Functional fixation : experimental evidence on the presentation of financial information through different digital formats

This study examines whether, in the presentation of financial information, digital formats address the concern over users’ functional fixation. The accounting literature indicates that the presentation of financial information either within the financial statements or in the notes to the financial statements often creates functional fixation where users of financial statements fail to adjust for differences in accounting policy. This leads users to judge what would otherwise be identical financial situations as being different due to the different accounting policies and methods adopted. It has been suggested that the use of digital formats in presenting financial reports may overcome functional fixation. Using an experimental design involving accountants in public practice, the results indicate that the use of digital formats to present financial reports does not fully overcome the issue of functional fixation in the processing of financial information. Although the participants were able to identify and extract relevant information, irrespective of whether or not the information was presented within the financial statements or in the notes to the accounts, the evidence indicates that functional fixation remained when the participants made final decisions based on available information. This suggests that functional fixation may not be caused by access to or extraction of information but by the level of perceived significance based on where the information is reported in the financial statements. In general, the results indicate that current technology may not be able to fully reduce functional fixation in the evaluation of financial information prepared in accordance with different accounting policies and methods.

Influence of internal fixator stiffness on murine fracture healing : two types of fracture healing lead to two distinct cellular events and FGF-2 expressions

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the mechanical environment at the fracture site and endogenous fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). We compared two types of fracture healing with different callus formations and cellular events using MouseFix(TM) plate fixation systems for murine fracture models. Left femoral fractures were induced in 72 ten-week-old mice and then fixed with a flexible (Group F) or rigid (Group R) Mouse Fix(TM) plate. Mice were sacrificed on days 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21. The callus volumes were measured by 3D micro-CT and tissues were histologically stained with hematoxylin & eosin or safranin-O. Sections from days 3, 5, and 7 were immunostained for FGF-2 and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA). The callus in Group F was significantly larger than that in Group R. The rigid plate allowed bone union without a marked external callus or chondrogenesis. The flexible plate formed a large external callus as a result of endochondral ossification. Fibroblastic cells in the granulation tissue on days 5 and 7 in Group F showed marked FGF-2 expression compared with Group R. Fibroblastic cells showed ongoing proliferation in granulation tissue in group F, as indicated by PCNA expression, which explained the relative granulation tissue increase in group F. There were major differences in early phase endogenous FGF-2 expression between these two fracture healing processes, due to different mechanical environments.