The role of budgets in organizations facing strategic change: an exploratory study

Recent attention in the general management literature has focused on mechanisms and processes used by organizations to respond and adapt to changes in their operating environment. There is, however, very little broad-based empirical research examining the role that management accounting control systems can play in shaping organizational change. Much of the empirical research to date has focused on the role of accounting as a diagnostic tool for assessing and rewarding managerial performance despite the recognition that accounting can serve as a dialogue, learning and idea creation machine (Burchell et al., 1980. Accounting Organisations and Society 5,5–27). The purpose of this study is to explore how accounting can serve this alternative role. We use (Simons, R. 1990.) Accounting Organisations and Society 15, 127–143). interactive/diagnostic classification of management control systems to capture how accounting can be used as a learning machine in the formulation and implementation of strategic change. A theoretical model is developed to examine the relationship between strategic change, style of budget use and performance. It is argued that an interactive style of budget use can mitigate the disruptive performance effects of the strategic change process. The data, collected from Chief Executive Officers in 63 public hospitals, provide results that are consistent with our expectations.     

Stock market uncertainty and economic fundamentals: an entropy-based approach

This study investigates the effects of stock market uncertainty on economic fundamentals, represented by economic activities and systemic risk, in China. To capture the uncertainty in the Chinese stock market precisely, we use the entropy measure through symbolic time-series analysis. The empirical findings reveal strong spillover effects from stock market uncertainty to economic fundamentals. Specifically, an uncertainty shock generates (i) a short-term decline in industrial production, (ii) a rapid drop and rebound in the composite leading indicator, and (iii) an increase in systemic risk. To understand these findings, we suggest and validate the transmission channel through changes in consumption and investment.     

The Inverted-U hypothesis for the effect of uncertainty on investment: Evidence from UK firms

Abstract

This paper offers the first attempt to test the inverted-U hypothesis for the effect of uncertainty on investment, implied by a number of recent theoretical studies, using a panel of UK firms. It is found that the effect of uncertainty on corporate investment is indeed approximated by an inverted-U shaped relationship: at low levels of uncertainty the effect is positive, but it becomes negative at high levels of uncertainty. This result represents the first empirical verification of the hypothesis with respect to UK firms.     

Measuring the unmeasurable: an application of uncertainty quantification to Treasury bond portfolios

We extract from the yield curve a new measure of fundamental economic uncertainty, based on McDiarmid’s diameter and related methods for optimal uncertainty quantification (OUQ). OUQ seeks analytical bounds on a system’s behaviour, even where aspects of the underlying data-generating process and system response function are not completely known. We use OUQ to stress test a simple fixed-income portfolio, certifying its safety—i.e. that potential losses will be ‘small’ in an appropriate sense. The results give explicit tradeoffs between: scenario count, maximum loss, test horizon, and confidence level. Unfortunately, uncertainty peaks in late 2008, weakening certification assurances just when they are needed most.     

The effect of early resolution of uncertainty on the valuation of assets: A dichotomy into market and non-market information

We reconsider how the temporal resolution of uncertainty about the future payoffs from capital assets affects the initial valuation of these assets. Our results regarding valuation indicate that, in an intertemporal CAPM framework, the early resolution of market uncertainty leads to an increase in the value of the market portfolio. The values of individual assets change in direct proportion to their betas. We reconcile the differing conclusions of Ross (1989) and Epstein and Turnbull (1980) regarding the early resolution of what they term idiosyncratic and asset specific information respectively.     

Macroeconomic uncertainty and corporate liquidity: the Indian case

Interest in the uncertainties prevailing at the macroeconomic level has always been well known in economic literature. This article analyses the effect of firm level and macroeconomic uncertainty on the decisions of Indian firms with regard to their optimal cash holdings. Using a dynamic panel data model, the study finds strong support for the hypothesis that Indian firms increase their cash holdings with an increase in either form of uncertainty. Also, results for the sub-samples show that middle-aged and middle-sized firms are most affected by variations in macroeconomic uncertainty.     

