Alex Woods

KPMG Peat Marwick Professor of Accounting, Accounting Area Head

Dean's Research Fellow: 2018-2022
Area: Accounting
Phone: 757-221-2967
Email: [[m|alex.woods]]
Office: Miller Hall 3038

Biography

Alex Woods joined the Raymond A. Mason School of Business in 2008. He earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.

Alex's research interests are managerial accounting and control, performance measurement and evaluation, incentives, and resource allocation. He has published in leading, pedagogical, and practice journals. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Management Accounting Research.

Prior to earning his Ph.D., Alex had extensive work experience assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of key managerial accounting decisions and issues for the United States Air Force.

Areas of Interest/Expertise

Managerial Accounting
Management Control Systems
Performance Measurement
Performance Evaluation
Incentives

CV

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Ph.D., Business Administration (Primary Field: Accounting), Michigan State University, 2008
M.B.A., Colorado State University (Beta Gamma Sigma), 2001
B.S., Wright State University, Accountancy and Finance (Cum Laude), 1992

Executive Director of the Estes Center for Excellence in Accounting, William & Mary, 2025-present
Accounting Area Department Chair, William & Mary, 2021-present
Professor of Business, William & Mary, 2021-present
KPMG Peat Marwick Term Professor of Business, William & Mary, 2018-present
Associate Professor of Business, William & Mary, 2014-2021
Assistant Professor of Business, William & Mary, 2008-2014
Visiting Instructor, Michigan State University, 2007-2008

Li, Y., B.E. Reichert, and A. Woods, 2024. The interactive effects of performance evaluation leniency and performance measure precision on employee effort and performance. Advances in Accounting 64: 1-16.
Demere, B.W., K.L. Sedatole, and A. Woods, 2019. The role of calibration committees in subjective performance evaluation systems. Management Science 65(4): 1562-1585.
- Received the Notable Contribution to Management Accounting Research Award (2020) from the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association.
Mastilak M.C., L. Matuszewski, F. Miller, and A. Woods, 2018. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? An Examination of Exposure to Agency Theory and Unethical Behavior. Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, Volume 21: 111-152.
- Received the Best Applied Research Award (2016) from the Professionalism and Ethics Committee and Public Interest Section of the American Accounting Association.
Reichert, B.E., and A. Woods, 2017. Does motivational orientation impact the effectiveness of incentive contracts? Journal of Management Accounting Research, 29(2): 87-103.
Sedatole K.L., A. Swaney, and A. Woods, 2016. The Implicit Incentive Effects of Horizontal Monitoring and Team Member Dependence on Individual Performance. Contemporary Accounting Research, 33(3): 889-919.
Demere, W.A., R. Krishnan, K.L. Sedatole, and A. Woods, 2016. Do the incentive effects of relative performance measurement vary with the ex ante probability of promotion? Management Accounting Research, 30: 18-31.
Paz, M., B.E. Reichert, and A. Woods, 2013. How does peer honesty affect focal manager honesty in a budget reporting setting? Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research, 16: 85-114.
Woods, A., 2012. Subjective adjustments to objective performance measures: the influence of prior performance. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 37(6): 403-425.
- Received the Emerging Scholar Manuscript Award (2013), which acknowledges "the exceptional manuscript contribution of a single emerging scholar" that demonstrates "practical value to accounting and finance professionals."
Mastilak, C., F. Miller, L. Matuszewski, and A. Woods, 2012. Evaluating conflicting performance on driver and outcome measures: the effect of strategy maps. Journal of Management Control, 23(2): 97-114.

