Public-Sector Accounting and E-Governance in Developing Countries: Case of Sri Lanka

This article analyzes how new public financial management system should address the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector and the emerging accrual basis accounting with e-governance for greater e-transparency on public-sector accounting in Sri Lanka. Despite the setting up of e-framework in 1983, the Sri Lankan public-sector accountancy environment during the last two decades raises concerns about efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the e-framework. The findings provide evidence of the importance of the economy and efficiency in the usage of public funds to provide more convenient access to government accounting information for citizens in Sri Lanka.     

Effect of transformational-leadership style and management control system on managerial performance

Our study adds perspective on research into choices in the design of management control systems by examining: (1) how transformational-leadership style influences the choice of the design of a comprehensive performance-measurement system (PMS) and reward system; (2) how subordinate managers' reliance on broad-scope accounting (BSA) information facilitates their managerial decision-making processes and managerial performance. Our results suggest that transformational-leadership style has a significant positive and direct effect on managerial performance. We find that it has a significant positive and direct effect on the use of BSA information and comprehensive PMS, but has no significant effect on reward systems. We also find that transformational-leadership style has a partial indirect effect on managerial performance via three mediators, namely, comprehensive PMS, reward systems, and BSA information. Our findings shed light on how such mediators intervene in the relationship between transformational-leadership style and managerial performance.     

The Operations of the Brecon Old Bank of Wilkins & Co. 1778–1890

This article surveys the specialist accounting history literature and utilises primary sources relating to the development and application of cost and management accounting in British industry before 1850. After explaining the purpose of cost and management accounting and outlining their principal features, the findings of various studies of individual firms and industries are described and analysed. It is shown that the findings of accounting historians adds to the business historian's understanding of the development of managerial practices, and that there is sufficient evidence that businessmen were cost-conscious and utilised costing data for planning, control and decision-making purposes from the sixteenth century to challenge the established view of lack of progress in these forms of accounting before the late nineteenth century.     

ERP系统功能实现与提升的管理会计技术支持

ERP系统功能的实现与提升需要系统软件的不断开发与完善,需要相关人员对系统运行过程中所产生信息的正确理解与有效运用。管理会计作为加工、整理、分析、利用企业内外部信息的会计系统,作为促进企业不断学习与持续改进的管理工具,对ERP系统功能的实现与提升有着重要的影响。     

“互联网+”背景下管理会计信息系统的建设

本文介绍了“互联网+”背景下建设管理会计信息系统的必要性,并对管理会计信息系统的主要功能进行了简单说明。在此基础上,提出了一套管理会计信息系统的建设方案,针对业财转换子系统、绩效考核子系统、企业报告与数据平台子系统、内部控制子系统、管理会计报告子系统几个方面进行研究,并对该方案的设计要点展开了阐述,同时对其应用效果也进行了说明。     

Chandlerian image or mirror image? managerial and accounting control in the chemical industry: the case of Albright & Wilson,c.1892 to c.1923

Using archival evidence relating to Albright & Wilson (A&W), this article challenges the validity of Chandler's view, based mainly on the study of secondary sources, that personal capitalism retarded the development of more advanced forms of managerial organisation in Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While Chandler has criticised A&W for abrogating control of its North American subsidiaries to American managers, the archival evidence reveals an effective control mechanism based around an accounting information system in which there is evidence of the use of standards for purposes of monitoring and control, and a recognition of the relevance of marginal costs for purposes of decision making. The article also throws light on the relationship between family ownership, firm size, strategy, investment and innovation.     

Monitoring Costs,Managerial Ethics and Corporate Governance: A Modeling Approach

This article evaluates effectiveness and costs of external regulation, in particular the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) in restricting managerial malfeasance and safeguarding shareholder interests. It discusses the role of managerial ethics as an alternative corporate governance mechanism to protect shareholder value. This article builds a mathematical model to illustrate shareholders’ choices of best corporate governance mechanisms, taking into account the influence of managerial ethics, effectiveness and costs of monitoring. We suggest that the best corporate governance design and the optimal monitoring expenses are influenced by managerial types, monitoring efficiency, and effectiveness of ethics education. We conclude that stringent regulation and monitoring may not always enhance shareholder value. When managerial ethics could be improved by ethics education or social norms, ethics education may be a better alternative than stringent regulation.     

