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Articles 1441 - 1470 of 1947

Full-Text Articles in Business

Trustworthiness, Governance, And Wealth Creation, Cam Caldwell, Mark H. Hansen Jan 2010

Trustworthiness, Governance, And Wealth Creation, Cam Caldwell, Mark H. Hansen

Faculty Publications

Although trustworthiness has been described as a source of competitive advantage, its value extends to organizational governance and wealth creation. We identify the importance of the commitment–compliance continuum in the decision to trust and note that trustworthiness is a subjective perception viewed through each person’s mediating lens. That lens and each person’s interpretation of the social contract impact one’s commitment to cooperate. We suggest five propositions that integrate trustworthiness, governance, and wealth creation.


Book-Tax Conformity, Earnings Persistence And The Association Between Earnings And Future Cash Flows, T.J. Atwood, Michael S. Drake, Linda A. Myers Jan 2010

Book-Tax Conformity, Earnings Persistence And The Association Between Earnings And Future Cash Flows, T.J. Atwood, Michael S. Drake, Linda A. Myers

Faculty Publications

Calls for eliminating differences between accounting earnings and taxable income in the U.S. have been debated extensively. Proponents of increased book-tax conformity argue that tax compliance will increase and earnings quality will improve. Opponents argue that earnings quality will decline. We examine whether the level of required book-tax conformity affects earnings persistence and the association between earnings and future cash flows. We develop a comprehensive book-tax conformity measure and find that earnings have lower persistence and a lower association with future cash flows when conformity is higher. Our evidence suggests that increased book-tax conformity may reduce earnings quality.


Do Voluntary Disclosures That Disavow The Reliability Of Mandated Fair Value Information Reflect Legitimate Concerns About Reliability?, Walter G. Blacconiere, James R. Frederickson, Marilyn F. Johnson, Melissa F. Lewis-Western Jan 2010

Do Voluntary Disclosures That Disavow The Reliability Of Mandated Fair Value Information Reflect Legitimate Concerns About Reliability?, Walter G. Blacconiere, James R. Frederickson, Marilyn F. Johnson, Melissa F. Lewis-Western

Faculty Publications

One consequence of the shift to fair value measurement is the emergence of voluntary disclosures in audited financial statements that question the reliability of mandated fair value information. We refer to these disclosures as reliability disavowals and address three questions: Are fair value estimates less reliable for firms that disavow? Do managers of disavowal firms have reason to believe that they cannot reliably estimate the disavowed fair values? Are factors indicative of reliability problems associated with the decision to disavow? We address these questions in the context of managers’ stock option compensation estimates disclosed under SFAS 123. Our results suggest …


Building Entrepreneurship In Subsistence Markets: Microfranchising As An Employment Incubator, Lisa Jones, Helen Parsons, Jason Fairebourne Jan 2010

Building Entrepreneurship In Subsistence Markets: Microfranchising As An Employment Incubator, Lisa Jones, Helen Parsons, Jason Fairebourne

Faculty Publications

Scholars indicate significant interest in business models that support entrepreneurial behavior in developing markets [Wankel C., editor. Alleviating Poverty through Business Strategy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2008]—particularly as they relate to job creation. This research introduces microfranchising as a business model adaptation that helps low-income individuals overcome non credit-related barriers to entry in obtaining employment. This study reveals a clear challenge for researchers—to better understand microfranchising and the extent to which the practice creates employment and enables individual business success. Largely unanswered questions concern the profiles of typical microfranchisees as well as the impacts of microfranchising on low-income individuals in …


The Impact Of Employer Matching On Savings Plan Participation Under Automatic Enrollment, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian Jan 2010

The Impact Of Employer Matching On Savings Plan Participation Under Automatic Enrollment, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

