Computerised Auditing

VERY IMPORTANT
This book is a heartfelt tribute to my great friends, professors, and lifelong mentors: Robert C. Clark, Martha Minow, Richard A. Epstein, Guido Calabresi, Thomas Sargent, Lawrence Lau, Thomas C. Südhof, Harold E. Varmus, Edvard Moser, Ariel Furstenberg, Carlos Zambrano Encalada, Santos Vera Sandoval, Román Faustino Fernández Adriano, Federico Fernández Adriano, Robert Langer, Enrique Verástegui Peláez, Luis Alberto Pinchi Fasanando, Joachim Frank, Luis Amparo Grimaldo Zapata, Óscar Santamaría Barreto, and Víctor Raúl Yactayo Castillo; as well as Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Sonia Winer, Roger Petersen, Janet Yellen, Ricardo Gelpi, Alberto Barbieri, Dennis Thompson, Sally Kornbluth, Ítala Andrea Preguntegui Garrafa, Magda Portal, Dalia Elizabeth Zurita Espinoza, Jhanela Brigite Aguirre Obando, Josefina Miró Quesada Gayoso, Daniel Chapán, Daniel Elía, Miguel Aguilar, Teresa Zamudio Ojeda, Richard Lovera Herrera, Martín Isla, César Chambergo Rojas, Jesús Rojas, Ángel Atuncar Gutiérrez, Leandro Vergara, Ana Arias, Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira, Luis Alberto Félix Sánchez Sánchez, Bernardo Houssay, César Milstein, Luis Federico Leloir, Tomás Várnagy, and Francisco Miró Quesada Cantuarias.
It also pays homage to the brilliant and inspiring educators of youth and distinguished legal scholars Miguel Ángel Ciuro Caldani and Martha Minow.
Above all, it is dedicated to Jesus Christ and Almighty God, Hashem, to whom I will always give thanks for His blessings and protection in difficult times.
Shalom!
Respectfully,
Luis David Fernández Zambrano
חשוב מאוד
ספר זה הוא מחווה מכל הלב לחבריי הגדולים, לפרופסורים ולמורים שלי לחיים: רוברט סי. קלארק, מרת'ה מינאו, ריצ'רד א. אפשטיין, גוידו קלברזי, תומאס סרג'נט, לורנס לאו, תומאס סי. זודהוף, הרולד א. ורמוס, אדווארד מוסר, אריאל פורסטנברג, קרלוס סמבראנו אנקלדה, סנטוס ורה סנדובל, רומן פאוסטינו פרננדס אדריאנו, פדריקו פרננדס אדריאנו, רוברט לנגר, אנריקה ורסטגי פלאס, לואיס אלברטו פינצ'י פסאננדו, יואכים פרנק, לואיס אמפרו גרימלדו ספאטה, אוסקר סנטמריה בארטו, וויקטור ראול יקטאיו קסטיו; וכן לאדולפו פרס אסקיבל, סוניה וינר, רוג'ר פטרסן, ג'נט ילן, ריקרדו ג'לפיי, אלברטו ברבירי, דניס תומפסון, סאלי קורנבלות, איטלה אנדראה פרגונטגי גארפה, מגדה פורטל, דליה אליזבת סוריטה אספינוזה, חנלה בריגיטה אגירה אובנדו, חוספינה מירו קסאדה גיוסו, דניאל צ'פן, דניאל אליה, מיגל אגילאר, תרזה זמודיו אוחדה, ריצ'רד לוברה הררה, מרטין איסלה, ססאר צ'מברגו רוחאס, חסוס רוחאס, אנחל אטונקר גוטיירז, לאנדרו ורגרה, אנה אריאס, ויקטור ראול היה דה לה טורה, חוסה קרלוס מריאטגי לה צ'ירה, לואיס אלברטו פליקס סאנצ'ס סאנצ'ס, ברנרדו הוסיי, ססאר מילשטיין, לואיס פדריקו ללויר, תומאס וארנאגי, ופרנסיסקו מירו קסאדה קנטואריאס.
הספר גם משבח את המחנכים המבריקים והמעניקים השראה לדור הצעיר ואת המשפטנים הדגולים מיגל אנחל סיורות קלדאני ומרת'ה מינאו.
ומעל לכל, הוא מוקדש לישוע המשיח ולאלוהים הכול יכול, השם, אשר אליו אודה תמיד על ברכותיו ועל הגנתו בזמנים קשים.
שלום!
בכבוד רב,
לואיס דוד פרננדס סמבראנו

