Business Commons^™

Performance Improvement: More Than Just Bettering The Here-And-Now, Doug Leigh, Ryan Watkins

Doug Leigh

No abstract provided.

Managing People And Technology: The Challenges In Csr And Energy Efficient Shipping, Momoko Kitada, Aykut Ölçer

Aykut Ölçer

This paper addresses the challenges of managers in the shipping industry to implement energy efficient measures in ship operations and their roles of managing both people and technology under the fulfilment of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). An increasing pressure on shipping companies to concern about marine environment, including energy efficiency, has led managers to consider CSR as their ethical business practices. It is an accepted norm that shipping is generally the most environmentally friendly mode of transport in terms of CO2 produced per ton nautical mile. Despite an extensive amount of research available to improve energy efficiency in shipping, …

Law Of Thrive: Creating Sustainable Diverse & Inclusive Communities: Human Utility Business: Creating Sustainable Communities That Thrive, Robin Roberts

Robin A. Roberts

A Process Model On The Formation Of Multinational Stategic Alliances, Gregory Osland, Attila Yaprak

Gregory E. Osland

Dr. Gregory Osland's contribution to Refik Culpan (ed.), Multinational Strategic Alliances. Binghamton, NY: International Business Press.

"Doing Business In China: A Framework For Cross-Cultural Understanding, Gregory Osland

Gregory E. Osland

The process of doing business in The People′s Republic of China can be understood better and improved through a conceptual model that identifies and explains critical elements of their culture. An attempt is made to fill a gap in previous work by integrating anthropological and political theory, pertinent literature, and experience in the Chinese context. The model reveals the importance of understanding how communication occurs cross‐culturally through language, material objects, and non‐verbal behaviour. The critical role of interpersonal relationships in China is discussed, highlighting the important factors of guanxi, face, group orientation, and deference to age and authority. The …

Negotiation In Channels Of Distribution: Conditions, Behavior, And Outcomes, Gregory Osland, Lloyd Rhinehart

Gregory E. Osland

A model of the negotiation process is developed and tested on a sample of motor carriers that provide contractual service in distribution channels. The result indicate that expectation of continuity in a channel relationship leads to cooperative negotiating behavior. This cooperative (integrative) negotiating behavior, in turn, results in mutually beneficial outcomes. In addition, perceived dependence has a weak effect on negotiating behavior and outcomes. Managers are advised about conditions and outcomes of the use of both cooperative and arms-length negotiating strategies.

Multinationals In China: Responding To Host Government Pressures, Ingmar Bjorkman, Gregory Osland

Gregory E. Osland

Government pressures are thought to influence multinational companies' strategies. This study analyzes central government pressures regarding MNCs in China since 1990, particularly the pressures concerning operational modes utilized by foreign companies investing in China. The methodology utilizes in-depth interviews of MNC executives and government officials from the United States, Scandinavia, and China. The results indicate that the Chinese government has ratcheted up the pressure on MNCs to produce and source locally and that some MNCs are facing intense pressure to lobby their own governments on behalf of China. This article also provides insights for managers into government workings and provides …

The Use Of Multiple-Party Perspectives In International Joint Venture Research, Gregory Osland, S. Cavugsil

Gregory E. Osland

Much academic research on international joint ventures has relied on information and insights gained from only one of the several parties that make up a collaborative venture. Motivated by a desire to explore the merits of "multiple-party" investigations in international joint ventures, a research project was designed and implemented in the context of US-China joint ventures. Matched data from eight large joint ventures were collected through in-depth interviews with 40 managers representing Chinese and US parent companies and joint venture operating managers from both partners.

International Entry Mode Choice By U.S. And Japanese Mncs: A Cross-Cultural Assessment Of The Transaction Cost Analysis Framework, Charles Taylor, Shaoming Zho, Gregory Osland

Gregory E. Osland

A large scale survey of top US and Japanese executives is conducted in order to assess the power of transaction cost economics (TCE) in explaining a firm's choice of entry mode (e.g., joint venture vs. full ownership) when it enters a foreign market. Results suggest that several TCE tenets are useful in explaining US firms' choice of entry mode. However, TCE predictions were not supported by the entry mode choices of Japanese firms. Implications of these findings for researchers and managers are discussed.