Companies have used a variety of approaches to encourage participation in employer- sponsored savings plans. The most common approach, the provision of an employer matching contribution, is now offered by the vast majority of large fi rms (Profi t Sharing Council of America 2006). Even with a match, however, savings plan participation rates are often surprisingly low (Choi, Laibson, and Madrian 2005), and empirical studies of matching contributions’ effect on plan participation have uniformly found relatively small effects (Andrews 1992; Papke and Poterba 1995; Papke 1995; Bassett, Fleming, and Rodrigues 1998; Kusko, Poterba, and Wilcox 1998; Choi et al. 2002; …


The Regulation Of Consumer Financial Products: An Introductory Essay With A Case Study On Payday Lending, John Y. Campbell, Howell E. Jackson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Peter Tufano Jan 2010

The Regulation Of Consumer Financial Products: An Introductory Essay With A Case Study On Payday Lending, John Y. Campbell, Howell E. Jackson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Peter Tufano

Faculty Publications

The recent financial crisis has led many to question how well businesses deliver consumer financial services and how well regulatory institutions address problems in consumer financial markets. In response, the Obama administration has proposed creating a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Other regulatory reforms have been advanced, and in some cases adopted, in recent years, at both the federal and state level. In this paper, we provide an overview of consumer financial markets, detailing the purposes they serve, the extent to which they suffer from market failures or other deficiencies, and how they are currently regulated. To illustrate our analytical …


Unethical Behavior In The Name Of The Company: The Moderating Effect Of Organizational Identification And Positive Reciprocity Beliefs On Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior, Elizabeth E. Umpress, John B. Bingham, Marie S. Mitchell Jan 2010

Unethical Behavior In The Name Of The Company: The Moderating Effect Of Organizational Identification And Positive Reciprocity Beliefs On Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior, Elizabeth E. Umpress, John B. Bingham, Marie S. Mitchell

Faculty Publications

We examined the relationship between organizational identification and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB)—unethical behaviors conducted by employees to potentially benefit the organization. We predicted that organizational identification would be positively related to UPB and that positive reciprocity beliefs would moderate and strengthen this relationship. The results from 2 field studies support the interaction effect and show that individuals who strongly identify with their organization are more likely to engage in UPB when they hold strong positive reciprocity beliefs. Given the nature of reciprocity, our findings may suggest that highly identified employees who hold strong reciprocity beliefs may conduct UPB with an …


The Impact Of 401(K) Loans On Saving, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian Jan 2010

The Impact Of 401(K) Loans On Saving, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

Although the popular press and politicians often describe 401(k) loans as a problem, classical economic theory has a more benign view. Loans from a 401(k) can relax liquidity constraints and increase household utility. Moreover, loan provisions may have the subtle effect of raising net asset accumulation by making 401(k) participation more appealing: employees who can access their 401(k) assets if they need them may be willing to put more money into an otherwise illiquid 401(k) account. Our research suggests that 401(k) loans are neither a blessing nor a bogeyman. Conditional on borrowing to finance consumption, we show that a 401(k) …


Contributions Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Single-Parent Families, Laurel B. Hornberger, Ramon Zabriskie, Patti Freeman Jan 2010

Contributions Of Family Leisure To Family Functioning Among Single-Parent Families, Laurel B. Hornberger, Ramon Zabriskie, Patti Freeman

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of family leisure involvement to the family functioning of single-parent families and to compare family functioning and family leisure between large samples of dual and single-parent families. Data were collected from a dependent child and custodial parent in 362 U.S. single-parent households. Core and balance family leisure involvement were related to both family cohesion and family adaptability, with core family leisure explaining more variance in family functioning variables from parent, youth, and family perspectives. Family functioning among single-parent families was similar to that of dual-parent families. Family leisure involvement among …


A Stakeholder Identity Orientation Approach To Corporate Social Performance In Family Firms, John B. Bingham, W. Gibb Dyer Jr., Isaac Smith, Gregory L. Adams Jan 2010

A Stakeholder Identity Orientation Approach To Corporate Social Performance In Family Firms, John B. Bingham, W. Gibb Dyer Jr., Isaac Smith, Gregory L. Adams