This research delves into the evolving role of the accounting and auditing professions in the digital age, with a focus on the implications of ChatGPT, a sophisticated artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI. The study employs a novel approach by engaging ChatGPT to predict the future of these professions, further probing with targeted inquiries to deepen the understanding. The analysis reveals that despite the rapid digital transformation and integration of AI in accounting processes, the core accounting profession is likely to persist. However, it underscores a significant shift in skill requirements, emphasizing the importance for accountants to enhance their expertise in data analysis, cyber security, and technological adaptability. The study also explores AI's potential applications in auditing, suggesting that AI can augment efficiency, accuracy, and risk assessment, while also highlighting the irreplaceable value of human judgment in complex scenarios. Interestingly, the insights generated through interactions with ChatGPT show a strong alignment with existing literature, indicating the tool's utility and reliability in professional contexts. The findings suggest that embracing technological advancements and continuous learning are imperative for accountants to remain relevant and competitive in this rapidly evolving digital landscape.

This paper gives a broad overview of emerging technology fields and their effect on management accounting. The research involved reviewing, describing, PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1 analyzing, and summarizing some of the literature in the area. The first field examined was business intelligence (BI) and its necessary partnership with management accounting. Following the BI section is an examination of how software aids accounting analytics. Next is the surging field of big data and it's poised to revolutionize the accounting profession. This area includes the definitions of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. The study found that many emerging technologies require more research at a rapid pace because of the importance that management accountants play in the success of organizations. Accounting education is also impacted because business schools need graduates with the necessary skills to meet the needs of a changing accounting profession.

The objective of this paper is to discuss the level of information technology (IT) adoption by internal audit unit (IAU) in Malaysian public sector, the types of the IT applications implemented and the purposes of its implementation. In recent years, internal auditors have begun to realize the important of IT to perform their audit tasks. Specifically, the use of Computer Assisted Auditing Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) can help in terms of audit efficiency and effectiveness. This research employed an online and mail survey methods to gather data from 266 head of internal auditors in Malaysian public sector. The results show that the level of IT adoption by IAU in Malaysian public sector is high. However, with regards to the usage of IT specifically in auditing, it is considerably low despite the huge benefits that have been offered by the technology. Due to the nature of the data collection method, the study might reflects the perfection of the respondents which may not translate in...

Differences in employee overall job satisfaction between public and private sector organizations have long been a topic of organizational academic debate. This study looks at the differences and the relationships between organizational characteristics and employee overall satisfaction between the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and the Non-State-Owned Enterprises (Non-SOEs) in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to examine the differences in organizational characteristics in 7 components including purposes, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms, and attitude toward change; 2) to examine the differences in employee overall satisfaction; and 3) to explore the relationship between organizational characteristics and employee overall satisfaction between the two sectors. The sample includes 20 SOEs and 20 Non-SOEs with a total of 860 employees. The findings empirically reinforce existing organization behavior literature: employee satisfaction is to some extent shaped by the settings of their organizations. Limitations and future research opportunities are also identified.

This study seeks to investigate the variables that affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adoption of the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and audit quality analysis from the perspectives of external auditors and accountants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Additionally, it seeks to determine whether external auditors and accountants in Saudi SMEs have different perspectives on AI adoption and how it affects audit quality. Data were gathered via an internet questionnaire from eighty accountants and forty audit companies in Saudi SMEs to accomplish these research goals. The study's findings indicate that accountants and external auditors in the KSA believe that utilizing AI improves the quality of audits. Also, it was discovered that there is no statistically significant difference in how accountants and auditors evaluate 'AI's contribution to audit quality.

Generalized audit software (GAS) is a computerized technique that internal and external auditors use to facilitate their audit Objectives. GAS is one of the most popular computer assisted audit tools and techniques. This report shows the used of GAS, techniques of using GAS, implementation of GAS, function of GAS and impact of GAS in audit programs. Here shows much evidence that GAS has been universally adopted by external and internal auditors in various organizations and banks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the utilization of GAS by auditors in developed and developing countries. We try to focus on it by sampling process the data collected from various articles and journals. We also examine the potential of applying GAS .Find out the reasons for the limited use of this technology worldwide and its potential implementation in Bangladesh.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in Russia has undergone fundamental political and structural changes. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which Russian firms use Western management accounting and control systems (MACS) at two different points of time to see the possible diffusion of Western MACS. In contrast to focusing on the diffusion of specific MACS techniques (e.g. Innes and Mitchell 1995, Malmi 1999), Russia as a European market economy with enormous potential provides a unique setting for studying the diffusion of the whole range of Western MACS in transitional circumstances. In addition, our study contributes to very limited or even non-existent literature on management accounting in Russia. Our results are based on two questionnaires to samples of 100 Russian firms conducted at the interval of two years. The results show that the use of MACS is not as widespread in Russia as it is in other Western countries, but that especially the use of formal controls such...

