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.     

The Evidence on Product-Market Diversifying Acquisitions and Joint Ventures by U.S. Banks

We examine the acquisition and joint venture strategies of U.S. banks from 1980 to 1998 to diversify into non-banking sectors. We find that the market responds favorably to both types of expansions, with the gains being shared between acquiring banks and their targets and venture banks and their non-bank partners, respectively. Acquisitions expose acquiring banks to significant increases in nonsystematic, market, and total risk, while joint ventures result in significant decreases in the nonsystematic and total risk measures for participating banks. Our results suggest that product-market expansions, in general, provide U.S. banks with value-enhancing opportunities, and that joint ventures may improve both the return and risk characteristics of the partner banks.     

A multilateral approach to examining the comovements among major world equity markets

This study investigates the comovement in stock indices among major developed markets, where Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) indices are employed for the purposes of the study. We employ a model that accommodates multilateral international impacts on equity index movements. The empirical results reveal the existence of significant international transmission effects among these major world markets, both in terms of returns and volatility, and mostly in a positive direction. The U.S. market, as expected, is the leading market in the sense that it has the most pervasive and significant impact on all markets across continents. However, the U.S. market exhibits a different relationship with European markets from that with Asia-Pacific markets. The evidence also suggests that strong regional transmission effects exist. A further investigation using the extended model reveals that the linkages between U.S. and European markets are driven by positive global common forces and by negative international competitive effects. On the other hand, the U.S. and Asian markets are linked through positive global common forces and positive international contagion effects. The United States, Canada, and the U.K. are the three markets that still demonstrate contagion influence over countries outside its own region. The Asia-Pacific markets are more susceptible to contagion effects. Finally, it is interesting to find that Japanese market performance became more contagious toward other markets during the Asian financial crisis period.     

Accounting development in Pakistan

This paper examines the origins, growth, and the development of accounting practices and disclosures in Pakistan and the factors that influenced them. We trace the early days of accounting in the Indian subcontinent and discuss the British colonial influence. We examine the development of accounting in Pakistan through three eras: Independence through 1971, Post 1971-1984, and 1984 to present. We describe how the colonial past and later the international financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund played key roles in shaping accounting and reporting practices of the country. Pakistan's adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards as national standards has not led to improvement in the quality of financial reporting. We argue that Pakistan, even though classified as a common law country in literature, exhibits most of the properties of code law countries. We conclude that lack of investor protection (e.g., minority rights protection, insider-trading protection), judicial inefficiencies, and weak enforcement mechanisms are more critical to explaining the state of financial reporting in Pakistan than are cultural factors. This insight has policy implications for developing countries that are making efforts to improve the quality of the financial reporting of their business entities.     

八十年代以来美国国际投资头寸的变化及原因分析

本文采用Granger检验证明了世界美元储备需求和对美国的直接投资需求是导致美国成为净债务国的原因 ,建立了美国经常项目差额、美元储备需求、直接投资流量与美国国际投资头寸净值之间的动态回归模型 ,并分析了美国国际投资头寸恶化的传导机制     

我国缺失国际能源定价权的原因和对策分析

贸易摩擦和能源革命正驱动国际能源市场格局悄然发生变化,能源安全再一次成为各国关注的焦点.作为能源进口大国和隐含能源净出口大国,我国由于缺失国际能源定价权经常被动接受"中国溢价"而蒙受巨大损失.研究发现,我国缺失国际能源定价权的原因主要在于能源期货市场发展滞后,能源战略储备不足,人民币国际化程度较低,行业垄断度较高.面对...     

国际贸易与劳工标准挂钩的模式比较研究

虽然在世界贸易组织框架内是否将国际贸易和劳工标准挂钩争论激烈,但由于该问题的现实性,国际贸易与劳工标准挂钩已出现多种实现模式并存的局面。文章对现有的国际贸易和劳工标准挂钩的主要模式从约束性、经济性和有效性方面进行了比较研究,认为各种模式有其特点和适用范围,模式发展的近期方向将是ILO和WTO的充分合作模式。     

The role of program fairness in asymmetrical channel relationships

Managing distributor compliance with manufacturer-initiated programs is critical to both program success and relationship enhancement. This study examines how a manufacturer might better motivate distributors with varying levels of dependence. Previous research suggests that two variables influence distributor compliance: economic incentives and dependence dynamics. Drawing from fairness heuristic theory, this study extends previous research by investigating the role of fairness in affecting compliance and long-term relationships. The authors observe the contingent effect of fairness along various levels of distributor dependence. In the context of a naturally occurring program, the authors collect data from a focal manufacturer's distribution channel and find that (1) fairness perceptions have significant impacts on both compliance and relational outcomes, (2) the efficacy of program fairness declines as distributor dependence increases, and (3) distributor dependence increases the effect of economic incentives on compliance. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.     

皖南国际旅游文化示范区背景下的旅游文化产业发展研究——以黄山市为例

旅游文化产业发展是皖南国际旅游文化示范区建设的关键。本文以黄山市为例,通过对旅游文化产业发展现状和制约因素的分析,提出了提高思想认识、明确旅游文化产业发展定位,加强领导、创新体制机制,提升景区文化内涵、构筑旅游文化产品体系,打造旅游文化新业态、发展旅游文化商品,实施旅游文化品牌项目带动、培育旅游文化产业集群,深度营销、加大对外宣传促销力度,保护徽州文化生态、实现旅游文化产业可持续发展,加强旅游文化人才队伍建设等提升旅游文化产业竞争力的对策。     

我国国际货运代理服务发展研究

新中国成立后的国际货运代理业,基本上处于统一管理的垄断局面。随着国际货运市场的开放,吸引了多种成分的投资主体,构成了宽阔的货代活动空间,带来了货代业的竞争,扩大了队伍,促使其蓬勃发展,展示了货代业的广阔前景。迄今全国有货代企业6000多家,从业人员30多万人,有80%的运输业务和中转业务,90%的航空运输业务是通过货代完成的。货代是国际贸易的重要组成部分,当今,是货代企业发展的高峰。本文的分析基于对国际货运代理业的性质和作用分析,对国际货运代理业服务分析,提出发展国际货运代理服务创新的建议。