Demeré, W., K. Sedatole, and A. Woods, 2020. Employee appraisals and the calibration process. Strategic Finance, November 2020.
Demeré, W., K. Sedatole, and A. Woods, 2018. Why Managers Shouldn't Have the Final Say in Performance Reviews. Harvard Business Review, June 11, 2018.
Piconni, M., K. Smith, and A. Woods, 2013. Arborista, Inc.: An Instructional Resource Case. Issues in Accounting Education, 28(3): 681-690.
Mastilak, C., F. Miller, L. Matuszewski, and A. Woods, 2011. Designing honesty into your organization. Strategic Finance, December 2011: 34-40.
- Received the Lybrand Medal for one of the outstanding articles of the year (2012).
- Republished (2013) in "Annual Editions: Business Ethics 13/14, 25th Edition," William J. Kehoe, University of Virginia.

Consecutive Subjective Performance Evaluations: The Role of the Supervisor-Employee Trust Relationship and Supervisor Gender (with M.C. Mastilak). Preparing for submission to a Financial Times Top-50 journal.
Investigation of Information Search Behavior in Buyer-Supplier Negotiations (with Christian Mastilak, Fabienne Miller, and Linda Matuszewski). Preparing for submission to a high-quality journal.
Distinguishing the Contributors: A Study of Peer Assessment in Team Settings. Data analysis complete; draft in progress.
Span of control determinants and consequences in subjective performance evaluations systems (with K. Njoroge). Data analysis in progress.
Brain activity mediates performance-dependent incentive compensation. Data analysis in progress.

Dean's Research Fellow, 2019-2020
Notable Contribution to Management Accounting Award, 2020
Institute of Management Accounting (IMA) Incubator Award, 2017
Best Applied Research Award, 2016
Emerging Scholar Award, 2013
Lybrand Medal, 2012
Frank Wood Faculty Fellow Award, 2012
Peterson Grant to Promote Student Involvement in Research, 2009, 2011, 2011
PricewaterhouseCoopers INQuires Grant, 2011
Michigan State University Dissertation Completion Fellowship, 2007

How a calibration committee can correct bias in employee evaluations, HR Drive, June 13, 2018, by Katie Scheu.
Money for Lunch, online radio interview, May 1, 2018
Lenz on Business, New 95.5, AM 750 WSB, and wsbradio.com interview, April 28, 2018.
Improving Performance Evaluations, Human Resource Executive, April 16, 2018, by Carol Patton.
WorkZone: Can you supervisor be trusted to review your work? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 2, 2018, by Len Boselovic.

The McGlothlin Award for Exceptional Teaching, William & Mary, 2025
Alfred N. Page Graduate Master of Accounting Graduate Teaching Award, William & Mary, 2024
Faculty Excellence Teaching Award, MAcc program, William & Mary, 2017
Alfred N. Page Graduate Teaching Award, Full-time MBA program, William & Mary, 2013
Faculty Excellence Teaching Award, Flex MBA program, William & Mary, 2012
Michigan State University Ph.D. Student Excellence in Teaching Award, 2008

Strategic Cost Management, 2016-2022
Online Strategic Cost Management, 2023-2025
Driving Organizational Performance, 2014-2025
Online Driving Organizational Performance, 2024-2025
Accounting for Managerial Decision-Making, 2009-2015
Accounting for Decision-Making and Control, 2023
Managerial Accounting, 2009-2013, 2016
BUAD 596, Field Consultancy, "Operational Model for a Long-term Care Practice," 2010/2011
BUAD 581A, Global Issues Juntos/Sprints (Measuring Performance—Has it gone too far?, Clean Energy, Cost of Security, World Healthcare Crisis, Consumer Revolution in Healthcare, Business Lobbying in the U.S. Political System), 2011-2015, 2018-2020

