Department of Management Studies

Dr Martin Roberts FCMA, CGMA, FHEA is an accomplished accounting academic and industry‑experienced finance professional whose career spans major UK universities and Caribbean innovation initiatives.

Dr Roberts currently serves as a Lecturer in Accounting at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, where he contributes to teaching and research within the Department of Management Studies. He also plays a strategic role in the region’s cocoa value‑addition ecosystem as a Director within the UWI Fine Cocoa Products initiative, part of the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre (IFCIC) and the UWI Cocoa Research Centre, which leads efforts to commercialise fine cocoa and develop the Caribbean chocolate industry.

Before joining UWI, Dr Roberts spent nearly two decades as a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at Sheffield Hallam University, where he earned the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. His academic expertise centres on management accounting, supported by extensive industry experience at director level with major FTSE100 companies including Cadbury, Smith & Nephew, Rexam, and Alliance & Leicester.

A Fellow Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Dr Roberts combines professional credibility with a strong pedagogical focus. His doctoral research examined communication apprehension and self‑efficacy in accounting students, reflecting his commitment to improving student confidence and performance.

Qualifications  

MRes, PhD, PCGTLHE (Sheffield Hallam University), FHEA (UK Higher Education Authority) FCMA, CGMA (CIMA).

Research Interests

Accounting education, Student performance, Learning engagement, Communication self‑efficacy, and pedagogic interventions, Forensic Accounting, Management Accounting, Sustainability, Diaspora Finance.

Selected Publications

• Roberts, M., Shah, N., Mali, D., & Hong, J. (2025). Dropout rates in undergraduate accounting degree programmes at a UK university: A 10-year longitudinal study. The International Journal of Management Education, 23(3), 101253.
• Roberts, M., Shah, N. S., Mali, D., Arquero, J. L., Joyce, J., & Hassall, T. (2023). The use and measurement of communication self-efficacy techniques in a UK undergraduate accounting course. Accounting Education, 32(6), 735–763.
• Mali, D., Lim, H. J., Roberts, M., & Fakir, A. E. L. (2023). An analysis of how a collaborative teaching intervention can impact student mental health in a blended learning environment. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(3), 100853.
• Winfield, J., & Roberts, M. (2023). Forensic accounting: time for a unified global approach. Journal of Forensic Accounting Profession, 3(1), 38–56.
• Roberts, M., O’Brien, T., Mali, D., & Reville, J. (2022). From a year-long delivery pattern to a one semester delivery pattern: The impact on student performance in a UK university. Global Journal of Human-Social Science: G Linguistics & Education, 22(G3), 37–45.
• Brook, S., & Roberts, M. (2021). What are the determinants of student performance on an undergraduate accounting degree? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(9), 1224–1239.
• Roberts, M. An investigation into communication apprehension and self-efficacy of first-year accountancy students. PQDT-UK & Ireland.