Accounting Commons^™

A History Of Prince George And The Challenges Facing Public Entities Owning Unique Properties, Elizabeth Willcox Buyck

Senior Theses

I grew up going to Pawleys Island with my family and friends and have always been interested in the area. Hurricane Hugo destroyed many homes on the island in 1989, but most owners rebuilt larger and more modern homes because they loved the area and the land. In June 2015, I began working at the University of South Carolina Foundations office. I learned that the USC Development Foundation purchased the Prince George tract in 1994 and that there was a long and interesting story as to why the tract remained undeveloped and preserved while the vast majority of the oceanfront …

The Effects Of Emerging Technologies On Data In Auditing, Matthew C. Oldhouser

Senior Theses

In this paper, I examine the current status of the uses and implementation of technology in the external auditing profession. For purposes of this paper, an auditor refers to a Certified Public Accountant working at a large (national and international) accounting firm. Internal auditors, those that work either internally for the client or are hired on a consulting basis by the client, are mentioned specifically when I am trying to highlight their differing approaches and practice. In addition to surveying the current status of business technology, I investigate the drivers of the present state, and try to predict what will …

The Effects Of Technology On College Life, Tracy June Dye

Senior Theses

Ever since technology has boomed and cellphones have gone from phones to mini-computers, the effect of technology has been a hot topic in research. Students use technology for everything – from communication to school to entertainment. The times people spend on their phones and computers versus the time spent actually interacting with people seems to quickly be widening. The effects of technology can especially be seen in the college students today since these students are some of the first generation to grow up with almost complete access to technology. As a college student, these effects were of particular interest. Personal …

4 Wynnes Boating Manufacturing Company: A Market Analysis And Business Plan For Northwest Arkansas, Hayden S. Wynne

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on a business plan for the opening and developing of a boat manufacturing company in Northwest Arkansas and, specifically, manufacturing of duck hunting boats. South Arkansas and Eastern Arkansas have boat-manufacturing companies, but none exist in Northwest Arkansas. Having developed an interest in duck hunting over the years, I have discovered a tremendous need to bring the boats to where a large portion of Arkansas population exists. The objective of this business is to identify the Northwest Arkansas market viability for a customized duck boat manufacturing company. This analysis and evaluation is meant to provide a business …

The Opm Data Breach: Lessons Learned, Michael Wheat

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In 2015 the federal government announced the largest data breach in United States government history. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was hacked, and the personal information of more than 25 million American people was lost to foreign attackers. This incident has spawned concern and outrage about the security of government data in the emerging digital age.

Moving forward from the breach questions remain about how this event happened. It's clear that there were weaknesses that were taken advantage of by malicious threats abroad, and investigations into the attack have yielded surprising results. Not only was the security in place …

Entrepreneurship: The Why And How Of Starting Your Own Business, Braiden Coleman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

What resources are available to the new entrepreneur? How do I know if my business idea is a good idea? What are the tax advantages of starting your own business? My research answers each of these questions in addition to many other questions the new entrepreneur might have. Part of my research insights were gained by experiential learning: I took a business idea of my own and took it through several key processes such as business idea generation, business model creation, market research, and advertising. I sought to learn more about the resources available to the new entrepreneur. In addition …

Student Perception On Female Discrimination In Accounting, Qiuting Zheng

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 72,648,000 women participate in the labor force compared to 31,543,000 women in 1970 (U.S. Department of Labor). In the 1950s, women were only 30% of the workforce (Toossi, 2002). In 1970, 1990, and 2010, the percentage of working women increased to 40%, 45%, and 47% respectively (Humphrey, 2013). However, students have wrong perceptions about discrimination against women, and, since perceptions and facts are not the same thing, their perceptions might make them misunderstand the accounting profession. This study confirmed that there are misperceptions. To gauge students’ perceptions, I conducted a survey named “Gender Diversity in Accounting” at the Walton …

How Does Music Consumption Impact The Music Industry And Benefit Artists?, Benjamin Fly

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the introduction of digital music in the 1990s, it internet-based music consumption has become significantly simpler and increasingly more popular as more and more consumers are streaming, sharing, and discovering new music all across the globe. With this new development of digital music, the dynamics of the music industry have been affected dramatically both in terms of record sales and the way music listeners are consuming music. Unfortunately, with the rise of music in its digital format came the rise of illegal file sharing sites, causing many to believe that the music industry was headed for its impending destruction. …

Seeking Peace Of Mind: A Case Study Combining Ethics And Accounting, Lauren Ghahremani

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research has been to create original work in the form of a case study that educators and accounting students can benefit from during daily exercises in accounting ethics courses.