Faculty Publications

Extending the dialogue on corporate social performance (CSP) as descriptive stakeholder management (Clarkson, Acad Manage Rev 20:92, 1995), we examine differences in CSP activity between family and nonfamily firms. We argue that CSP activity can be explained by the firm’s identity orientation toward stakeholders (Brickson, Admin Sci Quart 50:576, 2005; Acad Manage Rev 32:864, 2007). Specifically, individualistic, relational, or collectivistic identity orientations can describe a firm’s level of CSP activity toward certain stakeholders. Family firms, we suggest, adopt a more relational orientation toward their stakeholders than nonfamily firms, and thus engage in higher levels of CSP. Further, we invoke collectivistic …


Genuine Remorse, David J. Cherrington Jan 2010

Genuine Remorse, David J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

The development of moral character occurs when we realize that we have done something wrong and we resolve to do better. However, this is not what we typically do. The natural tendency is to rationalize our misdeeds and justify what we have done wrong, which allows us to possess a certain sense of emotional comfort.


The Effects Of Financial Statement Information Proximity And Feedback On Cash Flow Forecasts, Frank D. Hodge, Patrick E. Hopkins, David A. Wood Jan 2010

The Effects Of Financial Statement Information Proximity And Feedback On Cash Flow Forecasts, Frank D. Hodge, Patrick E. Hopkins, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), in their joint Financial Statement Presentation project, are reconsidering the basic format of financial statements. The Boards' preliminary discussions related to this joint project indicate that they intend to modify the required financial statements to increase the proximity of performance-related information for each reported period, but also to reduce the number of reported periods. We provide evidence related to each of these potential changes by investigating the effects of financial-statement information proximity and the number of periods of reported performance on investors' ability to learn the forecast-relevant time-series …


Accounting Program Research Rankings By Topical Area And Methodology, Joshua G. Coyne, Scott L. Summers, Brady Williams, David A. Wood Jan 2010

Accounting Program Research Rankings By Topical Area And Methodology, Joshua G. Coyne, Scott L. Summers, Brady Williams, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This paper makes two novel contributions to ranking accounting research programs constructed from publication counts in top journals (AOS, Auditing, BRIA, CAR, JAE, JAR, JATA, JIS, JMAR, RAST, and TAR). In contrast to previous studies, we recognize the mobility of intellectual assets tied to the human capital of accounting researchers and therefore base our rankings on the researchers' current affiliations, rather than their affiliations at the time of publication. Also, we categorize each article written by topical area (auditing, financial, managerial, accounting information systems, tax, and other) and by methodology (analytical, archival, experimental, and other) and provide separate accounting program …


A Stakeholder Identity Orientation Approach To Corporate Social Performance In Family Firms, John B. Bingham, W. Gibb Dyer Jr., Isaac Smith, Gregory L. Adams Jan 2010

A Stakeholder Identity Orientation Approach To Corporate Social Performance In Family Firms, John B. Bingham, W. Gibb Dyer Jr., Isaac Smith, Gregory L. Adams

Faculty Publications

Extending the dialogue on corporate social performance (CSP) as descriptive stakeholder management (Clarkson, Acad Manage Rev 20:92, 1995), we examine differences in CSP activity between family and nonfamily firms. We argue that CSP activity can be explained by the firm’s identity orientation toward stakeholders (Brickson, Admin Sci Quart 50:576, 2005; Acad Manage Rev 32:864, 2007). Specifically, individualistic, relational, or collectivistic identity orientations can describe a firm’s level of CSP activity toward certain stakeholders. Family firms, we suggest, adopt a more relational orientation toward their stakeholders than nonfamily firms, and thus engage in higher levels of CSP. Further, we invoke collectivistic …


Building Entrepreneurship In Subsistence Markets: Microfranchising As An Employment Incubator, Lisa Jones Christensen, Helen Parsons, Jason Fairbourne Jan 2010

