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Eagle Accountant - 2024, Georgia Southern University

Eagle Accountant

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• Student Spotlight:  Across the Atlantic to Georgia Southern
• Student Spotlight: Solving the Puzzle: My Journey at Georgia Southern
• Fraud & Forensic Accounting 
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Supervisor-Subordinate Communication In The Contemporary Audit Environment, Devon P. Jefferson

Theses and Dissertations

Just five years ago I was working as an Audit Manager in person (in the office or at the client site), amongst each of my subordinates, which made common work practices like knowledge sharing, responding to questions, and building team morale easy. Since then, remote work has become the new norm, which has significantly changed the communication dynamics between supervisors and subordinates. This dissertation is my personal pursuit to understanding how supervisor and subordinate auditors are currently interacting to achieve desired work outcomes, and identifying specific areas where challenges may exist. I accomplish this objective through four papers, including a …

Impact Of Environmental, Social, And Governance Disclosure On Firm Performance: A Case Of Listed Manufacturing Firms In Nigeria, Abdulbaki Ubandawaki

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional goal of companies is to maximize shareholders’ wealth. However, to achieve this objective, many complementary goals must be pursued alongside the traditional ones. To achieve corporate goals, businesses need to interact with the environment. The continual interaction of the corporation with the environment has definitely come with its costs and benefits, and the global interest in promoting sustainable development has made corporate ESG reporting a crucial issue. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between ESG reporting and firm performance among listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The data was collected from annual and standalone sustainability …

Regulating Gender Diversity: Evidence From California Senate Bill 826, Abigail Allen, Aida Wahid

Faculty Publications

Do gender diversity quotas enhance firm value? This broad question has sparked significant debate because while diversity is generally thought to improve board functioning, prior research in international settings suggests mandating diversity may have adverse consequences if it moves firms away from market equilibrium. Exploiting the political events leading up to the passage of California Senate Bill 826 as an exogenous shock to assess the market implications of board gender composition, we document either significantly positive or insignificant 2-day abnormal returns for California firms across a variety of model specifications. Importantly, this finding contradicts the strong claims of contemporary studies …

The Impact Of Chief Audit Executive Turnover In Taiwan, Kenneth L. Bills, Hua-Wei Huang, Yi-Hung Lin, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This study adds to the emerging body of research showing the importance of internal audit to improve corporate governance and firm performance. Specifically, we test how the market reacts to the announcement of a turnover to the head of internal audit (i.e., the chief audit executive (CAE)). We find negative cumulative abnormal returns in the days surrounding the announcement of a CAE turnover and that the market holds a relatively negative perception of CAE turnover regardless of the reasons for the turnover event. We then study two reasons for why the market would react negatively to the CAE turnover and …

Development Of A Framework Of Key Internal Control And Governance Principles For Robotic Process Automation (Rpa), Marc Eulerich, Nathan Waddoups, Martin Wagener, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Although robotic process automation (RPA) usage is growing rapidly in accounting, concerns are emerging regarding the internal controls and overall governance structure surrounding RPA. To help address these concerns, we use a design science research approach and work with a Fortune 500 company to develop an RPA governance framework. The framework consists of 4 governance areas and 14 control requirements, which help maximize the benefits and minimize the risks associated with the use of RPA. We validate that the framework is useful and generalizable to many organizations by presenting the framework to and subsequently interviewing and surveying 84 professionals at …

Chatbots Mitigate Help-Seeking Avoidance, James Gaskin, Eva Blondeel, Ryan Schuetzler, Rachel Serre, Jacob Steffen, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This research explores the transformative role of large language model (LLM) chatbots in fostering help-seeking behaviors among introverted and underrepresented students in educational settings. Despite the importance of help-seeking for academic success, certain groups exhibit avoidance behaviors due to self-presentation concerns and stereotype threats. By integrating LLM chatbots as non-judgmental, anonymous teaching assistants in an introductory information systems course, the study demonstrates how technology can mitigate these behaviors and promote inclusivity. The chatbots provided real-time, unbiased support, significantly enhancing the students' willingness to engage in help-seeking behaviors without fear of judgment. This practical application of chatbots not only supports academic …

Disclosure Benchmarking By Lawyers: Evidence Fromthe Ipo Setting, Michael S. Drake, Jeff Mcmullin, Kenneth Merkley, Chase Potter, John Treu

Faculty Publications

Lawyers play an important advisory role in drafting financial reports, yet empirical evidence documenting the influence of external legal counsel on this process remains sparse. This study focuses on a specific aspect of lawyers’ drafting process: the practice of reviewing disclosures previously filed by other issuers—a practice termed “disclosure benchmarking.” Using initial public offering (IPO) disclosures as the setting, we find that disclosure benchmarking is associated with amore efficient Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) review process. We further find that it is associated with several measures of disclosure quality, including disclosures that are less likely to be revised in subsequent …

