Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons^™

E-Dsge Model With Endogenous Capital Utilization Rate, Ying Tung Chan, Maria Teresa Punzi

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

Environmental policy research has increased due to stricter policies aligned with climate goals. However, to achieve the goal of net-zero emissions, the adoption of even stronger policies and increased carbon taxes is necessary, with transition risk becoming a major concern for companies. Even though governments worldwide have been employing a range of methods such as carbon tax, cap-and-trade, and intensity targets to mitigate the impact of climate change, a pivotal debate around determining the optimal policy that reduces emissions without harming the economy continues. Our paper delves into the environmental policy assessment emphasizing the role of endogenous capital utilization rates, …

Air Pollution, Regulations On Emission And Firms' Social Responsibility, Jun Myung Song

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

This paper examines whether firms adjust their strategy in emission when air pollution is severe. Considering high PM 2.5 as severe air pollution across 65 countries, I show that firms from countries with severe air pollution have low emission score, suggesting that they put less effort in reducing emission. This is because if they improve emission strategy, firm performance deteriorates. However, such relationship disappears when the government’s environmental stringency is strong, suggesting that government’s intervention is crucial for sustainable environment. This paper concludes with analysis on the factors which can mediate the negative impact of air pollution on firms’ emission …

But Is It Material? A Case Study Evaluating Climate Risk’S Place In Financial Disclosures, Matilda Lindberg

Student Theses and Dissertations

The year of 2022 highlighted the importance of understanding how Environment, Social, and Governance (hereafter, ESG) factors impact investors. By the end of 2021, 37.8 trillion USD had been invested in ESG funds, a number expected to grow to $53 trillion by the end of 2025. Despite this bullish projection, controversy has grown about the “materiality” of ESG factors, especially climate risks, as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (hereafter, SEC). On March 21, 2022, the SEC proposed rules to enhance the standardization of climate- related disclosures (hereafter The Proposal) to promote consistent, comparable, and reliable information for investors …

Turmoil On The Mississippi River: Harnessing Green Infrastructure To Accommodate Drastically Changing Environmental Patterns, Edouard Ballett

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Mississippi River is one of the most important commercial waterways in the world. It connects the United States’ agricultural and manufacturing centers with the rest of the country and the global supply chain while also being the economic engine for developments up and down the river. Over the past four years, the Mississippi River has experienced its worst drought and flood on record. Climate change is increasing the commonality of extreme weather events, and we must alter outdated concrete or “gray” infrastructure. Traditional river engineering of levees, locks, and dams increases the severity of river flow or lack thereof, …

Cost Of Capitol: Analyzing Congressional Insider Trading Regulation, Hannah Levy

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States Congress has involved itself with the financial regulation of big business for decades. The legislative body has passed a multitude of laws over time which foster greater transparency and trust between individual investors and big business. Until recently, legislators have avoided passing laws which regulate their own financial activity. Recent investigations revealing that dozens of federal lawmakers have violated financial disclosure laws and made stock trades on insider information has successfully angered the public and forced Congress to consider tighter restrictions. But can Americans trust their legislators to effectively regulate themselves? If no legislative action is taken, …

Ethics And Nil, Jackson Krause

Honors Projects

Research diving into the ethics surrounds NIL, and how it is affecting the current collegiate athletic atmosphere.

Fraud And The Audit Expectation Gap, Samuel Pelumi Olatunde

Honors College Theses

This study seeks to explore the expectation gap Georgia Southern University business and non-business majors have toward the work of an auditor. This study aims to assess the understanding of Auditors' responsibility for preventing and detecting fraud. This study will help assess the roles of an auditor, a forensic accountant, and management in fraud detection and prevention. The study will also highlight the importance of equipping students with accounting knowledge relevant to the business environment. The research for the study is conducted through a survey questionnaire and interpreted with Excel software. The hypothesis is that students that are majoring in …

Bearer Negotiable Instruments: Addressing A Financial Intelligence Gap And Identifying Criminogenic Weaknesses, Hollis B. Kegg

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bearer Negotiable Instruments (BNI) are a long-standing category of financial instruments used to transfer large amounts of money in ways that may not be subject to regulation, reporting, tracking, review, or oversight. There is limited information available on BNIs, and no evidence that any studies have been undertaken on BNIs alone, much less reported. Increasingly, BNIs are being used for illegal purposes including money laundering. This study gathers information about their characteristics, nature, purpose, legal status, and numbers. It also focuses on the crime risks associated with BNIs, the crime opportunities they facilitate, and the criminal weaknesses in the financial …

