Accounting Commons^™

Lutz Strategic Analysis, Ashley Tyler

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Lutz, an accounting firm in Nebraska, was founded in 1980 and has grown radically since. It now has four divisions – Accounting, Finance, Talent, and Technology – and over 275 employees. When analyzing the external environment, a PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT analyses were done. These found the external environment can have an impact on the industry, however, accounting is a job that will always be needed, and growth is almost always available. Lutz’s current strategy for growth is a resource-based view of the firm that involves being a one-stop-shop for customers. It is also looking for new firms …

Tax Efficient Supply Chains: Analysis Of Multinational Corporations With Swiss Subsidiaries, David Liu

Honors Scholar Theses

I examine whether U.S. corporations can strategically organize global supply chains to achieve tax efficiency by creating or acquiring subsidiaries in Switzerland. In particular, I study if there is an association between a firm’s use of Swiss subsidiaries and the firm’s effective tax rate using a sample of firm years from 1998 to 2013. Under U.S. rules prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), firms with subsidiaries in low-tax-rate foreign countries (e.g., Switzerland) could generally avoid U.S. tax on foreign income by not repatriating income. The 2014 Caterpillar Inc. case study offers an example of how …

Allete Financial Analysis And Valuation, Alec Tolson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This analysis and evaluation of ALLETE, Inc. is based on historical quantitative and qualitative data. ALLETE, Inc. (NYSE: ALE) is an electric utility provider in the upper Midwest region of the U.S. Their primary business activities involve producing and delivering electricity to customers. Over the course of the last five years, ALE has maintained a consistent customer base. This aligns with the nature of their business as it is a heavily regulated industry where growth and competition are limited geographically.

ALE appears to be a healthy business that is in good standing with the government and regulatory agencies that enforce …

The Impact Of Asu 2016-14 On Not-For-Profit Operating Cash Flow Presentation, Grace Lauber

Honors Scholar Theses

In 2011, FASB added a project to its agenda to improve financial statement reporting for not-for-profit (NFP) entities. They issued a proposal in 2015 that would require all NFPs to use the direct method to report operating cash flows on the statement of cash flows. This proposal received a wide range of feedback from NFPs via comment letters. In response to this feedback, FASB altered the final update, ASU 2016-14, to continue allowing the indirect method. However, they encouraged use of the direct method by removing the indirect method reconciliation requirement for NFPs. This study examines the responses of 129 …

The Curious Case Of Firm Performance: Why Do Comapanies Reverse The Year Order Of Their Graphs In Annual Reports, Austin Hamil Higginbotham

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Accounting And Sustainability: Cost And Benefit, Emma Smith

Honors Theses

In today’s busy, complex, and technically advanced world, it is too easy to get caught up in day to day activities that distract from what needs to be accomplished and conserved. Therefore, there is a needed emphasis on sustainability in all industries, more specifically in the realm of accounting with respect to protecting the environment and citizens. Whether it be material, information, or human capital sustainability, appropriate practices are important and require attention (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board). This thesis will (a) document information regarding the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, (b) discuss sustainability practices businesses can take to benefit the environment …

Forensic Accounting At Bgsu: A Proposal, Allison Mishka

Honors Projects

Forensic accounting is a field utilizing accounting and investigative knowledge to detect and examine financial fraud. There is growing demand for professionals in the field. Currently Bowling Green State University (BGSU) does not offer a forensic accounting course. To determine if introducing a forensic accounting to BGSU is appropriate at this time, I have researched other accounting programs and forensic accounting courses. I have also conducted surveys of Schmidthorst College of Business students and faculty as well as forensic accounting professionals to determine if implementing a forensic accounting course would be beneficial to the university and to students. Based on …

Audit Quality Research: A Bibliometric Analysis, Muhamad Taqi, Rahmawati Rahmawati, Bandi Bandi, Payamta Payamta, Aam Slamet Rusydiana

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aims to determine the development and research trend maps with the theme Audit Quality published by well-known journals. The data used in this study were 499 indexed research publications with the theme Audit Quality in the period 1981 to 2020. The map of research development in Audit Quality was obtained through the export process, which would be processed and analyzed using the R Biblioshiny application program. This study shows that the number of publications about the development of Audit Quality research has increased significantly. The research results show that the journal that publishes the most and has the …

Audit Committee Effectiveness And Company Performance: Evidence From Egypt, Engy Elhawary

Business Administration

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of audit committee characteristics (size, independence, experience, gender diversity, and frequency of meetings) on the company‘s financial performance (ROA and ROE) in Egypt. In 2016, the Egyptian Stock Exchange announced a new listing requirement for the audit committee members‘ characteristics to enhance its effectiveness. Data are gathered from the board of directors (BOD) and annual reports of the EGX 30 index non-financial listed companies in Egypt for the period of 2016–2018. Data is analyzed by using panel data cross-section data analysis and correlation analysis. The findings reveal that the audit …

Buying Products From Whom You Know: Personal Connections And Information Asymmetry In Supply Chain Relationships, Ting Chen, Hagit Levy, Xiumin Martin, Ron Shalev