Building Entrepreneurship In Subsistence Markets: Microfranchising As An Employment Incubator, Lisa Jones Christensen, Helen Parsons, Jason Fairbourne

Faculty Publications

Scholars indicate significant interest in business models that support entrepreneurial behavior in developing markets [Wankel C., editor. Alleviating Poverty through Business Strategy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2008]—particularly as they relate to job creation. This research introduces microfranchising as a business model adaptation that helps low-income individuals overcome non credit-related barriers to entry in obtaining employment. This study reveals a clear challenge for researchers—to better understand microfranchising and the extent to which the practice creates employment and enables individual business success. Largely unanswered questions concern the profiles of typical microfranchisees as well as the impacts of microfranchising on low-income individuals in …


Dual-Track Versus Single-Track Sell-Outs: An Empirical Analysis Of Competing Harvest Strategies, James C. Brau, Ninon K. Sutton, Nile W. Hatch Jan 2010

Dual-Track Versus Single-Track Sell-Outs: An Empirical Analysis Of Competing Harvest Strategies, James C. Brau, Ninon K. Sutton, Nile W. Hatch

Faculty Publications

We investigate two non-traditional harvest strategies for selling a privately-held company. Dual-track private firms file for an IPO while also courting acquirers. These firms withdraw the IPO to be taken over. Dual-track public firms complete an IPO and are taken over shortly thereafter. Examining 679 takeovers from 1995–2004, we find private dual-track sell-outs earn a 22–26% higher premium and dual-track public sell-outs earn an 18–21% higher premium than single-track sell-outs. Larger, VC-backed, prestigious underwritten, and bubble-year firms have a higher propensity to take the dual-track path. The implication is that entrepreneurs may increase their harvest value by using a dual-track …


Regulatory Reform And Convergence In Banking: The Case Of China, James C. Brau, Drew Dahl, Hongjing Zhang, Mingming Zhou Jan 2010

Regulatory Reform And Convergence In Banking: The Case Of China, James C. Brau, Drew Dahl, Hongjing Zhang, Mingming Zhou

Faculty Publications

We examine the effect of regulatory reform on the asset allocation and capitalization of Chinese banks, 2002 to 2007, a period following China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our empirical evidence rejects the hypothesis that banks in the Big Four, majority state, majority private, and majority foreign categories have common targeted levels of loans and capital in relation to assets. With respect to rates of adjustment towards those targets, our evidence is mixed. Domestic banks exhibit convergence in behavior toward each other but remain distinct from majority foreign banks. Overall, our findings provide evidence that, while the structure …


The Ethics Of Technology, David J. Cherrington Jan 2010

The Ethics Of Technology, David J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

Earlier today, I used my credit card to pay for a purchase. As I handed my card to the merchant, he asked if I had used my card to purchase gas recently. When I said yes, he warned me that I should never do it again. He explained that technology experts have developed something that fits inside the credit card reader and copies your credit card information. Another customer overhearing our conversation nodded in agreement. The merchant acknowledged that carrying cash to make gas purchases was much less convenient, but he cautioned me that I should never again use a …


Entity-Level Controls: The Internal Auditor's Assessment Of Management Tone At The Top, James Hansen, Nathaniel M. Stephens, David A. Wood Jan 2010

Entity-Level Controls: The Internal Auditor's Assessment Of Management Tone At The Top, James Hansen, Nathaniel M. Stephens, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

The internal audit function’s (IAF) regular interaction with management and continual presence within the organization place it in a unique position to monitor the organization. Although the IAF has significant potential to evaluate and improve corporate governance, research has yet to explore how internal auditors assess an important component of corporate governance— management tone at the top. This paper reports survey evidence of 578 practicing internal auditors related to (1) current internal auditing practices regarding assessing management’s tone, (2) internal auditor’s current assessments of management’s tone, and (3) potential future practices internal auditor’s could perform to improve management’s tone. In …


