Business Commons^™

The Effects Of Reputation Threat And Whistle-Blowing Report Source On Chief Audit Executives' Investigation Decisions, Cynthia Guthrie

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of reputation threats and anonymous whistle-blowing channels on Chief Audit Executives’ (CAEs) decisions to investigate whistle-blowing allegations. Participants were 94 CAEs and Deputy CAEs from publicly traded companies in the eastern half of the United States. Participants received whistle-blowing reports from either an anonymous or a non-anonymous source. In the high reputation threat condition the whistle-blowing report alleged that the wrongdoing was perpetrated by the exploitation of substantial weaknesses in internal controls that had been previously evaluated by external auditors and the internal audit function. The report in the lower threat condition alleged that the …

The Performance Effects Of Latent Factors On Assimilation Of Commercial Open-Source Erp Software On Small-Medium Enterprises, Sandra Cereola

Theses and Dissertations

This study tests a theoretical model developed to investigate the impact of assimilation of commercial open source enterprise resource planning software (COSES) in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, the model explains how the top management team’s (TMT’s) information technology (IT) knowledge and experience impact both assimilation and firm performance. The hypotheses were tested using survey data from SMEs that have implemented COSES. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that SMEs benefit, through higher levels of assimilation and performance, from adopting innovative enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as COSES when they have a TMT that has experience with …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Fairtax As An Alternative To The Federal Personal Income, Corporate Income, Estate And Gift, And Payroll Taxes, Yingxu Kuang

Doctoral Dissertations

Dissatisfaction with the current federal tax system is fostering serious interest in a national retail sales tax. Specifically, the FairTax Plan intends to replace most of the federal taxes with a national retail sales tax and is gaining momentum in Congress because of its purported progressive features. The FairTax is promoted as being progressive but there is considerable opposition to this claim.

Using the most recent 2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data and estimating lifetime income from a Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) panel tracked over 1968-2005, the distribution impacts of the FairTax Plan are examined, as well as …

Value Relevance Of Deferred Taxes In Mergers And Acquisitions, Wei-Chih Chiang

Doctoral Dissertations

The major concern in a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transaction is how to determine the economic benefits and burdens and allocate them among the participating firms. Part of this concern can be described as the question of how the participating firms ascertain and price the potential tax benefits of the target's tax attributes.

Different from prior research, which focuses on the reaction of the market, this study emphasizes the viewpoint of the participating firms in pricing the target firms' deferred taxes when determining the acquisition price. The results indicate that the participating firms assign value to the target firms' deferred …

Tax Policy Questions Regarding The Federal Estate Tax And Charitable Bequests: A Two State Analysis Of Probate Records, Steven Hanke

Doctoral Dissertations

There is considerable support for extending the temporary repeal of the federal estate tax in 2010 into a permanent repeal. Although repealing the federal estate tax would simplify the current tax system, it may also impair the federal government's ability to prudently aid eleemosynary organizations if charitable bequests' preferential tax treatment is a budget efficient policy. Furthermore, overall charitable bequests may also decline in the absence of a federal estate tax.

Using Virginia and Louisiana probate records from the years 2000-2005, tax policy questions are examined regarding the federal estate tax and charitable bequests. Tobit regression models, adjusted for heteroscedasticity …

A Study Of Foreign Earnings Management Using An Empirical Distribution Approach, Nancy Manzhen Fan

Accounting Dissertations

Effective January 1, 1998, SFAS 131 changed the way managers voluntarily disclose business, geographic and operating segments of their companies. Reporting geographic segments is specifically related to the reporting of overseas operations of multinational companies. This study analyzes the possibility of earnings management in foreign earnings and how SFAS 131 might have changed the patterns of foreign earnings distribution. I use an empirical distribution approach outlined by Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) in examining whether foreign earnings are managed to avoid earnings decreases and losses. Results show that foreign earnings are managed to avoid losses but not earnings decreases. In addition, …

The Creation Of Wealth For Company Stakeholders Through Managerial Behavior In Leveraged Buyouts, Joshua P. Clayton

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis And Upgrade Of The Finance Department Operations In Lsu’S Student Government, Sabina Tungaraza

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Does Shareholder-Sponsored Corporate Governance Proposal Matter? The Case Of Executive Compensation, Xu Wang

Accounting Dissertations

This study investigates the role of shareholder-sponsored corporate governance proposals in monitoring top management compensation. In particular, I test whether theories of agency costs, corporate governance, and optimal contracting can explain why shareholders submit executive-pay proposals, and examine the economic consequences of these shareholder proposals for the targeted firms. I find that firms are more likely to receive performance-oriented shareholder executive-pay proposals when the firms have higher agency costs, stronger shareholder rights, or higher unexpected executive compensation. Shareholder executive-pay proposals gain more voting support from shareholders if the proposals are performance-oriented (than non-performance-oriented), sponsored by pension or union funds (than …

The Tax Gap: America's Underreported Revenues, Jennifer Granzow

Honors Program Theses

This paper will discuss the tax gap, both as an overall national issue and as related to individual business income. First, the relevance of the tax gap in today’s economy will be addressed and background information regarding the tax gap will be provided. Next the small business environment will be examined, focusing on why the tax gap is so prevalent there. Proposed tax gap reduction measures will be explored, including an examination of the benefits and shortcomings associated with each measure. Future challenges will also be looked at, focusing on the impact such proposed measures will have on the operations …

Firm Ownership, Institutional Environment, And Audit Collusion : Empirical Evidence From A Transitional Economy, Rui Wang

Theses & Dissertations

Motivated by the renewed interest in, but insufficient empirical evidence of, collusion between auditors and corporate management, I examine this issue in the unique environment of China, which is characterized by a high level of government control over listed companies and auditors, strong competition for audit clients, and uneven economic and legal development across the country. In contrast to prior studies, I employ a two-stage regression approach to study the determinants of audit collusion in China. In the first stage, I develop an audit opinion prediction model of Big 4 auditors (viewed as “typical” auditors) that corrects for self-selection bias. …

Effects Of Ethical Context On Earnings Management, Organizational-Professional Conflict And Organizational Commitment In Chinese Enterprises, Zhihong Wang

Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of the organizational ethical context (ethical climate and ethical culture) in Chinese enterprises on accounting professionals’ perceptions of earnings management, organizational-professional conflict (OPC) and affective organizational commitment (OC). We also test the effects of Machiavellianism on these factors, and the interactive effects of Machiavellianism and ethical context on OPC and OC. The findings, based on responses from 89 accounting professionals employed by Chinese enterprises at staff, supervisor and manager levels, indicate that in general the perceived ethical context did not affect judgments of the acceptability of earnings management. However, as anticipated, perceptions of a stronger …