Accounting Commons^™

Evaluating The Perceived Benefits Of Education In Revenue Cycle Management And The Impact On Medical Claims Reimbursement, Jessica L. Miller

Student Dissertations

Efficient Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is essential for healthcare organizations to ensure timely and accurate reimbursement for medical claims. The research problem was the significant inadequacies in RCM process in medical billing that has resulted in financial burdens imposed on providers, patients, and the organizations that provide medical services. There are clearly identified educational gaps in RCM that contribute to claim denials, delays, and revenue loss, underscoring the need for robust training programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived impact of education in RCM on medical claim reimbursement outcomes within the U.S. healthcare system. The study …

Transforming Accounting With Artificial Intelligence, Aidan M. Morneault

Business Analytics Student Projects and Publications

The accounting field is evolving quickly with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and BNN is taking on this challenge. This report explores how BNN incorporates AI tools like Microsoft’s CoPilot and Caseware into its operations to streamline audits, enhance efficiency, and ensure compliance. This report will also cover how the industry handles this new technology, but still have a focus on BNN. While AI has brought significant benefits such as reducing costs, speeding up data processing, and moving towards real-time audits, it also presents challenges. These challenges include trust in AI outputs, high implementation costs, and workforce training. To …

Navigating Workforce Utilization Metric In The Indian It Industry: A Multifaceted Study, Shipra Jha

Management Dynamics

The measurement of workforce utilization is a critical concern for organizations, especially within the dynamic landscape of the IT industry. This research explores the multifaceted nature of utilization metrics by devising Utilization Insight Elicitation Framework (UIEF), focusing on three major themes: defining utilization and understanding the significance, assessing its impact on employee well-being, and contemplating its future relevance. Examining utilization from cost and revenue perspectives reveals how organizations optimize costs while ensuring project profitability. The study scrutinizes the balance between cost-focused and headcount-centered approaches, considering employees' roles and project demands. Additionally, it discusses factors for inclusion/exclusion in utilization calculations and …

Esg Systems And Financial Reporting, Madison Layton

Honors Theses

This thesis presents an informational overview of ESG systems and associated financial reporting requirements. This writing focuses on two main types of ESG systems, carbon taxes and emission trading systems, also known as cap-and-trade programs. Both carbon taxes and emissions trading systems are market-based approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon taxes offer price certainty as governments set a tax rate to incorporate the negative environmental effect of producing a good or service into the cost of that good or service. Emissions trading systems provide reduction certainty as a government or other entity will set a cap on total emissions …

Dark Tetrad Personality And Earnings Management: The Moderating Effect Of Corporate Reputation, Alan Diógenes Góis, Gerlando Augusto Sampaio Franco De Lima, Márcia Martins Mendes De Luca, Giorgio Gotti

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating effect of corporate reputation on the relationship between the Dark Tetrad personality and earnings management.

Method: Two approaches were adopted: one archival and one experimental. In the archival approach, 434 firms (2,645 observations) headquartered in the US were analyzed, covering the period 2010-2017. Earnings management was proxied by accruals quality, reputation was proxied by the score on the ranking of the World’s Most Admired Companies, and Dark Tetrad personality was based on CEO speech and ‘Big Five’ personality analysis. In the experimental approach, we used a 2x2 between-subjects design …

Innovating Under Pressure? Regulatory Intensity And Corporate Innovation, Christy Mak

Honors Projects in Finance

We investigate the impact of regulatory intensity on innovation outcomes. We examine U.S. publicly listed firms, utilizing a novel firm-level measure of exposure to all federal regulations. The study reveals that highly regulated companies tend to exhibit lower patent value, a reduction in patent filings, and a decrease in patent citations. The results suggest additional costs imposed on firms burdened by heavy regulations. Furthermore, financial distress and political connections mitigate this negative effect. Overall, the paper uncovers a previously undiscovered connection between regulation at an aggregate level and innovation, emphasizing circumstances where regulations may impose costs that outweigh potential benefits.

Research On The Impact Of Firms' Perception Of Economic Policy Uncertainty On Their Digital Transformation, Fanwei Meng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In an era characterized by globalization and digital advancement, economic policies play a critical role in the governmental regulation of economic activities. These policies are characterized by uncertainty due to a variety of internal and external factors, including international politics, economic cycles, and market fluctuations. The way firms, as microeconomic entities, perceive economic policy uncertainty (EPU) has a direct impact on their investment decisions and innovation activities. Nowadays, digital transformation has emerged as a vital strategy for firms seeking to enhance their competitiveness and adapt to evolving markets. However, digital transformation often comes with challenges, such as high input costs …

Competency Model For General Managers Of Chain Independent Clinical Laboratory (Icl) Subsidiaries, Haiyan Wen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

An independent clinical laboratory (ICL) is a medical institution that has received approval from health authorities, holds independent legal status, and specializes in medical testing or pathological diagnostics, assuming responsibility independently. It is also referred to as a third-party medical testing laboratory. During in-depth research on the enterprises, it was found that while the chain ICL industry is rapidly growing, the issues of uncertainty and difficulty in selecting subsidiary general managers have become a common concern and pain point among senior managers.

