Factors influencing final examination performance in large versus small sectons of accounting principles

This study examines the relationship between certain student characteristics and final examination performance in small and large sections of Accounting Principles. Some of the analyses indicated that successful students in the large section had higher GPAs, were further along in their education, and had more experience with and a preference for large sections. Students in the large section, however, sought more outside assistance and believed the large section was detrimental to their learning. No significant success factors could be identified for the small sections. These results suggest that small sections met the needs of a greater variety of students, thus contributing to a lower withdrawal rate — but equal examination performance —of the small section students.     

Motivating students with a historical perspective in financial accounting courses

This article provides historical “nuggets” as diverse, random examples that the authors have used for introducing particular intermediate and advanced financial accounting topics. This approach gives students historical experience with topics that would be rather dull to discuss without the historical context. A historical perspective need not be used to introduce each and every topic; indeed, if instructors were to do that, the motivational effect could conceivably wane throughout the course. Instructors should experiment with historical examples with an eye to: (a) explaining concepts that students often view as abstract, (b) stressing interrelationships among concepts, and (c) emphasizing how accounting changes reflect environmental changes.     

Child accounting and ‘the handling of human souls’

Child accounting texts published in the US during the early to mid-20th century are utilised to reveal the potency of Foucauldian analyses of accounting as a disciplinary technology. It is contended that child accounting – a voguish technique for recording, monitoring and governing the school pupil – provides a compelling illustration of Foucault’s emphasis on individualisation as a foundation for the exercise of disciplinary power. Further, child accounting encompassed mundane practices which could activate disciplinary power such as continuous hierarchical surveillance and normalising judgment. Centred on the child in the place of instruction rather than the employee in the corporation, the study offers a socio-historical exploration of accounting at its margins and in a domain where Foucault’s work on discipline has particular resonance.     

Early Birds versus Just-in-Timers: The effect of procrastination on academic performance of accounting students

This study investigates the effect of procrastination on academic performance. Prior research has often relied upon self-reported measures of procrastination, which are only weakly correlated with actual procrastination. We use the start and submission of a set of online homework problems as two objective, direct measures of student procrastination and the grade on the assignments as a measure of performance. In our study, there were a number of potential benefits to submitting online assignments ‘just-in-time’. Thus, there was a direct benefit to procrastination, which students had to weigh against potential drawbacks. With a sample size larger than those previously reported in the literature, we find that for both procrastination measures, task procrastination is associated with lower task performance. To ensure that our results are not just an association between performance and student quality, we test for the association between task procrastination and task performance, while controlling for student quality. We find that even after controlling for student quality, task procrastination is associated with lower task performance.     

An examination of professional commitment in public accounting

This study analyzes the professional commitment of Canadian Chartered Accountants who are partners, managers (supervisors) and other staff CAs in public practice. This commitment is examined in relation to organizational commitment, professional-organizational conflict, satisfaction with income and organizational level. The commitment to organization is shown to be the most powerful predictor of CAs' professional commitment in all organizational levels. At the same time, professional-organizational conflict has a negative impact on professional commitment, and satisfaction with income has a positive influence on such a commitment.     

An empirical examination of stress in public accounting

This paper presents the results of an investigation of stress in public accounting, using a national sample of certified public accountants. The relationship between a set of predictor variables (organizational stressors and work/home conflict) and a set of criterion variables (job-related tension, job dissatisfaction, and propensity to leave public accounting) was analyzed using canonical correlation analysis. Job-related tension was associated with heavy work demands; job dissatisfaction and intension to leave were associated with slow career progress, unfulfilling jobs, and unclear job objectives.     

An examination of the peer review process in accounting journals

An anonymous survey of university accounting faculty was conducted to assess current perceptions of the peer review process in accounting journals. The responses revealed that (a) most respondents are fairly positive about the peer review process, especially the process being fair/unbiased and improving the quality of research; (b) the most serious perceived threats to review process integrity involve reviewer misconduct (e.g., delaying reviews for self-interest or rejecting papers for revenge); (c) editors allowing excessive delays in the process and institutional favoritism by editors are seen as the most prevalent issues; (d) editors/associate editors of high-level or top-tier journals are most positive about the review process, while assistant professors, those at doctoral-granting institutions, and those submitting to top-tier journals are least positive; and (e) respondents’ suggestions for improving the review process emphasize improving timeliness, reducing favoritism, and reconsidering the notion of blind reviews (some consider blind reviews to be impossible, but others want to ensure that reviews are blind). Based on the results and other sources, we offer a proposed starting point for a peer review code of conduct for accounting journals.     