Analysis Of Low-Cost Carriers In The Post-Soviet States, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna Rhoades

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

The research paper provides an overview of low-cost carrier (LCC) development in the post- Soviet states with the analysis of the largest aviation market in Russia. The LCC model seeks to achieve a competitive advantage through the reduction of operating costs below the traditional airline model. Since the post-Soviet states are emerging economies, airlines face a high level of uncertainty and experience a number of unique problems. While the global community enjoys the benefits offered by LCCs, the question remains why this model has not been successful in the 15 newly formed countries, with the exception of the Hungarian low-cost …

Market Analysis For Small And Mid-Size Commercial Turboprop Aircraft, Vitaly Guzhva, Tamilla Curtis, Vladislav Borodulin

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

Recent fuel price volatility and growing concerns about the efficiency of regional jets have led to a revival of large turboprop aircraft as efficient passenger carriers on short-haul regional routes. However, the overall market for smaller turboprops is much less defined as it is characterized by a plethora of small commuter and niche operators in addition to regional carriers. Since most small and mid-size turboprop manufacturers have gone bankrupt or discontinued production due to some other reasons, current operators of this aircraft class are left with aging fleets that would need to be replaced by 2020-2030. This paper assesses the …

Individual Employment Rights Arbitration In The United States: Actors And Outcomes, Alexander Colvin, Mark Gough

Alexander Colvin

The authors examine disposition statistics from employment arbitration cases administered over an 11-year period by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) to investigate the process of dispute resolution in this new institution of employment relations. They investigate the predictors of settlement before the arbitration hearing and then estimate models for the likelihood of employee wins and damage amounts for the 2,802 cases that resulted in an award. Their findings show that larger-scale employers who are involved in more arbitration cases tend to have higher win rates and have lower damage awards made against them. This study also provides evidence of a …

Analysis Of Kaizen Implementation In Northern Ethiopia’S Manufacturing Industries, Asayehgn Desta, Hadush Asgedom, Alula Gebresas, Mengstu Asheber

Asayehgn Desta

The Kaizen manufacturing processes in Japan have revolutionized the way enterprises deliver products to their customers. Given ambitions to advance, retain market share, and satisfy their domestic market while expanding into the international market, it has become a dream for many manufacturing companies similar to Japanese manufacturing enterprises to build a culture of continuous improvement. In other words, a number of foreign companies are striving to acquire the habit of improvement using kaizen, as well as to focus on a customer-driven strategy to improve productivity and the quality of products and services by continuously amassing marginal improvements over time. Mapping …

Moving Education In2 The Future: Creating The Next Generation Of Innovators, Lawrence Bergie, Britta Mckenna

Lawrence Bergie

What started as planning for the next generation of inquiry-based learning led to an entirely new center for innovation and entrepreneurship! Hear how this innovative idea moved to the design of a physical innovation hub and see how IMSA has transformed a former computer lab IN2 a working prototype of their future space. Dive into the many aspects of creating innovation spaces: design process, STEM foundation and entrepreneurship cornerstone, Makerspace development through a student leadership and service initiative, collaboration potential with community partners and local/regional business entities, student inquiry and research potential and the ability to showcase area emerging technology …

Unleashing Angst: Negative Mood, Learning Goal Orientation, Psychological Empowerment And Creative Behaviour, March To, Cynthia Fisher, Neal Ashkanasy

Cynthia D. Fisher

Emotion researchers have found that negative mood may either enhance or inhibit employee creativity. Little is known about this conundrum, however, and in particular when and why each effect occurs. To address this concern, we formulate and test hypotheses about likely moderators of the relationship between negative mood and creative process engagement. Results from an experience sampling study with 556 real-time reports from 68 employees support our hypothesis that negative mood is most strongly and positively related to concurrent creative process engagement among employees who (a) have high trait learning goal orientation and (b) perceive that they are empowered. Our …

Reconfigured [Blog Post], Russell Willerton

Russell Willerton

Three Of A Kind? The Special Case Of Australia's Island Councils, Elisabeth Sinnewe, Michael Kortt, Brian Dollery, Philip Hayward

