Executive Turnover,Gender, And Earnings Management: An Exploratory Analysis

This paper examines the relationship between the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) turnover and earnings management. Based on cross‐sectional panel regressions on a three‐year sample of the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 1500 firms, the following findings are reported: (1) CFO turnover is accompanied by income‐decreasing earnings management; (2) discretionary accruals tend to become more negative when a male CFO is replaced by a female; (3) earnings management increases income if the outgoing CFO is a female and the incoming is a male and in the case of male–male CFO changes. Overall, these results indicate that the firms who hire a female CFO after a male tend to shift toward more conservative financial reporting practices.     

Value creation in privately held family businesses: The moderating role of socioemotional wealth

This article examines value creation (VC) in the context of privately held family businesses using a value-based management approach. Namely, this paper assesses the influence of five value drivers (operating profit margin, sales growth, income tax rate, investment rate, and leverage) on the VC of family firms, considering the moderating effect of socioemotional wealth (SEW). Evidence from a sample of 188 Spanish family firms indicates a positive moderating effect of SEW on the relationship between operating profit margin, sales growth, and investment rate, and VC, leading to increases in the value of firms. The results emphasize that the importance of SEW and its variations imply heterogeneous strategic behaviours among family firms, and that economic and emotional goals might be compatible.     

The Political Sociology of Jordan: An Analysis for the Map of Gains and Pains

Abstract

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jor dan has ex pe ri-enced sig nif i cant eco nomic and po lit i cal de vel op ments. These in cluded ef forts to re form and open up the econ omy and pri vat ize pub lic sec tor en ter prises. Re forms have been oc cur ring un der the aus pices of the In ter-na tional Mon e tary Fund and the World Bank. Jor dan has also re cently signed an As so ci a tion Agree ment with the EU, Free Trade Area with the USA and joined the World Trade Or ga ni za tion to but tress its plans of ‘glob al iz ing Jor dan.’ There is a strong feel ing in side Jor dan that many of these re forms, agree ments and ac ces sions have been hasty, car ried out with out study ing their full im pli ca tions and with out pre par ing Jor da ni-ans for them. This pa per sheds some light on the main fears be hind these feel ings.     

Understanding the Determinants of RiskMetrics/ISS Ratings of the Quality of UK Companies' Corporate Governance Practice

We examine the determinants of RiskMetrics/ISS Ratings of the quality of UK companies' corporate governance practice and investigate whether corporate governance mechanisms and firm specific characteristics affect these ratings. We also investigate the association between firms' financial distress and these ratings. Using data for nonfinancial Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 250 firms over the 2003 to 2009 period, we find that board independence, managerial ownership, institutional ownership, firm size, and profitability are associated with firms' corporate governance ratings. In addition, we find that more independent directors on the board, more institutional ownership, and larger size lead to a high level of board‐related ratings. Finally, we find no association between corporate governance ratings and financial distress. Copyright © 2012 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Positioning museums on an authenticity continuum

This research was designed to contribute to scholarly and applied understanding of how curators define authenticity and how those perspectives fit into the contemporary role of museums today. The study was drawn from a sample of curators based in the heritage museums of the state of Iowa, United States. A complex cross-section of ideologies behind the museum curtains is unveiled. This study positions the curators on an authenticity continuum and suggests a negotiation model reflecting active citizenship and social capital for the museum audience seeking a cultural tourism experience.     

Headline Impression Management in the Earnings Press Releases of TSX Venture Exchange Firms*

This paper explores firms traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) Venture Exchange and their voluntary disclosure practices by focusing on earnings press releases (EPRs). We compare the characteristics of EPR issuers and non-issuers and investigate how the former group uses headline impression management in their EPRs to highlight firm performance. More precisely, we examine emphasis and tone management techniques in the headlines of over 1,300 EPRs by TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) firms. Our results show that the main determinants of the EPR disclosure choice are the achievement of positive revenue, an increasing trend in firm market value, and industry type. We find that EPR issuers reinforce and repeat positive results in the headlines of EPRs and use positive tone management to highlight positive financial performance. Our results confirm the association between firm performance and strategic placement of performance results, while illustrating that the strength of this association varies by industry and by EPR characteristics such as EPR length and numerical intensity. Overall, this paper sheds light on TSX-V firms, their disclosure practices, and potential violations of recommendations from regulators regarding avoiding exaggerated or promotional language in press releases.     

Did the PCAOB's 2009 Office Expansion Improve Audit Quality?*

We investigate whether the PCAOB's decision to expand the number and location of its inspection offices in 2009 improved the reliability of US audits. We use a difference-in-differences empirical design to consider the impacts of the expansion on audit quality and find that audit quality significantly improved following the PCAOB's expansion in markets where new offices opened relative to markets without an office opening. We find that the improvement in audit quality appears to be driven by auditors' reaction to real changes in PCAOB oversight and that triennially inspected auditors appear to be impacted the most by this office expansion. Our findings provide new insights into the PCAOB's operational decision-making and suggest that the regulator's additional investment in audit oversight was effective in improving audit quality.     

Goode Food Trucks Inc.*

This fictional case centers around a young Dutch couple who emigrated to Canmore, Alberta. Upon arriving, Saul and Rens opened two successful food trucks and are now looking to promote each truck's main chef to truck manager. They plan to offer a performance bonus based on the net income of each truck and have requested a local accounting student to advise them on the new bonus structure. Goode Food Trucks Inc. presents an opportunity for students to demonstrate technical competence in managerial accounting (rate methods, period cost allocation, and data visualization); strategy and governance (employee performance incentives); and financial reporting (reporting needs) while incorporating enabling competencies (communicating and adding value). The case and teaching notes were adapted from principles used to train and evaluate Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) candidates and tailored to an appropriate level for undergraduate learners. MBA instructors may also use this case to apply multiple concepts in a defined context, thus enhancing a course's “real-life” applicability.