Business Commons^™

Thinking Finance - The Comic Book, Dimitrios V. Siskos

Dimitrios V. Siskos

Thinking financially results in the best possible outcome and establishes a secure foundation for the future as an independent man. In contrast, thinking emotionally leads to short-sighted financial decisions and usually, deep regrets. However, thinking financially is not pleasant for the people around us. This comic book presents a guy, whose dream is to become an accountant. When he finally succeeds in this, he realizes that thinking financially may be effective for his boss but it is irritating for everyone else, even for his family.

How To Reduce The Tax Bill Of A Multinational Technology Company?, Dimitrios V. Siskos

Dimitrios V. Siskos

It is said that nothing in this world is certain except for death and taxes. For those with clever accountants, however, the latter can be kept to a minimum. Particularly, companies seek to minimize their tax liability through "tax planning", adopting deductions, rebates, exemptions and other “legal” tools that the domestic tax system provides to them. However, while tax planning is considered to be quite logical in the terms of making profit, there is a grey area between this and "tax avoidance”. This paper suggests a legitimate tax plan for a multinational technology company that minimizes its tax obligations1, without …

Impact Of Life-Cycle Costs Threshold Criteria In The Alternate Design Pavement Bidding Practices Of Public Transportation Agencies, Ilker Karaca, Douglas Gransberg, Ashley F. Buss

Ilker Karaca

This paper proposes a model that enables Department of Transportation (DOT) policy makers to quantify the expected volume of projects that will qualify for letting in their alternate design/alternate bid (ADAB) pavement bidding programs. Current guidance on alternate bidding recommends a fixed percentage as the life cycle cost (LCC) threshold criterion to determine whether pavement selection decisions should be made through ADAB bidding practices. The paper’s analysis shows that the fixed LCC threshold percentage approach may have considerable shortcomings. Instead, a dynamic threshold value is proposed that can subsequently be calibrated by agencies, based on the desired size of their …

The Impact Of Independent Directors On The Cash Conversion Cycle Of American Manufacturing Firms, John Obradovich, Amarjit Gill, Nahum Biger

John Obradovich

This study examined the impact of independent directors on the cash conversion cycle of American manufacturing firms. A sample of 189 American manufacturing firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for a period of five years (from 2009–2013) was used. The findings indicate that the presence of independent directors on the board of directors shortens the inventory period and cash conversion cycle of manufacturing firms. The study contributes to the literature on the factors that shorten the cash conversion cycle of the firm. The results may be used by financial managers and operations managers.

Coporate Governance, Institutional Ownership, And The Decision To Pay The Amount Of Dividends: Evidence From Usa, John Obradovich, Amarjit Gill

John Obradovich

The decision to pay dividends is influenced by many financial factors. The purpose of this study is to find the relationships between corporate governance, institutional ownership, and the decision to pay dividends in American service firms. A sample of 296 American firms listed on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for a period of 3 years (from 2009-2011) was selected. This study applied a co-relational and non-experimental research design. The findings of this study indicate that the decision to pay dividends is a positive function of board size, CEO duality, and internationalization of the firm, and a negative function of institutional …

The Impact Of Corporate Governance And Financial Leverage On The Value Of American Firms, John Obradovich, Amarjit Gill

John Obradovich

This study examines the impact of corporate governance and financial leverage on the value of American firms. This study also seeks to extend the findings of Gill and Mathur (2011a). A sample of 333 firms listed on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for a period of 3 years from 2009-2011 was selected. The co-relational and non-experimental research design was used to conduct this study. Overall, findings show that larger board size negatively impacts the value of American firms, and CEO duality, audit committee, financial leverage, firm size, return on assets, and insider holdings positively impact the value of American firms. …

¿Por Qué Debería Solicitar Créditos Rápidos Online?, Creditos Rapidos

Creditos Rapidos

Ceo Compensation And Risk-Taking At Financial Firms: Evidence From U.S. Federal Loan Assistance, Amar Gande, Swami Kalpathy

