Digital Commons Network^™

Professional Identity Development In Large Public Accounting Firms During Covid-19 And Beyond, Alexander J. Tighe

2024

Professional identity is formed by understanding the set of traits and behaviors that help define the social expectations of individuals within a profession. Acquiring these traits and acting in accordance with professional norms allows an individual to feel connected to their profession and other individuals within their field. In public accounting, professional identity is formed through the socialization process. This process teaches new hires the necessary technical knowledge to complete job tasks and behaviors that denote overall professionalism such as proper work attire or polite interactions with clients. The COVID-19 Pandemic radically changed social norms in the accounting profession by …

Initial Financial Assessment Of The Fraport Greece Cluster A Concession, Dimitrios V. Siskos, Alexander Maravas, Ronald Mau

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

There is a worldwide trend in the privatization of transport infrastructure and airports. Likewise, the Greek government launched an extensive privatization program that granted Fraport AG the right to operate 14 airports for the next forty years. The two separate concessions for clusters of seven airports each are named "Cluster A" and "Cluster B." The financial assessment of privatization contracts is crucial so decision-makers can accurately assess the value of aviation enterprises. This paper applies the Economic Value Added (EVA) methodology and enterprise valuation on Cluster A by assessing the concession company's balance sheets and income statements. We concluded that …

Impact Of Financial Management System On Organizational Accountability And Responsibility: A Study Of Corporate Entities, Nur Farhanah Binti Marjuni, Junaid M. Shaikh

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This research investigates the impact of Financial Management Systems (FMS) on organizational accountability and responsibility in Brunei's manufacturing sector, utilizing a mixed-methods approach that includes primary data collected through questionnaires distributed to 41 local manufacturing companies and supplemented by secondary data from other ASEAN countries for comparative analysis. The primary focus is to assess the awareness and significance of efficient FMS implementation. Findings demonstrate a substantial influence of FMS on organizational accountability and responsibility, supported by an analysis of primary and secondary data from the ASEAN region. Nevertheless, this study acknowledges limitations such as its exclusive focus on Brunei and …

Research On The Relationship Between Social Responsibility Fulfillment And Reputation Of Platform Enterprises, Hong Tao

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the rapidly evolving platform economy, platform enterprises have emerged as significant contributors to socio-economic development, integrating resources and optimizing service delivery through innovative business models. However, their rapid ascension has also spotlighted significant challenges, especially in fulfilling their social responsibilities (SR) and managing their reputations effectively. This doctoral thesis delves into the intricate relationship between the fulfillment of social responsibilities by platform enterprises and their subsequent reputation in the market. Through a comprehensive literature review, this study identifies a gap in understanding how platform enterprises’ approach to social responsibility impacts their reputation among stakeholders. Utilizing a mixed-method research design …

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 …

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 …

The Visible Hand Of Lawyers: Attorneys’ Selection, White-Collar Fraud, And Criminal Sentences, Jesus R. Jimenez-Andrade

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

In the American white-collar fraud prosecution system, attorneys stand between fraudsters and criminal justice. Based on the theory of access literature, this manuscript explores whether attorneys’ selection moderates the relationship between severity of crime and criminal sentence. Collected data from 1,872 white-collar crimes between 2002 and 2020 prosecuted in San Antonio, Texas, test this hypothesis. Findings evidence that attorneys’ selection influences up to 10 percent of the criminal sentence (+,- 64 days). Socioeconomic control variables result in statistical significance, while demographics lack this condition. These findings suggest that fraudsters have incentives to maximize the defrauded amount to gain higher-quality legal …

Effects Of Firm Life Cycle On Matching And Accrual Quality, Ana Mariella Bandeira, José Elias Feres De Almeida

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications

This study examines the effects of life cycle stages on the quality of revenue-expense matching and accruals of Brazilian public listed companies, and how matching affects accrual quality. Studies on the effects of firm life cycle stages on revenue-expense matching are still incipient. Furthermore, there is no prior study interconnecting the two conceptual and empirical models in a joint perspective. The study brings evidence that firm life cycle is a relevant factor in the analysis of the association between revenues and expenses and accruals with operating cash flows. This association, if properly carried out by firms, can benefit investors, analysts, …

Investor Reaction To Spacs' Voluntary Disclosures, Vincent Castellani, Karl A. Muller, K.J. Park

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

SPACs are formed to combine with and provide a private firm public trading status and a capital infusion. Firms that enter the public market through a SPAC combination are believed to possess greater voluntary disclosure discretion than traditional IPOs as they obtain their public trading status through a merger. Consistent with regulators’ concerns, recent research finds that SPACs use this discretion opportunistically by issuing optimistic guidance. This study examines how investors respond to these disclosures. We find that optimistic projections increase retail purchasing, which is higher than that of institutional purchasing. Additionally, we find that investors partially see through the …

Eagle Accountant - 2024, Georgia Southern University

Eagle Accountant

• Accounting Advisory Council
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• Cover Story - The Titan 
• Student Spotlight:  Across the Atlantic to Georgia Southern
• Student Spotlight: Solving the Puzzle: My Journey at Georgia Southern
• Fraud & Forensic Accounting 
• A Standout Life: Julian Deal 
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• Faculty Research Spotlight 
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• Alumni Notes & Obituaries 

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 …

Exploring Links Between Foreign Direct Investment And Host Country Economic Development, Thi Ngoc Dao

Doctoral

The thesis explores links between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the economic development of host country, analysing both direct and indirect effects. Concerning direct effects, FDI has been recognised as an important driver of exports and job creation for the host country. In terms of indirect effects, however, a consensus has not been reached on the spillover effects and competition effects that FDI generates in indigenous firms. Evaluating these effects has been critical for small open economies due to their heavy reliance on external markets and factors. There is a need for comprehensive research investigating the impacts of FDI on …

