Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons^™

Case Studies In Accountancy, Michael Keene

Honors Theses

Case Studies in Accountancy is a compilation of case studies completed in fulfillment of ACCY 420. My cases are titled as followed: A Tale of Two Cities, Financial Statements, Presidential Debate, Tax Cuts and Job Act and Taxodus, Professional Interview, Financial Crisis, Case Competition Amazon Overview, Case Competition Amazon Audit Analyst, Case Competition Amazon Tax Advisor, Case Competition Amazon Advisory Consultant and Case Competition Amazon’s Equity Position. These cases covered a variety of topics in the world of accountancy as well as touching on our personal lives. In the first semester of the course, cases were typically individual before moving …

Accounting Case Studies, Jack Mcinnis

Honors Theses

Accounting Case Studies is a compilation of independent case studies performed during the Honors Accounting 420 class. The case studies consisted of multiple performed individually, and a case competition with an assigned group. The case studies I performed individually consist of an assessment between the two cities I was interested in beginning my career in, a case study about the presidential debate in 2020, an evaluation of the optimal corporate tax, a mentorship interview, and an analysis of the 2008 housing crisis in the United States. My group for the case study included my fellow classmates; Francena Sekul, Caitlyn Henry, …

Analyzation Of Audit Procedures In The Wake Of The Early 2000s Accounting Scandals, Zachary Byar

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco International were companies that operated in different industries and had different levels of net profit for decades. However, these companies had one pivotal thing in common: accounting fraud. In the early 2000s, accounting scandals from large companies created a major impact on the financial markets, causing Congress to take action to increase investor protection through the origination of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Act was meant to restore investor confidence through strengthened disclosures and auditing requirements for public corporations. However, even with the creation of this new Act from Congress, fraud is still prevalent today, …

Impact Of The Quality Of Esg Reporting On Profitability Of Trucking And Oil Companies, Diane Meng

Honors Scholar Theses

A growing number of companies have been providing disclosures regarding ESG issues and goals in their financial reports. Studies have investigated the association between the quality of ESG reporting and the financial performance of various companies, which showed various results. However, the association between the two factors remains unclear. In this study, I examine the relationship between the quality of ESG reporting and the profitability of companies in the trucking and oil industries from 2011 to 2020. I predict that greater quality of ESG reporting results in higher profitability of companies in both industries. Overall, the results of this study …

Theranos: Case Study And Examination Of The Fraud Triangle, Abbey Jennings

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fraud is a serious issue which carries significant implications. Fraud committed by top level managers is particularly grievous, as it ripples through a firm, harming the company’s shareholders, employees, and credibility, while posing a threat to individuals and society (Zahra, et al.). A common framework in auditing, the fraud triangle, outlines three factors that if present, increase the risk or enable fraud to occur. The three factors are incentive, opportunity, and rationalization to commit fraud (Barlow).

In 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of a supposedly groundbreaking health tech company, Theranos, with what …

The Motivations And Practices Of Impact Assessment In Socially Responsible Investing: The French Case And Its Implications For The Accounting And Impact Investing Communities, Diane-Laure Arjalies, Pierre Chollet, Patricia Crifo, Nicolas Mottis

Business Publications

This research note elaborates on the impact assessment practices of the French Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) industry. The research was conducted by the Scientific Committee of the French public SRI label based on interviews, participative observation, a survey, and documentary evidence. SRI is usually distinguished from impact investing in terms of investors’ different intentions (contributing to sustainable development in a financially savvy way for SRI vs. demonstrating a societal impact for impact investing). We show that, beyond this distinction, the meanings and motivations behind impact assessment in the SRI community are broadly different from impact assessment practices in impact investing, …

Prison Break From Financialization: The Case Of The Pri Reporting And Assessment Framework, Diane-Laure Arjaliès, Daniela Laurel, Nicolas Mottis

Business Publications

Purpose

This article seeks to unravel the mechanisms through which financial actors agreed upon a sustainability accounting standard without financializing social and environmental issues, i.e., assigning a monetary value to sustainability.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The article examines the Reporting and Assessment Framework created by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), the leading reporting sustainability framework in the asset management industry. It relies on a longitudinal case study that draws upon interviews, participant observation, and archival data.

