An exploratory study into the accountancy firms chosen by industrial company IPOS in Australia from 1994 to 2004

This study is an exploration into the choice of independent accountants made by industrial initial public offering (IPO) companies in Australia between the years 1994 to 2004. The aim of this research is to determine which companies are more likely to use one of the Top 5 accountancy firms and in so doing we seek to offer some insight into understanding the likelihood of IPO companies adopting the services of the big accounting firms. Our findings show, as predicted, that the majority of industrial IPO companies, and particularly the larger companies, used one of the Top 5 accountancy firms as their independent accountant. However, unexpected was that certain industry types were less likely to hire a Top 5 accounting firm for their independent accounting services compared to other industry categories. Our studies also found that after the year 2000 a smaller percentage of companies used independent accountants than between 1994 and 1999. Many factors contribute to the selection of an independent accountant and this paper provides some understanding of identified factors and the influence that they have over the choice of independent accountants by industrial company IPOs.

Mastering the global market

There is an urgent need to expand the number of qualified accountants in China and, particularly, the number of local accountants whose qualifications are recognized internationally. During this period of rapid transformation, the Deakin Master of Professional Accounting program, which includes the CPA Program of CPA Australia, has been developed to assist in meeting China's needs for internationally recognized accountants. The first group of students to study a new university course incorporating the CPA Australia qualification graduated at a specially convened graduation in Beijing on August 22 this year. The increasing awareness of the need for stringent corporate governance procedures and ethical business practice in the global market, as well as the need for China to develop knowledge of modern business activities, has been a priority as the course has been taught.

Developing relationships – a nonlinear perspective

The research examining marketing relationships has traditionally assumed that they develop in an evolutionary linear process. There has been limited discussion of the fact that over a relationship’s lifespan it may in fact both strengthen and weaken, and that inactivity does not necessarily infer relationship failure. The paper proposes a model that allows relationships to move in multiple directions over their existence.

Re-emergence of the public accounting profession in China : a hegemonic analysis

This paper draws on Gramsci's concept of hegemony to examine and explain the circumstances leading to the re-emergence of the public accounting profession in China in the early 1980s. In particular, the paper attempts to understand the political and ideological influence upon the professionalisation process of the Chinese accountants. The paper not only highlights a major difference between the professionalisation process of the public accounting profession in China as compared to the West, but also the authoritative and dominant role assumed by the Chinese state in the whole societal set-up. Through effectively exercising its political and ideological leadership, the state successfully mobilised the Chinese accountants in the implementation of its economic-related agenda. The paper demonstrates that the state has clearly achieved hegemony within the accounting community, and further suggests that the state-accounting profession relationship could be likened to the father–son relationship as encompassed within the Confucian notion of wu lun.

Exploratory study into the accountancy firms chosen by industrial company IPOs in Australia from 1994 to 2004

This study is an exploration into the choice of independent accountants made by industrial initial public offering (IPO) companies in Australia between the years 1994 to 2004. The aim of this research is to determine which companies are more likely to use one of the Top 5 accountancy firms and in so doing we seek to offer some insight into understanding the likelihood of IPQ companies adopting the services of the big accounting firms. Our findings show, as predicted, that the majority of industrial IPO companies, and particularly the larger companies, used one of the Top 5 accountancy firms as their independent accountant. However, unexpected was that certain industry types were less likely to hire a Top 5 accounting finn for their independent accounting services compared to other industry categories. Our studies also found that after the year 2000 a smaller percentage of companies used independent accountants than between 1994 and 1999. Many factors contribute to the selection of an independent accountant and this paper provides some understanding of identified factors and the influence that they have over the choice of independent accountants by industrial company IPOs.

Perceptions of e-commerce as an academic discipline in Australian universities

This paper presents findings from a study on perceptions of e-commerce as an academic discipline in Australian universities. The study examined Australian universities' perceptions on whether e-commerce should be regarded as a business-oriented discipline or a technology-oriented discipline and further whether e-commerce should be considered as a distinctive discipline. Data was collected from official websites of all Australian universities and was categorized in accordance to award titles, host faculty and program structures. Findings showed that most Australian universities perceived e-commerce as a business-oriented discipline. However, there was no consensus on whether e-commerce should be considered as a distinctive discipline.