Audit Report Timeliness In Local Governments: An Observation Of North Carolina Governmental Units’ Response To State-Imposed Deadlines And Consequences, Amber N. Daniels

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

To provide citizens with transparent financial information regarding the health of their respective districts, local government unit leaders must furnish governmental audit reports in a timely manner. Further, for management to effectively implement auditor suggestions for improvements, leaders must have accessibility to timely audited information. Many governmental units in the state of North Carolina have demonstrated significant lags in reporting timeliness and often miss state-mandated deadlines. Therefore, this research utilized ordinary least-squares regression to estimate the effects the variables representing report message and managerial competency, accountability, and audit environment groups had on the time required for each unit to file …

When Does Csr Payoff?, John A. Doukas, Rongyao Zhang

Finance Faculty Publications

We investigate whether firms engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) can preserve firm value during normal and unprecedented exogenous adverse events. Our evidence shows, in regular times, a negative relation between CSR engagement and firm value, but under adverse economic conditions, CSR protects firm value by decreasing firm risks. We also find that firms with high managerial attributes engage in greater CSR activities that benefit shareholders in both normal and aberrant financial times. Despite the controversy surrounding CSR, our evidence points out that CSR can be viewed as a set of intangible assets that can improve firm value across good …

Unintended Consequences: Impact Of Covid Relief Payments On Families And The Housing Industry, Tami J. Moore, Jared Burgoon

Mountain Plains Business Conference

Proposed as a Panel event exploring the unintended consequences of the Covid Relief Payments made during the pandemic on families, housing, and supply chain.

The Influence Of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures On Investment Efficiency In The Asian Emerging Markets, Nguyen Vinh Khuong, Fibi Rizki Herdianti, Le Huu Tuan Anh

The Indonesian Capital Market Review

The aim of the research was to determine the efficiency of investing in companies that report on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing markets. Companies that won the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2020 were chosen for the study. We evaluate the correlation utilizing data from 36 firms from year observations of 2018 to 2020, using modified OLS estimation and regression analysis with modified panel data for heteroskedasticity and/or autocorrelation. In the emerging market, the sample period under examination is quite recent. Research findings show that CSR reporting has a significant negative effect on the company’s investment efficiency (IE) and …

“Fiscal Trap”, The Case Of Greece, Titos Ritsatos

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

Present research aims at the introduction of the term “Fiscal Trap” in economic literature, as a comprehensive definition of the economic situation in which any available combination of fiscal-only policy measures (tax increases and austerity measures), would fail to fulfill fiscal targets during periods of recession. Using recent experience from the case of Greece, an ex-post evaluation of adopted policy effectiveness is pursued. Fiscal austerity and increased taxation enforced in Greece during the years 2009-2012, resulted in decreased tax revenues, lower GDP and increased debt-to-GDP ratio. In order to slip away from the vicious cycle generated by austerity and tax …

The Terrorist Laffer Curve:Rationality And Insurgency In Iraq, 2004-2008, Dennis S. Edwards

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

While the original framework by Arthur Laffer focused on tax rates and the resulting revenue from such taxation, the Laffer curve has been applied to other studies in behavior as well. This paper details evidence of a Laffer curve in Iraq with respect to terrorist violence and Iraqi public support of that violence against the U.S.-led coalition forces. As insurgents began killing more Iraqi citizens in their attacks on U.S.-led forces, the increased lethality caused initial support of such violence to erode. As a result, the high-level terrorist hierarchy has suggested that its operatives reduce lethality and indiscriminate bombings.

