Business Commons^™

Interpersonal Affect, Accountability And Experience In Auditor Fraud Risk Judgments And The Processing Of Fraud Cues, Jennifer Schafer, Brad Schafer

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper examines whether auditors’ affect toward client management influences fraud likelihood judgments and whether accountability and experience with fraud risk judgments moderate this effect. This research also explores the process by which affect influences fraud judgments by examining affect’s influence on the evaluation of fraud evidence cues. Results indicate that more positive affect toward the client results in lower fraud likelihood judgments. Accountability is found to moderate this effect, but only for experienced auditors. These findings have implications for fraud brainstorming sessions where all staff levels provide input into fraud risk assessments and because client characteristics are especially salient …

Research Insights About Risk Governance: Implications From A Review Of Erm Research, Therese R. Viscelli, Mark S. Beasley, Dana R. Hermanson

Faculty and Research Publications

In recent years, expectations for increased risk governance have been placed explicitly on boards of directors. In response, boards are being held responsible for not only understanding and approving management’s risk management processes, but they are also being held responsible for assessing the risks identified by those processes as part of overseeing management’s pursuit of value. These increasing responsibilities have led a number of organizations to adopt enterprise risk management (ERM) as a holistic approach to risk management that extends beyond traditional silo-based risk management techniques. As boards, often through their audit committee, consider management’s implementation of ERM as part …

Reflective Ethical Decision: A Model For Ethics In Accounting Education, Sandria S. Stephenson

Faculty and Research Publications

This conceptual paper describes a Reflective Ethical Decision Model (REDM), which uses the underpinnings of philosophical humanism in collaboration with self-directed learning to help students determine and design their own personal model construct of ethical values. This model analyzes the necessary ingredients for applying ethics in accounting and business education and offers a hands-on pedagogical approach to the ethics curriculum. It is an illustration students can use to reflect on personal orientations toward ethical behavior and lifelong values. The rationale for proffering such an approach is the notion that the operational orientations that guide human behavior are not fully developed …

Small And Large Faculty-Size Adjusted Accounting Program Rankings Based On Research-Active Faculty: A Uniform Approach, Mark C. Dawkins, Matthew M. Wieland, Donald L. Ariail

Faculty and Research Publications

Prior studies have ranked accounting programs based on the use of various methodologies, many of which did not control for faculty size. Even in studies that controlled for faculty size, a common issue was the inclusion of faculty and PhD students who were not research active. To resolve these sample issues, this study uses a sample of top-6 accounting journal publications over the 2006-2013 period to demonstrate an innovative, efficient, and uniform approach for calculating faculty-size adjusted accounting program rankings. This approach can be modified to include more accounting journals. Specifically, the study controls for faculty size by including only …

Bank Loan Agreement And Ceo Compensation, Amine Khayati, Donald L. Ariail

Faculty and Research Publications

Contrary to other forms of outside financing, the announcement of a bank loan agreement prompts a positive and significant market return. Throughout the literature, bank loans are deemed special and unique due to multiple benefits accruing to bank borrowers. The short-term positive market reaction is however inconsistent with the long-term underperformance of borrowing firms (Billet et al., 2006). We find that unlike shareholders, CEOs gain from the bank loan relation over the long-term. Specifically, we find that bank loan agreement elicits a significant increase in total compensation through an increase in non-performance based compensation components such as salary, bonus and …

A Frame Work For Identifying Factors To Consider When Implementing An Academic Program At A Satellite Campus, Kathryn K. Epps, Adrian L. Epps, Jane E. Campbell

Faculty and Research Publications

Making a strategic decision to launch an academic degree program at a satellite site offers unique challenges. Many factors should be carefully considered in creating degree offerings, supporting student needs, allocating faculty resources, satisfying accreditation concerns, and meeting student demand. This paper establishes a framework and decision model regarding a satellite campus program utilizing an undergraduate accounting degree program as a case analysis. The case analysis provides details of how the components of the framework should be considered in making decisions regarding the possible implementation of a satellite academic program. The purpose of this paper is to propose a roadmap …

An Increasing Usefulness For Managerial Communication Research On The Main Topics Of Management, Reginald L. Bell, Deborah Roebuck

Faculty and Research Publications

Effective communication is necessary across all management tiers and functions. In addition, it is an integral part of managerial decision-making. Over the last 10 years, interest in the nuances of communication as related to management has intensified. These studies have fostered diverse approaches to linking management and communication. Our investigation, using 2x5 and 2x4 factorial ANOVAs, reveals that differences exist among the means of five professional communication fields. Numerous articles published between 2004 and 2013 were examined, and we found an increasing usefulness for managerial communication research on the main topic of management.