Personnel Committee Chair, 2023-2024
Personnel Committee Member, 2022-2023, 2025
Meet the Firms Friday Planning Committee Member, 2021-2025
Appointments Committee Member, 2021-2023
Senior Associate Dean Evaluation Committee Member, 20222-2023
Senior Associate Dean (now Vice Dean) Advisory Committee Member, 2021-2025
Evaluation Committee Chair for Professor Ken Njoroge, 2020
University pre-major advisor, 2020-2023
Mason Summer Business Institute (MSBI) moderator, Summer 2020
School of Business Undergraduate Advisory Committee member, 2019-2021
School of Business, Research Committee Member, 2019-2021
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Reader: Biotech Fast Track on Stock Price, 2019
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Advisor: Corporate Budgets: An insight into one company's transition from fixed & flexible budgets to a rolling forecast, 2018
Evaluation Committee Chair for Professor Elizabeth Foster, 2018
Online Accounting Committee Member, 2018
Honors Committee member for Xiaoqing Wan, 2018
Evaluation Committee Chair for Dr. Jamie Diaz, 2018
School of Business, Chair of Curriculum Committee, 2017-2018
Accounting Programs Assurance of Learning Committee Chair, 2017
School of Business, Curriculum Committee Member, 2017-2019
Evaluation Committee Member for Dr. Ken Njoroge, 2017
Accounting Programs Extra- and Co-curricular Activities Committee Member, 2016
Accounting Programs Assurance of Learning Committee Member, 2016
Accounting Programs Admissions Committee Member, 2016-2017
Accounting Programs Faculty Secretary, 2016-2017
Evaluation Committee Member for Dr. Vladimir Atanasov, 2016
Evaluation Committee Member for the Raymond A. Mason School of Business Dean Larry Pulley, 2015-2016
Full-time MBA Redesign Team Committee Member, 2015-2017
Faculty Secretary, 2014-2015
Online MBA Program Development Team, 2014
Search Committee Member, Associate Dean for MBA Programs, 2014
Strategic Plan Task Force, 2014
Accounting Program Advisory Board Committee, 2013
Accounting Research Workshop Series Coordinator, 2009-2015
Master of Accounting Faculty Advisor, 2008-2009, 2009-2010
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Advisor: Audit Processes and their Similarities and Differences across Engagements, 2014
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Advisor: Budget and Variance Analysis at Soley Manufacturing, 2012
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Advisor: Program Assessment of the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center (Yorktown): Morale, Well-Being and Recreation, 2012
BUAD 597, Independent Study Faculty Advisor: The Price of Cutting Costs: Examining Methods of Reducing Costs for Hospitals, 2009-2010
BUAD 597, Independent Study Reader: The Five Project, 2010-2011
BUAD 597, Independent Study Reader: Effective Coaching, 2013
Peterson Student/Faculty Research Grant Program, 2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2011-2012

Ad hoc reviewer, Management Science, Accounting Organizations and Society, The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Business Ethics, Management Accounting Research, Behavioral Research in Accounting, European Accounting Review, Midwest Region Meeting, Journal of Management Accounting Research, 2010-current.
Editorial Board, Journal of Management Accounting Research, 2013-2015
Member, American Accounting Association, 2003-present
Member, Institute of Management Accountants, 2010-present
Management Accounting Section Research Conference Attendant, 2007-2009, 2011-2012
Global Management Accounting Research Symposium Attendant, 2004, 2007
Accounting, Behavior, and Organizations Conference Attendant, 2007, 2010
AAA Annual Meeting Attendant, 2007, 2008, 2012
Management Accounting Section Doctoral Student Colloquium Attendant, 2007, 2008

Air Force Audit Agency, 1992-2002
- Audit Manager, Internal Auditor
- Performed management advisory/consulting services for the Secretary of the Air Force and internal audits in various functional areas.
- Accomplishments: Repeatedly selected to work on unique, high-profile projects.
- Published Research: Woods, Alex (1999). The Need to Implement Cost Accounting Systems in the Air Force. Air University, Professional Military Comptroller School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Class 00-A.
- Exemplary Performance Award, 2001
- Outstanding Performance Awards, 1994, 1996-2000, 2002
- Notable Achievement Awards, 1996, 1997, 2001
- 11 Letters of Commendation, 1995-2000
Professional Certifications
- Certified Air Force Internal Acquisition Auditor, 1997
- Financial Statement Audit Certificate, U.S. General Accounting Office, 1997
- Certified Public Accountant (inactive), State of Ohio, 1996

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