Institutional drivers of conformity – Evidence for management accounting from Brazil and Germany

This paper contributes to the discussion of international convergence in management accounting, which has included only limited empirical data. Building on institutional theory, we have analysed cross-sectional field study data from a unique set of manufacturing companies in Brazil and Germany. Our data suggest that management accounting structures and practices in both countries are converging towards international standards under the pressure of coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphism. Although firms generally tend to adopt Anglo-American practices, we also find that German management accounting concepts have a strong influence in Brazil. In addition to elaborating on the imitation of international best practices and standardised information systems, we show the pressures created by the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards and the pursuit of legitimacy via adherence to social expectations.     

Income inequality as an indicator of discrimination in housing markets

In this article we develop an alternative empirical method for identifying discrimination in the housing market, and test it using 1980 census data for the city of Philadelphia and four counties that are in close proximity to Philadelphia. A variety of models are estimated, and the results of the analysis appear to support the view that discrimination was an important factor in both the central city county of Philadelphia, and the suburban counties.     

Differentiation and Synergies in Rural Tourism: Estimation and Simulation of the Israeli Market

This article applies a discrete-choice equilibrium model with product differentiation to study the rural tourism industry in Israel and to jointly estimate the effect of lodging and farm characteristics on consumer preferences and firms' costs. The model accounts for heterogeneity in tastes and technologies and allows for unobservable product characteristics. We find evidence for technological synergy in the joint production of agricultural goods and rural tourism services, but none in the demand. The differentiation in the industry is the major contributor to the price-cost margin, which averages 62%. An additional minor cause is government regulations, which restrict supply. Simulation results demonstrate the growth potential of the industry and show that the government can play an important role in catalyzing growth via investment subsidization, deregulation of supply and information distribution.