What Is Happening To Commercial Malls: Evaluating Contradicting Opinions, Sarah Watson

Accounting

The retail environment has been changing in recent years and this has had profound impacts on American shopping malls. This paper will examine the dying mall phenomenon and compare and contrast the differing opinions of major news outlets. This study will identify and analyze the driving forces of change including the recent shift in demographics, the rise of the bargain hunter, the power of millennials and the desire for experiences amongst consumers. It was discovered that A rated malls are thriving whilst C and D rated malls are in danger of dying out. The more successful malls are those that …

Social Media Paradigm: An Antidote To The Competitive Divide Between Small And Large Businesses, Mackenzie Rinefierd

Accounting

Concern for small businesses has been high since the recession in 2008. Small entrepreneurs were not generating enough income to keep their businesses open and the market was deterring anyone from creating a start-up company. The domination of social media in the digital world may be the solution to the constant struggle small businesses face against their larger competitors. This paper will discuss the social media phenomenon and how although small businesses face obstacles in implementing an online marketing system, social media will level the playing field by giving small businesses the chance to compete in the big leagues.

Path To Higher Education, Rebecca L. Francis

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study focuses on the career aspirations of middle and high school students living in an impoverished area of Cape Town, South Africa. It was discovered that students in this area tended to have high expectations of themselves pertaining to success after graduating high school, as well as their classmates. They believed they would be accepted into prestigious universities and achieve their career goals, despite being unaware of several key pieces of information, such as how to apply to university and how to get financial aid. The ultimate conclusion of the study was that these students required more extensive career …

Effect Of Automated Advising Platforms On The Financial Advising Market, Benjamin Faubion

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis outlines the cost to investor differences between a traditional financial advisor and the growing group of highly competitive automated Robo-Advisors.

Correlation Between Shareholder Concentration And Firm Performance With Regard To Midcap Companies, Wynn Lemmons

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The research herein explores the correlation between performance and shareholder concentration. This paper compares the performance of a group of companies with a single shareholder stake of over 10% from the universe of the S&P 400 Midcap Index to the performance of the index itself over a period of eight years (January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2016). When run as a simulated portfolio, the group selected generated a slight amount of positive alpha, but the results were ultimately statistically insignificant.

An Analysis Of Gender Effects And Career Choices In Public Accounting, Amanda M. Odom

Honors Theses

Public accountants and students evaluated career success before and after career actions by public accountants, represented by resumes that were randomly assigned traditionally male or feminine names. Bias in favor of the resumes with a traditionally male name was initially detected, but after implementing recommendations from subjects, subject assessments favored resumes with a traditionally female name. This suggests that career choices matter and that choices can mitigate or even overcome gender bias in public accounting.

A Study Of Perceptions Of Pay Systems, Kayla S. Alford

Honors Theses

This is a study which is interested in perceptions people have toward the varying forms of labor compensation. It specifically compares perceptions of hourly pay with those of performance-based pay(PBP). A survey instrument was used to gather individual perceptions of pay systems by sampling the students in the College of Business at a southern university. This study tested and confirmed that PBP is rated significantly more positive than hourly pay by its respondents. This study also tests whether workplace experience or classroom experience has a significant impact on respondents’ ratings of PBP or hourly pay. Respondents rated PBP attributes more …

Construction Contractors, May 1, 2016; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Ceo Stock-Based Compensation On Pricing Of Future Earnings, Bobae Choi, Jae Bum Kim

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines whether CEO stock-based compensation has an effect on the market’s ability to predict future earnings. When stock-based compensation motivates managers to share their private information with shareholders, it will expedite the pricing of future earnings in current stock prices. In contrast, when equity-compensated managers attempt to temporarily manipulate the stock price to maximize their own benefit rather than that of shareholders, the market may not fully anticipate future performance. We find that a CEO’s stock-based compensation strengthens the association between current returns and future earnings, indicating that more information about future earnings is reflected in current stock …

Mandatory Financial Reporting And Voluntary Disclosure: The Effect Of Mandatory Ifrs Adoption On Management Forecasts, Xi Li, Holly I. Yang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines the effect of the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on voluntary disclosure. Using a difference-in-difference analysis, we document a significant increase in the likelihood and frequency of management earnings forecasts following mandatory IFRS adoption, consistent with the notion that IFRS adoption alters firms' disclosure incentives in response to increased capital-market demand. We find the increase to be larger among firms domiciled in code-law countries, suggesting a catching-up effect among firms facing low disclosure incentives pre-adoption. We then propose and test three channels through which IFRS adoption could alter firms' disclosure incentives: improved earnings quality, …

Mandatory Financial Reporting And Voluntary Disclosure: The Effect Of Mandatory Ifrs Adoption On Management Forecasts, Xi Li, Holly I. Yang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines the effect of the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on voluntary disclosure. Using a difference-in-difference analysis, we document a significant increase in the likelihood and frequency of management earnings forecasts following mandatory IFRS adoption, consistent with the notion that IFRS adoption alters firms' disclosure incentives in response to increased capital-market demand. We find the increase to be larger among firms domiciled in code-law countries, suggesting a catching-up effect among firms facing low disclosure incentives pre-adoption. We then propose and test three channels through which IFRS adoption could alter firms' disclosure incentives: improved earnings quality, …