Amar Gande

We examine whether risk-taking among the largest financial firms in the U.S. is related to CEO equity incentives before the 2008 financial crisis. Using data on U.S. Federal Reserve emergency loans provided to these firms, we find that the amount of emergency loans and total days the loans are outstanding are increasing in pre-crisis CEO risk-taking incentives – “vega”. Our results are robust to accounting for endogeneity in CEO equity incentives and selection of financial firms into emergency loan programs. We also rule out the possibility that our results are driven by a bank’s funding base, bank complexity, CEO overconfidence, …

Additional Evidence On The Impact Of The International Financial Reporting Standards On Earnings Quality: Evidence From Latin America, Mauricio A. Melgarejo

Mauricio Melgarejo

Post-Jgtrra Dividend Planning, Danny A. Pannese, Paul N. Iannone

Danny Pannese

The JGTRRA reduced the tax rate on dividends for individuals and lowered the accumulated earnings and personal holding company taxes for corporations until 2008. This article reviews some of the planning techniques corporations and shareholders can use to take advantage of the temporarily lower rates. One of the key provisions of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (JGTRRA), if not the prime emphasis of the legislation, is Section 302's reduction in the individual tax rate on corporate dividends received to 15% (5% for individuals in the 15% and 10% brackets). In an emerging trend, the lower …

Fair Value Accounting: Affect On The Auditing Profession, Danny A. Pannese, Alan Delfavero

Danny Pannese

During this period of global markets, multinational corporations are demanding financial accounting standards with enhanced uniformity. In an effort to achieve this objective, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) have been working together on the Convergence Project, aiming to develop accounting standards that closely correlate with international financial reporting standards. In September 2006 and February 2007, the FASB issued two key fair value accounting (FVA) standards which focused on providing guidelines for fair value measurement (through a classification hierarchy), expanding disclosure requirements, and also allowing business entities to increase FVA's application. However, the …

Liberating Trapped Cash: A Case Study Of Trapped Cash At Apple And Microsoft, Russell P. Engel, Bridget M. Lyons, Danny A. Pannese

Danny Pannese

The topic of trapped cash, or cash permanently reinvested overseas to avoid tax upon repatriation, has become a hot topic in accounting, finance and policy circles over the past two years. This case study analyzes the activities of two major technology firms, Microsoft and Apple, to liberate enormous holdings of trapped cash. The case prompts a discussion of the topic of trapped cash, stakeholder considerations and tools available to manage cash balances held outside the United States. The focus is to examine the strategies available and those selected by Microsoft and Apple to meet or at least appease stakeholder demands …

Suppliers, Investors, And Equity Market Liberalizations, Martin Strieborny

Martin Strieborny

Allowing foreign investors to acquire equity stakes in domestic firms stimulates the real economy by promoting frictionless relationships between buyers and suppliers of intermediate goods. I combine insights from research on financial liberalization and relationship-specific investment to derive this hypothesis and then use a difference-in-difference empirical framework to test it. Results from panel-data and event-study estimations confirm that equity market liberalizations boost output growth particularly in suppliers-dependent industries that require a high share of specialized inputs in their production process. Financial openness can thus facilitate smooth interactions between firms and an important corporate stakeholder - suppliers of crucial production inputs.

In Pursuit Of Good & Gold: Data Observations Of Employee Ownership & Impact Investment, Christopher Geczy, Jessica S. Jeffers, David K. Musto, Anne M. Tucker

Anne Tucker

A startup's path to self-sustaining profitability is risky and hard, and most do not make it. Venture capital (VC) investors try to improve these odds with contractual terms that focus and sharpen employees' incentives to pursue gold. If the employees and investors expect the startup to balance the goal of profitability with another goal - the goal of good - the risks are likely to both grow and multiply. They grow to the extent that profits are threatened, and they multiply to the extent that balancing competing goals adds a dimension to the incentive problem. In this Article, we explore …

Earnings Manipulation: A Report By Robert Lavine On The Business Ethics Research Of Kenneth Rosenzweig And Marilyn Fischer, Kenneth Yale Rosenzweig, Marilyn Fischer

Marilyn Fischer

This column by Robert LaVine in the Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand reports on the research of University of Dayton professors Kenneth Rosenzweig and Marilyn Fischer, "Is Managing Earnings Ethically Acceptable? Surveys Show Age and Seniority Affect Attitudes on Earnings Management," >>> published in the journal Management Accounting.

