Accounting Commons^™

The Impact Of Client Information Technology Capability On Audit Pricing, Benjamin Hoffman, R. Drew Sellers, Justyna Skomra

Business Faculty Publications

This paper explores the question: “How does a client's information technology (IT) capability influence audit pricing?” Company data for the years 2004 through 2012 are employed. Firms appearing on the InformationWeek 500 (IW500) annual list of U.S. organizations with superior IT functions serve as a proxy for companies with superior IT capability. Our findings suggest that companies with superior IT capabilities incur higher levels of audit fees. In addition, as client size increases, the audit fees of firms with advanced IT capabilities increase at a greater rate than firms without such capabilities. These findings contrast with prior research …

An Overview Of The Cheque Payments System In Nigeria, Onyeka Samuel Okonkwo

Bullion

This paper is designed to examine critically the modern trends in the cheque payments system in Nigeria. In the light of this, the paper is divided into nine parts. The second part of the paper examines the concepts of payment , clearing and settlement. The evolution of cheque clearing in Nigeria is examined in part three. The part four presents the cheque standard in Nigeria. The part five gives the synopsis of cheque payment in Nigeria while the cheque truncation system(CTS) and its benefits and challenges are examined in part six and part seven respectively. The paper concludes with recommendations …

Domestic Asset Tracing And Recovery Of Hidden Assets And The Spoils Of Financial Crime, Nathan Wadlinger, Carl Pacini, Nicole Stowell, William Hopwood, Debra Sinclair

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming

What Does It Take To Become A Partner At A Big 4 Accounting Firm? Insights From Singapore’S Experience, Gary Pan, Poh Sun Seow, Yang Hoong Pang, Kwong Sin Leong

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Due to the shift in partner’s identity, there have been growing interests in understanding characteristics, skills and behaviours of accounting partners. Given that Big 4 Accounting firms are supposedly international accounting firms that are organized in similar structures, an interesting question of whether the same partner qualities can be applied in the Big 4 accounting firms for a non-western context such as Asia. As far as we know, no such study has been conducted in an Asian context. We argue this could be of great interest to the Big 4 Accounting firms as Asia is one of their fastest growing …

Individual Lawyers, The Sec Revolving Door, And Comment Letters, Michael Shen, Samuel T. Tan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Government officials, advocacy groups, and the business press have raised concerns that former SEC employees may continue to influence the SEC after leaving the agency. Using a hand-collected database of individual lawyers that represent firms in responding to SEC comment letters, we examine the impact of individual lawyers, and lawyers formerly employed by the SEC, on the comment letter process. We document significant differences between lawyers and law firms in their clients’ resistance to SEC comment letters, and find that firms that retain former SEC employees are larger, more profitable, and more likely to have received a comment letter raising …

Preparation, Compilation, And Review Engagements, June 1, 2018; Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Aicpa Technical Questions And Answers, As Of June 1, 2018, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Aicpa Audit And Accounting Manual, June 1, 2018: Nonauthoritative Practice Aid, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Aicpa Professional Standards As Of June 1, 2018, Volume 1: U.S. Auditing Standards-Aicpa (Clarified), U.S. Attestation Standards -- Aicpa (Clarified), American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

AICPA Professional Standards

No abstract provided.

Accounting Choices And The Legal Environment: The Impact Of The Ex Post Loss Rule, Teck Meng Junior Tan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a landmark Supreme Court decision as a natural experiment, I examine the impact of a fundamental requirement in securities litigation, the ex post loss rule, on income-decreasing accounting choices. Dura Pharmaceuticals v. Broudo (2005) established that plaintiffs must show that the alleged misrepresentations caused an actual economic loss. The case resolved a circuit split, allowing me to identify a treatment jurisdiction affected by Dura, and control jurisdictions in which the rule was already the prevailing legal standard. Motivated by legal analyses suggesting that Dura incentivizes firms to delay negative corrections, I hypothesize and find that treatment firms in high-litigation …

Shareholder Litigation And Corporate Disclosure: Evidence From Derivative Lawsuits, Thomas Bourveau, Yun Lou, Rencheng Wang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using the staggered adoption of universal demand (UD) laws in the United States, we study the effect of shareholder litigation risk on corporate disclosure. We find that disclosure significantly increases after UD laws make it more difficult to file derivative lawsuits. Specifically, firms issue more earnings forecasts and voluntary 8-K filings, and increase the length of management discussion and analysis (MD&A) in their 10-K filings. We further assess the direct and indirect channels through which UD laws affect firms' disclosure policies. We find that the effect of UD laws on corporate disclosure is driven by firms facing relatively higher ex …

Cross-Country Differences In The Effect Of Political Connections On Stock Price Informativeness, Yuanto Kusnadi, Bin Srinidhi

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using aninternational sample of firms from 28 countries, we document that there existsa negative relationship between political connections and the informativenessof stock price, as measured by idiosyncratic volatility (IV). This finding isrobust to alternative regression specifications, sub-samples analyses, andconcerns related to endogeneity. A more detailed analysis shows that out of thedifferent types of possible connections, the connectedness of the owners is theprimary driver of this result. Further, the negative association is onlysignificant for firms in countries characterized by low institutional quality(i.e. corrupted countries, countries with low access to external equitymarkets, and countries with low media penetration). There is no evidence …

