ICT deployment and resource-based power in multinational enterprise futures

Applying a resource-dependency perspective to intra-multinational enterprise (MNE) power [55] and [56], this paper examines the effect of the deployment of advanced ICT and particularly the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Although subsidiaries in the multinational do not have authority-based or ‘structural’ power with respect to key strategic decisions [6] and [16], they may have ‘resource-based’ power in the form of knowledge and capabilities that is of value to the multinational as a whole. Business network analysis highlights the ‘invisibility’ of the external networks (often in the host country) to the upper echelons in the multinational through which valuable subsidiary knowledge and capabilities develop. It points out that this ‘invisibility’ undermines the headquarters’ ability to control the subsidiary [3], [28], [36], [44], [70] and [74]. In this paper we argue that the deployment of ERP undermines the resource base of subsidiary power and thus helps to restore greater central authority in the MNE. The paper reports findings from studies in twelve MNEs which have implemented ERP and points out that from the perspective of subsidiary managers a key effect of ERP deployment is the reduction in their autonomy. This may have significant adverse implications for the futures of the MNE as a federative organizational form and the legitimacy of MNE operations abroad.     

基于平衡计分卡的ERP用户效益研究——来自中国ERP用户的经验证据

自从ERP诞生以来,西方学界就着力探究ERP能否及带给用户多少效益,设计了一系列计量指标和计量模型。能否在此基础上构建中国意义上的计量指标及计量模型,本文力图在此方面做出尝试。以四家引入ERP的中国用户为样本,比较了他们之间的效益。构建一个以平衡计分卡的流程、客户、财务、学习与革新四维因素为一轴,信息技术的自动化、信息化与转移三维因素为一轴,组合成计量ERP用户效益的十二单元的模型,用以解释、了解和确认引入ERP带来的直接与间接效益。在十二单元计量模型的基础上,提出了各单元的指标体系,指标体系的标准化为软件厂商的设计与用户的ERP决策提供了依据。     

Accounting logics, reconfiguration of ERP systems and the emergence of new accounting practices: A sociomaterial perspective

This paper extends our knowledge on how software-based accounting tools might work effectively within an organization. The empirical data that we focus on are events that unfolded following the introduction of a new ERP system at an Ivy League University. We describe a negotiation process that occurred after roll-out that resulted in a reconfiguration of the ERP to integrate some of the legacy functionalities that were familiar to organizational participants and which were considered by them to provide a more effective way to manage their finances. Our contribution to the literature is not only to show the importance of such post-roll-out modifications for creating a working information system, but also to extend previous accounts of non-linear accounting change processes by emphasizing how these modifications are dependent on the particular entanglement of users and technology (the sociomaterial assemblage) rather than either features of the technology or the agency of the humans involved. Moreover, our analysis of the case data suggests that management accounting in particular may not be easily captured in ERP packages, even where the technology architectures are supposedly designed for a particular industry. The case data also points to issues of affordability and the power of communities of practice as mediating the extent to which these familiar accounting logics may become integrated within the ERP system.     

Integrated performance management using information technology: a study of UK charities

This paper explores how UK charities use information technology (IT) to support integrated performance management (IPM). Based on six case studies of small and medium-sized charities (SMCs), it finds that SMCs see IT as important for IPM, but face significant barriers establishing effective IPM. The paper concludes that charities would benefit from a more strategic infrastructure approach to IT, integrating IT for data, information and knowledge.     

Development and validation of an improved DeLone-McLean IS success model - application to the evaluation of a tax administration ERP

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is critical to an organization’s success. However, the factors that contribute to the success and usage of these ERP systems have received little attention. This study developed and validation of an improved DeLone-McLean IS success model. Additionally, we examined the factors which influence ERP system usage, employee satisfaction, information quality, service quality, and system quality, as well as the factors that influence the system’s overall success. The proposed model is based on a mixed-methods case study (MM-CS). The results show that the proposed model significantly measures the success of an ERP system. The organizational climate, the information quality, the system quality, and the service quality all have an impact on the usage of an ERP system. The proposed model also shows that the use of an ERP system, training and learning, and the three information (IS) quality constructs are all significant predictors of user satisfaction. The results also indicate that gender and years of ICT use on the path of ERP users have a moderating effect on the relationship between teamwork & support and use.     

