Professional Accountants’ Identity Formation: An Integrative Framework

Previous studies in Western contexts have examined the relationships between various board characteristics and CSR, yet the relationships need to be re-examined in non-Western contexts given differential theoretical premises across contexts. We specifically propose that the effects of board characteristics on CSR in Korea should be patterned distinctively from Western-based existing literature, focusing on three important board characteristics, such as a board’s independence, social ties, and diversity. Using a panel dataset from large Korean firms, we found that various relationships between board characteristics and CSR were non-linear, whereas most of the previous research on Western contexts found that the same relationships were linear. Specifically, curvilinear relationships were found between CSR and board independence (i.e., exponentially growing shape), CEO-outside director social ties (i.e., inverted U-shape), and educational diversity (i.e., U-shape). Our findings suggest that there is no universal feature of CSR-supportive board characteristics due to the unique characteristics of various institutional contexts.     

Sex role socialization and perceptions of student academic dishonesty by male and female accounting faculty

We examine differences between male and female accounting faculty members’ perceptions of academic dishonesty and their uses of controls to prevent academically dishonest behaviour. We use socialization concepts to motivate our examination of these differences. Specifically, we find that females generally perceive academic dishonesty to be a more significant problem than do males, females see individual incidences of academic dishonesty as more frequent and more significant than do males, and female academics report they exercise controls to prevent academic dishonesty more frequently than do male academics. These findings are consistent with differential sex role socialization for women and men. We also find that male and female accounting academics’ perceptions converge with professional training and teaching experience, suggesting moderating impacts of professional and/or organizational socialization on perceptions of academic dishonesty. Lastly, we document some differences in how male and female accounting academics respond to known incidences of academically dishonest behaviour.     

Income Tax Accounting Policy Choice: Exposure Draft Responses and the Early Adoption Decision by Canadian Companies*

We extend prior literature through a detailed examination of the relationship between lobbying behavior and subsequent accounting standard adoption timing, using changes to a Canadian accounting standard with a prolonged transition period. We develop a model linking lobbying and adoption timing. We test hypotheses based on recontracting costs, information production costs, efforts to manage investor perceptions, and corporate governance practices to assess the ability of these factors to explain corporations' choice of adoption timing. We examine responses to the Income Taxes exposure draft using content analysis to identify trends in lobbying behavior. We evaluate the accounting standard adoption decision for Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) 300 firms using a LOGIT model. Our findings indicate that early adoption appears to be most prevalent for firms that benefit from improved financial statement performance. In contrast, late adopters tend to be firms that have lobbied standard‐setters regarding the out‐of‐pocket costs of the standard and that rate highly on certain corporate governance measures.     

Productivity in Top‐10 Academic Accounting Journals by Researchers at Canadian Universities at the Start of the 21st Century

We assess the research publication productivity of Canadian‐based accounting researchers in highly ranked accounting journals for the 2001–13 period. Our research provides important benchmarks for use by individual researchers and universities for matters such as promotion and tenure decisions. For example, each Canadian‐based faculty member had approximately 0.50 of a weighted article for the 13‐year period, and 45 percent of all accounting faculty members published at least once in a top‐10 accounting journal. We also provide an overview of the type of research being published by Canadian‐based researchers in each of the top‐10 journals (financial accounting, managerial, audit, tax or other) and we assess how productivity at top‐10 journals has changed over time. In supplemental analysis, we compare and contrast the productivity of the 15 male and 15 female academics that publish most in top‐10 accounting journals to assess the breadth of outlets being used beyond top‐10 outlets (including FT 45 journals, accounting journals ranked “A”, “B”, and “non‐A/B”; non‐accounting peer‐reviewed journals, non‐peer‐reviewed outlets). The supplemental analysis also helps to shed light on the finding from this paper, and prior research, that women are less likely to be represented on lists of those with most publications in highly ranked accounting journals, by comparing the two groups of researchers across a variety of institutional and other factors.     

Depreciation in the Canadian Airline Industry

This case is designed to help students enhance their analytical skills and link accounting policy choices with corporate strategy. Written initially for MBA students and senior analysts attending executive education sessions, it provides participants with 1) industry background for the Canadian airline sector, and 2) historical and selected financial and non‐financial information from the annual reports and initial public offering documents of three players in this industry. Participants are invited to reflect on the theoretical and practical reasons underlying the choice of a depreciation method by airline companies, to find ways to quantitatively compare companies that use different depreciation methods, and to link these policy choices to possible strategic considerations. This case is based on a unique situation prevailing in 2009 where financial information was available for all three airlines which were using different approaches for aircraft depreciation.     

Industry Identification through Ratio Analysis

This case ¹ is designed to help students “see through the numbers”. Written initially for MBA students and senior analysts attending executive education sessions, it provides participants with (1) a common‐size balance sheet and selected financial ratios for ten anonymous Canadian public companies, and (2) a list of ten diverse industry sectors. Participants are invited to reflect on the meanings of the different ratios provided in order to match the anonymous companies with their corresponding industry sector. Seeing through the numbers fosters the development of participants' analytical skills, and group discussions contribute to the sharing of participants' knowledge about the various industry segments involved.     

The portrayal of women in Canadian corporate annual reports

We assess the inclusion of women in Canadian corporate annual report (CAR) photographs and on boards of directors at TSX100 firms and evaluate whether either is related to financial performance. We find that women are underrepresented in CAR photographs and on boards. In CAR photographs women are frequently portrayed as outsiders or less powerful organizational members than men. Higher return on equity (ROE) was found at companies that more frequently depicted women in their CAR photographs. However, no association was observed between the inclusion of women on the board and the ROE of the firm. The applied and theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Headline Impression Management in the Earnings Press Releases of TSX Venture Exchange Firms*

This paper explores firms traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) Venture Exchange and their voluntary disclosure practices by focusing on earnings press releases (EPRs). We compare the characteristics of EPR issuers and non-issuers and investigate how the former group uses headline impression management in their EPRs to highlight firm performance. More precisely, we examine emphasis and tone management techniques in the headlines of over 1,300 EPRs by TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) firms. Our results show that the main determinants of the EPR disclosure choice are the achievement of positive revenue, an increasing trend in firm market value, and industry type. We find that EPR issuers reinforce and repeat positive results in the headlines of EPRs and use positive tone management to highlight positive financial performance. Our results confirm the association between firm performance and strategic placement of performance results, while illustrating that the strength of this association varies by industry and by EPR characteristics such as EPR length and numerical intensity. Overall, this paper sheds light on TSX-V firms, their disclosure practices, and potential violations of recommendations from regulators regarding avoiding exaggerated or promotional language in press releases.