Accounting Commons^™

Discussion Of "Why Can’T I Trade? Exchange Discretion In Calling Halts", Michael S. Drake

Faculty Publications

Liquidity is an important feature of well-functioning capital markets. While many market frictions exist that constrain liquidity, none are as dramatic as trading halts when trading is suspended altogether. Trading halts became a common feature of US securities markets in the aftermath of Black Monday (October 19, 1987). The hope of regulators was that system-wide trading halts, so-called market circuit breakers, would decrease the likelihood of dramatic sell-offs by allowing markets to cool off. Regulators further argued that security-specific trading halts implemented in advance of a material news release could also reduce volatility and help level the playing field between …

Auditing With Data And Analytics: External Reviewers’ Judgments Of Audit Quality And Effort, Scott A. Emett, Steven E. Kaplan, Elaine G. Mauldin, Jeffrey Pickerd

Faculty Publications

Audit firms hesitate to take full advantage of data and analytics (D&A) audit approaches because they lack certainty about how external reviewers evaluate those approaches. We propose that external reviewers use an effort heuristic when evaluating audit quality, judging less effortful audit procedures as lower quality, which could shape how external reviewers evaluate D&A audit procedures. We conduct two experiments in which experienced external reviewers evaluate one set of audit procedures (D&A or traditional) within an engagement review, while holding constant the procedures’ level of assurance. Our first experiment provides evidence that external reviewers rely on an effort heuristic when …

Corporate Political Activism And Information Transfers, Dane M. Christensen, Hengda Jin, Joshua A. Lee, Suhas A. Sridharan, Laura A. Wellman

Faculty Publications

Prior research suggests that: (1) politically active firms have an information advantage over firms that do not engage in the political process, but also that (2) politically active firms are more likely to disclose policy-related information. We examine whether there are externalities associated with the processing of political information by politically active firms. We study this question in the setting of intra-industry information transfers around earnings announcements. Measuring firms’ political activism using campaign contributions, we find stronger intra-industry information transfers from politically active firms to their industry peers. These information transfers are stronger when there is more discussion during conference …

Managers’ Use Of Humor On Public Earnings Conference Calls, Andrew C. Call, Rachel W> Flam, Joshua A. Lee, Nathan Y. Sharp

Faculty Publications

Despite the prevalence and importance of humor in interpersonal communication, the disclosure literature is silent on the use of humor in the context of corporate communication. Using a sophisticated machine learning algorithm, we identify managers’ successful uses of humor during public earnings conference calls. When managers use humor on an earnings call, stock market returns and analyst forecast revisions following the call are more positive, primarily because of a muted response to negative earnings news. Consistent with managers’ successful use of humor being a favorable signal of future firm performance, we find no evidence of a return reversal over the …

The Spillover Effect Of Sec Comment Letters Through Audit Firms, Kenneth L. Bills, Ryan Cating, Chenxi Lin, Timothy Seidel

Faculty Publications

This study examines whether auditors serve as a conduit for disseminating Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) views on reporting and disclosure matters as the result of being privy to clients’ SEC comment letters. This examination is important because auditors’ involvement in, and private access to, clients’ comment letters can enhance the timeliness of dissemination and have a constraining influence on reporting or disclosure choices that diverge from SEC views. Among clients with a greater expectation of impaired goodwill that do not receive a comment letter with a goodwill-related comment, we find a greater likelihood of goodwill impairment when the audit …

Balancing Loyalties: A Behavioral Study On How The Quality Of Supervisor-Subordinate Relationships Affects Whistleblowing Intentions, Jace B. Garrett, Douglas F. Prawitt, Kyle Sopp

Faculty Publications

While high-quality relationships among employees yield many benefits to organizations, they may have unintended consequences for whistleblowing. In a first experiment, we investigate whether high-quality employee-supervisor relationships reduce employees’ willingness to report supervisor wrongdoing through an internal hotline. We also investigate whether the quality of such relationships mitigates the effect of evidence strength on reporting intention. In a second experiment, we test the robustness of the effects of relationship quality and evidence strength on employees’ willingness to report wrongdoing identified in our first experiment, but to an external auditor. We also examine two factors that may mitigate the negative effect …

Power Asymmetry In Ongoing Business Relationships, Mdarhri Alaoui Saâd, Amine Noureddine