Management accounting innovations for rationalizing the cost of services: The reassessment of cash and accrual accounting

ABSTRACT

Management accounting can be a useful tool in austerity government because it produces information about the costs of public services and can be used for informed decision-making. Spanish local governments are required to submit data on the cost of their services to central government, which publishes this information online. The calculation of costs is based on budgetary cash accounting instead of accrual accounting; therefore cash accounting is being used for decision-making and accrual accounting has no role in this process. This paper critically analyses the innovation from three perspectives: the use assigned to the cost information in the legal framework; the opinion of academics and experts; and the perception of professionals about the usefulness of the information produced with the new system.     

Exemptions from first semester accounting and performance in the second semester course: an emperical study

This study investigates the impact on second semester results of an exemption from first semester university accounting. It is concluded that, prividing students have achieved an ‘A’ in high school accounting, they will not be disadvantaged if they do not undertake first semester accounting.     

基于竞争的公共预算理性模式及其启示

公共预算理性模式中的竞争机制是实现预算决策走向"帕累托最优"的重要支撑,这集中体现在计划项目预算和零基预算中。但正如剑有双刃一样,竞争理性模式也带来了一些突出的问题:例如,对预算信息和预算分析能力的高要求、官僚投机行为的产生等等。所以,在我国公共预算引入竞争机制、走向理性的过程中,需要正确面对、解决这些问题。当然,在我国现实条件下,折衷式的有限竞争理性模式也许是一种选择。     

Attribute differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS earnings: An exploratory study

In this study we explore attribute differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS earnings. Our study is motivated by the ongoing harmonization process in accounting standard setting as well as by recent convergence projects by the FASB and the IASB. We test two market-based earnings attributes, i.e., value relevance and timeliness, as well as two accounting-based earnings attributes, i.e., predictability and accrual quality. These attributes are tested for German New Market firms as they are allowed to choose between IFRS and U.S. GAAP for financial reporting purposes. Overall, we find that U.S. GAAP and IFRS only differ with regard to predictive ability. The fact that U.S. GAAP accounting information outperforms IFRS also holds after controlling for differences in firm characteristics, such as size, leverage and the audit firm. However, our results also seem to suggest that these differences are not fully valued by investors, as we do not observe significant and consistent differences for the value-relevance attribute.     

A study of earnings-management motives in the Anglo-American and Euro-Continental accounting models: The Canadian and French cases

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that potentially influence earnings-management policy with reference to the Anglo-American and Euro-Continental accounting models. Canada and France, respectively, belong to those different socio-economic environments. Earnings-management practices detected in those countries are expected to be affected by specific socio-economic features of the Anglo-American and the Euro-Continental environments. We explain earnings-management practices by incentives suggested in the literature to reveal which motives are prominent within each environment.We tested our earnings-management motives (EMM) model using appropriate panel-estimation techniques over 1674 Canadian and 1470 French firm-year observations. Our results provide evidence that incentives for earnings management for French firms are specifically linked to contractual debt costs and effective tax rate. However, Canadian firms show specific incentives matched with a dynamic capital market. Issuing equity is a strong motive for earnings management in Canadian firms.     

German managers'' attitudes towards Anglo-American accounting: Results from an empirical study on global accounting harmonization

The starting-point of the present paper are systematic differences between the answers of German corporate managers and professors in an empirical study by C&L Deutsche Revision AG (1995) on accounting harmonization. In this study, managers expressed themselves in all questions more positively towards current German accounting and more negatively towards US accounting than professors. The fundamental assumption put forward in this paper is that these differences are due to differences in the economic interests of the two groups. To test this empirically, hypotheses are deduced with regard to the accounting-related interests of the executive managers. The idea behind the hypotheses is that managers' answers to questions in the C&L Industry Study can be explained by structural features of their respective companies. The hypotheses are tested using multiple regression analysis. The results of the tests show that managers' answers can, to some extent, be explained by the suggested multiple regression approach. However, the answers to the rather general and abstract question (the preferred balance between the true-and-fair-view and prudence accounting principles) are much better explained than the answers with regard to detailed US-GAAP regulations. We must assume that the managers' attitudes towards concrete US-GAAP, which are directly related to corporate accounting practice, are influenced by a multitude of firm-specific and personal factors.     

