Is older goodwill value relevant?

Although previous research has generally found that goodwill reported in firms’ financial reports is relevant to equity valuation, no known studies have directly examined whether the value‐relevance of purchased goodwill holds as it ages. We examine this issue in the Australian context to determine whether the market attaches different values to the components of Australian firms’ goodwill when it is disaggregated into different ‘ages’. Our results suggest that recently acquired goodwill has information content whereas ‘older’ goodwill does not. Our findings have implications for goodwill accounting practice and recent changes to goodwill accounting standards.     

Popular television formats,The student-as-consumer metaphor,acculturation and critical engagement in the teaching of accounting

This paper discusses six television programme formats which were self-selected by Australian university students to facilitate their group-based presentations of accounting subject matter to fellow students in seminar and tutorial classes. This paper is a reflection upon the experiences of these formats (news and current affairs, game shows, tabloid television, soap operas, children's programmes and situation comedies) using an evaluative framework comprising the student-as-consumer metaphor, notions of ‘acculturation’ and a model of ‘critical engagement’. The television programme format appears to be beneficial in serving accounting students' psychological and emotional needs and in providing them with a shared cultural structure by which to address accounting issues. This shared structure facilitates students' critical and creative engagement with accounting.     

CORPORATE GOODWILL:

ABSTRACT ** : Corporate contributions to charity, like advertising expenditures, may have a long-term effect on a firm's image and profits. Recent examples of corporate giving show that many gifts are made in the 'enlightened self-interest' of the donor. One way to view corporate giving is as a managerial tool that affects the firm's profits. This paper examines charitable spending, where firms treat goodwill expenditures in both the product and factor markets as strategic variables. Contributions may be enhanced or impaired by contributions made by other firms. The model allows firms to make decisions about corporate giving that are cooperative or noncooperative, where efficiency is gained through cooperation. Market conditions determine whether cooperation is sustainable. As the time horizon lengthens, the discount factor of future earnings rises, or the level of industry cooperation rises, and firms are more likely to cooperate in charitable giving.     

FINANCIAL LITERACY AND PENSION INVESTMENT DECISIONS

The call for enhanced financial literacy amongst consumers is a global phenomenon, driven by the growing complexity of financial markets and products, and government concerns about the affordability of supporting an ageing population. Worldwide, defined benefit pensions are giving way to the risk and uncertainty of defined contribution superannuation/pension funds where fund members now make choices and decisions that were once made on their behalf. An important prerequisite for informed financial decision‐making is adequate financial knowledge and skills to make competent investment decisions. This paper reports the findings of an online survey of the members of a large Australian public sector‐based superannuation fund and shows that although respondents generally understand basic financial matters, on average, their understanding of investments concepts, such as the relationship between risk and returns, is inadequate. These results highlight the need for education programs focusing specifically on developing fund members’ investment knowledge and skills to facilitate informed retirement savings decisions.     

Lösungen für mobile Arbeitszeiterfassung

PRAXIS | Magazin

L?sungen für mobile Arbeitszeiterfassung Christian Matt     

Are Real GDP Levels Trend,Difference, or Regime-Wise Trend Stationary? Evidence from Panel Data Tests Incorporating Structural Change

The unit root hypothesis for international real GDP and real GDP per capita has been the subject of extensive investigation. Using panel methods that incorporate structural change, we reject the unit root null in favor of the alternative of trend stationarity, with one or two changes in the slope for two panels with postwar data and one or two changes in both the slope and the intercept for a panel with long-horizon data. We conclude that real GDP levels are better characterized as regime-wise trend stationary than as either trend stationary without structural change or difference stationary with unit roots.     

Tweet this,not that: A comparison between brand promotions in microblogging environments using celebrity and company-generated tweets

Despite the popularity of social media in general and Twitter specifically, little empirical research exists to assist marketers in how to successfully connect with consumers in these environments. The purpose of this study was to identify the ways in which brands can connect with consumers through Twitter and to examine how the category of Tweet impacts brand engagement. Findings reveal that whereas celebrity Tweets may be successful at capturing attention and disseminating brand information, they have minimal impact on changing brand opinions. What influence celebrities do have may be best served with unfamiliar brands rather than familiar ones – results suggest that not unlike in traditional offline media, in social media celebrities may be influential in drawing attention to unfamiliar brands. Our results also suggest that companies with established familiar brands should be cautious about paying to seed their own Tweets using Twitter's ‘Promoted by’ option, particularly if the brand is one that consumers have a neutral opinion of, as this can lower consumers' opinion of the brand. Instead, these companies should encourage consumers to follow them on Twitter as this will enable the brand to interact directly with consumers.     

A new approach to assess the normalization of differential rates of protest participation

Quality & Quantity - Research that compares those who do and do not participate in protest over time purports that protesters are becoming increasingly similar to the non-protesting population....