Findings

The article demonstrates that the conception of the framework was a funnelling process of sustainability valuation comprising two co-constituted mechanisms: a process of …

Propuesta Para La Evaluación De La Gestión Pública De Los Municipios De Cundinamarca Entre 2016-2019, Jeisson Albeiro Fonseca Mesa, Carlos Andres Bohorquez Galindo

Contaduría Pública

El propósito de esta investigación es determinar si la gestión pública incide en el crecimiento económico de los municipios del departamento de Cundinamarca entre los años 2016 al 2019 , para este propósito se construyó un indicador de ejecución del plan de desarrollo ponderado por la magnitud del presupuesto asignado a cada meta, y se contrastó usando una tabla de correlaciones con el crecimiento económico de los municipios.

A partir de ello, se estableció que no existe una relación directa y significativa entre el cumplimiento del plan de desarrollo y el crecimiento económico territorial, y además que no es posible …

The Ethicality And Political Skill Of Leaders And Subordinate Job Satisfaction: A Study Of Accounting Faculty, Donald L. Ariail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a sample of 539 accounting faculty teaching in the United States, this study explored perceptions of the ethicality and political skill of their direct supervisors and self-reported levels of job satisfaction. Ethicality was measured with the Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS) and the Behavioral Integrity (BI) Scale. These measures, which were highly correlated, were proxy measures for accounting faculty perceptions of the tone-at-the-top (TATT)—the ethical leadership under which faculty teach and research. The results indicated that while the majority of accounting faculty perceived their direct supervisor as being ethical, about a third (28% BI, 34.8% ELS) of them did not …

Corporate Values Of Tribally Owned Companies, Halle Hull

All Master's Theses

In this study I examine the corporate values of tribally owned companies in Washington State and compare them with non-native businesses in the same or similar industries. The research objective is to examine the ways in which Washington native businesses integrate native cultural values into their mission and corporate structure. I have developed keywords that follow the themes of spiritual/societal, community, and environmental, and I found that tribally owned companies include these keywords more frequently than non-tribally owned companies. This integration of cultural values, stated corporate mission, and corporate structure, is an area of potential superior performance compared to alternative …

Beyond Shareholder Value? Why Firms Voluntarily Disclose Support For Black Lives Matter, A. J. Chen, Patricia M. Dechow, Samuel T. Tan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We investigate why firms voluntarily disclose support for the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM firms) even though these disclosures have little impact on shareholder value. We examine two competing explanations: that managers are acting in the interests of a broad set of stakeholders, or that they are engaging in “woke-washing.” Our evidence supports the stakeholder perspective since we find that BLM firms have more inclusive cultures on multiple dimensions – from their board members, to employees, to the rights of shareholders, and to the compensation structure of top executives. Furthermore, BLM firms face less risk in speaking out since they …

Accounting For A Hopeful World, Themin Suwardy

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In a commentary, SMU Associate Provost for Postgraduate Professional Education and Associate Professor of Accounting (Practice) Themin Suwardy noted that environmental reporting has become more common in the last 10 years and that companies are embracing sustainability reporting despite the challenging myriad of seemingly different models, frameworks and regulations. He opined that the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards to be issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) will enable companies to provide comprehensive sustainability information for the global financial markets. He urged accounting professionals to embrace the development wholeheartedly and to help organisations do and report good.

Local Political Corruption And M&As, Chun Liu, Yang Chen, Shanmin Li, Liang Sun, Mengjie Yang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the relation between local political corruption and firms' cross-province M&As using provincial-level data on corruption in China. The results show that firms in more corrupt regions are less likely to engage in cross-province M&As. Further analyses reveal that the effects of local corruption on the probability of cross-province M&As are stronger when corrupt officers have greater impeding benefits or lower impeding costs. Meanwhile, Both ex-ante intervention and ex post punishment are important channels through which corrupt officers hinder firms' cross province M&As. Moreover, informal institutions, such as social capital and informal networks can help to alleviate the negative …

B Corps’ Social Media Communications During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Through The Lens Of The Triple Bottom Line, Manveer Mann, Sang-Eun Byun, Whitney Ginder