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Firms enter into partnerships to improve their competitive position, create and appropriate superior value, and increase their effectiveness and efficiency. Although balanced relationships (in terms of power and equitable value sharing) between the two partners exist, many researchers argue that these ideal relationships are not the norm and that asymmetry of power and unequal distribution of benefits are a reality of current business-to-business relationships. This study examines how power asymmetry affects the relationship climate in general and partner attitudes and behaviors in particular. Specifically, this study focuses on the sources of power exercised and how these impact value creation appropriation, …

Inequality, Oligarchy, And Dynasty, Ronald U. Mendoza

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Although some scholars frame inequality as a necessary step towards economic growth, this paper highlights its double- edged nature by examining oligarchy and dynasty as elements of inequality in the Philippine context. The best way to

ascertain whether inequality can be advantageous for development is to examine how it shapes the context that it works in. The presence of political dynasties is then evaluated based on their impact on patterns of leadership in the country, whereas business oligarchs are assessed by their influence over the structure of the economy. The paper concludes with a three-point agenda to address the root …

Antecedents Of Investment Decision-Making In Mutual Fund: An Indian Perspective, Som Nath Paul, Rajesh Kumar Upadhyay, -- Ashimagarg

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The growth rate of investments in mutual funds is certainly the most significant phenomenon of present financial markets. Over the years, mutual funds have been a branch whose assets have now become the largest among other financial intermediaries. In this industry, which has focused its attention on marketing, its products have been cut to a wider population. The aim of the present research is to explore the relationship between risk perception and investment decisions in mutual funds. This study is also an attempt to explore the role of expected return in the investment decision of investors in the mutual fund …

Dynamic Connectedness In The Asean’S Equity Markets During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Yuthana Sethapramote, Suthawan Prukumpai, Lawrence B. Dacuycuy

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed shocks that triggered severe global economic contraction and spawned sizeable financial market fluctuations. This paper examines the dynamic connectedness between ASEAN stock markets and major global stock markets using the dynamic connectedness framework developed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012). Empirical results reveal that ASEAN stock markets and other emerging markets have experienced higher spillovers from global equity markets during the pandemic than in normal times. In addition, the role of ASEAN region spillovers has increased significantly during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the extent of dynamic connectedness between …

The Role Of Public Investment In Pandemic Recovery, Aris Zoleta

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The goal of this study is to review the risk associated with increases in sovereign deficits and the role of public investment in pandemic recovery. The estimates of DSGE models show that fiscal authority provides more emphasis on debt to GDP than output and deficits. In addition, the stochastic simulation shows that increases in public investment do not limit the increases in private investment. And both public and private investment exhibit procyclical behaviors in the presence of government spending shock. Lastly, the output is more persistent during episodes of technology shocks than during an increase in government spending. The paper …

Explicating The Influence Of Religion In Forming Corporate Governance: Insights From The Philippines, Leveric Tan Ng, John Paolo Rivera

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Religion plays a role in shaping personal values and directing an organization’s moral filter. It is an avenue to impose social morality that may impact corporate governance. We examined the influence of religion in the formation and development of good corporate governance through ethical leadership in the Philippines – a country that has strong religious culture. In validating scholarly literature on religion and enterprise, we looked into the conception and interpretation of religion and corporate governance through a key informant interview of 30 executive directors from private corporations in the country. We found that corporate governance may arise from religious …

Emotional Intelligence And Conflict Management In Family Firms: Using Systematic Literature Review And Bibliometric Analysis, Kris G. Lobo

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Through systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis, the author assesses the current state of research on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and conflict management (CM) in the family business and recommends avenues for future research. The aim of the study is to map and discover clusters taken from existing literature. In terms of methods, Tranfield et al. (2003) recommended guidelines for conducting a systematic literature review was adopted (i.e., planning, conducting the review, reporting, and dissemination) to capture nuances regarding the conceptual link between EI and CM. With limited publications that highlighted the link between emotional intelligence and conflict …

Incumbent Competition And Private Agenda, Anne Marie Go

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Consider two politicians who decide whether to follow what they believe the electorate wants or choose the option that secures their private gain. Policies are implemented when the politicians reach a unanimous decision. The electorate only rewards a politician when a policy is implemented or when the politician is the only one whose action coincides with the popular decision. The results show that if politicians have good decision-making abilities, sufficiently high payoffs in policy implementation—given moderate private agenda payoffs—push them to implement the popular policy. For very poor decision- making abilities, at sufficiently high policy rewards, politicians vote for the …