Explaining Corporate Tax Avoidance, Andrew Belnap, Kaitlyn Kroeger, Jacob Thornock

Faculty Publications

The tax avoidance literature identifies dozens of variables that are related to corporate tax avoidance, but it lacks a framework for understanding the relative importance of these variables and the theories that drive these relations. We distill thirty years of tax avoidance research into key theories, and then use novel empirical techniques to quantify the relative and total importance of proposed explanations. We find that factors tied to investment opportunities contribute more to explained variation than other proposed theories. On the other hand, agency costs and financial reporting concerns explain very little variation in tax avoidance proxies, while operating metrics …

คุณภาพรายงานทางการเงิน และความโดดเด่นด้าน Esg กับความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างคุณลักษณะกรรมการ โครงสร้างการถือหุ้น และ ประสิทธิภาพการลงทุนของบริษัทจดทะเบียนในตลาดหลักทรัพย์แห่งประเทศไทย, ภัฏฏินี ซ้ายขวัญ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาอิทธิพลทางตรงของคุณลักษณะกรรมการ โครงสร้างการถือหุ้น คุณภาพรายงานทางการเงิน ความโดดเด่นด้าน ESG (สิ่งแวดล้อม สังคม และธรรมาภิบาล) ที่มีต่อประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน และอิทธิพลทางอ้อมของคุณภาพรายงานทางการเงิน ความโดดเด่นด้าน ESG ที่ส่งผ่านอิทธิพลของคุณลักษณะกรรมการ และโครงสร้างการถือหุ้นไปยังประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน การวิจัยนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงปริมาณโดยใช้ข้อมูลทุติยภูมิของบริษัทจดทะเบียนในตลาดหลักทรัพย์แห่งประเทศไทยจำนวน 353 บริษัท 7 อุตสาหกรรมระหว่างปี พ.ศ.2560 ถึง ปี พ.ศ. 2563 รวม 1,412 ตัวอย่าง โดยใช้โมเดลสมการโครงสร้าง (SEM) ในการทดสอบสมมติฐานการวิจัย ผลการศึกษาพบว่า คุณภาพรายงานทางการเงิน คุณลักษณะกรรมการในด้านความหลากหลายของกรรมการ และการเป็นกรรมการในหลายกิจการมีผลเชิงบวกต่อประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน ทั้งนี้ ไม่พบความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างโครงสร้างการถือหุ้นกับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน และความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างความโดดเด่นด้าน ESG กับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน สำหรับผลของอิทธิพลทางอ้อม พบว่า คุณภาพรายงานทางการเงินเป็นตัวแปรส่งผ่านความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างคุณลักษณะกรรมการกับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน และความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างโครงสร้างการถือหุ้นกับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน อย่างไรก็ตาม ความโดดเด่นด้าน ESG ไม่มีอิทธิพลส่งผ่านความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างคุณลักษณะกรรมการกับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน และความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างโครงสร้างการถือหุ้นกับประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน ดังนั้น ผลการวิจัยแสดงหลักฐานเชิงประจักษ์เกี่ยวกับบทบาทของกรรมการที่มีความเกี่ยวข้องกับคุณภาพรายงานทางการเงิน และประสิทธิภาพการลงทุน

The Economic Value Of Blockchain Applications: Early Evidence From Asset-Backed Securities, Xia Chen, Qiang Cheng, Ting Luo

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In this paper, we evaluate the economic value of a blockchain application. In the context of asset-backed securities (ABS) issuance in China, where some ABS are issued with blockchain technology and others are not, we find that the use of blockchain significantly reduces the coupon yield at issuance. Compared with other ABS, those issued using blockchain technology experience a decrease of 31.4 basis points in the yield spread, which corresponds to a relative decrease of 13%. We further document that the effect of blockchain is more pronounced for ABS deals rated by less reputable credit rating agencies and agencies that …

Investigating The Use Of Voluntary Furloughs To Reduce Labour Costs: The Effect On Employee Effort, Kelsey Matthews

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

To quickly reduce costs in response to external shocks, firms often implement voluntary furloughs. In a voluntary furlough, employees decide whether to accept a reduction in their pay with a corresponding reduction in work hours. Despite the prevalence of voluntary furloughs in practice, it remains an empirical question how employees will respond to this cost reduction practice. The purpose of my dissertation is to investigate how the implementation of a voluntary furlough affects the subsequent effort of employees who volunteer and those who do not volunteer for a furlough.