Building An Equitable Food System In Georgia With Future Farmers: A Business Case Study, Yukta Sinha

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

My thesis aims to investigate how a mobile application called Future Farmers ©, that connects farmers with retailers bypassing middlemen, can increase farmers’ bargaining power thereby creating an equitable food system. More specifically, my thesis seeks to analyse the application’s viability in the country of Georgia. Drawing upon primary data collected through interviews with farmers and retailers as well as a review of relevant literature, this research will utilize a mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of this technology on the agricultural industry in Georgia. The company’s revenue projections and market access are just some aspects evaluated while qualitative information …

Impairment Recognition And Revaluation– China Publicly Listed Companies, Ying Wang

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

The advent of SFAS 142 and IAS 36 regarding handling of asset impairment has spawned research into how these standards influence whether an impairment loss is recorded. Deferred tax items in China have three major components: temporary tax and financial reporting differences in depreciation; impairment losses; and previous losses, which can be carried forward for five years for tax purposes. While the temporary differences in depreciation typically defer taxes and create deferred tax liabilities, impairment losses and previous losses create deferred tax assets because they are not deductible in the current period for tax purposes. A deferred tax asset is …

Analysis Of The Comovement Of Unemployment In Midwestern States, Tammy Rapp Parker

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

The current paper investigates the interrelatedness of twelve Midwestern states through the comovement of unemployment rates. Due to their geographic location, we would anticipate similarities and comovement among macroeconomic variables. The results show that although most of the bivariate pairings do show a relationship. Five of the sixty-five pairings show no indication of cointegration among their unemployment rates. Each of these five pairings includes North Dakota. The paper investigates geographic and socioeconomic similarities between these states to try to explain these results.

Baumol And Bowen Cost Effects In Research Universities, Robert E. Martin

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

We estimate cost models for both public and private research universities and use partial differentials from these models to estimate different cost effects. The results suggest both Baumol’s cost disease and Bowen’s revenue theory drive cost higher and that Bowen effects are larger than Baumol effects. Tight revenue since 2008 reversed some declines in productivity and accelerated the trend in economizing on the use of tenure track faculty. This behavior under loose and tight revenue constraints is consistent with Bowen’s revenue theory.

Credit Market Innovations And Gross Domestic Income, Ellis Heath

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

In this paper I compare the effects of different credit variables on real output in the US. However, instead of using real Gross Domestic Product as a proxy for real output, I use real Gross Domestic Income. I use a VAR framework with generalized impulse response functions and generalized variance decompositions. I look at a credit aggregate and different credit spreads. I find that shocks to some credit variables can have significant effects on real output; the reaction, however, is a temporary one. Specifically, measures of the risk premium and the term premium have the most importance in explaining innovations …

Tax Management, Ownership Structure And Corporate Governance, Ying Wang, Scott Butterfield

Southern University College of Business E-Journal

We use 2010-2018 publicly listed Chinese company data to analyze how ownership structure and corporate governance affects tax management. Our results indicate that diverse ownership structure might lower a company’s tax rates, whereas traditional corporate governance measures, such as board size, independent board member percentage and duality of CEO serving as chair do not affect tax.

Accounting Case Studies, Jack Mcinnis

Honors Theses

Accounting Case Studies is a compilation of independent case studies performed during the Honors Accounting 420 class. The case studies consisted of multiple performed individually, and a case competition with an assigned group. The case studies I performed individually consist of an assessment between the two cities I was interested in beginning my career in, a case study about the presidential debate in 2020, an evaluation of the optimal corporate tax, a mentorship interview, and an analysis of the 2008 housing crisis in the United States. My group for the case study included my fellow classmates; Francena Sekul, Caitlyn Henry, …

Case Studies In Accountancy, Michael Keene

Honors Theses

Case Studies in Accountancy is a compilation of case studies completed in fulfillment of ACCY 420. My cases are titled as followed: A Tale of Two Cities, Financial Statements, Presidential Debate, Tax Cuts and Job Act and Taxodus, Professional Interview, Financial Crisis, Case Competition Amazon Overview, Case Competition Amazon Audit Analyst, Case Competition Amazon Tax Advisor, Case Competition Amazon Advisory Consultant and Case Competition Amazon’s Equity Position. These cases covered a variety of topics in the world of accountancy as well as touching on our personal lives. In the first semester of the course, cases were typically individual before moving …

The Determinants Of Banking Regulation In The Mena Region, Hanene Ksiaa Dr, Mohamed Imen Gallali Professor

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

Theoretical foundations in banks' response to capital settlement suggest that the systems proposed by Basel are not sound. It is conceivable that regulators will consider alternative approaches to enhance the safety and soundness of the banking system. The regulation includes several decrees and ratios; the areas of interest encompassing the areas are subject to principal component analysis (PCA).The paper aims to present a regulatory framework based on balance sheet ratios, such as Capital requirements (equity ratio; Tier 1 ratio; Total Equity/Net Loans; Total Equity/Deposits); for liquidity needs (liquidity/deposits; liquidity/total assets; liquidity/deposits and loans, and net loans/total assets); for leverage requirements …

Altering Overdraft Fee Policies To Promote Consumer Financial Health, Nadia Barbarawi

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study is to describe the traditional overdraft practices, explain the reaction of the banking industry from the pressure coming from consumers, regulators, and innovative companies to reduce or eliminate overdraft fees to promote consumer financial health.