Comparing Business Law In Online And Face-To-Face Formats: A Difference In Student Learning Perception, Mary Catherine Cleaveland, Cristen Dutcher, Kathryn Epps

Faculty and Research Publications

This paper extends the body of research investigating potential differences in face to face and online delivery of a business law course. Using a unique survey, it investigates student perceptions of their learning and understanding of key course concepts, as well as student satisfaction with the course and course instruction. Further, the paper explores the specific characteristics of online versus face to face students that may impact their satisfaction.

Preparing For The Looming Changes In Lease Accounting, Dennis Chambers, James Dooley

Faculty and Research Publications

Donald Rumsfeld famously stated, “There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.” Rumsfeld’s statement can be applied to our state of knowledge regarding the accounting for operating leases in the future. There is general agreement (that is, a “known known”) that new standards will require lessees to report most of the assets and related liabilities associated with operating leases on the balance sheet—a significant …

Wink, Wink, Nudge Judge: Persuading U.S. Courts To Take Accountants Seriously In Federal Securities Cases, With Help From The U.K. Companies Act, Kurt S. Schulzke

Faculty and Research Publications

The 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers reopened wounds many thought were healed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002. The Lehman litigation finally ended in late 2013 with audit firm Ernst & Young paying $99 million to investors who claimed the firm misled them with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Other defendants, including banks, officers, and directors, paid out more than $500 million. The bright line standards of GAAP and SOX were obviously not enough to protect Lehman plaintiffs or defendants. Why not? The 2006 fraud trial of Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling offers clues. When asked at trial whether U.S. …

Earnings Management Constraints: An Examination Of The Tradeoff Between Accruals-Based Earnings Management And Classification Shifting, John Abernathy, Brooke Beyer, Eric Rapley

Faculty and Research Publications

Prior literature has investigated three forms of earnings management: real earnings management (REM), accruals earnings management (AEM) and classification shifting. Managers make trade-off decisions among these methods based on the costs, constraints and timing of each strategy. This study investigates whether managers use classification shifting when their ability to use other forms of earnings management is constrained. We find that when REM is constrained by poor financial condition, high levels of institutional ownership and low industry market share, managers are more likely to use classification shifting. Further, we find that when AEM is constrained by low accounting system flexibility and …

Voluntary Audit Committee Characteristics, Incentives, And Aggressive Earnings Management: Evidence From New Zealand, V. D. Sharma, Chunli Kuang

Faculty and Research Publications

This study provides initial evidence on the association between voluntary audit committee characteristics, incentives and aggressive earnings management in New Zealand. Our results suggest audit committees comprising independent (non-executive) directors reduce (increase) the likelihood of aggressive earnings management. Financial expertise is associated with a lower likelihood of aggressive earnings management but only when the expertise is held by independent directors. Greater stock ownership by non-executive and executive directors serving on the audit committee increases the risk of aggressive earnings management. However, stock ownership by independent directors reduces this risk. Our results show that independent directors serving on other boards are …

Environmental Initiatives And Earnings Management, B. Litt, D. S. Sharma, V. D. Sharma

Faculty and Research Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide initial evidence on the association between environmental initiatives and earnings management. Prior literature documents firms participating in environmental initiatives to report relatively stronger financial performance. Moreover, firms with superior performance have been shown to engage in greater levels of earnings management. A natural question that arises is to what extent do firms with environmental initiatives engage in earnings management to report better financial performance? Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on two theoretical frameworks, external monitoring and internal corporate culture, to predict an inverse association between environmental initiatives and earnings management. …

A Summary Of Ten Years Of Pcaob Research: What Have We Learned, John Abernathy, Michael Barnes, Chad Stefaniak

Faculty and Research Publications

For the past 10 years, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has operated as an independent overseer of public company audits. Over 70 percent of PCAOB studies have been published since 2010, evidencing the increasing relevance of PCAOB-related research in recent years. Our paper reviews the existing literature on the PCAOB's four primary functions – registration, standard-setting, inspections, and enforcement. In particular, we examine PCAOB registration trends and evaluate the effects of PCAOB registration requirements on the issuer audit market, as well as discuss the relative costs and benefits (e.g., auditor behavior changes, improvements in audit quality, auditor perceptions) …

The Influence Of R&D Investment And Dividend Payment Tax Incentives On Corporate Dividend Policy, Mary Catherine Cleaveland

