The acronym ARCA stands for 'Amsterdam Research Center in Accounting' and is the name of the research center in Accounting at the department of Accounting from the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. ARCA is founded on September 1, 1998.
 
Mission Statement
ARCA's mission can be described by the following four objectives:

• ARCA's main objective is to facilitate and stimulate fundamental and applied research in the following areas: Financial Accounting and Financial Reporting, Management Accounting, Management Control, Accounting Information Systems, and Auditing
• ARCA's research is of high academic quality which makes it publishable in international, high quality, refereed journals.
• ARCA is also committed to bridge the gap between the academic community and practice by conducting commissioned research and by disseminating research outcomes among a wider audience.
• ARCA provides education and training for researchers in Accounting in order to enhance research quality and productivity.

At this moment, 23 researchers are related to ARCA. They conduct research in all fields mentioned in profit, as well as non-profit and governmental organizations. The research activities are organized in the following research progammes:

 
1. Financial Accounting and Financial Reporting

• The interaction between providers and users of (corporate) financial reports.
  Research in this programme is directed at understanding how financial analysts and other users of corporate reports value financial information and how their decsions are affected by accounting method choice and quality of disclosure. This research is conducted by means of surveys and market-based methods.
• Developments in modern reporting practices.
  This line of research is directed at understanding the long-term development of modern financial reporting practices. These developments are seen as the result of developments in the economics of corporations (primarily company finance) and moderating factors like developments in reporting theory and the accounting profession.

2. Management Accounting and Management Control

• Performance Measurement and Performance Evaluation
  This programme focuses on the role performance measurement and evaluation plays in planning and controlling contemporary organizations' businesses. Research projects deal with the effectiveness of nonfinancial performance masures and value-based management.
• Corporate Governance
  The corporate governance programme focuses on management and accountability of private organizations. Topics related to private organizations are stakeholder management, the distribution of corporate wealth, and the shareholders' influence in managers' short-term orientation.
• New Public Management
  The NPM programme is concerned with initiatives to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and transparency of conduct in governmental and non-profit organizations. Topics addressed in this programme are performance measurement in non-profit organizations and effective management control in governmental organizations.
• Accounting system choice for Organizational Control
  This programme deals with innovations in accounting systems in order to enhance controllability of organizational performance. In this programme we try to identify the drivers for succesful management accounting  innovations. These innovations may be implemented in single organizations, but also in strategic alliances, organizational networks or joint ventures.

3. Auditing

• Statistical Auditing
  This programme tries to analyze the relationship between the auditor's assessment of inherent risk and internal control risk, and his decision on the characteristics of the audit programme (mostly the sample size for substantive testing).
  
• Assurance Services
  The relatively new 'assurance services' programme addresses topics related to the process of assurance provision by auditors of financial statements, environmental reports and operational audits.

Under the option ARCA research projects you will find more detailed information on each of the research programmes.
 
Organization
Management Team
The management team comprises of the following area coordinators:

• Financial Accounting and Financial Reporting
  Prof. dr. C. Camfferman (phone: 020 - 59 86076)
• Management Accounting and Management Control
  Prof. dr. T.L.C.M. Groot (phone: 020 - 59 86040)
• Auditing
  Prof. dr. R. Dassen RA (phone: 020 - 59 86045)

Prof. dr. Tom L.C.M. Groot acts as director of ARCA
Drs. Patrizia L.M. Abinta Management (phone: 020 - 59 86040)