Theranos: Case Study And Examination Of The Fraud Triangle, Abbey Jennings

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fraud is a serious issue which carries significant implications. Fraud committed by top level managers is particularly grievous, as it ripples through a firm, harming the company’s shareholders, employees, and credibility, while posing a threat to individuals and society (Zahra, et al.). A common framework in auditing, the fraud triangle, outlines three factors that if present, increase the risk or enable fraud to occur. The three factors are incentive, opportunity, and rationalization to commit fraud (Barlow).

In 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of a supposedly groundbreaking health tech company, Theranos, with what …

Esg Investing: From Fad To Force, Erin Cullen

Senior Theses

ESG Investing is the application of environmental, social, and governance factors to identify material investment risks and growth opportunities. Though traditionally viewed as non-financial factors, this paper asserts that ESG factors are indeed financially material. This work first surveys the current state of ESG Investing, its shortcomings, and its success despite these inherent issues. Section II adds a new perspective to ESG research by examining the applications of ESG scores in portfolio management. The study conducts t-tests to answer whether the typical holdings of an ESG mutual fund are more sustainable than those of traditional funds. The paper then focuses …

Impact Measurement And Standards, Angeline Chua, Hao Liang, Wanyi Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Despite rapid economic growth and increasing interest in impact investment worldwide, less attention has been paid to the question of whether this growth is sustainable for people and the planet. In an ideal scenario, growth would happen within planetary and social boundaries. However, current financial value is often prioritised and achieved at cost to society and the environment. For example, small farmers in Indonesia have long practised slash-and-burn agriculture, and in recent decades large companies have industrialised the practice. The peatland blazes in Indonesia release smoke and large amounts of greenhouse gases, which impact both Indonesia itself, and neighbouring countries …

The Motivations And Practices Of Impact Assessment In Socially Responsible Investing: The French Case And Its Implications For The Accounting And Impact Investing Communities, Diane-Laure Arjalies, Pierre Chollet, Patricia Crifo, Nicolas Mottis

Business Publications

This research note elaborates on the impact assessment practices of the French Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) industry. The research was conducted by the Scientific Committee of the French public SRI label based on interviews, participative observation, a survey, and documentary evidence. SRI is usually distinguished from impact investing in terms of investors’ different intentions (contributing to sustainable development in a financially savvy way for SRI vs. demonstrating a societal impact for impact investing). We show that, beyond this distinction, the meanings and motivations behind impact assessment in the SRI community are broadly different from impact assessment practices in impact investing, …

Prison Break From Financialization: The Case Of The Pri Reporting And Assessment Framework, Diane-Laure Arjaliès, Daniela Laurel, Nicolas Mottis

Business Publications

Purpose

This article seeks to unravel the mechanisms through which financial actors agreed upon a sustainability accounting standard without financializing social and environmental issues, i.e., assigning a monetary value to sustainability.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The article examines the Reporting and Assessment Framework created by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), the leading reporting sustainability framework in the asset management industry. It relies on a longitudinal case study that draws upon interviews, participant observation, and archival data.

Findings

The article demonstrates that the conception of the framework was a funnelling process of sustainability valuation comprising two co-constituted mechanisms: a process of …

Long-Term Analysis Of A Savings Program In Elementary School, Jennifer Davidson, William Walstad

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

The prevalence of in-school savings programs (ISSPs) for children and youth is widespread, but research on their effectiveness is limited. This study investigates the long-term effects of an ISSP conducted in one U.S. elementary school. Survey data were collected on the financial behaviors of high school students, who participated in or did not participate in an ISSP while attending the same elementary school at the same time. The results from a probit analysis of data controlling for demographic variables showed that ISSP participants compared with non-participants were more likely to have a bank account in high school. They also were …