Faculty and Research Publications

Although much research on corporate dividend policy exists, the evidence is far from conclusive. Understanding how dividend taxes affect firm-level decisions is crucial to evaluating dividend imputation credits which provide shareholder-level tax credits for dividends received or decreased shareholder-level dividend tax rates, which reduce the double taxation of dividends. Using changes in New Zealand and Australia's tax regimes, this paper provides new insight into the corporate dividend policy views. The results support the double taxation and tax irrelevance corporate dividend policy views in dividend-paying firms operating in a tax regime with dividend imputation and capital gains taxes. By documenting a …

Ceos, Cfos, And Accounting Fraud, Douglas M. Boyle, Brian W. Carpenter, Dana Hermanson

Faculty and Research Publications

The article focuses on fraudulent financial reporting, which has been a long-standing concern for the U.S. investors. It discusses the findings of a study that provides valuable insights into the role of chief executive officers (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) in the prevention of such situation. Also provided are key anti-fraud resources including a fraud risk management program, the assessment of fraud risk exposure and prevention techniques.

Decision Support Systems For Strategic Dispute Resolution, Anurag Agarwal, Sridhar Ramamoorti, Vaidyanathan Jayaraman

Faculty and Research Publications

Disputes and lawsuits are quite common in business and are often a source of significant liabilities. We conjecture that measurement challenges and lack of adequate analysis tools have greatly inhibited the ability of the General Counsel's offices in selecting the best mode for the resolution (i.e. litigation vs. out-of-court settlement) of business conflicts and disputes. Easily quantified direct costs (e.g., out-of-pocket expenses related to pursuing and defending against litigation) tend to be considered, whereas the more difficult-to-quantify indirect risks and costs (e.g., damaged relationships with customers and potential alliance partners, including reputational harm) which may be quite significant, tend to …

Intangible Investments And The Pricing Of Corporate Sga Expenses, Rongbing Huang, Gim S. Seow, Joe S. Shangguan

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examined whether the market fully prices the reported Selling, General, and Administrative (SGA) expenses when this item includes an intangible investment component. For a sample of intangible investment-intensive firms, we showed that their SGA expenses benefit future operating performances. Evidence suggests some degree of market inefficiency in the pricing of SGA expenses and the intangible investment component. Furthermore, the financial analysts do not appear to appreciate fully the future benefits of the component in their earnings forecasts. Finally, the pertinent disclosures in firms’ annual reports are so inadequate as to attenuate the market mispricing, suggesting a significant room …

Comprehensive Income Reporting: Fasb Decides Location Matters, Dennis Chambers

Faculty and Research Publications

The article reports on Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2011-05 issued by the Financial Accounting Services Board (FASB) in June 2011. It states that the standard requires all companies to report comprehensive income and components either in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, net income and other comprehensive income statements.In both cases, companies must reportedly now report in an income statement-type location for total comprehensive income.

Information Technology In The Undergraduate Accounting Curriculum, Dana Hermanson, Mary C. Hill, Daniel M. Ivancevich

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines the extent to which undergraduate accounting programs are integrating information technology (IT) across the curriculum. Based on responses from nearly 70 accounting programs, respondents believe that integrating IT into the curriculum is important, but (1) few departments have an IT policy, (2) coverage of general IT topics is minor to moderate, and (3) student usage of computer applications is fairly low. The main technical barriers to IT integration are inadequate lab personnel and continual changes in technology.

End-User Computing Applications, Mary C. Hill, W. Alan Barnes

Faculty and Research Publications

Businesses today rely on the work being done by staff using personal computers. The proliferation of personal computers has led to widespread implementation of end-user computing applications. As their name implies, end-user applications are designed, implemented, and controlled by users rather than by IT professionals. End-user applications can be risky for organizations, both with respect to management decision making and to financial reporting. For public companies, the risk involved in these applications has been increased by the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which call for management to document end-to-end financial operations and internal control structures. This article review …

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Insights For Internal Auditors, Audrey A. Gramling, Dana R. Hermanson, Heather M. Hermanson

Faculty and Research Publications

Douglas Faggioli, president and CEO of Nature's Sunshine Products (NSP) made the above remarks as he accepted, on behalf of NSP, a 2004 "100 Best Corporate Citizens" award from Business Ethics magazine. NSP received the award two years in a row. Less than two years later, NSP would discover a bribery scheme in its Brazil operations that would expose it to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Faggioli and the company's CFO, Craig Huff, along with NSP, would be plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit, and the SEC would fine each officer $25,000. …

Goodwill Non-Impairments, Dennis Chambers, Catherine Finger

Faculty and Research Publications

The article discusses the use of goodwill non-impairment by companies to manage their earnings. The effect of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 142 on goodwill-related earnings management is described. A table shows the results of related the working papers "Earnings Management By Avoiding or Reducing Goodwill Impairments," by Dennis Chambers, "Evidence on the Use of Unverifiable Estimates in Required Goodwill Impairment," by Karthik Ramanna and Ross L. Watts, and "Has Goodwill Accounting Gone Bad?," by Kevin K. Li and Richard G. Sloan.