This study focused on proprietors and business development managers of the 367 tour companies in Kenya members of Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO). The sample size was 256 proprietors and business development managers who were selected randomly from the population. To collect primary data a semi-structured questionnaire with both close-ended and open-ended questions was used. A pre-test was conducted to increase the reliability and validity of the data collection tool. The data collected was then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The researcher further employed a multivariate regression model to study the relationship between entrepreneurial management and growth of small and medium tour companies in Kenya. The study established that entrepreneurial management influences growth of business in the tour companies to a great extent. The study has also illustrated that resource gap identification, opportunity commitment, and social capital development and growth orientati...

This doctoral thesis focuses on the relationship between the owners and managers as well as the associated governance mechanisms within the context of limited companies. The key interest here concerns the differences between various types of owners: public sector entities, such as the state or a municipality, differ from private sector owners in terms of their characteristics and preferences. Questions regarding public sector ownership were again highly topical in Finland during fall 2019, when disputes concerning collective bargaining in the state-owned mail company Posti Oyj eventually led to the resigning of the Finnish Government. This was not the first time that the challenges and tensions related to the governance of state-owned companies were discussed in the public sphere: other recent examples have related to, for instance, Arctia Shipping, which operates Finnish icebreakers, and Finavia, which governs and operates airports in Finland. It is hence evident that public ownership includes challenging questions that require further investigation. This doctoral thesis aims at enhancing our understanding of the questions related to ownership and governance of limited companies. The main aim is to explore how publicly and privately owned limited companies differ when examined from the perspectives of ownership steering, corporate governance as well as other types of oversight. The research setting in this doctoral thesis is based on the classical agency theory, which describes the problematic relationship between the agent and the principal, caused by information asymmetry between the parties. The aim of ownership steering, corporate governance and other types of oversight is to ensure that the management of the organization, i.e. the agent, operates according to the interests of the owner, i.e. the principal. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that all the key actors within any organizational governance, that is, the chief operating officer (CEO), the board and the owner, need to follow the stipulations set in the relevant regulation concerning limited companies. In the Finnish context this implies for instance that the owners have no right to intervene in the day-today management of the company, as this task belongs solely to the CEO and the board. The results presented here show that good corporate governance mechanisms often depend on the context and that they may differ according to the main owner x Steering and Monitoring Model of State-Owned Enterprises

─ Abstract─ The studies on ownership structure provides us with several testable hypothesis as well as empirical evidence from different countries. The study describes the main characteristics of ownership identities of the Turkish manufacturing companies listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) and examines the impact of ownership identity on performance. The identity of the owners has implications for their objectives and the way exercise their power, and this is reflected in company strategy.

In a number of States, new legal " benefit " or " purpose " corporate forms are introduced to promote stakeholder-oriented companies. If it is too early to know empirically if this legal framework will work, we can build upon what we know on corporate governance to predict whether it is likely to work or not. In this paper, we present a mapping of the theories on corporate governance and derive some tentative predictions for purpose-driven corporations. We find that theories make diverging predictions, and in a paradoxical way: agency theory is seen as a shareholder-oriented theory, but it supports the new legal forms while stakeholder theory does not. This reordering of the field reveals that theories may overlook the possibility of a legal change. Our work thus contributes to suggest an empirical test of the theories with the purpose-driven companies, but it also opens further avenues to reappraise the theories of corporate governance.

The party politics of the reformation in Finnish regional administration in the 1990's The large administrative reform in Finland began in the late of 1980's. The next decade was a special period in the whole history of Finnish administration because of big changes. The needs for this large reformation were a result from changes in domestic and foreign conditions of operation during the 1980's and the 1990's. These needs were directed also to the Finnish regional administration system. This article deals with party political aspects of the reformation in Finnish regional administration in the 1990's. It has been said that before the 1990's the reform politics was too much related to desires of political parties. In the last decade needs to reorganize

We examine how board leadership influences the frequency of supervisory board meetings, and how meeting frequency, in turn, affects firm performance. Utilizing a 10-year longitudinal dataset of German and Indonesian listed firms, we find that CEOs in both countries are more likely to foster lower board meeting frequency. However, in Germany, chairmen and female independent directors are more likely to promote higher board meeting frequency, while in Indonesia, affiliated directors and female independent directors have no significant influence. More frequent board meetings lead to better firm performance in Indonesia but not in Germany.