Department of Marketing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 pandemic and rising demand for transparency has heightened the importance of sustainability communications on social media to generate deeper stakeholder engagement. Although B Corporations (B Corps), businesses committed to the triple bottom line (TBL), could serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, little is known about how they communicate on social media during a crisis. Therefore, we examined social media communications of B Corps to (1) identify salient topics and themes, (2) analyze how these themes align with the TBL, and (3) evaluate social media performance against industry benchmarks. We focused on the apparel, footwear, and accessories (AFA) …

The State Of Ohio’S Auditors, The Enumeration Of Population And The Project Of Eugenics, Moe Faroukh

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research focuses on how state auditors and superintendents in the State of Ohio participated in the Enumeration process between 1800 and the late 1900s. It focuses around the unexpected nature of auditors carrying out this work. Normally, auditors would review financial statements not count people in such questionable circumstances. The project is essentially trying to piece together from fragmentary historical documents to understand as much as possible why and how these activities were carried out and the role of auditor’s in these processes.

Fundamental Principles Of Accounting: A Series Of Case Analyses, Bridget Mcmillan

Honors Theses

Over the past four years at the University of Mississippi, I acquired knowledge about the accounting profession and the application of accounting principles that have arisen throughout the evolution of modern professional accounting. For the thesis requirement in accordance with the standards set by the Patterson School of Accountancy and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, I completed a series of case studies covering a variety of topics related to the study of accounting. Under the direction of Victoria Dickinson, I completed these cases over the 2019-2020 academic year. Each case introduces a unique topic and presents findings about various …

Corporate Social Responsibility Takes Flight: An Exploration Of Airline Industry Csr Reporting Practices, Anna Yowell

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

Corporate social responsibility reporting, or CSR, has become a way for companies to regain the trust of the public by disclosing how the firm is doing business while being mindful of the community where it operates. The value of responsibility reporting lies in the usefulness of its users; then, it is important for companies to understand how the consumers, often current or prospective shareholders, are understanding their reporting practices.

This thesis presents an overview of how corporate social responsibility disclosures to the public have evolved over a span of four years, 2016 to 2019, through a sample of commercial airlines. …

Could Sox Be Better? : Exploring The Advantages And Shortfalls Of Sarbanes-Oxley, Christopher Clark

Honors Theses

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was ratified in 2002 to mixed reviews. Over the past 18 years, many researchers have come to different conclusions about the effectiveness of SOX. This paper proposes amendments to make SOX as effective as possible without increasing compliance costs and as cost effective as possible without decreasing efficacy.

Living Up To Your Codes? Corporate Codes Of Ethics And The Cost Of Equity Capital, Hong Kim Duong, Marco Fasan, Giorgio Gotti

Accounting Faculty Publications

Purpose-

Previous literature provides mixed evidence about the effectiveness of a code of ethics in limiting managerial opportunism. While some studies find that code of ethics is merely window-dressing, others find that they do influence managers' behavior. The present study investigates whether the quality of a code of ethics decreases the cost of equity by limiting managerial opportunism.

Design/methodology/approach-

In order to test the hypothesis, the authors perform an empirical analysis on a sample of US companies in the 2004–2012 period. The results are robust to a battery of robustness analyses that the authors performed in order to take care …

The Effect Of Professional Identity Salience And Leadership Climate On Accountants' Ethical Decisions, Yin Xu, Karl J. Wang, Doug Ziegenfuss

Accounting Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of contextual factors in organizations on accountants’ ethical decisions. Specifically, the study investigated whether professional identity salience and ethical leadership climate affected accountants’ ethical judgments and intentions to act more ethically. A study is conducted, in a 2 x 2 between-factorial design, by using certified public accountants (N=375) as participants. The findings show that accountants made more ethical judgments when professional identity salience was increased by highlighting the professional code of ethics. Accountants intended to act more ethically only when the leadership climate was positive. The results suggest that a …

Unfaithful Representation: Understating Accounts Receivable In The Name Of Conservatism, Timothy G. Bryan

Faculty Submissions

This research empirically examines the relationship between conservatism in accounting and the allowance for doubtful accounts. A sample of companies’ financial data related to the allowance for doubtful accounts and bad debt expense in the chemical and allied products manufacturers industry, SIC 28, for the period from 2005 through 2017 was obtained. The results of analysis of this data indicate that the allowance for doubtful accounts is overstated in these firms and has become more overstated since 2004. This research is important as few have researched the allowance for doubtful accounts, and that research has not considered the allowance for …

