Biography
Kristy L. Towry joined the Goizueta Business School faculty in the Fall of 2002, after receiving her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. She has extensive experience in managerial accounting and finance, having spent 9 years at Exxon Company, USA and Compaq Computer Corp. Dr. Towry's research relates to the use of accounting information for managerial decision making, with a special focus on managerial control systems and financial incentives.

Publications

• Contracting on Contemporaneous vs. Forward Looking Measures: An Experimental Investigation (with A.M. Farrell and K.K. Kadous). Contemporary Accounting Research (forthcoming),
• When Formal Controls Undermine Trust and Cooperation (with M.H. Christ, K.L. Sedatole, and M.A. Thomas). Strategic Finance, January 2008.
• The Effect of Information Systems on Honesty in Managerial Reporting: A Behavioral Perspective (with W.F. Rankin and R.L. Hannan), Contemporary Accounting Research, Winter 2006.
• Quantification and Persuasion in Managerial Judgment (with K.K. Kadous and L.L. Koonce), Contemporary Accounting Research, October 2005.
• The Effect of Control on Trust and Cooperation in Collaborative Environments (with A.L. Coletti and K.L. Sedatole), The Accounting Review, April 2005.
• The Limitations of Experimental Design: A Case Study Involving Monetary Incentive Effects in Laboratory Markets (with S.J. Kachelmeier), Experimental Economics, 2005.
• Control in a Teamwork Environment -- The Impact of Social Ties on the Effectiveness of Mutual Monitoring Contracts, The Accounting Review, October 2003.
• Negotiated Transfer Pricing: Is Fairness Easier Said than Done? (with S.J. Kachelmeier), The Accounting Review, July 2002.
• Pecos Products: A Project Introducing Complexity into the Study of Activity-Based Costing (with D.E. Platt), Issues in Accounting Education, January 2001.

Working Papers

• Flattening the Organization: The Effect of Organizational Reporting Structure on Honesty in Managerial Reporting (with W.F. Rankin and R.L. Hannan).
• Dividing the Pie: Do Managers Fully Incorporate non-contracted Information into Full and Partial Discretionary Bonus Allocations? (with W.J. Bailey and G. Hecht).
• All Control is Not Equal: The Effect of Control System Type on Trust and Cooperation in Strategic Alliances (with K. Sedatole and M. Christ).
• Recordkeeping Changes the Course of Economic History (with S. Basu , J. Dickhaut, G. Hecht, I. Tafkov, and G. Waymire).
• Does the Communication of Causal Linkages Improve Effort Allocations?  An Experimental Investigation Based on Melioration Theory (with A.M. Farrell and K.K. Kadous).
• Behavior in Ultimatum Games with Multiple Proposers (with J.C. Coats, R.L. Hannan, and W.F. Rankin).
• Incentives in a Multi-Task Environment: Timing is Everything (with G. Hecht and I. Tafkov).

Areas of Specialization

• Managerial Accounting
• Internal Audit
• Behavioral Economics

Achievements and Honors

• Alumni Award for Excellence in Research, 2006
• Adler Teaching Prize, 2006
• Goizueta Full-time MBA Excellence in Teaching Award, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
• McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting Ethics, 2004
• American Accounting Association Managerial Accounting Best Dissertation, 2003
• Institute of Internal Auditors Michael J. Barrett Dissertation Grant
• McCombs School of Business Fred Moore Teaching Award
• Deloitte and Touche Foundation Doctoral Fellow

Professional Memberships and Activities

• American Accounting Association
• Economic Science Association
• Institute of Managerial Accountants
• Institute of Internal Auditors
• Society for Judgment and Decision Making

Academic Background
Ph.D., Accounting, The University of Texas at Austin, 2002
M.B.A., Accounting and Finance, Texas A&M, 1988
B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, 1982