Dr Elisabeth Sinnewe

In common with many other countries, Australian local government policy- makers have focussed heavily on improving financial sustainability and oper- ational efficiency through structural change and other modes of systemic reform. However, this system-wide approach cannot adequately deal with small island councils due to their sui generis characteristics. In an effort to fill this gap in the literature, this article examines the financial sustainability of Australia’s three island councils – Flinders, Kangaroo and King – over the period 2008–2013 in order to determine whether alternative organisational arrangements may be better suited to their unique circumstances. In so doing, our study …

Segment Disclosures Under Sfas No. 131: Has Business Segment Reporting Improved?, Donna Street, Nancy Nichols, Sidney Gray

Donna L. Street

In response to user concerns regarding segment reporting, the FASB issued SFAS No. 131, Reporting Disaggregated Information about a Business Enterprise, in 1997. SFAS No. 131 became effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 1998. This research examines the segment disclosures of U.S. Global 1000 companies for both 1997 and 1998 to ascertain the impact and effectiveness of SFAS No. 131 in practice. Specifically, this research considers whether the new requirements have resulted in:

• A greater number of line‐of‐business (LOB) segments for some enterprises, particularly those who claimed to operate in one LOB under SFAS No. …

Compliance With Disclosure Requirements At Germany's New Market: Ias Versus Us Gaap, Martin Glaum, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

This research examines compliance with both International Accounting Standards (IAS) and United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) for companies listed on Germany's New Market. Based on a sample of 100 firms that apply IAS and 100 that apply US GAAP, we investigate the extent to which companies comply with IAS and US GAAP disclosure requirements in their year–2000 financial statements. Compliance levels range from 100% to 41.6%, with an average of 83.7%. The average compliance level is significantly lower for companies that apply IAS as compared to companies applying US GAAP. This study provides the first systematic evidence …

Factors Affecting Md&A Disclosures By Sec Registrants: Views Of Practitioners, Ann Tarca, Donna Street, Walter Aerts

Donna L. Street

This study identifies factors influencing the preparation, scope and content of management discussion and analysis (MD&A) reports provided by SEC registrants. We interviewed U.S., Canadian, U.K., and Australian financial executives during the period December 2009 to May 2010 to better understand how the reporting environment affects managers’ ability to provide useful disclosures. Interviewees agree MD&A should be "through the eyes of management"; however, many describe a tension between statutory requirements and providing relevant information for investors. Some believe MD&A is useful for analysts and investors as a summary of the past year and by functioning as a benchmark. Interviewees frequently …

Ifrs Teaching Resources: Available And Rapidly Growing, Robert Larson, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

With the rapid adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) around the world, accounting practitioners, educators, and students are in great need of IFRS instructional materials. This article provides a compilation and review of IFRS teaching resources based primarily on presentations made at a series of IFRS Teaching Workshops sponsored by the IFRS Foundation Teaching Initiative and the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER). With the purpose of helping those teaching IFRS, especially those with limited prior IFRS teaching experience, we provide detailed information so educators can easily access and use these resources. Several different IFRS teaching strategies …

Besser Pharma: International Accounting For Pensions, K. Geary, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

The purpose of the Besser Pharma case is to bring an international perspective to the coverage of pension accounting. Students are required to read U.S. and international pension accounting standards, complete financial statement research on the pension plans of Besser's competitors, and answer, in a memo to Besser Pharma's CFO, a series of questions about alternative accounting approaches permitted by International Accounting Standard No. 19, Employee Benefits.

The Predictive Ability Of Geographic Segment Disclosures By U.S. Companies: Sfas No. 131 Vs. Sfas No. 14, Bruce Behn, Nancy Nichols, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

This research considers whether recent modifications to segment reporting adequately address analysts' concerns regarding the usefulness of geographic data. Forecast errors for models utilizing SFAS No. 131 geographic sales data are compared to forecast errors for models utilizing SFAS No. 14 geographic sales data. The results indicate a significant improvement in the predictive accuracy of geographic sales disclosures provided under SFAS No. 131. Additional analysis suggests this enhanced predictability may be associated with the revised requirements that companies report sales for the country of domicile and for each individually material country. Overall, our findings appear to support the FASB's argument …

Have ‘European’ And Us Gaap Measures Of Income And Equity Converged Under Ifrs? Evidence From European Companies Listed In The Us, Sidney Gray, Cheryl Linthicum, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