The Common Law, parliamentary democracy, and academia all institutionalize dissent to check undue obedience to authority; and corporate governance reformers advocate the same in boardrooms. Many corporate governance disasters could often be averted if directors asked hard questions, demanded clear answers, and blew whistles. Work by Milgram suggests humans have an innate predisposition to obey authority. This excessive subservience of agent to principal, here dubbed a "type II agency problem", explains directors' eerie submission. Rational explanations are reviewed, but behavioral explanations appear more complete. Experimental work shows this predisposition disrupted by dissenting peers, conflicting authorities, and distant authorities. Thus, independent directors, chairs, and committees excluding CEOs might induce greater rationality and more considered ethics in corporate governance. Empirical evidence of this is scant-perhaps reflecting problems identifying genuinely independent directors.

Prior studies have provided some inconclusive findings regarding the effect of independent directors (INEDs) on firm performance. Drawing insights from the theories of resource dependence (RD), human capital (HC), and social capital (SC), this research argues that the mere presence of INEDs (motivation) is insufficient but rather the appointed INEDs need to have sufficient HC and SC (ability) in the forms of knowledge, expertise, and connection to effectively perform their roles. This study extends prior research by investigating the effects of INEDs’ financial knowledge (as indicator of INEDs’ HC) and INEDs’ external directorship (as indicator of INEDs’ external SC) on firm performance. A total of 300 non-financial firms listed on Bursa Malaysia in the year 2013 were selected using stratified random sampling method. Results indicated that INEDs’ financial knowledge does not have any relationship with firm performance. In contrast, an inverted U-shaped relationship between INEDs’ ex...

This course focuses on the design and implementation of innovative corporate and businesses unit strategies that create sustainable competitive advantage in increasingly uncertain and complex environments. Participants will learn how shareholders (owners) and stakeholders (others with interest) can ensure that managers develop and implement strategic decisions in the best interests of the shareholders (owners) and not be primarily self-serving (working for the best interests of managers only, to the detriment of stakeholders).

Duo to determinant role of corporate governance mechanisms in affairs related to the companies. in this research the affect of some mechanisms on companies debt expense are determined. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of governantial mechanisms like the structure of managing board auditing committee major share holder and institutional share holders. On companies borrowing expense. The research method is correlation and the collected data are examined by statistical methods such as T and PIERSON coefficient. Research hypothesis collected by information got from financial statements from accepted in Tehran Security Exchange from 2006-2010 and results extracted from research showed that there is not meaningful relationship between governantial firms mechanism and debt expense. This conclusion is anomalous from present theories. But in Iran economic milieu despite of imperative bank interest rate and lacking of other financing tools like debenture bonds, the mentioned result seems logical.

This study examines use of computer assisted audit tool and techniques in audit practice in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. To achieve this objective, data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources were from scholarly books and journals while the primary source involved a well structured questionnaire of three sections of thirty seven items with an average reliability of 0.838. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using relevant descriptive statistics, diagnostics tests, Augmented Dickey-fuller and multiple regressions. The result revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence were positively associated at (0.05) to the usage of computer assisted audit tools and techniques by accounting firms. Hence, the study concludes that the adoption of computer assisted audit tools and techniques has become a beneficial choice for auditors in the 21 st century complex business environment and an efficient tool to increase the productivity as well as the audit functions. Therefore, professional accountants need to expand their knowledge of information technology and computer accounting audit methodology; the syllabus of accounting programmes for professional and tertiary institutions should be reviewed to include courses in computer accounting information system audit; relevant professional accountancy bodies in Nigeria should also include courses in computer information system audit as part of their training programmes and professional accountants should be made to appreciate the relevance of computer in the 21 st century business environment in the provision of relevant accounting services for the sole aim of satisfying their clients and also audit firms need to increase their organizational and technical support to encourage the use of CAATTs.