现代管理会计的发展分析

管理会计信息系统的设计是一个系统工程.应提高对战略管理会计作用的认识,增加对战略管理会计信息系统建设的投入,提高财会人员的素质和企业管理水平,加强战略管理会计电算化的步伐.     

多学科视角下的统计数据质量管理

统计学科对数据质量管理的系统研究和实践落后于信息科学和会计学,因此有必要结合质量管理的一般原则和这两个学科的经验来改进统计数据质量管理。文章在全面数据质量管理的框架中补充了适合统计数据质量管理的一些特征。结合会计信息质量框架和对数据质量的效益成本的综合考虑,文章认为可以用其他数据质量特征取代客观性,而对可及性的处理则必须权衡数据保密性、信息技术和成本的诸多约束。     

Drivers of Environmental Disclosure and Stakeholder Expectation: Evidence from Taiwan

This article investigates stakeholder expectations associated with corporate environmental disclosure. Several articles have studied the effect that stakeholder pressure has on environmental disclosing strategies. In this article, we extend previous research to an examination of the influence of external, internal, and intermediary stakeholder groups or constituencies in turn to clarify the demands of multiple stakeholders as to firms’ disclosure of sufficient and adequate environmental information. The sample comprised Taiwanese firms listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Our results show that the level of environmental disclosure is significantly affected by stakeholder groups’ demands. External stakeholder groups, such as the government, debtors, and consumers, exert a strong influence over management intentions regarding the extent of environmental disclosure. Internal stakeholder groups, such as shareholders and employees, impose additional pressures on firms to disclose environmental information. As for intermediate stakeholder groups, environmental protection organizations, and accounting firms, these can greatly influence managerial choices regarding their environmental disclosure strategies.     

上市公司治理及其对会计信息质量的影响研究

公司治理机制与会计信息质量两者密不可分、相互影响。公司治理机制能否有效运行取决于会计信息质量的高低,会计信息的有效性保证了公司治理机构的有效运行。会计信息质量被许多因素所牵制,但其根本原因在于公司治理结构存在问题。上市公司应对股权结构进行改革,充分发挥各层股东对公司经营层的监督作用;加强董事会功能,保证董事会的独立性,,增加独立董事在公司的比重,加强董事会的战略管理能力和责任范围;改进股东大会投票表决制度,促进股权改革的多元化,避免大股东全权控制的现象,扩大被选举对象范围,完善实施细则,保障累积投票制度的能够贯彻落实;加强监事会建设,明确监事会的权利义务,将监事会与独立董事的权利范围合理划分。     

Hospital Positioning and Integrated Hospital Marketing Communications: State-of-the-Art Review,Conceptual Framework,and Research Agenda

In the light of patient empowerment and channel fragmentation, hospitals struggle to target patients in their new role as active, knowledgeable consumers. As market differentiation via traditional marketing mix variables such as price is hardly achievable in healthcare, superior communication grounded on sound positioning is a more promising lever for competitive advantage. Yet, research on marketing-driven communication from provider to patient lacks synthesis and critical reflection. Drawing upon evidence from previous research, this article unites 62 articles from medical and social sciences covering aspects of hospital marketing communications. Derived from qualitative content analysis, findings on the effectiveness of specific communication channels and contents are portrayed. This article further uncovers the characteristics of four evolving archetypes for hospital positioning and illustrates the implementation of integrated hospital marketing communication strategy. The elaborated conceptual framework can be used as a managerial tool for tailoring hospital communications. The article closes by highlighting future research directives.     

Metaphors of hospitality organizations: An exploratory study

Metaphors are used by organizational members to characterize their employing firm and to filter their experiences in them. Metaphors thus become an important source of diagnostic information for management. This exploratory study surveyed a large number of hospitality workers to discover the metaphors they held about their employing organizations. Seven different categories were found, about a third reflecting the organizations' structure. Among the tentative findings were the prevalence of negative metaphors and that longer-term, male, and managerial employees were more likely to hold them—perhaps because of managerial concerns for control and predictability.     

Managing Trade Show Campaigns: Why Managerial Responsibilities Matter?