An examination of the perceptions of auditors and chief financial officers regarding principles versus rules based accounting standards

The debate over the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by United States issuers, or its convergence with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) has been going on for several years now. However, as of this writing, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has still not taken a definitive position on the issue. This is in part due to issues involving the cost of adoption, independence concerns relating to the IFRS promulgation body, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), and the debate over which type of accounting standards is superior for financial reporting: IFRS, which are said to be “principles-based,” or U.S. GAAP, which are said to be “rules-based.” In this paper we examined the views of two stakeholders in the U.S. financial reporting system, auditors in large public accounting firms and Chief Financial Officers in the Fortune 1000. We elicited their perceptions involving ten situations where specific rules are incorporated in U.S. GAAP. We asked if the elimination of the specific rule would be likely to better achieve the “qualitative characteristics of useful financial information” as defined by the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting adopted by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in 2010 (FASB 2010) and the similar document adopted by the IASB at the same time (IASB 2010). We found that in eight of the ten situations both groups preferred the rules-based accounting regime (the current U.S. GAAP rules) over a principles-based approach.     

Culture and accounting in Indonesia: An empirical examination

This study examines the relationships among the cultural characteristics of Indonesian society, reporting practices of Indonesian firms, and accounting standards promulgated by the Association of Indonesian Accountants. It is argued that an empirical relation exists between the change in cultural values, as conceived by Hofstede's theory of the five dimensions of cultural values (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, and time horizon and the change in accounting values as captures by Gray's four dimensions (professionalism, conservatism, secrecy, and uniformity). Using LISREL to evaluate data between 1981 and 1992, three of Hofstede's five cultural values (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism) have significant relationships with one or more accounting value. This limited confirmation of the culture-accounting relationships suggest that particular historical and economic configurations must be considered in longitudinal analysis. The conflicting influences of extensive government involvement in the economy and nascent market competition are a possible explanation of the Indonesian results.     

Appropriateness of accounting data in performance evaluation: An empirical examination of environmental uncertainty as an intervening variable

Rooted in contingency theory, this study puts forth propositions stating (1) that superiors of business units which face higher environmental uncertainty will use a more subjective performance appraisal approach whereas superiors of business units which face lower environmental uncertainty will use a more formula-based performance evaluation approach, and (2) that a stronger fit between environmental uncertainty and performance evaluation style would be associated with higher business unit performance. Findings from 58 business units in eight Fortune 500 firms provide strong support to both sets of these propositions.     

Developing critical thinking: An examination of contemporary practices in accounting

Employers and professional bodies call for higher education accounting courses to emphasise the importance of critical thinking skills. This study provides an in-depth assessment of how critical thinking is currently taught and assessed across an entire accounting degree. Our study contributes to our understanding of how teaching and assessment can support students in developing their critical thinking. Using a case study approach, we identify resource restraints and disruptions to traditional forms of engagement as key challenges to developing critical thinking skills in accounting education. We conclude with suggestions for teaching practice, such as formative scaffolds and teacher-led discussions.     

Awareness of the public versus private accounting divide,and its impact on the career path preference of accounting students

This research assesses what knowledge upper-level accounting students possess about the distinctions between the public and private branches of accounting, as well as the influence such knowledge might have on their accounting branch choice. Overall, the study concluded that, before they were aware of the pros and cons of each career path, students preferred a career in public accounting over private accounting. But upon learning the pros and cons of each career path, however, students showed a slight preference toward private accounting. The study suggests research on accountant personality be supplemented by research on the impact of practical knowledge about private versus public accounting work environments on accounting career choice. It suggests greater importance be placed in accounting education on instilling such knowledge.     

Goal‐efficacy framework: an examination of domestic and international accounting students' academic performance

This study considers the psychological influences on academic performance using a goal‐efficacy framework. Data were gathered using a survey questionnaire (N = 375). The paper is motivated by a repeated high failure rate for a second‐year core accounting unit and anecdotal evidence that international students perform poorly in comparison with domestic students. The results demonstrate the role of self‐regulated learning strategy as a mediating variable for goal orientation and academic performance. While the analyses suggest no significant differences between domestic and international students with respect to the main psychological variables and academic performance, further analyses reveal that four specific factors of the main psychological variables are significantly different between domestic and international students.     