This study seeks to investigate the variables that affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adoption of the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and audit quality analysis from the perspectives of external auditors and accountants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Additionally, it seeks to determine whether external auditors and accountants in Saudi SMEs have different perspectives on AI adoption and how it affects audit quality. Data were gathered via an internet questionnaire from eighty accountants and forty audit companies in Saudi SMEs to accomplish these research goals. The study's findings indicate that accountants and external auditors in the KSA believe that utilizing AI improves the quality of audits. Also, it was discovered that there is no statistically significant difference in how accountants and auditors evaluate 'AI's contribution to audit quality.

This research paper explores the corporate ethical issues surrounding the Murdoch's Phone Hacking Scandal, which involved the British tabloid newspaper, News of the World, and its parent company, News Corporation (now known as 21st Century Fox). The scandal, which emerged in 2011, exposed illegal phone hacking practices used by the newspaper to obtain sensitive information about public figures, celebrities, and crime victims. This case study examines the ethical dimensions of the scandal, the role of key stakeholders, and the consequential influence on the media industry and News Corporation's reputation. The paper also analyzes the responses and measures taken by the company to address the ethical breach and restore public trust.

We examine whether reported ownership–performance relations systematically differ for government versus private ownership by integrating the diverse empirical results for listed corporations in emerging markets. Our meta‐analysis confirms popular perceptions that, compared to private ownership, government ownership is associated with inferior performance. We find that, on average, the underlying ownership–performance relation is negative for government ownership and positive for private ownership, and the difference between these relations is significant. We also find that the positive private ownership–performance relation is stronger for institutional/foreign ownership compared to family/management ownership. Further analysis shows that negative (positive) government (private) ownership and performance relations have weakened (strengthened) over time. Our assessment of the sources of heterogeneity shows that reported relations are biased by estimation methods that fail to adequate...

According to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), 70% of accidents on board were caused by human error, and almost one-fifth of these accidents have been related to inadequate supervision. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate which of the safety factors can influence the quality of safety supervision. For this purpose, a questionnaire with 24 statements was distributed to professional seafarers. Two exploratory factor analyses were conducted to identify the underlying factor structure. The first analysis yielded one factor, quality of safety supervision, and the second analysis yielded four factors, namely: safety communication, safety training, safety compliance, and safety rules and procedures. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was applied to examine the influence of seafarers’ demographic characteristics and the four identified factors on the quality of safety supervision. The results revealed the following two statistically significant predictors of ...

BackgroundCOVID-19 has caused a global public health crisis affecting most countries, including Ethiopia, in various ways. This study maps the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death from COVID-19 in Ethiopia.MethodsThirty-eight potential indicators of vulnerability to COVID-19 infection, case severity and likelihood of death, identified based on a literature review and the availability of nationally representative data at a low geographic scale, were assembled from multiple sources for geospatial analysis. Geospatial analysis techniques were applied to produce maps showing the vulnerability to infection, case severity and likelihood of death in Ethiopia at a spatial resolution of 1 km×1 km.ResultsThis study showed that vulnerability to COVID-19 infection is likely to be high across most parts of Ethiopia, particularly in the Somali, Afar, Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regions. The number of severe cases of COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalisation and inten...

This article examines organizational integrity and moral climates in business. It argues that an organization with integrity has several characteristics that distinguish it from individual integrity and that some central characteristics of individual integrity are less important for organizational integrity. It identifies the norms and values that contribute to a moral climate and considers the role of incentives as they support or inhibit organizational integrity. It also evaluates whether for-profit organizations can still have organizational integrity and remain profitable.

This paper proposes an evaluation approach-"Efficiency Motivated Evaluation" (EME hereafter)that auditors use in response to increased efficiency demands. EME is defined as discounting (emphasizing) negative (positive) audit evidence and making favorable assessments as the demands for efficiency increase. We propose that increased time pressure will exacerbate auditors' use of EME but that experience will mitigate this tendency. We conduct an experiment in which 83 auditors differing in experience evaluated internal control effectiveness under high or low time budget pressure. Consistent with expectations based on EME, auditors assess overall internal control effectiveness higher, and positive information about controls as more relevant, under high (compared to) low time budget pressure. Moreover, we find that less (compared to more) experienced auditors under high time budget pressure rate negative information about controls as less relevant. The results suggest the importance of assigning experienced staff to high time budget pressure engagements.

