Innovation in conservative and entrepreneurial firms: Two models of strategic momentum

Two very different models of product innovation are postulated and tested. The conservative model assumes that innovation is performed reluctantly, mainly in response to serious challenges. It therefore predicts that innovation will correlate positively with environmental, information processing, structural and decision making variables that represent, or help to recognize and cope with these challenges. In contrast, the entrepreneurial model supposes that innovation is always aggressively pursued and will be very high unless decision makers are warned to slow down. Thus negative correlations are predicted between innovation and the variables that can provide such warning. Correlational and curvilinear regression analyses revealed that each model was supported by conservative and entrepreneurial sub-samples, respectively, in a diverse sample of 52 Canadian firms.     

A contingency framework for the design of accounting information systems

Most of the research to date concerning the design of an accounting information system has taken a rather narrow and inflexible view of accounting information. The primary intent of this paper is to provide a broader and more adaptive framework for designing such systems. A contigency approach, which takes into account the environment, organizational attributes, and managerial decision making styles, is advocated. In this context, several hypotheses are offered concerning the requisites of an accounting information system.     

Perspective on the second Outlook: The social and behavorial sciences

In the essays prepared by NAS for the first Outlook, current research in the natural sciences and technology were treated carefully and thoughtfully, but the social sciences were largely overlooked. To remedy this in the second Outlook, the Social Science Research Council was asked to prepare essays on the ways in which social science research can illuminate national problems or contribute to policy discussions. Six such essays describe continuing and developing research traditions on social problems such as aging and health.     

SAC 4 And The Challenge To The Mandatory Status Of Concepts Statements

This paper expresses no doubt about the worth of concepts statements such as Statement of Accounting Concepts SAC 4 Definition and Recognition of the Elements of Financial Statements, which spells out the essential characteristics of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses along with broad criteria for their recognition in financial statements. However, the authors have reservations about giving mandatory status to such a statement. It is, after all, but one piece of a conceptual framework and as the other pieces take shape they may call for alterations in the interpretation and operation of the elements. Without the benefit of the light which might be cast by reference to other concepts statements, SAC 4 in isolation could lead to undebated and questionable consequences, as well as supplying equivocal guidance on many important issues. This paper examines the reasons for unrest about the mandatory status of concepts statements.     

Don't lose money with your technology upgrade

Hospitals nationwide have seen revenue drop after implementing new financial and clinical IT platforms, typically because their adoption teams did not plan for the impact on downstream revenue. Technology is rarely a panacea. Although an upgrade can catch some problems, it can also add a new level of complexity that will make it harder to fix poor processes if they are not addressed up front. Finance departments should be involved in design and testing phases of all IT system changes--even nonfinancial systems--to protect revenues before, during, and after implementation.     

Impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability

The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of youth injuries on the uninsured farm family's economic viability. Using farm prototypes, we compared farm profits with costs of farm youth injuries. We built profit models for two types of farms, dairy and soybean farms. Then we estimated the cost impact of farm youth injuries of different levels of severity on a farm family with no health insurance. A severe child injury that requires at least 10 days of hospitalisation would cost almost equal to the operating profit of the average dairy farm with no health insurance and would turn the operating profit of the average soybean farm into a severe loss of $99,499. Prevention of child agricultural injuries would significantly improve the financial situation for farm families that lack health insurance.