Entrepreneurial Success: Differing Perceptions Of Entrepreneurs And Venture Capitalists, Ervin L. Black, F. Greg Burton, David A. Wood, Aaron F. Zimbelman Jan 2010

Entrepreneurial Success: Differing Perceptions Of Entrepreneurs And Venture Capitalists, Ervin L. Black, F. Greg Burton, David A. Wood, Aaron F. Zimbelman

Faculty Publications

The recent credit crisis has made it more difficult for entrepreneurs to find funding. It is increasingly important for entrepreneurs to know what is important to venture capitalists (VCs) when they make their funding decisions. We interview entrepreneurs and VCs to determine traits these groups perceive as necessary for entrepreneurial success. We find that entrepreneurs cite traits inherent to their nature significantly more than VCs. Additionally, entrepreneurs who do not have previous VC funding experience differ significantly from VCs in identifying important factors for VC funding. In contrast, entrepreneurs with previous VC funding experience did not differ from VCs in …


Decomposition Of Fraud-Risk Assessments And Auditors’ Sensitivity To Fraud Cues*, T. Jeffrey Wilks, Mark F. Zimbelman Jan 2010

Decomposition Of Fraud-Risk Assessments And Auditors’ Sensitivity To Fraud Cues*, T. Jeffrey Wilks, Mark F. Zimbelman

Faculty Publications

Practitioners and regulators are concerned that when auditors perceive management’s attitude or character as indicative of low fraud risk, they are not sufficiently sensitive to high levels of incentive or opportunity risks in their overall fraud-risk assessments. In this study, we examine whether a fraud-triangle decomposition of fraud-risk assessments (that is, separately assessing attitude, opportunity, and incentive risks prior to assessing overall fraud risk) increases auditors’ sensitivity to opportunity and incentive cues when perceptions of management’s attitude suggest low fraud risk. In an experiment with 52 practicing audit managers, we find that auditors who decompose fraud-risk assessments are more sensitive …


The Impact Of Direct And Indirect Experiences On The Development Of Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behavior, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt Jan 2010

The Impact Of Direct And Indirect Experiences On The Development Of Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behavior, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt

Faculty Publications

This study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the relationship between nature experience type (e.g., direct and indirect) and learning outcomes (e.g., environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior) associated with an environmental education, international immersion program for adolescents. Longitudinal data from 108 participant and 49 comparison group members were analyzed to test the study’s hypotheses. Additionally, qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to assess participants’ perceptions of these processes. The findings indicate that environmental knowledge increased more than environmental attitudes during the indirect portion of the program (i.e., preparatory program) whereas the direct portion (i.e., international workshop) produced similar …


Norms, Conformity, And Controls, William B. Tayler, Robert J. Bloomfield Jan 2010

Norms, Conformity, And Controls, William B. Tayler, Robert J. Bloomfield

Faculty Publications

Research in behavioral economics suggests that in addition to their traditional incentive effects, formal control systems can influence psychological motivations. We extend this literature by demonstrating experimentally that formal controls directly influence people’s sense of what behaviors are appropriate in the setting (personal norms), and indirectly alter people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of those around them (descriptive norms). These effects persist even after the controls are changed, so that the effects of current controls can be strongly influenced by past control strength. Our results support those who are incorporating psychological factors into principal-agent models (such as Fischer and …


Public Policy And Saving For Retirement: The “Autosave” Features Of The Pension Protection Act Of 2006, John Beshears, James Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Brian Weller Jan 2010

Public Policy And Saving For Retirement: The “Autosave” Features Of The Pension Protection Act Of 2006, John Beshears, James Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, Brian Weller

Faculty Publications

On August 17, 2006, President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) into law, following its passage by both houses of Congress in a strong showing of bipartisan support.1 This law, heralded by some as the most sweeping piece of pension reform legislation since the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), contains many different pension reform provisions.2 In this paper, we focus on a subset of measures within the PPA adopted specifically to promote better savings outcomes in defined contribution savings plans.


