkages between manufacturing strategies and financial justifications. The second explores ways in which connections between finance and strategy are constructed and how they are understood and evaluated by decision-makers. We conclude that AMT proposals succeed by linking accounting information to strategic considerations throughout the investment decision process.