The EU's adoption of IFRS, combined with the SEC's removal of the US GAAP reconciliation requirement for non‐US registrants reporting under IFRS, signifies a major shift toward the acceptance of global standards. Based on 20‐F reconciliations provided by the population of US-listed European companies filing IFRS‐based statements with the SEC in 2005, we examine whether "European" and US GAAP measures of income and equity converged under IFRS. We find that during the period immediately preceding IFRS, for our sample companies, European and US GAAP measures are generally comparable in respect of income and equity. However, as an exception to the …

The Relationship Between Competition And Business Segment Reporting Decisions Under The Management Approach Of Ias 14 Revised, Nancy Nichols, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

This research addresses the relationship between industry competition and managers’ choice regarding whether to separately disclose a business segment following the adoption of International Accounting Standard 14 Revised (IAS 14R) and the management approach to segment determination. Logistic regression reveals a significant negative relationship between disclosure and company returns in excess of the industry average.

Prior research indicated a significant relationship between disclosure and abnormal returns under the industry approach to segmentation. Our results provide evidence that this flexibility persists as managers maintain their ability to aggregate segments to protect excess returns under IAS 14R and the management approach. Our …

The G4'S Role In The Evolution Of The International Accounting Standard Setting Process And Partnership With The Iasb, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

Between 1992 and 2001, representatives of the G4 national accounting standard setting bodies and the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) participated in a working group known as the G4+1. Immediately following the formation of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the G4 announced that the working group would no longer meet. Alternatively, the G4 national standard setters would form a partnership with the IASB via liaison representatives.

This paper focuses on the objectives and mission of the G4+1, the G4's relationship with the IASC, the impact of the G4 on the restructuring of the IASC to establish a quality independent …

Large Firms Envision Worldwide Convergence Of Standards, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

Currently, the largest accounting firms1 are working diligently in conjunction with their partners in the International Forum on Accountancy Development (IFAD) to achieve their vision of raising national accounting and auditing standards worldwide to meet or exceed internationally recognized benchmarks. An awareness of the ongoing activities of the firms and their IFAD partners to improve financial reporting, accountability, and transparency worldwide is crucial if other members of the accounting community, including educators, are to support and, more importantly, actively participate in these efforts. IFAD was formed in 1999 on “the premise that the expertise of the accounting profession and the …

Convergence With Ifrs In An Expanding Europe: Progress And Obstacles Identified By Large Accounting Firm's Survey, Robert Larson, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) acquired greater legitimacy and stature when the European Union (EU) decided to require all listed companies to prepare consolidated accounts based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) beginning in 2005. This study examines the progress and perceived impediments to convergence in 17 European countries directly affected by the EU's decision. These include: (1) the 10 new EU member countries, (2) EU candidate countries, (3) European Economic Area (EEA) countries, and (4) Switzerland. We utilize data collected by the six largest international accounting firms during their 2002 convergence survey. Additionally, we analyze subsequent events and …

Disclosure Level And Compliance With Iass: A Comparison Of Companies With And Without U.S. Listings And Filings, Donna Street, Stephanie Bryant

Donna L. Street

This research investigates the extent to which the disclosure requirements of the IASC are complied with or exceeded for companies claiming to use International Accounting Standards (IASs). Additionally, the research seeks to identify significant differences between those companies with U.S. listings, U.S. filings, and those with no U.S. listings or filings with regard to (1) compliance with IASC-required disclosures, and (2) level of disclosure (including both mandatory and voluntary items). The findings reveal the overall level of disclosure is greater for companies with U.S. listings. Additionally, greater disclosure is associated with an accounting policies footnote that specifically states that the …

Framework-Based Teaching Of Ifrs Judgements, Christopher Hodgdon, Susan Hughes, Donna Street

Donna L. Street

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are principles-based accounting standards that provide less prescriptive, interpretive and implementation guidance than do some national standards. Thus, considerable judgement in the application of IFRS is often required. We suggest a three-step approach to teaching IFRS judgments (concepts, to principles/rules, to the judgments required in the application of those rules), and provide accounting educators with guidance and resources that will help them create and enhance students' awareness of the importance of making professional judgments in the application of IFRS. We consider pervasive issues, such as the going concern assumption, materiality and related disclosures, and issues …