An examination of the effect of international investors on accounting information quality in Russia

This paper investigates the impact of international investors on the quality of financial accounting information in Russia. I hypothesize that international stock ownership leads to enhanced quality and adoptions or intentions to adopt IFRS by Russian firms. Data was gathered through face-to-face interviews with 100 Saint-Petersburg firms randomly selected from the INFOWAVE data base. The results are consistent with the hypotheses.     

The IASB and FASB convergence process and the need for ‘concept-based’ accounting teaching

The increasing globalization of the U.S. economy drives interest in international accounting standards. In this respect, the convergence process between the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) targets the completion of several major projects by 2011. The importance of the projects under consideration as well as the lack of conclusive theoretical solutions around them suggests that the target of a “common set” of accounting standards will be replaced in the short-medium term by a de facto situation of a “slightly different set” of accounting standards. In this paper, we draw on best available practices to make a specific proposal for the introduction of IFRS into the curriculum of institutions of higher learning in the U.S. Our proposal is driven by the idea that accounting education should move from teaching ever temporary rules to emphasize the economic and strategic underpinnings of accounting transactions.     

An examination of managerial accounting practices as a process of mutual adjustment

Managerial accounting practices are organizational control mechanisms which serve to constrain decision-makers yet, themselves, are the outcomes of emergent resistance, force and bargaining. The contradictory nature of managerial accounting practices as a form of social control is illustrated by a study of one firm's accounting practices before and after a severe financial crisis. Here, managerial accounting is seen as a dynamic process of mutual adjustment, changing and being changed by the wider organization. Assessment of the process of mutual adjustment reveals an unfolding, reflexive decision-making process in which accounting strategies are designed to centralize the direction of resources and the monitoring of division performance. However, these accounting rules and procedures are neither neutral nor uncontested, as divisional controllers resist corporate decision-makers. New patterns of organizational autonomy and interdependency are highlighted and created by these accounting practices, as managerial interdependencies are more tightly woven around centralized corporate missions.     

An analysis of the share price and accounting performance of rights offerings in China

This study examines both the short- and long-term share price and accounting performance of Chinese rights issues. Employing data from 432 rights offerings issued between 1994 and 1999, the study documents a statistically significant positive abnormal stock return of 4.8% on the ex-date. Over the long run, rights issuing firms significantly outperform control portfolios of firms matched on the basis of size, the book-to-market ratio, and both size and the book-to-market ratio. Similar to the case of U.S. experience, investors in China appear to underreact to the initial announcements of new equity offerings, but in the opposite direction. Interestingly, although firms issuing rights generally underperform their non-issuing peers in important operating performance metrics such as return on assets, their growth rates of sales and capital expenditures far outstrip non-issuers. Finally, the findings document that changes in the long-term stock performance of rights issuing firms are positively correlated with changes in post issue accounting performance.     

Variation in sustainability assurance practice: An analysis of accounting versus non-accounting providers

This study explores sustainability assurance (SA) practice as an arena of jurisdictional competition between accounting and non-accounting assurance providers. Prior literature on SA, a non-financial assurance practice, has documented the presence of both accounting and non-accounting firms as two major provider categories, pointing to the possibility of significant variation in practice among them. Unlike most prior studies that rely on the analysis of the content of SA reports, this article draws on an in-depth interview-based investigation of the practice. In particular, by reference to Abbott's theory of professions (1988), we explore efforts by different SA providers to claim their professional practice space. Our findings reveal notable differences in the providers' approaches to SA, both between and within the two key provider groups. We make sense of these differences as a consequence of the inter- and intra-professional competitive dynamics where different categories of providers appeal to and emphasize divergent knowledge bases and distinctive types of expertise as a way to differentiate themselves from competition and legitimize their practice approaches. This study contributes to the extant SA literature by providing a holistic overview of the practice field and an empirically drawn perspective on the nature of practice variation.     

Determinants of performance in advanced undergraduate management accounting: An empirical investigation

This exploratory study empirically investigates the performance of students in advanced management accounting. Findings are that English language as the first or subsequent language has no differential impact on introductory level performance. However, at advanced levels and in other subjects requiring the application of concepts to unfamiliar situations, students whose first language was English outperformed others. Similarly, students who had studied prerequisite subjects at the same university outperformed their exempted colleagues (both overseas and local) in advanced management accounting. These findings indicate that the difference due to language differences may not actually be due to language, but rather that language may simply be proxying for something else such as a different learning style.