1,720,978 research outputs found
Sustainability Reporting for Value Creation and Risk Management
No full textScope: With the growing demand for businesses today to head towards a more ‘greener way’ of doing business, corporations are facing organisational challenges more than ever before. This is somewhat impeding them from achieving their diverse sustainability accounting goals and reporting necessities. Corporations are now practicing safe ‘gate-keeping’ roles between value creation and risk management in the pursuit of better sustainability performance and knowledge. Businesses today are determined to achieving value creation motives without compromising the needs of various stakeholders.
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the role of risk management and organisational value creation with its linkage to sustainability reporting.
Design and method: The paper undertakes a systematic literature review (SLR) approach and draws contribution from past literature. With the help of SLR, it studies, summarises, compares, and critiques the current state of knowledge by referring to the most relevant scholarly sources on the research topic. The study also carries out archival documentary review of NZ-based Fonterra Group’s sustainability reports and correlates it to literature reviews to give supportive statements and standpoint on sustainability reporting. To allow organisation, preparation, categorisation, and disclosure of public information presented in Fonterra’s sustainability reports and on its webpage, the research employs ‘content analysis’ approach.
Key findings: A whole new industry has grown around sustainability reporting due to growing expectations from the public. Fonterra NZ, however, portrays that its sustainability reporting on the environment is objective and is not using a ‘green wash’ mechanism to influence the decisions of its stakeholders. There are no legal obligations requiring organisations to engage in such reporting. They may do so out of interest, minimise risk and to create value in their undertakings.
Contributions: Companies in the line of business which employ a ‘green approach’ of doing things may use this research to reflect upon the precedence set by Fonterra NZ and incorporate the same when it comes to assurance work and financial reporting. The academic world may utilise the research in the foreseeable future to study the impact of sustainable reporting and the pivotal roles organisational value creation and risk management play in observing a sound business motive.
Limitations and future research: This research relies on sustainability reports of one case company (Fonterra) and therefore readers are cautioned when applying the findings from this study to other contexts (including but not limited to other countries and organisations). Future researchers can adopt alternative research methodologies such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, questionnaire distribution, and site visitations. Primary data collection is recommended. Future researchers can also do an extensive study on this topic and apply other theoretical lenses to examine the issues explored in this dissertation. The engagement of a sustainable reporting assurance provider is recommended to vet the credibility of sustainability reports.
Keywords: sustainable reporting, risk management, value creation, Fonterra NZ
Paper type: qualitative research, systematic literature reviews and archival documentary review
Beyond Budgeting in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Review and Implications for Future Research
No full textBeyond Budgeting (BB) approach criticises traditional budgeting as costly and inappropriate for today’s dynamic and unpredictable environment (Lohan, 2010). The economic crisis in the year 2008 and the recent Covid-19 have forced the companies to utilise the principles of BB to act promptly without being tied up by traditional budgets (Falhem, 2020). However, empirical evidence on how BB is adopted and applied is widely lacking, and only a few large companies have practically implemented it. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) have not yet been subjected by research on this specific topic. Therefore, the researcher aims to close the research gap by linking SME and the BB approach and practices.
The researcher has systematically reviewed the literature, examining the theories and extant evidence on SMEs’ use of management control systems and developing empirically testable propositions to state BB’s suitability for SME and encourage future research on this topic. As claimed by its proponents, the study finds that beyond budgeting is not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises per se. Instead, it is proposed that these tend to utilise modified and partial forms of the approach upon context specifics.
The study’s findings denote that specific contextual factors of SME, governance issues, life cycle-effects, and sectorial influence affect beyond budgeting’s adoption. The paper developed two types of propositions. The first is proposed on the likelihood of BB adoption, whereas the second is propositions about the approach’s situation-specific performance potentials. Therefore, it is supposed to be a fruitful discussion basis for future scholarly activities in this young research field. The paper closes by providing further possibilities for research to encourage expanding theoretical and practical knowledge
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Issues of Balanced Scorecard and Its Implication for Chinese Companies
No full textThe BSC has been introduced by Robert Kaplan and David Norton for more than twenty years. Many researchers have widely investigated the advantages and challenges of implementing BSC. This paper aims to investigate issues of BSC implementation in Chinese companies through literature review, and provide implications for Chinese companies on BSC implementation taking into account the national cultural characteristics. In total, 48 BSC articles were reviewed out of which 41 articles identified worldwide issues on BSC implementation and 14 articles specifically dealt with issues of BSC implementation in China.