The Private Finance Initiative: risk, uncertainty and the state

This paper analyses the UK's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) at a conceptual level by focusing on the management of risk, which is central to the justification for the policy and its application across the public services, and uncertainty, which underlies the role of the state. The paper argues that the rhetorical support for PFI rests on a conflation of risk and uncertainty and that PFI leads to contractual arrangements that are inappropriate for the provision of public services over the medium term.     

The Euro and inflation uncertainty in the European Monetary Union

This paper adopts a time-varying GARCH framework to estimate short-run and steady-state inflation uncertainty in 12 EMU countries, and then investigates their relationship with inflation. The effects of the Euro introduction in 1999 are examined by utilising a dummy variable. Tests for endogenously determined breaks are also employed. We find a considerable degree of heterogeneity across EMU countries in terms of average inflation, its degree of persistence, and both types of uncertainty, whilst the trend component of inflation is generally decreasing. Various breaks in the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty are found, frequently well before the Euro introduction.     

The board's role in risk disclosure: an exploratory study of Italian listed state-owned enterprises

The determinants of risk disclosure in the annual reports of listed state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have yet to be fully explored. This paper examines the potential impact of the composition of the boards of directors and other company-specific features on risk disclosure levels. The presence of women on a board made a significant difference to risk disclosure, as did the age of board members. Board directors having an accounting or finance/business qualification affected risk disclosure negatively; company size and an internet visibility were positively related to risk disclosure. Although an Italian study, the lessons here will have application to academia and to practitioners, policy-makers and standard-setters worldwide.     

我国政府会计改革取向研究——比较分析的视角

政府会计改革是未来我国财政管理改革的重要内容,西方国家的相关改革探索和实践为我国提供了有益的借鉴和启示。论文对国外政府会计改革的总体情况和主要会计模式进行比较分析,提出我国推行政府会计改革,应更新理念,积极创造政府会计改革的基础条件;循序渐进,审慎推进权责发生制改革;明确政府会计体系范围,建立政府会计概念框架和具体准则体系;改革和充实现有决算报表体系,建立政府财务报告制度。     

Professional accountants and the development of a management accounting service for the small firm: barriers and possibilities

This paper reports the results of a qualitative study examining the potential for the provision of a management accounting service for smaller companies by accountants in professional practice. The study aimed to determine the management information needs of owner-managers, the type and frequency of information preferred and the capacity of professional accountants to contribute to these needs. The owner-managers of 15 smaller companies were asked to participate in semi-strucutured interviews during which their use of computers to provide management accounts, their relationship with their accountant and their financial skills were discussed. The respondents were presented with a range of management information including statutory final accounts, interim accounts, cash statements, ratios and graphical comparisons of monthly turnover figures in order to assess their financial information skills and needs. The study found that companies used computers for the preparation of management accounting information, but usually not to their full potential. The financial awareness of owner-managers varied considerably. There was a favourable response to the presentation of ratios and graphs, however, it was felt that an explanation or interpretation of financial information by their accountant would be a useful addition to improve their understanding and therefore aid their business. The study concludes that there appears to be significant potential for accountants to expand the management accounting services they provide to smaller companies, especially where information is presented as ratios or graphs and accompanied with an appropriate narrative interpretation. This would also increase the financial skills of their clients and result in an increased demand for management accounting services.     

论中国政府预算管理改革的优先序--兼议绩效预算在中国的适用性

绩效预算是西方国家实践证明了的先进的预算管理模式。但绩效预算的实行需要社会相关制度环境的配套。中国目前尚不具备实施绩效预算的基本条件。中国预算制度改革的当务之急是建立控制取向的预算管理模式,解决财务合规性问题。待相关条件具备后,再选择绩效预算管理模式。