Business Commons^™

The Observer Effect And U.S. Accounting Rules, Thomas A. King

Engaged Management ReView

This inductive study evaluates how accounting rules promulgated by U.S. standard setters evolved over a century. Archival data viewed through the lens of the observer effect -- where the act of observation influences the subject -- reveals long-term patterns of behavior. Interaction of rule makers and followers suggests three generalizations: rule sets grow, codification accelerates rule set growth, and interaction between regulators and those who are regulated confounds predictions about possible consequences of new rules. In other words, this system has never reached equilibrium despite one hundred years of effort to constrain behavior. As unchecked rule growth risks costly compliance …

Are Accounting Firms Breaching The Age Discrimination Act With The Inclusion Of Mandatory Retirement Provisions, Emily Haggard

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Age is just a number. This phrase has been murmured time after time in history. From famous movie scenes, song lyrics, pages in books, and wisdom from mothers, everyone has heard this at least once in their lives. Some joke that age only matters in wine and cheese. Some argue that age is all a limitation that the mind gives you. People are taught to never ask a woman how old she is, and as a society we celebrate certain ages such as twenty-one and sixteen, yet shun and deny those such as thirty and fifty. There are rules for …

Equifax: Anatomy Of A Security Breach, Ashton Glenn

Honors College Theses

The infamous 2017 Equifax breach not only compromised millions of citizens’ data, but the breach also left Equifax vulnerable to lawsuits that claim the company acted negligently. This thesis analyzes the events and facts behind the incident to determine the probable outcome of the main case against Equifax. A claim of a breach can come from either Equifax’s data protection or breach response. This thesis concludes the results of the case depends on the final court to determine if Equifax acted negligently with its data protection. If the case ends in the Eleventh District Court of Appeals, the court will …

Cryptocurrency Fraud: A Look Into The Frontier Of Fraud, Stafford C. Baum

Honors College Theses

This research project was conducted to look into what sort of frauds can be committed to steal unsuspecting investors’ cryptocurrencies. The inspiration for this research came in the form of the fact that millions of dollars are lost to cryptocurrency fraud each day, and many of these frauds are successful due to the public’s naivete towards the dangers of investing in cryptocurrencies. After researching many different cryptocurrency fraud cases, the frauds could be categorized into four major categories. These categories include Ponzi schemes, fake initial coin offering schemes, pump and dump schemes as well as cryptocurrency theft.

Taking Flight – September 2018, Georgia Southern University

Taking Flight (College of Business) (2014-2023)

• Message From the Dean
• Alumni Spotlight -- Olin Downs
• Parker College of Business Prepares Accounting Students for Careers and Internships Through Annual Career Fair
• Professional Development Day Connects Career-Ready Students with Employers
• Funded by $1.5 Million in Grants, Georgia Southern and City of Hinesville to Build Business Incubator

Implications Of Audit Office Resource Allocation Shocks: Evidence From Late 10-K Filings, Stuart Dearden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior literature examines consequences (e.g., negative market reactions, higher subsequent audit fees, and debt covenant violations) audit clients face arising from missed regulatory due dates. These clients likely pressure the auditor to provide additional resources to perform the audit. This paper examines whether an audit office resource allocation shock stemming from late-filing clients is associated with the audit quality of the other timely-filing clients in that audit office. I find that timely-filing clients are more likely to subsequently restate their financial statements when there are late-filing clients in the same audit office. Using audit fees as a proxy for auditor …

An Analysis Of Fraud Prevention And Detection In Not-For-Profit Organizations In The State Of South Carolina, Mary Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed fraud detection and prevention techniques and analyzed if there was a relationship between the techniques and the detection of fraud. The combined techniques were fraud risk assessment, fraud risk register, code of conduct, fraud assessment training, whistle-blower policy, fraud control plan, fraud control policy, and internal control review. Nonprofits are vulnerable to fraud and costly for the organizations that rely heavily on donations to provide needed services or goods to a community. Through analyzing 109 nonprofits surveyed in South Carolina, the researcher found 59 reported fraud occurrences and 86 percent were using fraud detection and prevention techniques. …

How Does The Nature Of Accounting Standards Affect Audit Quality And Earnings Attributes?, Ran Ling

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide evidence on the effects of the nature of accounting standards (i.e. principles- versus rules-based accounting standards) on audit quality and earnings attributes. I construct a comprehensive instrument to effectively measure rules-based characteristics in the U.S. GAAP following Mergenthaler (2011). I then construct a firm-level instrument to capture firms' reliance on principles-based accounting standards using the textual analysis approach developed by Folsom et al. (2017). Using data from S&P 500 companies during 2009-2014, I first examine whether principles- (or rules-) based standards in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) system affect both the …

Institute Of Management Accountant Scholarships, Jon M. Huntsman School Of Business

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business News Collection

Jared Fry and Aubree Matheson both received $2,500 IMA scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year.