Is Managing Earnings Ethically Acceptable? Surveys Show Age And Seniority Affect Attitudes On Earnings Management, Kenneth Yale Rosenzweig, Marilyn Fischer

Marilyn Fischer

Is managing earnings through accounting methods ethically acceptable? That's the question we recently asked a sample group of management accountants. The response to the survey was enlightening. Our survey was designed as a follow-up and extension of the research done by Bruns and Merchant and published in Management Accounting in August 1990. They found that managers disagreed considerably on whether earnings management is ethically acceptable. They also found that in general the respondents thought manipulating earnings via operating decisions was more ethically acceptable than manipulation by accounting methods. Bruns and Merchant were disturbed by these findings. They were concerned that …

Report Earnings Accurately, Kenneth Yale Rosenzweig, Marilyn Fischer

Marilyn Fischer

As authors of the March article, “Is Managing Earnings Ethically Acceptable?,” we wish to thank Alfred M. King for his letter in the April issue questioning some of the contentions in our article. In a time when corruption seems to be rampant in many aspects of our national life, it is important for accountants to discuss openly what are their ethical responsibilities, and what are the limits to those responsibilities. The credibility of accounting numbers is vital to our success as a profession and as individual accountants. There will be no demand for accounting service if accounting information is not …

How Corporate Culture Impacts Unethical Distortion Of Financial Numbers, Joseph F. Castellano, Kenneth Y. Rosenzweig, Harper A. Roehm

Joseph Castellano

The recent accounting scandals have highlighted the critical role that investor confidence in the accuracy and lack of distortion of accounting data plays in the health of capital markets and, indeed, the whole economy. The legal and moral culpability of top-level company managers (as well as auditors) is an issue that will be addressed by the nation in the coming months. Whether or not legal sanctions are imposed on managers, it would be well to examine some of the reasons managers may feel compelled to distort accounting numbers as well as engage in other actions that damage the interests of …

The Abcs Of Communicating Results, Deborah S. Archambeault, Morgen Rose

Deborah Archambeault

Communicating results is an integral part of the internal auditor's job, and The IIA's International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing recognizes its importance by specifying in Standard 2420 that communications should be "accurate, objective, clear, concise, constructive, complete, and timely." In its 2009 survey. The Biggest Internal Audit Challenges in the Next Five Years, Protiviti, a global consulting firm, ranked communication with management and the audit committee as one of the biggest challenges facing internal auditing through 2012. Their subsequent 2010 Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey identified presentation skills as the top "need to improve" personal …

Standard Costing Variances: Potential Red Flags Of Fraud?, Cecily A. Raiborn, Janet B. Butler, Lucian Zelazny

Lucian Zelazny

This article focuses on how standard cost variances can be used in detecting potential fraudulent activities. Each primary type of variance (material, labor, and overhead) is addressed with a discussion of possible inappropriate causal factors. Additionally, internal controls, graphic techniques, and other methods that can be implemented to combat fraud are provided.

Protecting Reasonable Expectations: Mapping The Trajectory Of The Law, Edward J. Waitzer, Douglas Sarro

Edward J. Waitzer

The doctrine of reasonable expectations has evolved into a powerful tool for judicial and regulatory activism and, as a result, a bellwether for the trajectory of the law. The concept has broadened — both in scope and in the range of potential claimants. Yet it has been used to achieve goals that are remarkably consistent across different areas of law: first, to require powerful actors to treat stakeholders fairly, which entails treating them with honesty and avoiding actions that would impose unnecessary or disproportionate costs on them; second, to uphold the integrity of legal or regulatory regimes by remedying actions …

Does Beating Cash Flow Benchmarks Reduce The Cost Of Debt?, Mauricio A. Melgarejo