The findings show performance measures, reward system, top management involvement, communication and feedback, and employee involvement are the five most widely discussed issues in literature that relates to BSC implementation. Specifically, within the Chinese context, issues on senior management and employee involvement, communication, strategy, reward system, performance measures, information system and the level of management are important considerations influencing BSC implementation. In addition, the influence of Chinese culture on BSC application was discussed. Suggestions were provided for Chinese companies to better implement the BSC: (1) take the strategy as the orientation; (2) pay attention to top management; (3) balance performance indicators; (4) link BSC to incentive system; (5) improve enterprise information system; and (6) strengthen corporate culture construction.
Two limitations were considered in this study: (1) the articles on BSC implementation in China are limited; (2) it is possible that not all the useful data in the reviewed articles has been picked out and collected.
The study contributes to practice by identifying the challenges of BSC implementation from previous studies and provides an insight into BSC implementation in China. Future research may pay more attention on exploring the actual application of the BSC in Chinese companies
Issues of Balanced Scorecard and Its Implication for Chinese Companies
No full textThe BSC has been introduced by Robert Kaplan and David Norton for more than twenty years. Many researchers have widely investigated the advantages and challenges of implementing BSC. This paper aims to investigate issues of BSC implementation in Chinese companies through literature review, and provide implications for Chinese companies on BSC implementation taking into account the national cultural characteristics. In total, 48 BSC articles were reviewed out of which 41 articles identified worldwide issues on BSC implementation and 14 articles specifically dealt with issues of BSC implementation in China.
The findings show performance measures, reward system, top management involvement, communication and feedback, and employee involvement are the five most widely discussed issues in literature that relates to BSC implementation. Specifically, within the Chinese context, issues on senior management and employee involvement, communication, strategy, reward system, performance measures, information system and the level of management are important considerations influencing BSC implementation. In addition, the influence of Chinese culture on BSC application was discussed. Suggestions were provided for Chinese companies to better implement the BSC: (1) take the strategy as the orientation; (2) pay attention to top management; (3) balance performance indicators; (4) link BSC to incentive system; (5) improve enterprise information system; and (6) strengthen corporate culture construction.
Two limitations were considered in this study: (1) the articles on BSC implementation in China are limited; (2) it is possible that not all the useful data in the reviewed articles has been picked out and collected.
The study contributes to practice by identifying the challenges of BSC implementation from previous studies and provides an insight into BSC implementation in China. Future research may pay more attention on exploring the actual application of the BSC in Chinese companies
Establishing and maintaining a professional accounting body in Samoa: the role of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA)
No full textExtensive research has been done on the early establishments of the most influential accounting bodies in the United Kingdom (UK). It was a struggle for professional bodies to achieve and maintain professionalization with state and society during a time of rapid market growth. This created rivalry and competition among the accounting bodies in an attempt to establish a place in the market. Consequently, the roles of accounting bodies were influenced by pressures from the state, market and society which encouraged professional bodies to engage in various strategies and membership policies. The unique roles of accounting bodies were later exported throughout the British Empire and its colonies establishing other accounting bodies such as CPA Australia and NZICA. Today, the same traits of competition still exist and professional bodies still continue to export their qualifications and memberships overseas.
While previous studies have focused on the expanding accounting profession in developed nations, research on professional accounting bodies in developing countries is scarce. Hence, the aim of this dissertation is to investigate the expansion of the accounting profession in Samoa, a developing country. Samoa is unique in terms of its culture and way of life. Unlike western countries where society is of an individualistic nature, Samoa is based on collectivism. Samoa is currently undergoing rapid transformation in terms of globalisation of the market and economy which is imposing changes in the accounting profession and the accounting body. These changes are potentially contradictory with the cultural-cognitive elements of society causing the role of the accounting body in Samoa to be unique in accommodating societal norms. Therefore, the main research question is “how have changes in the environment influenced the role of the professional accounting body in Samoa?” This study draws upon the regulative, cultural-cognitive, and normative pillars of neo-institutional theory to make sense of the pressures that influence what the role of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA) is today. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and archival documents.