The current technological transformation in accounting and taxation shows that “companies have a large appetite for increasing complex analytics, even when they cannot adequately perform the basics” (EY.com, “Solutions to Help You Accelerate Tax Transformation,” 2022, https://tinyurl.com/muxxpv4d, 2022). Most companies and governments still spend 80% of their time on data cleansing, which an appropriate machine learning (ML) algorithm can perform in minutes. Thus, the market faces a challenge: accountants with technical expertise are required to design algorithms capable of reducing the human workload. Traditional accounting and business analytics are insufficient to meet current business needs; modern data analytics offer businesses in-depth insight into their daily operations. For the public accounting profession to continue to create value in the age of “big data” analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), a clear vision for the future of digital accounting, taxation, and business data analytics is essential.

Suomen pankkihistoria on tunnetusti värikästä. Pankkeja on syntynyt, kaatunut ja yhdistynyt toisiinsa. Eräs varhainen draama, joka oli omassa lajissaan ensimmäinen, koettiin jo 1910-luvulla. Silloin tapahtui Helsingin Osakepankin nurkanvaltaus. Vastikään julkisuuteen tulleet ruotsalaiset arkistolähteet valottavat sitä uudesta näkökulmasta. Wallenbergien HOP-operaatioiden avaintekijöitä olivat Skandinaviska Enskilda Bankin (SEB) toimitusjohtaja Marcus Wallenberg vanhempi ja varatoimitusjohtaja Joseph Nachmanson.

In the light of corporate financial scandals, there is an ever increasing attention on corporate governance issues. As the investors look for emerging economies to diversify their investment portfolios to maximize returns, they are equally concerned about governance factors to minimize risks in these economies. The Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders have therefore directed their effort in enhancing Corporate Governance in various organizations. This became the motivation of this study, which is focused on examining the relationship between Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of multipurpose Cooperative Societies in Lagos State Nigeria. A cross sectional research design was used for the research study, with the aid of secondary data. The purposive sampling techniques were adopted for the study. Two (2) multipurpose Cooperative Societies were selected based on the availability of their financial statements. The data obtained were analyzed using the STATA software. From the analyses, it was established that, Corporate Governance has no significant effect on the financial performance of these multipurpose Cooperative Societies. However, it impacted positively on diligence of procedures, records kept and conduct of daily business. The researcher however opined that the radical improvement noticed in the level of governance and financial ethics introduced by the various regulatory authorities should be maintained at all levels of stewardship in organizations.

Attribution-You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial-You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike-If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012) Title of the thesis or dissertation. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A.

Dynamic changes in operations and technology has influenced tremendous developments and changes within the maritime and shipping industry. As a global industry a number of measures have been put in place to realise consistency and uniformity in training of seafarers for shipboard operations. However, challenges have arisen in mobility and transitions of seafarers across the industry notably the challenges faced by seafarers post seagoing careers. The dissertation presents a critical analysis of the phenomenon through a descriptive and analytical methodology to ascertain the gaps in seafarers training which need to be addressed to enhance suitability of seafarers for onshore jobs. This is approached through a specific case of the Kenyan seafarer. In addressing the phenomenon, the dissertation shall present a proposed framework for programme specifications and reference standards for both Technical and academic training to ensure harmonious transition from technical training to academic training for the seafarers.

Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) had ventured in a number of technology initiatives to increase its online services to taxpayers. These online services include online tax payment, online tax submission, and stamp duty assessment and payment system. Monthly Tax Deduction Online System (e-MTD) is one of the services provided by IRBM to help organisation, especially micro and small enterprises, to submit Monthly Tax Deduction (MTD) for their employees. However, the usage rate of this service by the employer is still low. The reasons for the low usage are yet to be known. To-date, there are no specific studies done to overcome this problem. This study is, therefore, carried out to identify the factors that affect the intention of micro and small enterprises to use the e-MTD. The research model is developed based on the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory. Three factors, namely, relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity are hypothesised to affect the micro and small enter...

As the major shareholder, Malaysian Government in 2004 has embarked on the Government linked Companies (GLCs) transformation policy program that mainly emphasizes on enhancing the corporate governance mechanisms of the State owned Enterprises (SOEs) in order to enhance effectiveness of the board. The paper aims to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms as embedded in the transformation program on the practice of earnings management. In particular, the study uses data for two periods of time (pre and post transformation), and examine whether the period of post transformation policy has experienced any improvement of board monitoring role in curbing earnings management activities. The main findings show that there is an increase of earnings management activities in post transformation period. Further, the findings revealed that all corporate governance mechanisms have little impact to curb earnings management activities except for board meetings and leadership structure in the post transformation period. The board meetings and separate role of two top positions in the companies were shown to have negative impact on earnings management post transformation policy and that relationship do not hold for the period pre transformation policy. Although the study has shown positive preliminary impact of tightening corporate governance in GLCs, scope to expand the research was also discussed.

