Race and the development of career interest in accounting

Data from the AICPA (2009b) show that African–Americans comprise only 1% of CPAs and were only 4% of new hires by CPA firms in academic year 2007–2008. The current study uses social cognitive career theory to examine whether this shortage of diversity may be caused by differences between African–American and Caucasian students in factors that lead to career interest in accounting. Students were surveyed on two key personal variables: self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Results suggest that African–American students are more likely than Caucasian students to perceive accounting as providing outcomes that match their values. However, favorable perceptions may be countered by differences in self-efficacy. African–American students value outcomes provided by accounting, but they may have less confidence, compared to Caucasian students, that they can successfully complete the course of action necessary to enter the profession.     

中国水产品对欧盟出口波动影响因素分析

欧盟是中国重要的水产品贸易伙伴,也是中国水产品出口的主要市场之一。入世以后,中国对欧盟水产品出口出现较快增长,在欧盟市场所占份额不断上升。本文利用恒定市场份额模型(CMS)分析发现,中国出口增长首先是由欧盟水产品进口的总体规模扩大导致的,产品结构效应对出口增长的贡献有所增加,产品竞争力效应为正值,但其在出口增长中所发挥的作用有所下降。提高水产品竞争力的关键在于关注欧盟食品及饲料安全法规和渔业法规等方面的新变化,加强水产品生产卫生安全和质量管理。     

Externalities: A Note on Avoiding Confusion

In distinguishing the difference between a genuine externality and a pecuniary externity, Bohanon observes that the latter never enters third-party utility (or production) functions, whereas this is always the case with technical externalities.     

Ethical perceptions of Asian managers: evidence of trends in six divergent national contexts

Global link building is having a substantial impact in every sphere of Asian managerial activity. The economic upheavals of the Asian ?nancial crisis have cast a long shadow, and ethical clarity has become a social issue. For instance, corporate performance in terms of long-term survival, growth and global competency is seen to depend to a considerable extent upon the ethical infrastructur of managers and emerging managerial culture in Asia. One ?eld in which Asian managers and their managerial practices are often considered weak is the area of ethical clarity. Corporate managerial leaders in Asia need to develop new responses to the ethical complexities arising out of the increasing global interfaces. In spite of a growing awareness of the importance of ethical centrality in an intensely competitive international business arena, very little empirical work has been conducted to strengthen the relevant management literatures. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the perceptions of ethical probity among managers in six Asian countries. The results of the study indicate interesting convergences and divergences across countries and organisational demographies. The ?ndings lead to observations of the apparent similarities of ethical conceptualisation in global, societal and often in the organisational arena while revealing noticeable divergences in the domain of individual ethical perceptions.     

“Statistical Independence and Fractional Age Assumptions”, Gordon E. Willmot,January 1997

Abstract

The People’s Republic of China has experienced substantial growth in insurance demand over the last decade. However, development of the related laws and regulations has not kept pace with the development of the insurance industry there. This paper reports on a pioneering study comparing different statutory reserve, solvency, and early warning systems in a sample of countries and regions in three of the world’s important economic regions–Asia, North America, and Europe. It begins with the construction of a model office applicable to the People’s Republic of China’s regulatory framework and unique market environment. Reserve standards and solvency measurement systems in different supervisory frameworks then are applied to the model office. The results are analyzed as a comparative study of the People’s Republic of China’s total assets required for the reserves and solvency margins under the practices of other jurisdictions. Early warning systems also are discussed.     

An Empirical Study of the Determinants of Foreign Investment in China: A Western Australian Perspective

The literature, regarding the determinants of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, emphasizes national or regional inward FDI, and largely depends on secondary data. This study reports findings from the analysis of primary data provided by 43 managers of Western Australian companies that are either operating or planning to invest in China reveals market size, labor cost, and business ethics were important factors for promoting foreign investment to the Chinese marketplace; while gender, organizational size, and networking have potential to play a significant mediating role in investment decisions. These exploratory observations are a departure point for further investigations.     

A Comment on “Economic Inefficiency: A Failure of Economists”

This comment argues that the Staten-Umbeck critique of welfare economics, published earlier in this journal, is useful in that it challenges economists to carefully specify the assumptions of welfare analysis, but its primary point is only that welfare analysis is not methodologically positive.