Small Retail Business Strategies Used To Prevent Employee Fraud In North Carolina, Jourdan Mariah Gayden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fraud could result in adverse business outcomes for small business owners. Small business owners are concerned with preventing fraud to increase the financial stability of small businesses. Grounded in the fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies small business owners use to prevent and detect fraud in their businesses. Participants included five small business owners in North Carolina who successfully implemented strategies to prevent and detect fraud. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which yielded four themes: monitoring, contractual agreements, …

Disclosure Regulation: Past, Present, And Future, S.P. Kothari, Liandong Zhang, Luo Zuo

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This monograph provides an overview of the theories of disclosure regulation and recent developments in the disclosure regulation literature. We organize our discussion around three basic questions. First, why do we need to regulate corporate disclosure in the financial market? Second, which theories explain the current state of disclosure regulation? Third, what are the economic consequences of disclosure regulation? In exploring the third question, we discuss several examples of disclosure regulation related to information production, dissemination, and presentation. Then, we provide an overview of the current debate on mandating environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure and reporting. Finally, we conclude …

Information Sharing Between Mutual Funds And Auditors, Ole‐Kristian Hope, Pingui Rao, Yanping Xu, Heng Yue

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines whether there is information sharing between mutual funds and their auditors about the auditors’ other listed firm clients. Using data from the Chinese market, we find that mutual funds earn higher profits from trading in firms that share the same auditors. The effects are more pronounced when firms have a more opaque information environment and when the audit partners for the fund and the partners for the listed firm share school ties. The evidence is consistent with information flowing from auditors to mutual funds, providing mutual funds with an information advantage in firms that share the same …

Trust And Contracting: Evidence From Church Sex Scandals, Gilles Hilary, Sterling Huang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Firms located in communities in which people are, on average, more trusting enjoy some benefits in terms of the power of CEO contracts. We present two pieces of empirical evidence to support this claim: (1) higher average trust in a county is associated with “flatter” executive contracts and (2) when an exogenous shock occurs (such as a scandal involving an important social institution), both trust and contracting move in similar directions. We obtain the first result in a panel specification and the second in a “difference-in-difference” specification that uses the revelation of sex scandals involving the Catholic Church across different …

Can Honesty Reminders Reduce Dishonesty In Budgetary Slack?, Wilfred W. H. Cheng, Chee Yeow Lim, Chi Kwan Yuen

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study investigates the effect of honesty reminders on budgetary slack. Based on self-concept maintenance theory, the authors posit that honesty reminders can reduce budgetary slack by making people more aware of their own standards of honesty, resulting in more honest behavior. Using an experimental research design, the authors find evidence that honesty reminders reduce budgetary slack. The authors also find that although penalties can similarly reduce budgetary slack, they tend to cause distrust and resentment from subordinates. Therefore, honesty reminders may be a less costly method than penalties for reducing budgetary slack.

Internal Control Strategies To Limit Nonprofit Organization Fraud And Embezzlement Costs., Ralston K. Tracey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEmployee intent to commit fraud and embezzlement costs has the potential for adverse business outcomes. Nonprofit leaders are concerned with employee fraud and embezzlement costs as it is the main predictor of employee wrongdoing and increase the chances of their organization's failure. Grounded in fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore internal control strategies nonprofit leaders use to limit fraud and embezzlement costs. The participants were eight leaders from four nonprofit organizations in the Southeastern United States who successfully used strategies to prevent fraudulent financial losses in their organizations. Data were collected from semistructured …

Hamilton Vs. Jefferson In Supreme Court Direct Tax Jurisprudence, Joshua Cutler

Accountancy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasingly frequent calls for a wealth tax in some form highlight the importance of understanding whether such a tax would be considered an unconstitutional “direct tax” if not apportioned according to population. The definition of direct tax was left deliberately vague at the Constitutional Convention, and consequently its meaning has been shaped through battles between the opposing political philosophies represented by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton and his allies prioritized an energetic national government with taxing powers adequate to support its functions and unite the states; had great respect for tradition, precedent, and practical experience; and preferred a broad …

Listed Private Equity Returns: The Forecasting Power Of Premiums And Discounts, Daniel Krasemann

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper, I assess the ability of premiums and discounts to predict future listed private equity returns. I hypothesize that the premiums and discounts of the net asset value of the listed private equity funds with monthly lags hold forecasting power. I use four distinct listed private equity indices and their respective NAV P/D values for my research. To ensure my analysis is realistic in scope, I incorporate a variety of macroeconomic variables that have been proven to influence listed private equity returns. I structure my time-period analysis around the 2008-09 financial crisis. I generally find that a two-month …