The role of strategic enterprise risk management and organizational flexibility in easing new regulatory compliance

The impact of new regulatory requirements for internal control reporting on an organization's ability to maintain strategic flexibility has been debated in the popular press extensively. This paper tests theory from strategic management to examine the relationship between an organizations' pre-regulatory strength of strategic enterprise risk management (ERM) processes and their ability to react to new regulatory mandates. In the context of companies' adoption of SOX Section 404 internal control reporting requirements, we examine organizations' pre-SOX ERM processes, ERM supporting technologies, and organizational flexibility in order to better understand the antecedents to the difficulty encountered in meeting SOX 404 requirements. Using responses from 113 Chief Audit Executives (CAEs), we find that organizations with stronger strategic ERM processes and flexible organizational structures already in place incurred little difficulty in implementing SOX 404 mandates. On the other hand, organizations using weaker ERM processes, which focused on control compliance, experienced more difficulty. These findings provide key insights into the importance of strategic ERM in effectively complying with new regulatory controls in volatile environments.     

An International Dynamic Asset Pricing Model

We examine the ability of a dynamic asset-pricing model to explain the returns on G7-country stock market indices. We extend Campbell's (1996) asset-pricing model to investigate international equity returns. We also utilize and evaluate recent evidence on the predictability of stock returns. We find some evidence for the role of hedging demands in explaining stock returns and compare the predictions of the dynamic model to those from the static CAPM. Both models fail in their predictions of average returns on portfolios of high book-to-market stocks across countries.     

基于IFCD指标体系的国际金融中心发展研究

IFCD指标体系是全面、综合、科学分析金融中心排名的指标体系。通过运用IFCD指标体系,我们可以比较不同金融中心的竞争力,从而更好地预测金融中心的发展潜力,规划金融中心的发展方向。近年来,上海国际金融中心建设取得了长足的进步,然而距离成熟发达金融中心,上海还有很长的路要走。上海的国际金融中心建设任重而道远。     

Firm‐ and Individual‐Level Determinants of Balanced Scorecard Usage*/DÉTERMINANTS DE L'USAGE DU TABLEAU DE BORD ÉQUILIBRÉ AU DOUBLE ÉCHELON ORGANISATIONNEL ET INDIVIDUEL

The factors influencing the organizational as well as the individual decision to utilize the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach have not been widely researched. In the first part of this paper, we study BSC adoption at the organizational level while utilizing a multifaceted perspective of socio‐psychological, economic, and resource‐based influences; specifically, we investigate the perceptions of desirability, urgency, and feasibility of BSC adoption. Our findings show that customer norms, competitor norms, and organizational resources are significant predictors of BSC adoption. In the second part of the paper, we discuss individual‐level aspects of utilization decisions. Here, we explore the impact of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and awareness on the intentions to use the BSC approach. Our findings show that both awareness of BSC capabilities and perceived ease of use are significantly related to perceived usefulness. However, only perceived usefulness is significantly related to intentions to use the BSC. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

我国主权财富基金在国际资本运作中面临的挑战及对策分析

随着我国外汇储备规模不断扩大,设立主权财富基金成为我国政府寻求积极外汇管理的一种重要方式,同时也牵涉到诸多复杂的政治经济问题。2007年9月成立的中国投资责任有限公司标志着我国主权财富基金的成立,但成立之初公司定位尚不明确,同时面临着全球范围内的投资策略选择及西方国家的"主权基金威胁论"等诸多挑战。本文从国际经济和国际政治的双重角度讨论了我国主权财富基金在当前国际关系格局中面临的挑战,并提出定位于商业化和市场化运作、坚持多元化投资策略、坚持经济收益和政治收益的统一、广募贤才与投资外包并施、多拳出击打消国际政治阻力等发展对策。     

外商直接投资收益对国际收支的影响

文章认为,当前的外商投资企业外方利润滞留境内存量呈现上升趋势,但是总量规模相对于国家1.53万亿美元左右的外汇储备来讲,仍处于适当可控的范围之内,可以考虑将外方利润留存监测纳入以企业为主体的外汇监管,建立相应的风险预警体系。     

国际保险监管“共同框架”内容及分析

经过对金融危机教训的深刻反思,国际保险监督官协会（IAIS）于2009年6月初步确立了全球保险监管战略调整的总体框架,该调整的一个重心是推动各个成员国家从自行制定监管标准向逐步制定全球统一的监管准则转变。作为未来保险行业的＂巴塞尔协议＂,＂共同框架＂将成为国际保险监管发展史上的又一里程碑,对危机后全球保险监管模式和理念的重新确立具有划时代的重大意义。本文对其内容进行了分析并提出对我国的启示。     

Microfinance institutions and International Financial Reporting Standards: An exploratory analysis