The Leadership Role Of Management Accountants As It Contributes To Innovation And Entrepreneurship In Start-Up Businesses In Southern California, Paula Edwards

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and describe the leadership role of managerial accountants as it contributes to innovation in start-up businesses in Southern California.

Methodology: The methodology used to understand and describe the leadership role of managerial accountants as it contributes to the innovation and entrepreneurship in start-up businesses in Southern California was a qualitative study. The study participants included 12 entrepreneurs who had started a business in the last five years, had utilized a management accountant on a part-time, full-time or consultant basis and are located in the San Diego, Orange, or Los …

Frank J. Wilson: The Father Of Forensic Accounting, Luke Catania

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this paper is to spread awareness and confer recognition upon a mostly forgotten individual: Mr. Frank John Wilson, who was quintessential in the development of techniques used in the field of forensic accounting today. An in-depth analysis into Wilson’s early years as an investigator as well as two of his most significant cases, Al Capone and the Lindbergh Baby kidnapper, will demonstrate the techniques he pioneered. Within the framework of these cases, the techniques utilize exemplify the accounting, auditing, and investigative skills required in the forensic accounting field. Specifically, these investigations showcase Wilson’s innovative and unprecedented approaches …

Peer Assisted Study Sessions For Financial Accounting, Laura Salt, Caitlin Larrick

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

James Madison University (JMU) offers Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) for a variety of courses throughout different disciplines. This past Spring semester PASS was offered for 15 courses across campus, including three courses in the College of Business (COB). PASS is administratively handled and financial supported by JMU. They are review sessions led by students who have successfully completed the same course with the same professor in order to help improve students’ performance in that same course. Since we conducted similar review sessions, we adopted the same name, PASS, because many students were familiar with this term from other COB …

State Aid: How Economic Development Trumps Tax Revenue, Kristen Leigh Purcell

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploring The History And Trends Of Accounting In Canada And The United States, Annie Songeun Lee

Accounting

During my years at University at Albany, I have studied accounting that is based on the United States regulation, GAAP. As I am from British Columbia, Canada, that uses a different standard, IFRS, I wanted to take this opportunity to research the differences between GAAP and IFRS. The purpose of this research paper is to explore the history of accounting in both countries and compare their differences in education, license requirements, fraud scandals, and their solutions. I will also examine the new revenue recognition, the convergence of IFRS and GAAP, and some of the professionals’ opinions on the trend of …

A High-Level Overview Of How The New Accounting Standard Update On Revenue Recognition Impacts The United States Healthcare System, Leslie Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In May of 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a long-awaited joint updated standard on revenue recognition, ASU 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers. While almost all entities will be affected to some extent by the new standard, particularly the changes in required disclosures, this research seeks to examine the impact the new standard will specifically have on the healthcare industry. By highlighting areas of significant challenge a better understanding will be gained of the impact health care service entities will experience as they transition to a new standard.

Considerations Of Private Companies In Regard To External Auditing Including The Detection And Prevention Of Fraud, Alexandra Sprague

Senior Theses

Fraudulent activities occur in all types of companies. Recently, external auditors have become increasingly important in detecting and preventing these frauds. With their independence, auditors can provide external comfort with their opinion as to the fairness of their client’s financial statements. The goal of this thesis is to express the importance of fraud prevention in private companies, especially smaller private companies, and illustrate how external audits can have an impact in fraud prevention. After conducting interviews with private companies, many reasons were found as to why private companies either conduct or do not conduct an external audit. This research bridges …

Technology Advancement Influence In Accounting And Information System Fields, Shannon Gordon

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research serves to relate the accounting and information technology fields. The information in the research documents changes in the accounting and information technology fields, and how the fields are expected to change in the coming years. The research also discuss the relationship between the accounting and information technology fields. The topics on the ideal accounting candidates for employers and the expectation gap between graduates skills and employers’ expectations are also discussed. Careers in accounting and information systems and also similar and different basic skills of both fields are documented in the research.

The changes in accounting are influenced by …

The Difficulties Faced By The U.S. Army’S Fund Balance With Treasury Account Reconciliation System, Danielle Lelio

Honors College

The U.S. Army’s financial management system has been struggling with material weaknesses and problematic internal control failures for the past ten years. Within the Army General Fund, there have been 20 material weaknesses uncovered via audit. These weaknesses indicate that there are financial management problems within these areas and there are problems within the Army’s internal financial control and reporting systems. In order to navigate these problems, a series of plans were created to improve controls in the areas most prone to weakness in preparation for the fiscal year 2018 full Department of Defense audit.

