Accounting Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Accounting Methods Used By Builders Producing Twenty-Five Or Fewer Homes Per Year, David Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

Accounting plays a crucial role in the success of any business, but it is particularly vital in the construction industry, a complex field that typically requires the coordination of multiple subcontractors and multiple jobs in any given year. Although small-volume home builders make up 70 percent of the membership of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), a trade association of the home building industry, little is known about the accounting practices of these builders. This thesis undertook to study the accounting practices of small-volume home builders. Small-volume home builders were defined as those producing 25 homes or fewer in …

International Convergence Towards Principles-Based Accounting Standards, Estelle Cramer

Honors College Theses

The accounting profession is a field that functions through a set of complex and contradictory standards. As a result of the ever-increasing complexities brought on by a rules-based standard approach, several countries and regions including Japan, China, Hong Kong, the European Union, and the United States have all begun to converge their respective generally accepted accounting standards towards more principles-based accounting standards. The research conducted examines through a comparison of various nations and regions generally accepted accounting principles for important issues to determine which, if any, are deemed to have an objective-oriented standard; also, if the comparison does not result …

A Course In Forensic Accounting, Yelena Kleyman

Honors College Theses

The origins of the accounting profession are rooted deep into history. The basic concepts of accounting were changing as years and centuries passed by. Nonetheless, a concept exists which did not experience major modifications over time -- fraud. Fraud existed centuries ago, as well as it exists today, and unfortunately, may exist years from now. However, in recent years forensic accounting has been expanding in order to change this pattern. This discipline created a new branch in the accounting profession, generating a growing demand for forensic accountants. Forensic accounting is currently taught in many American universities; however, Pace University is …

Culture Effects In The Ethical Decision-Making Process Of Latin American Accountants, Silvia Lopez Palau

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Despite the amount of accounting ethics research conducted over many years, two significant problems remain unsolved. First, there is a need to create accurate measurement instruments capable of predicting behavior within a theoretical framework of ethical decision-making. Second, it is important to develop ways to make measurements appropriate for application in other cultures or countries. Thus, the purpose of this study is twofold. The first objective is to develop a scale to measure the ethical evaluations, judgments, and intentions of Latin American accountants. The second goal is to determine the effects of national culture and gender on the results posited …

Sox Goes To College, Craig Piotrowki, Robert Yahr

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Big Gaap-Little Gaap Does One-Size-Fits-All Still Work?, Paula Morris, Jane E. Campbell

Faculty Articles

Initiatives for developing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for private/smaller businesses have surfaced in the United States and internationally. This paper explores those initiatives and identifies common elements and problems in these efforts.

Publishing: How Faculty Can Improve Their Performance, Bill N. Schwartz, W. Darrell Walden

Accounting Faculty Publications

This manuscript initially reviews the accounting literature which illustrates the extent to which many faculty members do not publish. The authors offer a number of suggestions for how doctoral programs can help their students be more productive after they take faculty positions. The authors also make suggestions for ways faculty members can increase the likelihood their manuscript submissions will be published.

The 150-Hour Requirement : Its Effect On Helping Accounting Students Pass The Uniform Cpa Examination, Raeshonda1 R. Morris

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

In the past several years, the accounting profession has encountered some drastic events that have tested its ability to· serve the public and stand as a profession. Since these occurrences, professionals in the accounting world have strived to make changes and establish goals ·that are focused on restoring the public's confidence ·and trust in the accounting profession. Despite the controversy that still exists, this profession has made great improvements and has started a path for the accounting profession to achieve its previous prestige and power. Among the controversy or unsolved issues that cease to exist is the effectiveness of the …

How Sales Executives Can Avoid Accounting Fraud Allegations, Mark S. Beasley, Dana R. Hermanson

Faculty Articles

Is accounting fraud only a concern for CEOs and financial executives? This article discusses recent cases in which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Sales Vice Presidents for their role in accounting fraud. The authors offer suggestions to help sales executives steer clear of accounting fraud allegations.