The study combines theoretical and data analysis to identify distinct and important competency characteristics of general managers of …

Vale Strategic Audit, Nikolas Mancio

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Chinese government is critical in shaping the global mining and metals industry, specifically for companies like Vale S.A., the world’s largest iron ore and nickel producer. China’s dominance as the largest importer of iron ore significantly impacts commodity prices and demand, with its government exerting substantial influence through production quotas, infrastructure spending, and environmental regulations. Vale’s strategic position in the Chinese market is a cornerstone of its operations. It is supported by investments in distribution centers, blending facilities, and high-grade iron ore that align with China’s environmental goals. However, this reliance also makes Vale vulnerable to shifts in Chinese …

Corporate Disclosures For Green Supply Chains: Evidence From Scope 3 Emissions Disclosure, Young Jun Cho, Jungbae Kim, Holly I. Yang, Mengjie Yang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

A firm's decision to initiate Scope 3 emissions disclosure not only reflects their sustainability efforts but also signals their commitment to decarbonizing its value chain, fostering collaboration among suppliers in promoting greener supply chains. Using a generalized difference-in-differences research design, we find that suppliers reduced greenhouse gas emissions following their customers’ initiation of Scope 3 emissions disclosures. This reduction in emissions is more pronounced when the supplier poses greater climate risk and when the customer has a greater need to restore public trust for its climate-related behavior. We also find that this effect varies with the strength of the customer-supplier …

One Hundred Years Of The U.S. Tax Court (1924-2024): An Examination Of The Tribunal, Its Judges, And Firms’ Involvement In Tax Litigation, Rolando Daniel Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three interrelated essays on the U.S. Tax Court. The first essay examines the institutional background of the U.S. Tax Court (formerly the Board of Tax Appeals), thereby framing its importance and history. Focused on the factors that gave rise to the Board of Tax Appeals, this essay begins by distilling prior histories and discussing the circumstances that birthed the institution. Next, the paper expounds on early proponents of the Board of Tax Appeals, such as the American Mining Congress and key individuals therein. Specifically, I propose strong influence for the formation of the Board of Tax …

The Effect Of Private Placement On Investment Efficiency: Empirical Evidence From The New Refinancing Regulations, Zhiyong Han

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Compared with public offerings, private placements are more attractive to investors due to a lower threshold, a simpler procedure, and a higher success rate of issuance. These advantages make private placements the preferred choice for listed companies seeking to issue additional shares in many capital markets. With the increased prevalence of private placements as a refinancing method, how to effectively leverage raised funds and improve investment efficiency has emerged as a topic under discussion within the academic community. However, whether private placements can affect investment efficiency remains controversial. Moreover, previous studies lack systematic empirical evidence, and endogeneity issues hinder an …

Impact Of Project Simulation Shareholding Incentive On Team Performance: Research Based On The Construction Industry, Jian Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

China's construction industry is vast and possesses a wide market; however, it faces challenges such as unclear stratification and low concentration levels. Construction enterprises face significant constraints in key areas such as financial strength, team stability, and technological advancement, while also bearing substantial costs related to supervision and accountability. The project simulation shareholding mode enhances employees' sense of belonging and responsibility through a collaborative approach characterized by joint management, shared risks, and shared benefits. This improves project execution efficiency and quality, ultimately strengthening the core competitiveness of the enterprise. In the construction industry, projects often involve substantial investments and long-term …

Manufacturing Enterprises' Gross Margins And Performance: A Study On The Moderating Effect Of Management Expenses And R&D Expenses, Jiuliu Zhang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the context of globalization, manufacturing enterprises are integral to national economies, with their financial stability closely related to increasingly fierce market competition. Among various financial metrics, gross margin stands out as a key indicator of product profitability, significantly impacting production decisions, cost control, and pricing strategies. Understanding the relationship between the gross margins of manufacturing enterprises and their performance is essential for optimizing their financial structures and enhancing their market competitiveness. The study aims to investigate the correlation between gross margin and enterprise performance by developing complex, scientifically sound models and utilizing big data analysis technology. Additionally, it examines …

Audit Firms' Entry Into H-Share Audit Market And Mainland Audit Pricing: Evidence From China, Rui Zhang, Gaoliang Tian, Zichen Tian, Liuchuang Li