Mauricio Melgarejo

This paper examines whether beating previous year cash flow values and analysts' cash flow forecasts impact the firms' cost of debt. Creditors are expected to be more concerned about firm solvency than firm profitability. Accordingly, if lenders have any reference point it may be related to cash flow numbers. This study finds that firms that beat analysts' cash flow forecasts have smaller initial bond yield spreads in the next period and a decrease in their initial bond yield spreads between consecutive periods. This effect is more pronounced at short maturities and for observations with less informative earnings. Firms with lower …

Agency Activism As A New Way Of Life: Administrative Modification Of The Internal Revenue Code Through Limited Issue Focused Examinations, W Edward Afield

W. Edward "Ted" Afield

In the name of increasing efficiency and better utilizing limited resources, the IRS has begun to adopt audit policies that overly favor taxpayers and greatly hinder the IRS’s ability to perform thorough audits. Highlighting this trend is a relatively new audit technique used by the Large to Mid-Size Business Division (LMSB), known as the Limited Issue Focused Examination (LIFE) Process. Under LIFE, the LMSB has attempted to involve taxpayers in the audit process by sharing responsibility for timely completion of the audit and has attempted to streamline the audit by reducing the scope of issues examined and applying materiality thresholds …

Nol Poison Pills: Using Corporate Law For Tax Purposes, Sarah J. Webber, Karie Davis-Nozemack

Sarah J Webber

Hundreds of thousands of corporations report net operating loss (NOL) carryovers every year.1 Corporations, with the benefit of NOL rules, may turn disappointing losses into favorable tax results. During economic recovery, corporations are in better position to fully utilize the benefits of NOLs generated in prior years. NOL usage is not without peril, however. Corporations should carefully monitor corporate ownership changes to ensure that NOLs are not lost to the NOL trafficking rules. Under the NOL trafficking rules, excessive shareholder turnover triggers substantial NOL limitations. Unfortunately, corporations are not in control of their shareholder turnover, and therefore not in complete …

Staggered Boards And Long-Term Firm Value, Revisited, K.J. Martijn Cremers, Lubomir P. Litov, Simone M. Sepe

Lubomir P. Litov

Shared Auditors In Mergers And Acquisitions, Dan Dhaliwal, Philip Lamoreaux, Lubomir P. Litov, Jordan Neyland

Lubomir P. Litov

The Interrelationships Between Reit Capital Structure And Investment, Jamie Alcock, Eva Steiner

Eva Steiner

Client Size, Auditor Specialization And Fraudulent Financial Reporting, Joseph Carcello, Albert Nagy

Albert Nagy

This study examines the effect that client size has on the relation between industry-specialist auditors and fraudulent financial reporting. Most of the major accounting firms have organized their audit practices along industry lines, reflecting a belief that industry specialization leads to higher quality audits. Furthermore, regulatory bodies and extant research suggests that larger clients have greater bargaining power and are more likely to be able to convince the auditor to acquiesce to aggressive accounting. Also, it may be more difficult for an auditor to possess industry expertise for larger clients who are likely to be more complex and operate in …

Audit Firm Tenure And Fraudulent Financial Reporting, Joseph Carcello, Albert Nagy

Albert Nagy

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) required the U.S. Comptroller General to study the potential effects of requiring mandatory audit firm rotation. The General Accounting Office (GAO) concludes in its recently released study of mandatory audit firm rotation that “mandatory audit firm rotation may not be the most efficient way to strengthen auditor independence” (GAO 2003, Highlights). However, the GAO also suggests that mandatory audit firm rotation could be necessary if the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's requirements do not lead to improved audit quality (GAO 2003, 5).We examine the relation between audit firm tenure and fraudulent financial reporting. Comparing firms cited for fraudulent reporting …

Chinese Approach To Exchange Rates And Impact On Trade, Kimberly D. Scott

Kimberly D Scott

The United States and China have embarked on considerable deliberation in the United States trade and the value of the Chinese currency among academics and politicians alike. Over the years, research on the two topics has consistently addressed the subject by investigating the equilibrium real exchange rate between the yuan (CNY) and the dollar (USD), with results exposing the undervaluation in the yuan since the 1990’s.