Reversing The Fortunes Of Active Funds, Adi Libson, Gideon Parchomovsky

All Faculty Scholarship

In 2019, for the first time in the history of U.S. capital markets, passive funds surpassed active funds in terms of total assets under management. The continuous growth of passive funds at the expense of active funds is a genuine cause for concern. Active funds monitor the management and partake of decision-making in their portfolio companies. Furthermore, they improve price efficiency and managerial performance by engaging in informed trading. The buy/sell decisions of active funds provide other market participants reliable information about the quality of firms. The cost of active investing is significant and it is exclusively borne by active …

Insider Trading Enforcement And The Private Information Environment: Evidence From The Newman Ruling, Andrew T. Pierce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I exploit a shock to U.S. insider trading law to investigate whether a reduction in the enforceability of tipper-tippee insider trading restrictions leads to changes in information parity among investors and the efficiency of price discovery. The December 2014 Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in US v. Newman constrained enforcement by restricting the types of exchanges between managers and investors that trigger tipper-tippee insider trading liability. Following Newman, I find that Second Circuit hedge funds experienced a significant increase in their stock picking ability of Second Circuit stocks in terms of preempting future earnings announcement returns and future …

Aircraft Leasing And Life Cycle Cost Management - Road Map For Closing The Gap Between Strategy And Results, Daniel Ferreira, Danilo Horninck, Filipe Sant'ana

Graduate Student Works

This study used an online survey to determine the necessity of using a structured management methodology for dealing with the aircraft life cycle costs, especially the end of leasing contract requirements and the aircraft's redelivery process. We reviewed the management methodologies found in the Project Management Institute Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) and the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) Aircraft Leasing Best Practices. Finally, we offered recommendations based on the experience and necessities identified via online surveys. Also, at the closure of this document, the authors of this study cited five recommendations as general guidelines that should be observed by all …

Values Create Values, Chase M. Geertsen

Marriott Student Review

The days of companies focusing solely on maximizing shareholder value are over. In today's world, profitable companies create value by meeting the needs of their stakeholders.

Go Green: Make Green, Sam Montague

Marriott Student Review

While cost might seem like an obstacle to some, adopting sustainable practices can turn out to be profitable for most companies. Recent research find positive correlation between business efforts and the consumer response, showcase direct benefits to the business, and provide suggestions to put the findings into practice.

College Of Business Dean's Report: 2019-2020, Ryan Butt

College of Business Dean’s Reports

No abstract provided.

Family Ownership And Corporate Environmental Responsibility: The Contingent Effect Of Venture Capital And Institutional Environment, Zhu Zhu, Feifei Lu

Department of Management Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

As scholars and policy makers pay more attention to the environmental impact of economic activities, more focus has been placed on the corporate environmental responsibility (CER) of family firms, which accounts for the majority of businesses in both developed and developing countries. Using a sample of 4714 private enterprises across 23 provinces in China, the current study examines the effect of family ownership on CER investment, as well as the moderating effects of venture capital investment and local institutional development. Results show that concentrated family ownership leads to lower CER spending, however, when venture capital investment comes from developed markets, …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Accounting Environment And Procedures Through A Series Of Case Studies, Ryan Mccarty

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a culmination of twelve case studies completed throughout the academic year of 2018-2019 under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson, as a requirement of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and completion of the ACCY 420 course. Each case study is independent of the next, and is an in-depth response to questions and theories that are found outside of this document. Each analysis is accomplished by myself alone and through the studies of Financial, Managerial, and Cost accounting courses in my career at the University of Mississippi. The thesis is intended to analyze accounting procedures and …

Case Analyses In Financial Accounting, Jordan Watts

Honors Theses

The following thesis explores topics in the profession of public accounting, a diverse and ever-evolving field. As the global business environment and economy develop, so must accounting standards and ideas in order to protect the interests of the masses who invest and take part in the larger economy. The following cases expound on important concepts in the field of accountancy and provide careful consideration of standards utilized and debated worldwide. Each case is explored within the context of a different company or situation, allowing for a diverse palette of research topics from which to view the business world through an …