Business Commons^™

Report Of The Independent Review Of Freedom Of Speech In Australian Higher Education Providers, Tony Shannon

International Journal for Business Education

This summary does not claim to be preferred in any way to a reading of the complete report with its succinct and simple recommendations, including “A Model Code for the Protection of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom in Australian Higher Education Providers”. The review is an important document for all institutions dedicated to teaching, particularly at the tertiary level, in having a shared understanding of freedom of speech within an institution.

The Review involved a two-stage consultation process with universities and other stakeholders between November 2018 and March 2019, and it also considered recent pertinent debates in Canada, New …

Beyond ‘Know-What’ And ‘Know-How’ To ‘Know-Who’: Enhancing Human Capital With Social Capital In An Australian Start-Up Accelerator, Pi-Shen Seet, Janice T. Jones, Lloyd Oppelaar, Graciela Corral De Zubielqui

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study investigates the enhancement of human capital with social capital in a start-up accelerator and how this integration affects the entrepreneurial learning experience. In particular, it examines the relative importance of the three components ‘know-what’, ‘know-how’ and ‘know-who’. The study involved thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with participants in an Australian start-up accelerator that is delivered using ideas such as Design Thinking, the Business Model Canvas and Lean Start-up methodology. We find that although the programme emphasised ‘know-what’ and ‘know-how’, ‘know-who’ was most significant for participant learning. The results indicate that mentors and experts were especially helpful in shaping …

Collaboration And The Emerging Craft Brewing Industry: An Exploratory Study, Alonso Duarte, Nevil Alexander, Seamus O'Brien

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In adopting various elements associated with the theory of collaboration, this exploratory study investigates collaboration in the context of predominantly micro- and small craft breweries. The findings revealed that collaboration within other brewers helped increase product quality, gain basic knowledge of new recipes, and enhance strategic knowledge about the industry. The applicability of the elements related to the theory of collaboration was confirmed. For instance, the element of stakeholders of a problem domain was aligned with the notion that craft brewery operators’ actions, including collaboration, can have significant impacts on the problem domain that brought them together

Measuring The Quality And Identifying Influencing Factors Of Sustainability Reporting: Evidence From The Resources Industry In Australia, Siew Hoon Ong

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The lack of a standardised reporting framework in sustainability reporting has resulted in companies producing unaudited generic sustainability information that are not reflective of companies’ actual sustainability performance. The disclosures also differ in quality and hinder comparison. This study addresses these problems with the development of a new scoring index that integrates the hard and soft principles in Clarkson, Li, Richardson and Vasvari’s (2008) environmental index with performance indicators of the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) framework. The newly developed index comprises all three aspects of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) and adopts a standardised scoring scale that is reflective of …

Can The Financialised Atmosphere Be Effectively Regulated And Accounted For?, Patty Mcnicholas, Carolyn Windsor

Carolyn Windsor

Purpose – This paper aims to carry out a critical analysis of the proposed Australian emissions trading scheme (ETS) as a complex market solution to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs). Specifically it seeks to examine the financial regulatory infrastructure that will more than likely oversee the Australian ETS, the same regulatory infrastructure which failed to prevent the global financial crisis.Design/methodology/approach – A critical examination of the financialisation of the atmosphere that follows the growth of the financialisation of capitalism when economic activity shifted from production and service sectors to finance. Financialisation of capitalism is supported by capitalist regulation influenced by neo-liberal …

Attaining Legitimacy By Employee Information In Annual Reports, Pamela Kent, Tamara Zunker

Tamara Zunker

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on the category, quantity and quality of voluntary employee-related information Australian listed companies disclose in their annual report. An explanation is also sought to determine whether companies adopt employee-related disclosures to legitimise their relationship with society. Voluntary adoption of corporate governance best practice recommendations is used as a measure of companies’ attempts to attain ex ante legitimacy. Media agenda setting theory is used as a measure of an attempt to gain legitimacy ex post following adverse publicity from the media. Design/methodology/approach – The annual reports of all companies with …

Attaining Legitimacy By Employee Information In Annual Reports, Pamela Kent, Tamara Zunker

Pamela Kent

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on the category, quantity and quality of voluntary employee-related information Australian listed companies disclose in their annual report. An explanation is also sought to determine whether companies adopt employee-related disclosures to legitimise their relationship with society. Voluntary adoption of corporate governance best practice recommendations is used as a measure of companies’ attempts to attain ex ante legitimacy. Media agenda setting theory is used as a measure of an attempt to gain legitimacy ex post following adverse publicity from the media. Design/methodology/approach – The annual reports of all companies with …