The Executive Pay Drama: From Comedy To Tragedy, David J. Cherrington Dec 2009

The Executive Pay Drama: From Comedy To Tragedy, David J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

Over the past century, an interesting play has been performed in the United States called Executive Pay, Starring Your Local CEO. The play opened as a comedy, with executive bonuses and stock options rising at ridiculous rates compared to the pay of factory workers, teachers, and engineers. The performance didn’t get a lot of laughs, but people would smile and shake their heads as if the surprise of ever-escalating pay was an amusing disclosure. During economic downturns there were fewer smiles, and some outspoken critics were remarkably blunt in labeling executive pay practices as “enormous,” “immoral,” and “outrageous.” The title …


Pornography As A Leisure Behavior: An Investigation Of Pornography Use And Leisure Boredom, Casey B. Schenk Oct 2009

Pornography As A Leisure Behavior: An Investigation Of Pornography Use And Leisure Boredom, Casey B. Schenk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate pornography use in the context of leisure boredom. The sample consisted of N = 290 married couples (N = 580 individuals) from a large Northwestern city in the United States. When controlling for demographic variables, leisure boredom accounted for 2.2% of the variance within pornography use. Results suggest leisure boredom as a significant predictor of pornography use in married adults. A quadratic effect was also found, suggesting this relationship to be curvilinear. Findings are discussed around the use of leisure theory in pornography scholarship, in this case leisure boredom. Practical applications …


Good Management’S Impact On Inventory Shrinkage, David J. Cherrington Oct 2009

Good Management’S Impact On Inventory Shrinkage, David J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

One of my good friends, Joseph Nelson, tried to convince me that inventory shrinkage was mostly a management problem. Based on his experience as a store manager, Joe claimed that the conduct and example of top management were the most important factors in curtailing shoplifting and employee theft. I was much more inclined to focus on the dishonesty of customers and employees.


Marital Satisfaction Among Married Couples In Which One Or Both Members Play A Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (Mmorpg), A Michelle Elton Ahlstrom Jun 2009

Marital Satisfaction Among Married Couples In Which One Or Both Members Play A Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (Mmorpg), A Michelle Elton Ahlstrom

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the gaming behaviors of married individuals and couples who play Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game(s) (MMORPGs) including gaming addiction, time spent gaming, satisfaction in gaming participation, gaming interaction (between joint gaming spouses), and socio-demographic variables and the subsequent marital satisfaction levels of both individuals in the couple. Hypotheses were generally supported, excluding the hours spent gaming. 685 couples were separated and analyzed according to whether both individuals in the marriage gamed or just one individual gamed (couple-gaming type). Couples in which only one individual gamed (individual-gamer couples) had …


Exploring Calvin And Hobbes: Comic Strip Illuminates Issues Surrounding Family Recreation, Christijan D. Draper May 2009

Exploring Calvin And Hobbes: Comic Strip Illuminates Issues Surrounding Family Recreation, Christijan D. Draper

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to inductively examine the content of the popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by analyzing its latent and subjective meaning to discover basic social psychological issues associated with family recreation. The entire collection of 1,360 Calvin and Hobbes strips was evaluated using Grounded Theory techniques influenced by the art scholarship evaluation tool iconography. Review of the strip suggests one way to assess the meaning associated with time use is through preemptive retrospection by which a person looks at current experiences through the lens of an anticipated future to estimate how meaningful that time will …


Pay Fairness: An Ethical Or A Legal Issue?, David J. Cherrington Feb 2009

Pay Fairness: An Ethical Or A Legal Issue?, David J. Cherrington

Faculty Publications

There is an interesting drama that has been playing in the United States for the past century called “Executive Pay, Starring Your Local CEO”. For many years this drama was a comedy as executive bonuses and stock options continued to rise at ridiculous rates compared to the pay of factory workers, teachers, and engineers. This drama didn’t get a lot of laughs; but people would smile and shake their heads as if the surprise was an amusing disclosure.