Who Pays The Auditor Calls The Tune?: Auditing Regulations And Clients' Incentives, Amy Shapiro

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

As we move on from the financial scandals of the early 2000s, the question of how to prevent the next Enron continues to be a pressing one. This Article focuses on the law’s deeply conflicted treatment of auditors of public corporations. Though the audit firm is charged with serving as the public’s watchdog in insuring good financial disclosure, the auditor’s actual client is the audited corporation itself, whose interests concerning disclosure are not necessarily aligned with those of investors. Because the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 left this structure in place, further reform is needed. One promising suggestion is to give …

The Scarcity Of Women As Certified Public Accountants (Cpas), Precious Williams

McCabe Thesis Collection

By researching different sources regarding the accounting profession, the research will give readers an in depth understanding of the shortage of women as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Some examples of jobs in the accounting profession are accounting professors, Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Certified Managerial Accountants (CMA's) and business accountants. It takes plenty of time and determination to become a CPA and a CMA. Many women are apprehensive of the challenges involved in becoming an accountant. Women who have persevered can obtain a career in the accounting profession. This thesis is based on materials that show women as CPAs. It also …

Understanding The Impact Of Financial Decisions On Financial Statements: A Pedagogical Note, Tom Arnold, Leroy Brooks, Terry D. Nixon

Finance Faculty Publications

Viable financial planning requires financial managers' understanding of the consequences of impending decisions on their company's financial performance and position. Understanding the impact of prior decisions on their financial statements also enables future decisions aimed at improving their shareholders' wealth. This note intends to contribute to developing this capacity in finance students. We provide a presentation format directly connecting financial decisions to financial statement impacts. Bridging material covered in accounting courses and a finance student's needs as a possible future manager or analyst, this classroom pedagogy supplements and reinforces the objectives of the financial planning component of a finance course.

Was Arthur Andersen Different?: An Empirical Examination Of Major Accounting Firms' Audits Of Large Clients, Theodore Eisenberg, Jonathan R. Macey

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

Enron and other corporate financial scandals focused attention on the accounting industry in general and on Arthur Andersen in particular. Part of the policy response to Enron, the criminal prosecution of Andersen, eliminated one of the few major audit firms capable of auditing many large, public corporations. This article explores whether Andersen’s performance, as measured by frequency of financial restatements, measurably differed from that of other large auditors. Financial restatements trigger significant negative market reactions and their frequency can be viewed as a measure of accounting performance. We analyze the financial restatement activity of approximately 1,000 large, public firms from …

Tax Challenge Working Papers, Hal Allen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

My thesis project for my honors degree consisted of preparing working papers for the tax challenge team in the Accounting department of the College of Business. The Tax Challenge team has competed two years ago in the Anderson Tax Challenge and then the Deloitte & Touche Tax Challenge this last year. The tax challenge team has begun to build a credible reputation for the tax program at Utah State University. The last two years the graduate tax team was one of the top six teams in the nation. Dr. Grange is the tax challenge advisor and is working hard to …

Governmental & Accounting Profession Changes Implemented In An Attempt To Prevent Another Major "Enron Type" Corporate Collapse, Emily Dennie

The Corinthian

One thing that remains constant through the Enron collapse and subsequent investigation is the resolve of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the accounting profession to assure the public that they are taking the appropriate measures to avoid a situation like this in the future. Since the SEC released its intent to investigate Enron, in October 2001, both the SEC and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AI CPA) have made and implemented many changes including four new Statements on Auditing Standards (SASs) and at least two new programs. Of the four new standards, only SAS No. 99 …

An Investigation Of The Association Between Auditor Switching And Negative Information, Michael Morris Grayson

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the premise that certain types of negative information are associated with auditor switches. A data set of 305 auditor switches from 1976 to 1994, extracted from the Compustat data base (limited subscription), was analyzed using tests of proportions and nonparametric sign tests. The data set consists of negative information extracted from the switching companies' income statements (i.e., net losses or extraordinary items) or calculated from the items extracted (i.e., net income adjusted to reverse the effect of extraordinary items).