This article examined the relationship between managerial responsibilities for important trade show tasks and the marketing performance of exhibiting firms. Drawing theoretical insights from the functionalist perspective of managerial roles and organizational role theory, this article proposed and validated theory based, multiple, task-managerial responsibility linkages using a large international b2b trade show as a context. The empirical results indicated that the marketing performance of exhibiting firms was enhanced when (a) middle managers were assigned the trade show objective setting task, (b) lower and middle managers were involved in the trade show selection decision and (c) lower managers executed the booth management task. The paper concluded by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.     

论行政事业性国有资产管理体制改革

行政事业性国有资产是国有资产的重要组成部分 ,是各级行政事业单位完成工作任务和事业计划的物质基础。目前对行政事业性国有资产的管理仍存在管理机构设置不规范、管理制度不健全、管理方式不科学、“非转经”活动的规范等问题 ,影响其效能发挥。以十六大报告战略性确定国有资产管理体制的基本框架为背景 ,提出深化行政事业性国有资产管理体制改革的政策建议     

Accounting research in China: commemorating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up

This study reviews the influential accounting literature on China topics published both in international and Chinese journals in the recent four decades to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up in China. We first review the literature published in the first two decades, where normative research is dominant and financial accounting and managerial accounting are the main topics. Then, looking more in-depth at the most recent literature, we separately discuss the articles published from 1998 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2018, in which many topics are covered including financial accounting, managerial accounting, financial management and corporate governance, auditing and tax. Finally, conclusions and future suggestions are raised based on the issues explored over the past four decades.     

A cluster analysis of highly productive business and management education scholars

The authors examined the publications and impact of highly productive business and management education (BME) scholars across the business disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, information systems, management, marketing, and operations management. Results from a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five clusters of scholars: leading BME Scholars, leading discipline-focused BME scholars, high-profile BME scholars, focused BME scholars, and recognized BME scholars. The article includes a discussion of findings and their implications for BME scholarship, future BME scholars, and business schools.     

Exploring the link between internationalization of top management and accounting quality: The CFO’s international experience matters

This study examines whether and how top management internationalization is associated with accounting quality. We combine upper echelons perspectives, agency theory, human capital theory and accounting research, and demonstrate that top management internationalization mitigates the level of managerial discretion in financial reporting. By decomposing the top management team, our analysis reveals that higher levels of accounting quality are associated with the internationalization of the CFO, not the internationalization of the CEO. In particular, we find that CFO’s international education and international work experience are important factors in higher accounting quality.     

Revisiting the risk-taking effect of executive stock options on firm performance

While the relation between equity-based compensation and firm performance has been widely discussed, the findings on how executive stock options (ESOs) affect firm value are still inconclusive. This research examines the risk-taking effect of ESOs on firm performance by taking into consideration managers' personal risk aversion. A three-stage-least-squares approach is adopted to examine a simultaneous system of equations describing option compensation, risk-taking, and firm performance. Evidence confirms that ESOs increase managerial risk-taking, but such risk-taking is constrained by managers' personal risk aversion. In addition, evidence indicates that managerial risk-taking induced by ESOs would increase both long-term and near-term stock returns. The negative impact on near-term and the positive impact on long-term returns on investment imply that it takes time for accounting performance to reflect the risk-taking effect of ESOs. These results further indicate that managers focus their concerns more on stock risk and return rather than near-term accounting results.     

E-business's impact on organizational flexibility

Organizations are finding that their ability to respond to unpredicted changes in the market is becoming a key factor in survival. The ability to adjust e-business processes to customer preferences (flexibility) has become a necessity for online systems. Despite the interest in e-business flexibility the academic literature has not kept pace with industrial developments. This research study builds upon previous work through two investigations. First, the results of five case studies are used to develop a seven (alliance/joint decision management and intelligence, enterprise-wide change management, organizational learning, process oriented agility, network centric information management, leadership of transformation and knowledge exchange meetings) factor model that depicts the influences of flexibility on organizational effectiveness in e-business environments. Second, this paper illustrates how the model can be used as a benchmarking tool and has the potential to become a key learning mechanism. The authors discuss the conclusions and managerial implications of the findings.