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether mainland Chinese audit firms’ entry into the H-share market to provide audit services affects their mainland audit pricing. Design/methodology/approach: Using data on A-share listed companies in China from 2008 to 2018, a difference-in-differences model to test the research question is designed. Robustness tests are conducted to rule out alternative explanations and additional tests to shed light on the extent and inner workings of the main effect. Findings: The entry of mainland audit firms into the H-share audit market leads to a significant decrease in mainland audit pricing. Moreover, this main effect is (i) …

Do Commercial Ties Influence Esg Ratings? Evidence From Moody's And S&P, Xuanbo Li, Yun Lou, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We provide the first evidence that conflicts of interest arising from commercial ties lead to bias in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings. Using the acquisitions of Vigeo Eiris and RobecoSAM by Moody's and S&P as shocks to the commercial ties between ESG rating agencies and their rated firms, we show that, after their acquisitions by the credit rating agencies (CRAs), ESG rating agencies issue higher ratings to existing paying clients of the CRAs. This effect is greater for firms that have more intensive business relationships with the CRAs, but weaker for firms with more transparent ESG disclosures or higher …

Navigating Market Volatility: Risk And Return Insights From Indian Mutual Funds, Davinder K. Malhotra, Rahul Singh, L. Ramani

School of Business Faculty Papers

This study evaluates Indian mutual funds using a variety of criteria, demonstrating a historical tendency of lower monthly returns and volatility when compared to benchmark indexes. This positive risk profile implies that it will appeal to investors who want stability. Despite COVID-19-induced market volatility, mutual funds persistently outperform benchmark indices in terms of average return per unit of risk, highlighting their potential as a dependable investment option for stability seekers. Furthermore, Indian mutual funds routinely beat benchmark indexes in risk-adjusted terms. Despite having a positive alpha, it lacked statistical significance, indicating a possible reliance on market volatility rather than managerial …

Data Analytics Strategies For Management Accountants In Small And Medium Enterprises, Katty Nkeze Nkem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data analytics has increasingly become vital in maintaining competitive advantage in the contemporary business environment. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been among the top beneficiaries of data-driven decision-making processes; however, management accountant leaders often do not effectively use data analytics strategies for decision-making purposes to maintain a competitive advantage. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore data analytics strategies that SME management accountant leaders in Virginia use for decision-making purposes to maintain a competitive advantage. The participants were 12 SME management accountants and …

An Exploration Of Internal Control System Of Ethiopian Banks, Fekade Adera Tesfaye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Adequate internal controls enhance an organization's likelihood of achieving objectives in a changing business environment, contribute to organizational growth and competitiveness, support compliance with regulatory requirements, and help in preventing and identifying fraud, embezzlement, and waste. This qualitative case study explored the potential lack of adequate internal control systems in Ethiopian banks that impact their operational and financial performances. The study sought to understand how these banks design and implement internal controls and to identify factors contributing to the potential lack of adequate internal controls. The study was guided by the COSO internal control framework, which is widely accepted for …

Links, Fit, And Sacrifice: How Job Embeddedness Impacts Work Modality And Intention To Stay In Public Accounting, Maryalice C. Trussell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the public accounting profession has applied an in-person apprenticeship model to assimilate new professionals into the culture of the firm and client service profession. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly challenged this in-person apprenticeship model in early 2020 by forcing most professionals to work remotely. Initial post-pandemic research with public accountants highlighted issues related to remote work, including a lack of social bonds with coworkers, reduced organizational socialization as well as less commitment to the firm and profession. Notwithstanding the new obstacles with COVID-induced remote work, turnover and talent shortages have been persistent challenges in public accounting.

This study is the …

Auditing Standards Board (Asb), Meeting Agenda, November 7-8, 2024, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Auditing Standards Board

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Cash Holding Decisions On Firm Performance In The It Industry, Jaeseong Lim, Bong Keun Jeong

Accounting

This study examines the relationship between corporate cash holdings and firm performance within the IT industry, which is characterized by intense competition and rapid technological advancements. We propose an integrated framework that combines principal component analysis (PCA), machine learning (ML) algorithms, and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values to estimate and interpret model outcomes. Based on 21,051 corporate financial statement data items from 2004 and 2023, the empirical evidence supports an inverted U-shaped relationship between cash holdings and profitability, suggesting that holding either too little or too much cash is suboptimal. Among the tested models, the random forest demonstrates the highest …

Applying Deep Learning To Detect Abnormal Event Log Traces: A Non-Rule-Based Framework, Yunsen Wang, Tiffany Chiu, Miklos A. Vasarhelyi

Department of Accounting and Finance Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Process mining is an efficient method that can analyze the full population of transactions using the event log of business processes. Conventional rule-based process mining techniques can detect anomalies; however, it tends to trigger a large number of false alarms. To improve the efficiency of anomaly detection using process mining, this study adopts a deep learning-based classification approach to detect anomalies in the traces of event logs. This approach contributes to the literature by proposing a non-rule-based process mining technique based on deep learning. Results demonstrate that the proposed non-rule-based process mining method can help auditors focus on transactional anomalies.

