Accounting Commons^™

Trust, Literacy, And Choice: Exploring How Taxpayers Decide Between Self-Preparation And Professional Assistance, Bethany Jo Elam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Each year, taxpayers must decide whether to self-prepare their tax return or hire a tax professional. While the decline in paper filing has made electronic filing the standard, the ease of access to both DIY tax software and tax professionals allows taxpayers to switch between these options each year if they wish. While previous research has focused on tangible predictors such as cost and accuracy, psychological factors, such as trust, remain largely unexplored in the modern tax-filing environment. This study investigates the relationship among perceived tax literacy among taxpayers, various dimensions of trust, and the intention to use tax software. …

Exploring The Determinants And The Effects Of Crypto Assets, Qiu Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three studies that primarily delve into the factors influencing and outcomes of firms’ crypto assets. The first paper examines the association between corporate crypto assets and firms’ credit ratings. Using a large sample of U.S. public firms, we find that firms holding crypto assets receive significantly better future credit ratings, particularly when their activities are related to crypto mining, which generates relatively stable cash flows. However, crypto exposure also increases disagreement among credit rating agencies, reflecting the uncertainty associated with evaluating crypto-related risks. This effect is more pronounced when firms operate in less transparent information environments …

Taxpayers Willingness To Use Ai Conversational Tools, Nessrine Mesto-Assaad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence Conversational Tools (AICTs), such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and their widespread use, the need to understand users’ acceptance of this emerging technology has increased. Prior research has investigated users’ acceptance of AICTs in hospitality, tourism, e-commerce, and retail industries. However, users’ acceptance of the use of AICTs for tax information remains relatively underexplored in the tax context. Therefore, this study investigates taxpayers’ willingness to accept and use AICTs for tax-related questions when e-filing their tax returns. Drawing on the Artificial Intelligence Device Use and Acceptance (AIDUA) model as a research framework, this …

Management Control Systems And Financial Stability In Nonprofit Organizations, Mary Constance Augustine

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Nonprofit organizations are critical to the United States economy, employing more than 12.8 million and providing vital services beyond what government programs can accomplish. These organizations are facing unparalleled financial challenges as competition for revenue sources increases and competitive pressure to excessively reduce overhead costs increases. Over the last three decades, managerial accounting literature has studied the effect of management control systems on innovative abilities in the commercial sector and recently, scholars have begun to apply these theories and methods to the nonprofit sector. Using Simons’ Levers of Control framework, this study employs a validated survey scale for nonprofit organizations …

Determinants Of Forward-Looking Information Disclosures Among Nonfinancial Firms In An Emerging Economy, Ikponmwosa Michael Igbinovia, Oluwaseun Joy Rapheal

Journal of Accounting Auditing and Business

The disclosure of Forward-looking information (FLI) is non-mandatory. The study investigates the determinants of FLI by examining specific corporate governance and firm-level variables known from disclosures literature to be core determinants of voluntary disclosures. The investigation relied on data from 29 non-financial listed companies in a developing country over the period 2018 to 2023. From a positivist philosophy, the study adopted a quantitative approach. The authors employed a comprehensive methodological approach, involving the use of Descriptive Statistics, Panel Correlation, Panel Hausman Test, and the Panel Random Effects Model (REM). A balanced panel of 174 firm year observations was used to …

Agile And Lean Frameworks For Enhancing Accountability And Efficiency In Public Financial Management Systems In Emerging Economies, Mercy Amuna, Eunice Acheabea Offei, Omowumi Folorunso, Charles Zormelo

Student Publications

Findings: This review reveals that Agile and Lean frameworks dramatically improve public financial management by improving fiscal accountability, budgeting efficiency, and service delivery. Drawing on 49 studies published between 2010 and 2025, the majority from emerging economies with selected comparative OECD cases, budgeting and procurement reforms emerged as the dominant sectors analysed. Agile’s iterative and adaptive approach allows governments to make real-time adjustments to budgets, enhancing the economy’s response to economic developments and crises. They focus on reducing waste and financial planning to ensure that public funds are allocated efficiently and effectively. Similarly, Rwanda and Nigeria demonstrate the benefits of …

The Financial Effects Of Clinically Significant Readmissions In Florida Hospitals, Brian Patrick Cotton