The Effect Of Mandatory Esg Disclosure On Firms’ Going-Private Decisions, Ying-Chi Huang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study examines whether mandatory ESG disclosure encourages publicly traded firms to go private due to an increase in proprietary costs. I find that firms affected by the European Union’s Non-Financial Reporting Directive 2014/95/EU are more likely to go private after the passage of the directive. The results of the cross-sectional tests suggest that the driver of the decision to go private is the increase in proprietary costs. The main results are more pronounced for firms with fewer peers who voluntarily disclose ESG information, those operating in industries with a higher rate of new entrants, those with higher R&D expenditures, …

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 …

An Examination Of The Underlying Implications Of Environmental, Social, And Governance Measures On Firm Practices, Lewis James Hardway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is comprised of three studies that seek to determine the impact environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and initiatives have on different levels within the firm. The first study takes a page from business management research. It proposes a moderated mediation model of leader-member exchange and its effects on corporate entrepreneurship. Corporate entrepreneurship seeks to engage employees in bringing forward new ideas to enhance the firm’s position and aligns with the social aspects of ESG, especially those concerning employee stakeholder matters. This study finds that through psychological empowerment, high-quality relationships can bring forward increased engagement by individuals in …

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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. …

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 …

Artificial Intelligence’S Capabilities, Limitations, And Impact On Accounting Education: Investigating Chatgpt’S Performance On Educational Accounting Case, Xu (Joyce) Cheng, Ryan Dunn, Travis Holt, Kerry Inger, J. Gregory Jenkins, Jefferson Jones, James Long, Tina Loraas, Mollie Mathis, Jonathan Stanley, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This study evaluates the capabilities of ChatGPT models 3.5 and 4 to provide solutions to eight educational accounting cases. We find that ChatGPT’s ability to provide accurate solutions varies depending on the type of case requirement and topical area of accounting, with better performance on tasks requiring elements that require explanation, application of rules, and ethical evaluation. However, ChatGPT performs poorly on tasks that require financial statement creation, journal entries, or software use. Our study also finds that detection tools provided by ChatGPT's developer are ineffective in identifying text created by Artificial Intelligence Text Generators (AITG). We suggest ways in …

Automating Evaluation Of Skill Assessment To Promote Skill Acquisition In The Area Of Data Analytics Automation, Joshua G. Coyne, Scott L. Summers, Brigham Villanueva, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

As accounting increasingly embraces automation and data analytics, proficient skill assessment remains a challenge. We introduce an automated tool that streamlines the evaluation of Alteryx workflows. Utilizing the design science methodology, our tool effectively executes and compares Alteryx workflows against a solution, providing score and feedback. Validation demonstrates remarkable gains; our tool is error-free and 9 to 146 times faster than manual evaluation. The tool’s efficiency, accuracy, and user-friendliness make it much more feasible to assign unstructured Alteryx assignments for student development. Enhanced technology skills will promote hiring and productivity gains associated with automation in accounting.

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 …

Is It All Hype? Chatgpt’S Performance And Disruptive Potential In The Accounting And Auditing Industries, Marc Eulerich, Aida Sanatizadeh, Hamid Vakilzadeh, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

ChatGPT frequently appears in the media, with many predicting significant disruptions, especially in the fields of accounting and auditing. Yet research has demonstrated relatively poor performance of ChatGPT on student assessment questions. We extend this research to examine whether more recent ChatGPT models and capabilities can pass major accounting certification exams including the Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Enrolled Agent (EA) certification exams. We find that the ChatGPT 3.5 model cannot pass any exam (average score across all assessments of 53.1%). However, with additional enhancements, ChatGPT can pass all sections of each …

The Dark Side Of Robotic Process Automation, Marc Eulerich, Nathan Waddoups, Martin Wagener, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Prior research on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has largely focused on how it benefits firms and employees. In contrast, we interview 26 high-profile RPA stakeholders at a Fortune 500 firm to ascertain challenges, drawbacks, or pitfalls of using RPA. We identify five key problems related to RPA usage: (1) RPA is often used as a quick-fix band-aid instead of fixing core system issues, (2) RPA can cause serious control and security issues, (3) the true cost of RPA is often misunderstood and understated, (4) RPA governance is complicated and challenging, and (5) RPA usage can lead to a loss of …

Gauging Scholarly Engagement: An Investigation Into Topic Popularity Within The Asee Cit Division, Barry M. Lunt, Mudasser Fraz Wyne, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Since 2011, the Computing and Information Technology (CIT) division of the ASEE has had 427 papers presented and published in the proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. This paper looks at these 427 papers as a whole, providing descriptive statistics, giving the top institutions and authors that have contributed to these papers, and providing information regarding the impact of the top ten papers, as measured by their citations and downloads. We have also used the ChatGPT version 4.0 to provide categories for the 427 papers, providing insight into the most popular topics for papers in the CIT division.

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, …

Short And Synthetically Distort: Investor Reactions To Deepfake Financial News, Scott Emett, Marc Eulerich, Jeffrey Pickerd, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have led to new forms of misinformation, including highly realistic “deepfake” synthetic media. We conduct three experiments to investigate how and why retail investors react to deepfake financial news. Results from the first two experiments provide evidence that investors use a “realism heuristic,” responding more intensely to audio and video deepfakes as their perceptual realism increases. In the third experiment, we introduce an intervention to prompt analytical thinking, varying whether participants make analytical judgments about credibility or intuitive investment judgments. When making intuitive investment judgments, investors are strongly influenced by both more and less realistic …

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 …