Previous studies analyzing firms’ incentives to choose international accounting standards show that firms with strong contracting incentives will be more likely to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). These studies are mostly centered on developed economies and are based on European and US data. Little is known about development finance organizations’ incentives to choose to draft their financial statements according to IFRS. Because commercialized microfinance institutions (MFIs) have strong contracting incentives, we investigate whether commercialization drives the choice of IFRS and study a pooled international sample of MFIs’ audited financial statements extracted from the MIX from 2007 to 2014. Consistent with our predictions, evidence shows that commercialization and maturity (age) are likely to drive the MFIs’ choice to comply with IFRS. Results are robust after controlling for heterogeneity in national regulations with regard to IFRS.     

Controllers’ role in managerial sensemaking and information trust building in a business intelligence environment

This study explores how an organization’s controllers (management accountants) give sense to the information provided by its business intelligence (BI) system, and thus shape the construction of information trust. A qualitative case study was conducted within a Finnish food manufacturing company, building on the notion of trust related to management accounting information and sensemaking theory. The study was informed through open-ended interviews and an examination of internal accounting and management reports. The authors found that the company used an integrated BI system that enabled the production of information in a timely and perceivably standardized manner. Controllers managed this accounting information and gave sense to it, helping deliver a shared understanding of the daily business situation. The findings show that controllers play a pivotal role in building information trust by giving sense to the information provided by the BI system.     

海外私募股权基金在华Pre IPO投资的影响因素分析

金融危机后,海外私募股权基金在华发展迅速,中国已成为其新一轮投资目的地。从海外私募股权基金的角度出发,对比分析有无海外私募股权基金进入的企业状况,实证研究发现海外私募股权基金在投资时会着重考虑宏观环境,偏爱新兴产业、优质企业与成长性高的企业,并且倾向于安排专人参与公司股权治理。     

The measurement of turnaround management strategies in local authorities

The use of turnaround management strategies (TMS) in the public context is beginning to be researched, however adjusted measurement tools are still needed. This article describes the construction and validation of a new scale for measuring TMS in local authorities.     

International Futures (IFs) and integrated,long-term forecasting of global transformations

The International Futures (IFs) long-term global forecasting system, with a development history spanning 40 years, has deep roots in world modeling and integrated assessment modeling. Its highly integrated models span demographics, economics, education, health, governance, agriculture, energy, infrastructure and the environment. The open-source system is available for stand-alone use and on the web with an interactive interface and a large supporting database. IFs users represent education, government (national and international), non-governmental organizations, firms, and policy research organizations. This paper uses IFs to provide Base Case forecasts of global transformations that appear to be unfolding in human development (special attention to education and aging), social development (distribution and power), and the relationship of humans with their environment (advancing mastery and sustainability challenges). It illustrates scenario analysis with alternative forecasts of global poverty, carbon emissions, global patterns of national governance, the human development index, and food and agricultural development. The paper concludes by noting that such modeling and forecasting, while much advanced since the 1970s, still marries craft-like art with advancing science.     

The New Civic Leadership: Place and the co-creation of public innovation

This paper discusses the role of place-based leadership in stimulating the co-creation of inclusive public services and outcomes. A conceptual framework, designed to illuminate the forces shaping the power of place, and to provide a fresh way of envisaging the changing nature of modern local leadership and public management, is presented. This New Civic Leadership (NCL) framework, one that can be contrasted with the outdated idea of New Public Management (NPM), is being used to guide the development of the One City Approach to urban governance in Bristol, UK. This effort to unite public purpose in a city is discussed, and emerging themes relating to the role of place-based leadership in spurring new ways of co-creating public service futures are explored.     

A rejoinder to the commentaries on Professor Chambers' 1999 paper the poverty of accounting discourse

The resource presented in this paper introduces and contextualises the teaching of Customer Lifetime Valuation (CLV) to management accounting students. CLV is a relatively recent innovation. It involves calculating the present value of expected net cash flows generated over the lifetime of an organisation's relationship with a particular customer/customer segment and using this information better to manage returns derived from a customer base. The Teaching Resource provides an introduction to the topic, suggested learning objectives, suitable student reading, and an innovative case (OzInsure case) facilitating students' technical competence and evaluation of CLV. Also included are suggested solutions and further background information situating the use and development of the teaching resource. Feedback received from peers and students indicates the utility of the Teaching Resource, and provides guidance as to its future development. More generally, this resource illustrates the feasibility of using instructors' research experiences to inform learning in management accounting.