I address my research question using two experiments where I manipulate …

Stakeholders’ Participation In Pcaob Audit Standard Setting, Xiaoshuai Yang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Lobbying is an integral part of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s standard-setting process. Although the PCAOB has been drafting auditing standards for over 20 years, there is still much to learn about how stakeholder behavior in submitting comment letters to the PCAOB varies by interest group, comment period (concept release, proposal, and reproposal), the stakeholder’s position on the proposal, arguments used, and emotional strategies. This paper examines PCAOB Docket 034, which proposed audit report reforms, including the auditor’s disclosure of critical audit matters (CAMs). There was strong stakeholder participation and conflicting opinions when this standard was under discussion. To …

Costs And Benefits Of A Risk-Based Pcaob Inspection Regime, Brant E. Christensen, Nathan J. Newton, Michael S. Wilkins

Faculty Publications

We investigate the costs and benefits of the PCAOB’s risk-based inspection regime by studying how auditors respond to engagement-level inspection risk. Using an established inspection selection model, we find evidence that auditors behave consistent with accountability theory when auditing clients with elevated ex-ante inspection risk. Specifically, we observe an increased propensity to report material weaknesses, a decreased propensity to assert that previous material weaknesses have been remediated, increased audit effort, and a decreased likelihood of subsequent financial statement restatement. In general, these outcomes reflect auditors’ attempts to minimize negative inspection outcomes in a way that could be beneficial to investors. …

Leveraging Chatgpt For Enhancing The Internal Audit Process – A Real-World Example From A Large Multinational Company, Scott Emett, Marc Eulerich, Egemen Lipinski, Nicolo Prien, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

We discuss how the internal audit function (IAF) of a large multinational energy company, Uniper, is starting to use ChatGPT to improve automation of internal auditing. We investigate the benefits and challenges of integrating ChatGPT into internal audit processes and assess its impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the IAF. Uniper has implemented ChatGPT into parts of audit preparation, fieldwork, and audit reporting. On their initial tests, they estimate efficiency gains ranging from 50 to 80 percent for various processes. We report key risks and challenges with using ChatGPT in internal auditing as well as the initial key practices …

Improving The Production And Reviewing Of Design Science Research In Accounting, Noah Myers, Mason Snow, Nathan Waddoups, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Design Science Research (DSR) is a rigorous research methodology widely used in other fields like computer science and engineering, but its application in accounting is still relatively limited. This paper reviews the implementation of DSR published in accounting journals and provides recommendations to improve the authoring and reviewing processes. We review 51 DSR articles published in accounting journals between 2011 and 2023. The analysis identified areas where papers excelled and fell short, leading to recommendations in the following key aspects: adherence to a research framework, validation of research questions, defining objectives of artifacts, developing a more diverse set of artifacts, …

Reassessing Assurance In An Automated World: Insights From Board Members, Executives, And Internal Auditors, Scott Emett, Marc Eulerich, Jeffrey Pickerd, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Technological advances that automate work continue to transform the accounting profession. We examine whether automation impacts resource allocation within the internal audit function (IAF), a unique setting that allows us to compare demand for assurance activities with demand for consulting activities. We conduct an experiment in which experienced board members, executives, and internal auditors make budget recommendations for a company’s IAF that developed automations that improved the efficiency of the IAF. Results show that across all groups, participants respond to these efficiencies by decreasing the IAF’s total budget but retaining the productive capacity of the IAF. The budget cuts are …

Ethics In Action: Exploring B Corporation Certification, Value Congruence, And Empathy Within Organizations, Jiahui Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is comprised of three studies. It explores ethical practices within organizational settings from three different perspectives: a macro perspective, an individual perspective, and a micro-level interaction perspective. The first study examines the earnings management behavior of B Corporation managers, providing a macro view of how an external corporate certification may address the broader issue of business ethics. The findings of this study contribute to the legitimacy of B Corporations and our understanding of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and earnings management. The second study investigates the effect of value congruence on employee whistleblowing at for-profit social mission …

Corporate Tax Competition: An Examination Of National Tax Reaction Functions To Corporate Tax Rate Reductions In Other Countries, Yaw O. Awuah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation primarily examines tax competition at the national level, with a particular focus on the tax reaction functions of countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). There are three different studies in the dissertation. The first study uses the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) as a setting to empirically examine whether members of the OECD reduced their own statutory corporate tax rates in response to the US statutory corporate tax cut ushered in by the TCJA in a process of tax competition. The second study is a non-empirical examination of tax competition and …

Implementasi Social Entrepreneur Dalam Umkm: Studi Kasus Program Csr “Umkm Kopi Tarzzan” Pt Geo Dipa Energi (Persero), Denindra Dwiputra Margono, Feriska Ajeng Anantri

Jurnal Administrasi Bisnis Terapan

Social problems lead to situations or conditions that disrupt the welfare and harmony of society, social problems have a difference between expectations and reality or as a gap between the existing situation and the situation that should be. One of the social problems that occur in Indonesia is poverty. Poverty is a state of deprivation such as food & drink, housing, and clothing. Poverty is related to low levels of education, health, and employment. One solution to the problem of poverty is to carry out CSR programs carried out by the Company. One of the companies that implement the program …