A number of significant findings arise from this study. One major finding is that the regulative pressure arising from the establishment of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA) Act 2006 has helped create positive interactions with practitioners and establish a reciprocal relationship with the Ministry of Revenue (MOR). This relationship has in turn strengthened the normative role of the SIA, especially in promoting higher quality standards and expertise in the field of tax practice amongst the accounting profession. The introduction of the International Mutual Funds Act 2008 aggravates the common issue of a lack of funding, and is found to exert regulative pressure influencing the role of SIA to incorporate fundraising mechanisms through the normative pillar of professional activities and networks. The impact of globalisation including affiliation, partnership and alignment with overseas bodies is also imposing difficulties in the local education sector at both the tertiary and professional accreditation level and thus changing members’ and society’s perception of the role of SIA. This study explains a change in the cultural-cognitive pillar or shared conception of society from a ‘traditional approach’ of carrying out processes, to that of western practices which is influencing the role of SIA to achieve similarities with overseas associations as they are perceived legitimate. Lastly, there is some contradiction between the Samoan culture (FaaSamoa) and the western culture influencing the role of SIA. For example, despite the autonomy and power embodied in its code of ethics and statements guiding professional conduct, SIA has refrained from taking disciplinary actions against its members higher in cultural status. This study makes a contribution to theory by investigating the institutional pressures influencing the role of accounting bodies in developing countries such as Samoa which has been neglected for many years. This study also contributes to practice by creating awareness of the changes in the regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive environment and its influences on the role of SIA. The study also provides suggestions on how SIA could improve its future role
Establishing and maintaining a professional accounting body in Samoa: the role of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA)
No full textExtensive research has been done on the early establishments of the most influential accounting bodies in the United Kingdom (UK). It was a struggle for professional bodies to achieve and maintain professionalization with state and society during a time of rapid market growth. This created rivalry and competition among the accounting bodies in an attempt to establish a place in the market. Consequently, the roles of accounting bodies were influenced by pressures from the state, market and society which encouraged professional bodies to engage in various strategies and membership policies. The unique roles of accounting bodies were later exported throughout the British Empire and its colonies establishing other accounting bodies such as CPA Australia and NZICA. Today, the same traits of competition still exist and professional bodies still continue to export their qualifications and memberships overseas.
While previous studies have focused on the expanding accounting profession in developed nations, research on professional accounting bodies in developing countries is scarce. Hence, the aim of this dissertation is to investigate the expansion of the accounting profession in Samoa, a developing country. Samoa is unique in terms of its culture and way of life. Unlike western countries where society is of an individualistic nature, Samoa is based on collectivism. Samoa is currently undergoing rapid transformation in terms of globalisation of the market and economy which is imposing changes in the accounting profession and the accounting body. These changes are potentially contradictory with the cultural-cognitive elements of society causing the role of the accounting body in Samoa to be unique in accommodating societal norms. Therefore, the main research question is “how have changes in the environment influenced the role of the professional accounting body in Samoa?” This study draws upon the regulative, cultural-cognitive, and normative pillars of neo-institutional theory to make sense of the pressures that influence what the role of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA) is today. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and archival documents.
A number of significant findings arise from this study. One major finding is that the regulative pressure arising from the establishment of the Samoa Institute of Accountants (SIA) Act 2006 has helped create positive interactions with practitioners and establish a reciprocal relationship with the Ministry of Revenue (MOR). This relationship has in turn strengthened the normative role of the SIA, especially in promoting higher quality standards and expertise in the field of tax practice amongst the accounting profession. The introduction of the International Mutual Funds Act 2008 aggravates the common issue of a lack of funding, and is found to exert regulative pressure influencing the role of SIA to incorporate fundraising mechanisms through the normative pillar of professional activities and networks. The impact of globalisation including affiliation, partnership and alignment with overseas bodies is also imposing difficulties in the local education sector at both the tertiary and professional accreditation level and thus changing members’ and society’s perception of the role of SIA. This study explains a change in the cultural-cognitive pillar or shared conception of society from a ‘traditional approach’ of carrying out processes, to that of western practices which is influencing the role of SIA to achieve similarities with overseas associations as they are perceived legitimate. Lastly, there is some contradiction between the Samoan culture (FaaSamoa) and the western culture influencing the role of SIA. For example, despite the autonomy and power embodied in its code of ethics and statements guiding professional conduct, SIA has refrained from taking disciplinary actions against its members higher in cultural status. This study makes a contribution to theory by investigating the institutional pressures influencing the role of accounting bodies in developing countries such as Samoa which has been neglected for many years. This study also contributes to practice by creating awareness of the changes in the regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive environment and its influences on the role of SIA. The study also provides suggestions on how SIA could improve its future role
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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