The initial results, based on tests which assumed random movement of net income, did not support the notion …

Agricultural Accounting: A Case On Asset Valuation, Barbara Wheeling

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

The purpose of this case is to create greater awareness for both students and educators of alternative accounting methods recommended for specific industries such as agriculture. Many issues in traditional accounting courses are not relevant for agricultural businesses. This case provides students with an experience in explaining the nature of and accounting for market valuation of assets as recommended in the Financial Guidelines for Agricultural Producers which can be applied to real-world farm clients.

Uncertain Litigation Cost And Seller Behavior: Evidence From An Auditing Game, Ping Zhang, Bryan K. Church, Lucy Ackert

Faculty Articles

Investigates difficulties that arise in estimating expected litigation costs in an auditing game in the United States. Effect of effort level on certain and uncertain costs of performing the engagement; Frequency of observed fee offers below the total expected cost of an engagement; Institutional arrangements and damage-sharing regimes; Theoretical and behavioral predictions.

Sales, Purchases And Stock System, Chee Hoe Mok

Student Works (2000-2009)

Like any other general accounting software, Sales & Purchases Recording System is designed in such a way that it fir into use of different types of organizations. It consists of an accounting database which stores all information regarding the organization’s trading status. Since it should fit to any types of organization, Sales & Purchases Recording System has the capability of allowing multiple users to create their own database files and gain access to them. The software is one of dynamic file allocation in which users can specify and create their own database files. Records inside those files are also of …

Summary #4: The Effects Of Internal Audit Outsourcing On Perceived External Auditor Independence, D. Jordan Lowe, Marshall A. Geiger, Kurt Pany

Accounting Faculty Publications

The accounting profession is attempting to redefine itself, in part by expanding the types of services it provides. This expansion of services has raised questions about whether CPA firms can maintain their independence and still provide an ever-increasing array of other types of services to audit clients. In this study we addressed financial statement user perceptions about CPA firms performing internal auditing outsourcing activities—an area in which CPAs are becoming increasingly involved.

Financial Information Resources For Special Librarians, Di Su

Publications and Research

Speed has always been a competitive factor and corporate asset in business world. The growth of the Internet has created an equal opportunity for information service professionals in both big and small companies to improve their efficiency. The prominent advantages of Web source are currency, accessibility, and thus, the speed. You are provided with instant updates on issues like rules, official statements, interpretations, statistics, etc., and these documents can be accessed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There are so many valuable Web sites on the Internet that it is impossible to include them all in this article, …

So, You Want To Write A Textbook: One Author's Experience, David A. Rees

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Almost from the time I began teaching I wanted to write a textbook. I always held back, though, because I didn't know how to proceed, and because I thought I would fail--after all I really did not think I had the ability to write a textbook. Now, I have signed a contract to write an Intermediate Accounting textbook for South-Western Publishing Company and I was surprised at how easy preparing the proposal and selling the idea to South-Western really was. This paper is written for the purpose of acquainting aspiring textbook authors of the opportunities and the process of authoring …

Determinants Of Loan Losses In National Banks: Size, Regulation, And The Aicpa Model, Randy Marl Reed

Doctoral Dissertations

Because of recent failures, the AICPA Banking Committee has developed a normative model citing specific variables for auditors to use in bank audits. This research has examined that AICPA model.

In addition, the Auditing Principles Board has identified several areas of concern for auditing internal control structures. Research into size and regulation from other sources has indicated that both are significant modifiers of financial models. Regulations now require banks and holding companies of more than $500 million in assets to submit to an annual independent audit.

The primary purpose of this research was to determine whether the AICPA normative model …

Assessing Higher-Level Thinking Skills, Federation Schools Of Accountancy Accounting Pedagogical Resource Series, C. Johnson, C. Baril, Sakthi Mahenthiran, M. Sarhan, G. Weinstein

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

This resource catalog is one of a series prepared for the Pedagogical Resources Committee of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy. The aim of the resource catalog series is to provide background information for instructors interested in enhancing classroom pedagogy. Each resource catalog focuses on a single pedagogical issue or approach. The catalogs are authored by educators who are familiar with the issue or approach in both their classroom efforts and research writings.