U.S. Firms On Foreign (Tax) Holidays, Travis K. Chow, Jeffrey L. Hoopes, Edward L. Maydew

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We undertake the first large-sample analysis of foreign tax holiday participation by U.S. firms. Tax holidays are temporary reductions of tax granted by governments, usually contingent on the firm making new operational investments in the country. We predict and find that firms are more likely to participate in foreign tax holidays if they are highly capital-intensive and have highly profitable foreign operations, and less likely to participate in foreign tax holidays if they are capital constrained and if the firm is headed by a short-term focused CEO. While foreign tax holidays reduce taxes on foreign income, we also find that …

Teaching Internal Control Using A Student-Generated Video Project, Poh Sun Seow, Gary Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Educators consider the video learning approach an effective method to deliver educational content as compared to the traditional method of books and written materials. This paper presents a project that involves student-generated videos to learn internal control in an undergraduate accounting information systems course. We believe that this video learning approach is an engaging way for students to be self-directed learners in learning internal control and complements the written materials in the textbook. The survey results show that most of the respondents viewed the learning experience of the video project positively. The results also indicate that the video project helps …

Rationale Behind State Aid Control Over Tax Incentives, Diheng Xu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

EU State aid draws international attention recent years due to its application to fiscal measures granted by Member States to multinational enterprises. It has triggered discussions on the reasonableness of applying State aid law to tax measures. This article aims to explore the fundamental rationale behind EU State aid and its application to tax incentives. By going back to basics, this article contributes to a clearer picture on reasons for the State aid control over tax incentives. Governments tend to use fiscal State aid measures to achieve policy goals and tax incentives could realize the goals since they do bring …

Spring Meeting Of The Council Of The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants, May 20-22, 2018, Tucson, Arizona, With Index,Volume 2, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Council

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Spring Meeting Of The Council Of The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants, May 20-22, 2018, Tucson, Arizona, Volume 2, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Council

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Spring Meeting Of The Council Of The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants, May 20-22, 2018, Tucson, Arizona,, Volume 1, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Council

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Spring Meeting Of The Council Of The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants, May 20-22, 2018, Tucson, Arizona,With Index, Volume 1, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Council

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Auditing Standards Board (Asb) Meeting Highlights May 14-17, 2018 Scottsdale, Az, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Auditing Standards Board

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Auditing Standards Board (Asb), May 14-17, 2018, Meeting Agenda, Scottsdale, Az, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Auditing Standards Board

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Avis Budget Group: A Financial Analysis, Tralonie Perkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This paper presents a financial analysis behind Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental and car sharing services, operating three of the most recognized brands in the industry: Avis, Budget and Zipcar. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this report encompasses comprehensive data regarding the industry in which CAR competes, the company’s recent financial results, and forecasts of its future growth with five-year pro forma financial statements used to build a valuation model.

Marriott International, Inc: A Financial Analysis, Lai Wei

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Marriott International, Inc: A Financial Analysis

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 …

The Impact Of Proposition 2-½ Overrides: Does A Town’S Approval Or Rejection Impact Property Values?, Rebecca Guerrier

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of Proposition 2-½, a property tax measure enacted in 1980, was to reduce government spending and increase efficiency through local tax restrictions in Massachusetts. It imposes a limit on the total amount of property taxes a certain town can raise every year. Towns are allowed to override their levy limit in order to collect more taxes for new constructions or the renovation of public properties such as schools. The main focus of this paper is to study the impact that overrides have on property values and whether bond issuance would be a better alternative, given the tradeoff between …

The Role Of Leadership In Student Organizations, Samantha Mcanallen

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the leaders of the Eta Delta chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) and the JMU Women’s Rugby club embody the characteristics of the leaders of successful organizations by examining these two organizations in the context of the characteristics of successful organizational cultures. In order to conduct an appropriate examination of the cultures of these two organizations, I chose to compare them to the characteristics of successful group cultures presented in Daniel Coyle’s The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. Throughout his book, Coyle highlights the …

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 …

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 …

The Effect Of Ceo Gender On Real Earnings Management, Candice Luciano, Shan Wang

Honors Thesis

Real Earnings Management involves the deviation from normal business practices to manipulate financial statements. Previous research has shown how higher gender diversity in senior management has led to higher earnings quality, and how firms with female CFOs have less earnings management than male CFOs. This paper will build off previous research and further examine whether CEO gender affects real earnings management and if so, its effects on real earnings management. The main hypothesis of the paper is that the gender of the CEO will affect the extent of real earnings management of a firm; firms with male CEOs will see …

Does Mandatory Rotation Of Audit Partners Improve Audit Quality?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

A study in China by CUHK Business School shows that the mandatory rotation of audit partners can enhance audit quality

Audit plays a significant role in the capital market. High-quality audit reduces the risks of inaccurate information, increases the transparency of the audited entities and thus facilitates financing and investment.