Publications and Research

This study investigates the role personal connections play in a crucial element of the supply chain—supplier selection. We find that the likelihood that a potential supplier (hereafter, a vendor) is selected to be an actual supplier (hereafter, supplier) increases when personal connections between executives of the vendor and the customer exist. The magnitude of the effect varies predictably across management ranks and positions and is stronger when information asymmetries between a vendor and a customer are high. Conditioning on the existence of a supply-chain partnership, a departure of a personally connected executive prompts the termination of the supply-chain relationship more …

Women In Accounting, Kayla Cline

Honors Projects

There is gender inequality at the equity partner level in public accounting firms. The number of female partners is much lower than male partners. This paper examines the three main reasons for this discrepancy. The reasons are the difficulty in finding an appropriate work-life balance, good formal and informal mentors, and the extra financial risk associated with being an equity partner. Next, comparisons to law firms and educators are made examining the reasons for any gender inequality in those industries. Finally, proposed solutions to the three main reasons for the gender inequality in public accounting are explored.

The Dominance Of Masculinity: How The Expectation Of Stereotypical Gender Role Performance Undermines The Productivity Of Gay Men Working In Public Accounting Firms, Joshua Leinheiser

Senior Theses

Discrimination against LGBTQ employees in business settings has been shown to be a problem and negatively affects these employees’ productivity and well-being. In particular, discrimination against gay and other queer men often stems from the view that homosexuality is emasculating and conflicts with traditional expectations of male gender performance. This is seen as undesirable in business since traditional masculinity is seen as useful due to its association with competitiveness and control.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether this paradigm extends to the workplaces of public accounting firms. A survey containing questions about gender, sexuality, gender expression, experiences …

Honors Project, Zachary M. Murray

Honors Theses

Accounting is an essential function of the operation of all businesses. Accounting is a vital function in the internal operations of all businesses because it is used to manage all monetary transactions. The American Accounting Association defines accounting as, “the process of identifying, measuring, and communicating economic information to permit informed judgments and decisions by the users of the information” (American Accounting Association). In the United States, the market size of the accounting industry as measured by revenue is $110 billion (Statista). For as long as humanity has been participating in trade and the process of buying and selling goods …

A Qualitative Description And Analysis Of Software Applications Used By Accountants, Tamra Manfredo

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Emotions On The Application Of Professional Skepticism: An Examination Of Accounting Students’ Perspectives, Jordon Grace Williams

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Generalist Ceos And Audit Pricing, Zhiming Ma, Rencheng Wang, Kaitang Zhou

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We analyze the consequences of a firm hiring a generalist CEO in terms of the audit fees paid by the firm. We find that audit fees of clients with generalist CEOs are higher than those of clients with specialist CEOs. This relation is robust to considering managerial ability, other CEO characteristics, various fixed effects, instrumental variables, and change analyses. We further show that fee differences are larger for firms with weaker monitoring and higher corporate litigation risks. Through path analysis, we find that both client business risk and misreporting risk contribute to the fee difference. Finally, we find that auditors …

Business Combinations Under Common Control (Part 2), Pearl Hock-Neo Tan, Chu Yeong Lim, Tracey Chunqi Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In Part 1 of the article, published in the March issue of this IS Chartered Accountant Journal, we explained the conditions for a BCUCC and the two methods of accounting for BCUCC. We also explained how accounting standards need to address the gap in accounting for the BCUCC from the receiving entity’s perspective. In this Part 2 of the article, we propose a contextual approach in determining the accounting method on BCUCC for the receiving entity (that is, the entity which receives control of the transferred entity from another group entity). We propose that a BCUCC that has commercial substance …

The Role Of Convex Equity Incentives In Managers’ Forecasting Decisions, Young Jun Cho, David Tsui, Holly I. Yang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Prior literature suggests that voluntary disclosures of forward-looking information tend to lead to capital market benefits, but these disclosures may also result in negative capital market consequences if subsequent performance falls below expectations. We, therefore, hypothesize that convex equity incentives, which reward managers for stock price gains while limiting their exposure to losses, should promote greater voluntary forward-looking disclosure. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find a significantly positive association between equity incentive convexity and forecast issuance and frequency. We also find that the positive association is more pronounced for firms with higher sales volatility and managers with shorter tenure, in …

Gearing Up Higher Education For A More Resilient Future Post Covid-19, Themin Suwardy, Avantika Tomar, Neemee Das

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Education is premised on an institution’s ability to gather faculty and students, and to provide space and opportunities to produce and disseminate knowledge. Besides its direct medical and healthcare impact, COVID-19 has been a significant disruptor to the higher education sector. This paper highlights its impact on international student mobility, international collaborations, and the delivery of teaching and learning. To successfully ride out the recovery, institutions will need to build resilient strategies to operate in the new, post-COVID normal by engaging with stakeholders, ensuring financial sustainability, and embracing purposeful digital transformation in university operations, teaching, and learning.

Happy Analysts, Ole-Kristian Hope, Congcong Li, An-Ping Lin, Maryjane Rabier

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper is the first to investigate the role of work-life balance in financial analysts' performance and career advancement. Using a large sample of Glassdoor reviews by financial analysts, we find a significant non-linear relation between perceived work-life balance and analyst performance and analyst career advancement. Specifically, when perceived work-life balance is relatively low, an increase in work-life balance is associated with better analyst performance and career advancement; however, when perceived work-life balance is already high, a further increase in work-life balance is associated with worse analyst performance and career advancement.