One of the areas in …

The Keys To Disney’S Magic And Success, Jordan M. K. Daley

Honors College

This research was conducted in order to compare the inner business practices of the Walt Disney Company, specifically their theme park known as the Walt Disney World Resort, to the concepts set forth by Michael Porter and his Productivity Frontier. This research was compiled with information gathered from firsthand experience as a Disney cast member, in depth explanations about Disney’s technological advancements for data collection, as well as data gathered from Walt Disney Company financial statements. After analyzing the way in which the company runs it’s extremely large service organization, it can be concluded that the Walt Disney World Resort …

Rhetoric In Financial Reporting: Evaluation Of Isa 720, Qingyuan Guo

Honors Theses

Prior research show that many investors rely on other information appearing alongside the audited financial statements in companies’ annual reports to make their economic decisions and falsely assume that the unaudited other information is also audited. Additionally, company management utilizes rhetorical strategies in other information to offer explanations and opinions conveying positive messages about the company value which audited financial data may not indicate. The expectation gap of investors on audit over other information and the concern of management manipulation incentivized the proposal of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to establish a standard to extend auditors’ responsibility over …

Audit And Ai: Can Artificial Intelligence Restore Public Trust?, Lucas Blackwell

Senior Honors Theses

Due to the fallout from a series of corporate fraud scandals in the late 2000s, the auditing world has lost much of the public trust that is very important to the profession. Much of the value of an audit opinion is determined by the trust the public places in the auditors behind the opinion. Without trust in the auditors, the audit opinion has very little value. The recent increase in the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in many industries presents a solution to the problem of auditors. Increased usage of AI in the audit process has the potential to better …

Budgeting In Student Life: An Educational Website, Heather Grunden

Honors Projects

An applied honors project in the form of a website prototype. The purpose of this website is to introduce college students to the concept of budgeting and to teach them the core steps of creating their own budget, since many existing budgeting applications are pay-to-use, and the free options tend to have little to no instruction.

Fortune 500 Ceo Profiles, Lauren Noel

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This research project analyzes data about the Fortune 500 CEOs and presents differences among the male and female CEOs.

A Descriptive Study Investigating Accounting Students' Job Selection Preferences, Richard Wesley

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Many accounting students are selecting accounting audit firms without exhausting a thorough research about the firms or getting an idea of the firms’ expectation. Moreover, accounting firms are hiring students without getting a clear understanding of the students’ job selection preference. As a result, both the students and employers are finding a cultural mismatch. Often employers and students have different perspectives about the nature of the professional skills that are required for a successful accounting career. Once hired, many students soon leave because they become disillusioned with job-related realities. The value of this research adds to the body of research …

Accounting Department Newsletter, 5, Department Of Accounting And Information Systems

News, Magazines and Reports

No abstract provided.

Perceptions On The Advancement Of Women To Public Accounting Leadership Roles, Mylane Bella-Smuts

Senior Honors Projects

For more than 21 years, women have joined the accounting profession in equal numbers to men, yet women represent just 19% of the U.S. public accounting partner population (Bennett, 2013). This research project looks at the current environment for women in leadership positions in public accounting firms by analyzing perceptions on the work environment for women, work-life balance, and implementation effectiveness of firm initiatives related to the advancement of women. Results from one-on-one interviews and surveys suggest that the perception of the work environment for women in the public accounting profession is positive, but women’s commitment to achieving partnership status …

Having Fun Correcting Errors In Financial Accounting!, Robert Bloom

2018 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Examining Fifteen Years Of Ethics Research In The Journal Of Accountancy: 2002 To 2016, Clarence Goh

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In the past fifteen years, ethics has come under the spotlight in the accounting profession. In this study, I examine ethics research in accounting by looking at publications in the Journal of Accountancy, a leading professional journal in accounting, over the period from 2002 to 2016. I found that 32 out of 4,851 (0.66%) articles published in the journal were ethics-focused. Further, I observed spikes in the percentage of ethics-focused articles in the years 2003 and 2009/2010, following key events such as the passing of SOX and the global financial crisis. I also perform content analysis of the ethics-focused articles …

Introductory Guide To Forensic Accounting: A Synthesis Of Scholarly Research And One Student’S Experience, Kayla Miles

Senior Theses

Introductory Guide to Forensic Accounting, found in Appendix A, was created to provide a concise blueprint for building a career in forensic accounting. It provides a lot of useful information for those seeking to gain a better understanding of the profession or learn how they can join it. The idea for this guide came as a result of my own journey to becoming a forensic accountant. I was initially introduced to the forensic accounting profession during a brief conversation with a forensic accountant working for the FBI while I was in high school. Following that conversation, I sought to …

Using Data Analytics To Raise Productivity And Profitability: 4 Key Steps For Smes, Gary Pan, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

It is widely believed that effective data analysis may create newbusiness opportunities as technological advancement may offercompanies greater ability to predict what their customers want.