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

This study examines how the financial performance of hospitals in the state of Florida impacts the quality of care. This study used data from 2017-2019 to evaluate how the number of hospital readmissions – a proxy for care quality – are associated with and vary in relation to the stability of the financial resources held by the hospital. The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), a Medicare value-based purchasing program, uses a mandatory pay-for-performance process that was initiated to decrease the 30-day hospital readmission rate. Hospitals with high readmissions are held accountable and financially encouraged to increase their quality of care …

Trump Accounts: New Irs Guidance On A New Retirement Account For Children, Heath Mcconnell, Michelle Freeman

Faculty Open Access Works

Excerpt: 

Among the changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was the creation of a new type of account called the “Trump account.” In simple terms, these accounts are designed to allow individuals under age 18 to begin saving for retirement, typically through contributions made by their parents or other eligible contributors. This article will begin with a discussion of the underlying reasons for creating these accounts and their enactment as part of the OBBBA. Following that, it will discuss the rules relating to these accounts from both the OBBBA’s statutory language as well as recently published …

Predicting Anomalies, Boone Bowles, Adam V. Reed, Matthew C. Ringgenberg

Faculty Publications

We show that stock returns exhibit predictable patterns before the publication of anomaly trading signals. Moreover, anomaly trading signals derived from financial data are themselves predictable, making it possible to trade before financial statements are released. A trading strategy based on predicted anomaly signals earns an annualized return of 2.80% in the quarter before the signal is released. In recent periods, this return predictability is concentrated in signals that are harder to forecast, and returns are increasingly earned several quarters before signals are released. Our findings suggest anomalies are more anomalous than previously recognized.

Do Cohort Restatements Generate Contagion? A Re-Examination, Melissa F. Lewis-Western, Timothy Seidel, Michael S. Wilkins

Faculty Publications

Gleason, Jenkins, and Johnson (2008) provide evidence that restatements lead to stock price declines among non-restating industry peer firms, suggesting that investors perceive contemporaneous manipulation within the industry. In contrast, Kedia, Koh, and Rajgopal (2015) find that restatements—especially less severe ones—encourage peer firms to initiate earnings manipulation. These divergent findings, together with the rising prevalence of less severe restatements and advances in monitoring technologies, motivate a re-examination of manipulation contagion. Although we are able to replicate the results of both seminal studies, we find that the results in Kedia, Koh, and Rajgopal (2015) are sensitive to design choices that affect …

Freedom Of Expression Protection And Corporate Concealment Of Bad News: Evidence From State Anti-Slapp Laws, Jimmy Lee, Shaphan Ng, Il Sun Yoo, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The protection of free speech enhances the ability of various public stakeholders to disseminate privately observed adverse information about public firms, making it difficult for corporate managers to conceal negative information about their companies. Using the staggered enactment of anti strategic lawsuit against public participation (anti-SLAPP) laws across U.S. states as a shock that strengthens free speech protection, we show that stronger protection is associated with less concealment of bad news. This is evidenced by a lower likelihood of stock price crashes, a decreased probability of accounting fraud, and an increased frequency of firm-initiated negative press releases. These results are …

Peer Effects Of Corporate Disclosures: Evidence From The Registration-Based Ipo System In China, Ruilin Liu, Beng Wee Goh, Dan Li, Zheyuan Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

China launched the registration-based IPO system in 2019 whereby all firms listed on the newly established STAR board (“peer firms”) are required to disclose specific innovation and industry-related information in their prospectus. Using this event as a quasi-experiment, our study investigates the causal effects of peer firms’ disclosures on individual firms’ disclosure strategy. We find that individual firms’ management earnings forecast (MEF) precision, both its form and width, significantly decreases when peer firms disclose more information during the IPO period. In cross-sectional analyses, we find this effect to be more pronounced for individual firms that are likely to experience greater …

Does Auditor Quality Enhance Csr Disclosure?, Jimmy Lee, Chee Yeow Lim, Gerald J. Lobo, Yanping Xu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We investigate the relation between auditor quality and client firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure. Using an international sample of firms from 36 countries over the period 2009–2018 and a measure of the extent of CSR disclosure from Bloomberg, we find strong evidence that client firms with higher quality auditors provide more CSR disclosure. In cross-sectional analyses, we show that the relation between auditor quality and CSR disclosure is accentuated when the information environment is poorer and when the financial reporting environment and the legal institutions are weaker. Lastly, we document that firms with higher quality auditors also exhibit better …

Corporate Disclosure Meets Natural Language Processing: Topic Modeling, Disclosure Strategy, And Audit Implications, Wanxin Yu

2026

Corporate disclosures serve as a critical channel for firms to communicate their financial performance, strategic initiatives, and firm-specific risks. In recent years, rapid advances in natural language processing (NLP) have provided powerful new tools for extracting insights from the growing volume and complexity of corporate disclosures. This dissertation consists of three studies that explore how advanced textual analysis can reveal deeper insights into corporate disclosures, managerial behavior, and auditor practices.