Audit Firm Manuals And Audit Experts’ Approaches To Internal Control Evaluation, Conor O'Leary, Errol Iselin, Divesh Sharma

Errol Iselin

Internal control evaluation is a crucial component of external auditing. This study uses more direct research techniques than traditional studies, to investigate what practising auditors consider to be good internal control evaluation methods. It then compares these with the current Australian auditing standard (AUS 402). A review of audit methodologies of three of Australia's largest firms, and interviews with five audit experts were conducted. The results demonstrated a shift towards a 'business risk' approach to internal control evaluation. AUS 402 may not always reflect the modern practice, particularly in relation to the significance of individual control elements. The results therefore …

Droughts And Big Baths Of Australian Agricultural Firms, Pamela Kent, Reza Monem, Glenn Cuffe

Pamela Kent

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Australian agricultural firms display big bath behaviour during droughts by recognising extraordinary and abnormal losses. It is hypothesised that Australian agricultural firms are more likely to report big bath losses in drought years than in non-drought years and, in a given drought year, agricultural firms are more likely to report big bath losses than firms in other industries.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyse 405 firm-years data for agricultural firms over 1980-1995. For comparison, they also analyse matched-pair samples of 17 and 30 non-agricultural firms for the drought years of …

Preferred Learning Methods: Comparisons Between International And Domestic Accounting Students, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study provides a comparison between the preferred learning modes (traditional, interactive, group case-based lectures) of international and domestic students undertaking a new undergraduate accounting topic at an Australian university. A Likert-scale survey questionnaire was used to determine the differences and similarities between the two groups. When the results are analysed using the Hofstede model of societal cultural dimensions, they indicate significant differences between the two groups of students with regard to their preferences for formal versus interactive and group case-based lectures. The paper provides a discussion of the implications of these findings for teaching methods, assessment and curriculum development.

An Analysis Of The Obstacles Of Culture, Government, And Lack Of Support For International Accounting Standards, Bethany Theodore

Senior Honors Theses

With the prevalence of international markets comes the need for universal accounting standards. The International Accounting Standards Board has created a set of these standards, but unfortunately some skeptics have found that the obstacles of culture, government, and lack of support would make these standards impossible to implement. Since the globalization of international standards is inevitable, there must be a way to get past the present obstacles. Through an analysis of the countries of China, India, and Australia, it has been found that it is possible to have the same accounting standards among diverse countries. International accounting standards will become …

Implications Of The Ifrs Goodwill Accounting Treatment, G Wines, R Dagwell, Carolyn Windsor

Carolyn Windsor

Purpose – This paper aims to critically examine the change in accounting treatment for goodwill pursuant to international financial reporting standards (IFRSs) by reference to the Australian reporting regime.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses and compares the former Australian and the new IFRS treatments for goodwill. This comparison focuses on the advantages and potential complexities of the new method, with the aim of identifying the issues and challenges that preparers, independent auditors and those involved in corporate governance face in complying with the new requirements.

Findings – The paper highlights that the identification and valuation of cash-generating units and goodwill …

The Project Of Intellectual Capital Disclosure: Researching The Research, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines a number of key issues relating to intellectual capital (IC) disclosure by addressing some of the strengths, weaknesses and gaps of the extant research. The paper begins by examining the definitions of intellectual capital and intellectual capital disclosure currently in use. Methodological issues are examined in relation to the use of source documents, coding frameworks, and research methods. Both positivist and critical theoretical perspectives used to provide a theoretical underpinning of IC disclosure analysis are reviewed. The paper concludes by arguing for the importance of addressing these issues in order to improve the credibility of IC disclosure, …

Issues Relating To Designing A Work-Integrated Learning (Wil) Program In An Undergraduate Accounting Degree Program And Its Implications For The Curriculum, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs are becoming popular with students, government, employers, and universities. A major benefit of a WIL program is the increased employability of students, and this matches well with the present trend whereby students expect a pay-off from their investment in education. Although WIL programs are more common in some profession-based undergraduate courses than others, they have not been frequently discussed in relation to accounting in the Australian context. This paper discusses issues related to designing a WIL program for an undergraduate accounting program in an Australian context. The importance of WIL programs in general is followed by …