Ethics education for accounting students - a toolkit approach

In 2006, the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB), an independent standard-setting board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) released an information paper entitled Approaches to the Development and Maintenance of Professional Values, Ethics and Attitudes in Accounting Education Programs. The information paper stems from a global research project on ethics education in the accounting profession. The paper is designed to stimulate discussion and debate on the subject of ethics education and includes the provision of an Ethics Education Toolkit to encourage and assist accounting educators and member bodies of IFAC to implement ethics education programmes. Through a review of the literature, this paper considers why we should teach ethics, the types of ethics interventions that have been undertaken and the issues in teaching ethics to accountancy students. The paper then describes in detail the Ethics Education Toolkit and provides some evidence on the positive reaction of a group of students who are taught ethics, based on the principles and practice included in the toolkit.

Risk management and ethical environment : effects on internal audit and accounting control procedures

This study examines the impact of the scope of risk management and ethical environment on internal audit activities and the quality of accounting control procedures (ACPQ). The conceptual framework for the study is guided by COSO’s frameworks on internal controls and enterprise risk management and data from a questionnaire survey of 64 Australian firms are analysed using a structural equation model. The results of the study support that (1) internal audit activities have a significant intervening effect on the relationship between the scope of risk management and ACPQ, and (2) a direct and positive relationship exists between ethical environment and ACPQ. Our findings suggest that widening the scope of risk management activities do not directly improve ACPQ, but that it leads to more extensive internal audit activities and in turn such activities promote better ACPQ. Further, the results indicate that fostering a more ethical environment directly leads to higher ACPQ. These results have implications for the design of internal controls, namely with respect to the role of internal audit activities and ethical environment in enhancing ACPQ.

Managers' trust, reliance on control mechanisms and performance of subordinates

Many organisational scholars claim that interpersonal trust between managers and subordinates will bring about a number of positive organisational outcomes including enhanced job performance in subordinates. Recent management accounting literature implies that the trust's positive effect on performance is achieved by using trust-based controls such as 'social control'. While the former indicates a direct positive relationship between trust and performance, the latter indicates an indirect positive relationship between trust and performance through controls. Whether the trust's relationship with performance is direct or indirect is particularly important issue for management accountants because of the possible implications of the nature of the relationship for the design and exercise of management control in organisations.

What influences accounting students' attitude towards accounting as a profession?

Several issues have been linked with the choice of an accounting major, and more specifically choice of accounting as a career path, including perceptions of the professional attributes required of accountants. The present study addresses two main themes: undergraduate students’ perceptions of the accounting profession and influences on decision to major in accounting. The study is motivated by the prior research of Marriott and Marriott (2003) that indicated exposure to accounting studies has a negative effect on attitudes towards the profession.

The results show that students’ perceptions of the profession related to work activities and prestige of the profession. Further analysis examining the influences on choice of an accounting major revealed three major factors: intrinsic interest in the content of accounting courses, influences of parents and friends together with perceptions of job status of accounting related to career advancement and salary. When compared with the Marriott and Marriott (2003) study, the present study showed students had more positive attitudes to studying accounting. There were however significant differences between local and international students in attitudes to the accounting profession.

Behind the scene of knowledge sharing : the impact of task complexity

Numerous empirical studies on knowledge management have examined the relative effectiveness of various enablers, such as organizational structure, technology, culture, managerial system and strategy for knowledge creation and sharing in organizations. While these studies play a critical role in helping us to appreciate the importance of organizational enablers in knowledge management, they have neglected to examine the possible effects of task complexity on the nature and efficacy of knowledge sharing. This study investigates how task complexity influences the mode and effectiveness of knowledge sharing among professional accountants in Malaysia. In particular, it highlights the relationships between different task dimensions and modes of knowledge sharing, and the impact of knowledge sharing on professional competency. This study adopts a process oriented approach based on Nonaka’s (1994) knowledge sharing model. This study reveals that task complexity is significantly related to knowledge sharing. Tasks carried out by professional accountants vary from repetitive or clearly-defined procedural tasks to unstructured tasks that required professional judgment and expertise for successful task performance. While professional accountants are generally keen to gain access to knowledge databases to source for possible task solutions, they are generally hesitant to share their tacit knowledge by transforming the knowledge into explicit form. The finding suggests that there may be cultural-related factors that inhibit sharing of one’s tacit  knowledge totally and completely. This study also shows the existence of a  significant relationship between knowledge sharing and professional  competency, suggesting that the importance of the internalization mode of  knowledge sharing in sustaining the competitive edge of professional  accountants.