The presence of board members with good governance attributes is value-relevant since it influences investors’ investment decisions. The value relevance is expected to improve with the newly introduced extended audit report to disclose key audit matters (KAMs). KAM disclosure provides information about issues faced by external auditors in the auditing of a company’s financial statement. Since the disclosure of KAM involves discussion and negotiation between the board and external auditor, it gives an indication that board value relevance can be affected by KAM disclosure. Using 931 firm-year observations from firms listed on the Bursa Malaysia between 2016 and 2019, this study re-examined the value relevance of the board and whether such value relevance improves with the disclosure of KAMs. The findings indicated that some board attributes influenced investors’ reactions negatively. The disclosure of KAM served as both an indirect mediator and a complementary mediator to increase th...

Evidence from research conducted on corporate accounting indicates that the interaction of environmental factors in fluences disclosure practices. The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of various corporate governance and cultural (race and education) characteristics, in addition to firm–specific factors, as possible determinants of voluntary (non–mandatory accounting and non–accounting information) disclosures in the annual reports of Malaysian listed corporations. The results of the regression analysis indicate significant associations (at the 5 per cent level) between two corporate governance variables (viz. chair who is a non–executive director and domination of family members on boards) and the extent of voluntary disclosure. This finding has implications for corporate governance policy formulation by the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance (MISG). One cultural factor (proportion of Malay directors on the board) is significantly associated (at the 5 per ...

Yhdistetyt asiat C-22/08 ja 23/08, Athanasios Vatsouras (C-22/08) ja Josif Koupatantze (C-23/08) v. Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) Nürnberg 900, Kok. 2009 s. I-04585. HE 309/1993 vp. Hallituksen esitys Eduskunnalle perustuslakien perusoikeussäännösten muuttamisesta.

, was not a good day for financial markets, yet it was an interesting one for corporate governance. A few days earlier, the U.S. Treasury had taken over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, after American Insurance Group (AIG) had already requested financial support from the U.S. government to keep it solvent. 1 In the early afternoon of September 14, Lehman Brothers, until then a highly profitable investment bank and one of Wall Street's most venerable brands, filed for bankruptcy. Lehman's collapse-which many consider to be a major trigger of the Great Recession-came after earlier on in the day, a Treasury official had indicated that the government would not support Lehman financially. 2 During the 2009 World Economic Forum in Davos, an intriguing question was raised: Would we be in this mess today if it had been Lehman Sisters-that is, if women had been at the helm? 3 Meanwhile, on the same day, Bank of America announced its impending purchase of Merrill Lynch, another financial powerhouse that was now essentially bankrupt as well. New information, however, indicated that Merrill Lynch could have even bigger losses, leading to the bank contemplating calling off the deal. Ken Lewis, Bank of America's CEO, had become so concerned that he went to DC in December to meet with Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and James Paulson, then-Treasury Secretary, for guidance. Both of them, Lewis said, were "firmly of the view that terminating or delaying the closing. .. could result in serious systemic harm." 4 Bank of America ended up buying Merrill Lynch but without full disclosure to its shareholders about its condition. Larry Ribstein, among others, wondered whether that omission-which may also be a breach of basic fiduciary duties-could be justified due to a "national interest" that may supersede shareholders' best interests and right to full disclosure. 5

Background COVID-19 pandemic caused by extended variants of SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 350 million people, resulting in over 5.5 million deaths globally. However, the actual burden of the pandemic in Africa, particularly among children, remains largely unknown. We aimed to assess the seroepidemiological changes of SARS-CoV-2 infection after school reopening among school children in Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods A prospective cohort study involving students aged 10 years and older were used. A serological survey was performed twice, at school reopening in December 2020 and four months later in April 2021. Participants were selected from 60 schools located in 15 COVID-19 hotspot districts in Oromia Region. Serology tests were performed by Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid assay. Data were collected using CSentry CSProData Entry 7.2.1 and exported to STATA version 14.2 for data cleaning and analysis.