Executive Option Mix And Firm Litigation Risk, Andrew Cohen

CMC Senior Theses

Compensating executives with stock options creates incentives for executives and aligns their goals with shareholders. When examining specific components of equity-based compensation, stock options have a larger incentive effect on executives compared to stock awards as options are priced as a function of stock volatility. Since the option incentive effect is more profound than the stock incentive effect, executives may take on more risk. The relationship between firm risk and litigation can be demonstrated by the pricing of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, which protects them from the costs of litigation. The purpose of this study is to examine the …

2023 Accounting Hall Of Fame, Robert Kalb Elliott; Jim Leisenring Tribute To Robert K. Elliott, Jim Leisenring

Accounting Hall of Fame Videos

No abstract provided.

The Joint Effect Of Mindsets And Consequence Awareness On Task Performance, Melinda F. Ammon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Auditors face strong incentives to execute tasks efficiently and meet deadlines; these conditions are both conducive to – and rewarding of – implemental mindsets. However, an implemental mindset may deprioritize careful analysis and thoughtful decision-making, leading to suboptimal performance and audit quality. Conversely, deliberative mindsets promote critical thinking and open-mindedness – and research suggests auditors in a deliberative mindset perform complex tasks more effectively than auditors in an implemental mindset. Additionally, auditors encounter frequent reminders about the consequences of audit failures. This study examines how these factors (i.e., mindsets and consequence reminders) jointly influence auditors' performance on complex tasks. I …

Using Unconscious Thought To Improve Evaluations Of Complex Accounting Estimates, Blake Holman

Theses and Dissertations--Accountancy

Accounting practitioners and regulators have recently focused efforts toward increasing the efficiency of management review controls (MRCs), including the evaluation of complex accounting estimates. Although increasing cognitive effort (i.e., conscious deliberation) is an intuitively appealing strategy for improving decision quality, Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT) suggests that a period of unconscious thought is a more beneficial strategy in complex domains. Drawing on UTT, I predict and find across two studies that prompting accounting practitioners to engage in unconscious thought facilitates the recognition of patterns of bias within management provided estimates, resulting in higher quality assessments of fair value estimates. My findings …

Esg Scores As A Measure Of Risk: The Relationship Between Environmental, Social, And Corporate Governance Ratings And The Financial Performance Of U.S. Oil And Gas Companies, Lauren Kim

Scripps Senior Theses

This study investigates the association between ESG (environmental, social, corporate governance) scores on the financial performance of U.S. oil and gas companies, an industry facing significant ESG-related pressures. ESG scores evaluate a firm’s environmental impacts, social responsibility, and corporate governance practices and can be used as a form of evaluating a firm’s risk mitigation efforts. However, there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that there exists a relationship, positive or negative, between ESG scores and firm performance in this industry. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the growing interest in ESG investing and is useful for investors and firms …

Circular Economy To The Rescue? The U.S. Corporate Disclosure Response To The Plastic Crisis, Wioleta Olczak, Dennis M. Patten, Hyemi Shin

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Media attention to the world’s growing plastic crisis exploded in 2018, almost certainly increasing social exposures for companies heavily involved in the material’s manufacture or use. Relying on arguments from media agenda setting theory (Brown & Deegan, 1998), we explore how a sample of large U.S. plastic manufacturers and users responded to the crisis in their standalone CSR reports, with particular emphasis on their use of circular economy terminology to frame that response. Circular economy ideas have been gaining traction with governmental units, non-governmental organisations, and academic researchers, and like the plastic crisis, are seeing substantially increased coverage in media …

Bakery Case Study, Evelyn Ashley

A with Honors Projects

A business case analyzing a capital budgeting decision for a company. The end result is an Excel analysis and an executive summary. The executive summary describes the decision to be made, the inputs, the results of the analysis, as well as data visualization.

The Impact Of Private Equity Investment On The Market Performance Of Listed Companies On The A-Share Market In China, Mengyu Zhan, Sorasart Sukcharoensin

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study aims to analyze all the Chinese Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) during 2010–2014 and follow their performance for five years. The study particularly tests the competing hypotheses on the role of Chinese private equity. The sample includes 916 firms that operate continuously for five years after IPOs to provide additional evidence on long-term performance. The results using the BHARs method indicate that private equity-backed IPOs tend to have significantly higher initial returns than non-PE-backed ones during three years of listing, supporting the screening and monitoring effect hypothesis in China’s capital market. After three years, the market performance of PE-backed …