The first paper (co-authored) develops a topic-based approach to measuring the substantive content of risk factor disclosures. Using an embedding-based topic modeling framework, we identify 30 interpretable risk topics and …

An Examination Of Firm-Level Differences In Form Ap Amendment Filings Across Big Four Audit Firms, Benjamin Black

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Awareness And Decision-Making In Cryptocurrency Investment Among Students In Guwahati: A Comprehensive Study, Rituparna Roy Dr, Anupam Chanda Dr, Bidangsha Basumatary

The Indonesian Capital Market Review

This study investigates the awareness and decision-making processes related to cryptocurrency investment among students in Guwahati, Assam. Cryptocurrency, a form of digital money designed for online transactions without government or bank oversight, has initiated significant shifts in the global financial sector. The decentralization of cryptocurrencies offers transparency, security, and efficiency, challenging traditional financial systems. Despite the growing global interest in cryptocurrencies, their adoption faces barriers such as limited technological expertise, regulatory uncertainty, and security concerns. These issues are particularly pronounced among students, a demographic increasingly interested in digital currencies but often lacking foundational financial knowledge. The research aims to fill …

Prosocial Ceos And Accounting Manipulation, Mei Feng, Weili Ge, Zhejia Ling, Wei Ting Loh

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines the association between chief executive officers’ (CEOs’) prosocial tendency and their firms’ likelihood of accounting manipulation. We measure CEOs’ prosocial tendency based on their involvement with charitable organizations. We find that prosocial CEOs are less likely to engage in accounting manipulation, as proxied by material non-reliance restatements and SEC or DOJ enforcement actions. The effect is more pronounced when CEOs are involved with charities that directly aim to improve the welfare of others and when they face stronger incentives to misreport. These results continue to hold in analyses of changes in CEOs’ prosocial tendency around turnover events. …

Fair Value And Funding Structures: Motivators Behind Banks' Reclassification Activities., Thomas Walker

CMC Senior Theses

U.S financial regulations and reporting standards are ever-changing and have a significant impact on how banks classify and oversee their assets. The implementation of ASC 320 in 1993, as well as ASC 820 and ASC 825-10 in 2008, altered the effects of fair value accounting. This study examines factors that drive banks to use the held-to-maturity (HTM) and available-for-sale (AFS) classifications following the implementation of ASC 825-10 during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. I focus on how banks use the HTM classification to obscure the accurate valuation of their securities by failing to disclose unrealized gains or losses, and on …

Audit Pricing Under Asc 606: Evidence From Software-As-A-Service Technology Firms, Donald Weigle

CMC Senior Theses

ASC 606 is an accounting standard issued in May 2014 that fundamentally changed how firms identify performance obligations and recognize revenue. The standard requires a five-step framework that links recognition to the timing of customer contract satisfaction. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) firms were uniquely affected by this standard due to subscription-based pricing models and multi-element contracts that make revenue recognition more complex. For this thesis, I estimate the impact of adopting ASC 606 on SaaS firm audit fees. I hypothesize that more complex revenue recognition results in more complex audit procedures and, hence, higher fees. I use a Differences-in-Differences (DiD) regression model …

The Impact Of Asu 2023-08 On Reported Profitability Of Cryptocurrency-Exposed Firms, William C. Graff

CMC Senior Theses

This study investigates the performance of corporate cryptocurrency holdings in the context of recent accounting regulation changes. It specifically examines how adopting Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2023-08 has affected firms with material cryptocurrency exposure. Using a panel of U.S. public firms from 2019–2025, I classified 138 companies as having material crypto exposure if cryptocurrency comprised more than 0.01 percent of total assets, which was manually calculated. Of these firms, 67 were exposed to the rule change (under GAAP), 66 were not, and 5 were excluded from final calculations due to a lack of relevant information.

Results showed statistically significant effects …