Accounting: In Crisis Or Ascendancy?, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Recent corporate failure has challenged the credibility of the accounting profession, leading many stakeholders to question the usefulness of financial reports for decision-making. This paper examines fluctuations in the accounting profession’s authoritative influence over accounting standard setting and financial reporting. It focuses on the period following the collapse of the HIH Group in 2002, with contextual reference to earlier periods. It then outlines the submissions made by the accounting profession, actuaries and regulatory institutions to the Royal Commission Inquiry into the collapse of the HIH Group. These submissions are analysed in relation to the profession promoting functionally defined interests and …

Tax Complexity And Small Business: A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Tax Agents In The United States And Australia, Laura R. Ingraham, S. Karlinsky, M. Mckerchar

Laura R. Ingraham

There is ongoing pressure in both the United States and Australia to simplify their respective tax systems, particularly in regard to small business taxpayers. In the case of both regimes, if substantial progress is to be made towards simplification, the areas of greatest need and the necessary reforms will require careful evaluation. The views of tax agents (practitioners) are highly relevant to the implementation of successful reform in that both regimes rely on self-assessment. It was considered that by undertaking a cross-jurisdictional comparison a greater understanding of complexity, from the perspective of tax agents, could be gained and that, the …

Tax Complexity And Small Business: A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Tax Agents In The United States And Australia, Laura R. Ingraham, S. Karlinsky, M. Mckerchar

Faculty Publications

There is ongoing pressure in both the United States and Australia to simplify their respective tax systems, particularly in regard to small business taxpayers. In the case of both regimes, if substantial progress is to be made towards simplification, the areas of greatest need and the necessary reforms will require careful evaluation. The views of tax agents (practitioners) are highly relevant to the implementation of successful reform in that both regimes rely on self-assessment. It was considered that by undertaking a cross-jurisdictional comparison a greater understanding of complexity, from the perspective of tax agents, could be gained and that, the …

Users And Accounting Information Preferences Of Government Department Financial Reports, Helen R. Mignot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The introduction of an accounting standard requiring government departments to replace fund-type, cash-based accounting statements with business-type, accrual based accounting statements has led to criticism that business-type, general purpose financial statements do not take account of the information requirements of major users. Such criticism echoes a long standing debate in which the users of public sector financial statements and their informational requirements are analysed in competing models. One view suggests that there are many users with homogeneous informational needs, who can be classified into a few broad groups. The other view maintains that there are few users who have differential …

Determinants Of The Decision To Capitalize Finance Leases By Lessees : Australian Evidence, Salleh B. Hassan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The objective of this study is to examine the economic factors motivating Australian listed lessee firms to adopt capitalization or footnote disclosure of their finance lease commitments from 1985 to 1987 as permitted by the transitional provision of AAS 17. Six research hypotheses are developed from the economic consequences perspective. It is hypothesised that the decision to capitalize finance lease commitments is positively related to firm’s : (1) corporate structure, (2) size, {3) political visibility, _(4) financial performance, and (5) overseas association, and negatively related to (6) debt contract financial constraints. Support for these hypotheses would be construed as suggesting …

Receptivity To A Proposed Change In Accounting Education, Patricia A. Addison

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This cross-sectional correlation study is concerned with accounting practitioners' receptivity to a propose change in accounting education; specifically, that the existing three year degree course be extended to four years. This change is proposed by the Accounting Profession in Australia. A model of accounting practitioners' receptivity towards the proposed change, at the adoption stage, was revised and adapted from a general model of teacher receptivity to any system-wide change. The revised model has one dependent variable, receptivity, which is measured in three aspects; overall feelings, attitudes, and general behaviour intentions towards the proposed change in accounting education. It has eight …

Tax-Effect Accounting In Australia : The Nature And Treatment Of The Provision For Deferred Income Tax, Robert A. Lopez

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Tax-effect accounting has been controversy since its origin in allocation has generally been adopted the subject in the 1940s. Tax across the English speaking world, even though underlying basic issues have not been resolved. A review of the literature shows that issues such as: whether income tax is an expense; whether the provision for deferred income tax is a liability and whether the provision for future income tax benefit is an asset have not been resolved because of differing opinions as to what is an expense, liability or an asset. The development of a conceptual framework in Australia, which provides …