This study examines use of computer assisted audit tool and techniques in audit practice in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. To achieve this objective, data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources were from scholarly books and journals while the primary source involved a well structured questionnaire of three sections of thirty seven items with an average reliability of 0.838. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using relevant descriptive statistics, diagnostics tests, Augmented Dickey-fuller and multiple regressions. The result revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence were positively associated at (0.05) to the usage of computer assisted audit tools and techniques by accounting firms. Hence, the study concludes that the adoption of computer assisted audit tools and techniques has become a beneficial choice for auditors in the 21 st century complex business environment and an efficient tool to increase the productivity as well as the audit functions. Therefore, professional accountants need to expand their knowledge of information technology and computer accounting audit methodology; the syllabus of accounting programmes for professional and tertiary institutions should be reviewed to include courses in computer accounting information system audit; relevant professional accountancy bodies in Nigeria should also include courses in computer information system audit as part of their training programmes and professional accountants should be made to appreciate the relevance of computer in the 21 st century business environment in the provision of relevant accounting services for the sole aim of satisfying their clients and also audit firms need to increase their organizational and technical support to encourage the use of CAATTs.

As the major shareholder, Malaysian Government in 2004 has embarked on the Government linked Companies (GLCs) transformation policy program that mainly emphasizes on enhancing the corporate governance mechanisms of the State owned Enterprises (SOEs) in order to enhance effectiveness of the board. The paper aims to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms as embedded in the transformation program on the practice of earnings management. In particular, the study uses data for two periods of time (pre and post transformation), and examine whether the period of post transformation policy has experienced any improvement of board monitoring role in curbing earnings management activities. The main findings show that there is an increase of earnings management activities in post transformation period. Further, the findings revealed that all corporate governance mechanisms have little impact to curb earnings management activities except for board meetings and leadership structure in the post transformation period. The board meetings and separate role of two top positions in the companies were shown to have negative impact on earnings management post transformation policy and that relationship do not hold for the period pre transformation policy. Although the study has shown positive preliminary impact of tightening corporate governance in GLCs, scope to expand the research was also discussed.

This paper provides a discussion of endogeneity as it relates to finance and accounting research. We discuss the textbook solutions: two-stage least squares, instrumental variables, differenced generalized method of moments (GMM) and system GMM and provide a unifying framework showing how they are related. We consider the limitations of these techniques and then detail a state-of-the-art solution, utilizing a natural experiment as a way of mitigating endogeneity and building stronger theory.

We describe how the mix of an actor's moral sentiment, and other rational factors and non-rational behavioral biases impact the decision making process as to whether to invest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) or not. We take into account three aspects of CSR investment that the decision maker weighs up rationally: (i) moral sentiment; (ii) exposure to risk and risk management; (iii) changes that would be required in corporate structure or production processes; and (iv) long term versus short term considerations. These aspects are moderated by four non-rational behavioral biases that different actors may hold to differing extents, namely: attitude to risk, statusquo bias, subjective discounting, and myopic loss aversion. This study is descriptive and theoretical in nature and draws together knowledge from various fields, such as ethics, strategy, behavioral investing, and investing in CSR.

The generational differences among leaders have progressively captured the attention of both researchers and practitioners interested in their dynamics within the work environment. Many analyses in this respect have been focused on the differences between Millennials (Generation Y) and Generation X members from a personality-centric perspective, the great majority of the examinations revolving around Western research samples. By acknowledging the current state and assuming the calls for further investigations advanced by various researchers, this conceptual and empirical undertaking aims to provide an exploratory outlook on generational differences among Romanian leaders, by employing worldwide reputed research instruments such as the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), Hogan Development Survey (HDS) and Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI). A sample of over 700 subjects was considered in the running of the statistical analyses, thus allowing to draw pertinent conclusions apposite to the envisaged population. Even though statistically significant findings were retrieved on few scales pertaining to the three applied instruments, one key insight advanced by the present endeavor resides in the extension of the scope of the existing literature dedicated to the generational differences from a leadership perspective via the integration of an Eastern European landscape which adds to the evidence in the field and opens up new research challenges for complementary scrutiny.

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of board characteristics and firm performance. Specifically we test the effects of board meeting, board independence, board size and directors accounting expertise on firm accounting performance. The paper uses both financial and non-financial data from annual reports of the 700 public listed firms in Malaysia for the year 2009. The result shows that board independence does not affect firm performance, whilst board size and board accounting/financial expertise are positively associated with firm performance. Board diligence in terms of board meetings is found to have an adverse effect on firm performance. These findings provide some implication for future research on the effectiveness of board directors on firm performance.