Audit Quality And Accrual Persistence: Evidence From The Pre- And Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Periods, Dennis Chambers, Jeff L. Payne

Faculty and Research Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to examine whether the quality of accruals, as measured by accrual persistence, improved in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) period, and second, to examine the degree to which SOX-related improvement in accrual persistence varies across companies depending on the degree of their auditor's independence.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares accrual persistence in the pre- and post-SOX periods to test the first question. Then, partitioning on relative client importance as a measure of auditor independence, the paper compares the SOX-based improvement for clients of low and high independence audit firms.

Findings – The …

Big 4 Auditor Affiliation And Accruals Quality In Bangladesh, M. Humayun Kabir, Divesh Sharma, Md Ainul Islam, Amiros Salat

Faculty and Research Publications

Purpose – Bangladesh is an emerging economy and international audit firms operate there through affiliated local audit firms. The Bangladesh audit market can be characterized as an intensely competitive small audit market with relatively poor demand for high-audit quality. In addition, Bangladesh has a relatively small and under developed but growing capital market that is characterized by poor corporate regulation and weak investor protection. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between Big 4 affiliated auditors and accruals quality in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach – Following prior literature, this paper uses both absolute discretionary accruals and signed discretionary accruals …

Did Sarbanes-Oxley Lead To Better Financial Reporting?, Dennis Chambers, Dana R. Hermanson, Jeff L. Payne

Faculty and Research Publications

The article describes and summarizes five studies that examined whether the landmark Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was beneficial or not to financial reporting. The U.S. Congress is stated to have passed the legislation on July 25, 2002 in reaction to a series of financial accounting scandals involving such companies as Enron and WorldCom, as well as the demise of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP. The author asserts that all five of the studies provide evidence of a significant improvement in the financial reporting environment since SOX.

Accounting Restatements Arising From Pcaob Inspections Of Small Audit Firms, Dana R. Hermanson, Richard W. Houston, Zhongxia Shelly Ye

Faculty and Research Publications

The article presents an analysis made by authors of PCAOB small firms inspection reports in order to examine the types of accounting restatements triggered by PCAOB inspections of small audit firms. The PCAOB Inspection Process is elaborated. The result of the analysis of the authors of PCAOB-triggered restatements by clients of small audit firms reveal that complex, technical accounting areas account for the majority of restatements. Particular attention to unique, complex and accounting issues is encouraged for issuers and small audit firms.

Addressing Problems With The Segregation Of Duties In Smaller Companies, Audrey A. Gramling, Dana R. Hermanson, Heather M. Hermanson, Zhongxia Shelly Ye

Faculty and Research Publications

The article discusses the problems encountered by smaller companies in the U.S. in the segregation of duties under Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) section 404(a), which requires management to disclose its assessment of the effectiveness and weaknesses of internal control over financial reporting in the U.S. Analyses of the management report on internal control of sample companies cited by the authors showed that there are differences in the level of disclosure. The costs and benefits of using third parties in resolving segregation of duties problems are considered.

Analysis Of Xbrl Literature: A Decade Of Progress And Puzzle, Saeed Roohani, Zhao Xianming, Ernest Capozzoli, Barbara Lamberton

Faculty and Research Publications

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting language) was recently, in 2008, in its 10th year. The concept was articulated in 1998 by Charles Hoffman, known as XFRML (eXtensible Financial Reporting Mark Up Language) to facilitate the business reporting process and improve financial reporting. The objective of this paper is to examine a decade (1998-2008) of XBRL articles published in various publications including trade, practitioner and academic journals to identify trends and patterns, milestones, and organizations actively contributed to this development. Another goal is to assess public perceptions of XBRL, its capabilities and its future. We examined published articles where XBRL appeared either …

Real-Time Corporate Tax Audits And Their Impact On Financial Reporting, M. Catherine Cleaveland, Kathryn K. Epps, Cassie F. Bradley

Faculty and Research Publications

The article focuses on the Compliance Assurance Process (CAP) program, a simultaneous auditing process that aims to potentially reduce audit procedures after the corporate tax filing date in the U.S. The process by which the program work is explained, which involves a corporation working an entire tax year with an account coordinator assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Benefits of the CAP program include increased corporate tax compliance, while its disadvantages include resistance by a company to participate in a real-time audit program.