Improved Estimation Of The Correlation Matrix Using Reinforcement Learning And Text-Based Networks, Cheng Lu, Papa Momar Ndiaye, Majeed Simaan

Department of Accounting and Finance Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We propose a data-driven methodology to shrink the correlation matrix and, hence, the covariance matrix using reinforcement learning (RL). Our approach does not impose any assumptions on the stock returns and can be applied to any covariance matrix target. It focuses on the special case of the global minimum variance portfolio and investigates the economic value of our methodology by utilizing text-based networks (Hoberg and Phillips, 2016). The portfolio selection problem, hence, boils down to determining the optimal shrinkage policy using RL. The empirical analysis utilizes a large universe of stocks covering more than 400 assets and 20 years as …

Local Ceos And Voluntary Disclosure: Evidence From Non-Gaap Earnings, Jiwoo Seo, Adam Esplin, Yun Ke, Kari Olsen

Hunt Institute Working Paper Series

In the U.S. CEO labor market, firms are more likely to hire local CEOs than non-local CEOs. We explore the consequences of this hiring practice on voluntary disclosure of firm financial information in the non-GAAP earnings setting. Using a sample of S&P 1500 firms from 2003 to 2020, we show that firms led by local CEOs are less likely to provide non-GAAP earnings than those led by non-local CEOs. This result holds across a battery of robustness tests, including a placebo test, adopting different matching procedures, an instrumental variable approach, various regression specifications, and alternative samples using CEO turnover events. …

Politicians’ Green Incentives And External Auditing, Ole-Kristian Hope, Heng Yue, Qinlin Zhong

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines whether and how politicians’ green incentives affect external auditing. Specifically, we investigate the effects of China’s Green Audit of Outgoing Officials (GAOO) policy, which directly links environmental performance to public officials’ promotions. Employing a DID approach, we observe a significant reduction in audit fees for high-polluting firms after the implementation of GAOO. The decrease is stronger among firms located in regions with departing public officials. We identify two channels driving this trend: (1) Auditors rely on public information generated from intensified governmental efforts, thereby economizing on their efforts (i.e., a substitution effect); (2) High-polluting firms improve their …

Making Accounting Education Fit For Purpose For The New Economy, Yew Kee Ho, Jean Liu, Sze Kee Koh, Kai Teck Ng, Sa-Pyung Sean Shin, Tin Wee Tan, Yuanto Zhu Kusnadi

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The accountancy profession faces one of its most challenging periods as several factors converge to disrupt it. Technological advancements, the expanding role of accountants, declining student interest in accountancy, and increasing expectations for uniquely human capital all exert pressure on the profession to reinvent itself or face marginalisation. This study, funded by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), examines trends in the accountancy profession alongside accountancy education in Singapore. Its goal is to formulate a fit-for-purpose accountancy education for the new economy.

Politically Connected Firms And The Cash Flow Sensitivity Of Cash: International Evidence, Yuanto Kusnadi

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines the role of political connections on the cash flow sensitivity of cash using a sample of international firms. The finding reveals that the cash flow sensitivity of cash is lower for politically connected firms than their non-connected counterparts, which is supportive of the precautionary motive of cash holdings. Further analyses reveal that the result is driven by political connections that are made through the directors of the firms and with members of parliament, as well as by differences in country-level institutional infrastructure. Overall, the empirical results corroborate that of previous studies on the relevance of the precautionary …

Discretionary Dissemination On Twitter, Richard M. Crowley, Wenli Huang, Hai Lu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The study provides large-scale descriptive evidence on the timing and nature of corporate financial tweeting. Using an unsupervised machine learning approach to analyze 24 million tweets posted by S&P 1500 firms from 2012 to 2020, we find that firms are more likely to tweet financial information around significantly negative or positive news events, such as earnings announcements and the filing of financial statements. This convex U-shaped relation between the likelihood of posting financial tweets and the materiality of accounting events becomes stronger over time. Whereas research based on early samples concludes that firms are less likely to disseminate financial information …

Public Enforcement Through Independent Directors, Xiaoxi Li, Pingui Rao, Yong George Yang, Heng Yue

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine how public enforcement and private enforcement interact to contain self-dealing activities in emerging markets. Using data from China, we find that firms receiving comment letters concerning related party transactions (RPTs) from stock exchanges significantly reduce their RPTs in subsequent years. We further find that (1) the subsequent reduction in RPTs is more pronounced when independent directors have higher career or reputation concerns and (2) independent directors are more likely to dissent or resign if their firms do not significantly reduce RPTs after receiving RPT comment letters, especially if they have high reputation concerns. Our study sheds light on …