The Effects Of Counterexplanation And Audit Groups On Fraud Detection, Janne Chung, Gary S. Monroe

Research outputs pre 2011

Prior studies have found that auditors' fraud detection rates are relatively low (Bernardi 1994; Pincus 1991 ). The present study examines whether counterexplaining inaccurate judgments will increase fraud detection rates and whether audit groups can counterexplain more effectively compared to individual auditors. The possible negative effect of counterexplanation is examined by requiring audit groups and individual auditors to counterexplain accurate judgments. The purpose of this 'inanipulatiori is to determine whether counterexplaining accurate judgments will lead to negative belief revision, and whether this negative belief revision will be mitigated by the use of audit groups. A 2 x 2 x 2 …

The Interactive Effects Of Different Accounting Controls On Subordinates' Behaviour And Performance, Chong M. Lau

Research outputs pre 2011

Prior research suggests that goal setting and an emphasis en meeting tight budget targets may influence the extent of subordinates' performance and slack creation. This study hypothesizes that other accounting controls may moderate these relationships. Specifically, it hypothesizes that: (i) budgetary performance is increased and (ii) budgetary slack creation is decreased when an emphasis on setting and meeting tight budget targets is complemented with a high extent of cost control. The results support a significant two-way interaction between Emphasis on setting and meeting tight budget targets and Cost control affecting budgetary performance. A significant two-way interaction between Emphasis en setting …

The Effects Of Gender And Task Complexity On Audit Judgment, Janne Chung, Gary S. Monroe

Research outputs pre 2011

This study examines the interaction effect between gender and task complexity on audit judgment based on the selectivity hypothesis. This hypothesis states that males are selective information processors whereas females are detailed information processors. The study extends this hypothesis to an auditing context and hypothesizes that males will outperform females when task complexity is low while females will outperform males when task complexity is high. A two (males and females) by two (task complexity - high and low) full factorial experiment was carried out. The low and high task complexity conditions were created by manipulating the number of cues. The …

On The Answer-Arrangement Bias Of Professional Certification Examinations In Accounting, Marshall A. Geiger, Mark M. Higgins

Accounting Faculty Publications

The test construction literature has emphasized the randomization of answers within multiple-choice items as a way to eliminate test construction bias. This study examines the answer placement bias of the multiple-choice portion of the 1987 - 1992 CIA, CMA, and CPA exams. The results indicate a consistent bias toward the "A" position in the CIA exam and against the "A" and "E" positions on the CMA exam. Also, all three exams were found to have significantly fewer correct answer runs (e.g., four "A's" in a row) than would be expected from the random placement of answers. A discussion of test …

Expectation-Performance Gap: Professional Liability Associated With Certain Auditor Behaviors, Sidney Paul Glandon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is threefold: (i) to establish hypotheses relating financial liability to certain auditor behaviors discussed in the independence literature, (ii) to empirically validate that the presence of these behaviors will increase auditor financial liability over the normal audit situation, and (iii) attempt to explain the differences in subjects' perceptions for each of the behavioral scenarios studied.

A survey instrument was developed and administered to three groups of subjects: an impaneled jury, bankers, and CPAs. The instrument contained a vignette describing an annual audit situation where the company filed for bankruptcy subsequent to the issuance of the …

Impact Of The Adoption Of New Technology (Facnet) On A Minority-Owned Small Business In Colorado, Tamara L. James

McCabe Thesis Collection

FACNET is a computer network that moves Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) from the Department of Defense (DoD) and federal buying sites to and from the certified Value Added Network (VAN).

This study is conducted to answer the following questions about the use FACNET by XYZ Communications:

1) Has FACNET helped reduce the cost of paper used in the business?

2) Has FACNET helped reduce the cost of long distance calls (telephone and fax) in the business?

3) Has FACNET helped reduce the cost of traveling expenses (hotel and transportation) in the business?

4)Has FACNET helped the business to conduct in …