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Thesis (M.S.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-46).

No / The purpose of this paper is to present a critical viewpoint on the negative aspects of market, price and cost transparencies to consumers in terms of its costs. It adopts an inter-disciplinary approach from the marketing, economics and accounting literature. The paper explores market transparency in the ever-changing world and uses brand names like Starbucks and iPhone to illuminate instances where imperfect markets are supported by consumers. Recognizing the role that the Internet plays in promoting price transparency, it espouses how extant information can add costs and risks to the consumer’s value judgement. Finally, the paper advocates that arbitrary judgements existing in cost accounting make it difficult to compare unit cost. This could result in consumers paying extra money to benefit from cost transparency. This paper argues that three main issues may arise in providing unit cost to the consumers. First, transparency entails built-in costs, whether they are in taxes or product prices. Second, in accounting, unit cost information is currently not equitable between businesses. Finally, the paper argues that extra time and effort in making sense of unit cost information lead to questions about the viability of transparent costing. The arguments for transparency have been widely discussed, supported and promoted by many. While negative aspects are known to businesses, few consider the consumer’s perspective. By amalgamating evidence and arguments from different disciplines, this paper lends value, providing a critical perspective where transparent unit cost revelation can be more costly and less viable than what is assumed.

This study conducts research to investigate whether Nigeria gaining Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) compliance status in 2011 has, in practice, improved transparency practices in its oil and gas industry. Its findings are the result of applying an accountability theoretical framework to the disclosure practices of the oil and gas industry. Although other studies have been published on the activities of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, they did not relate specifically to the issue of improved transparency practices in Nigeria after it achieved EITI compliance status. In line with many studies in the field, this study has adopted a mixed methods approach to analysing the issues. This study uses a questionnaire to gather perceptions from the responses of key stakeholders from seventeen different organisations in Nigeria. These data are then used to test various hypotheses. It also conducts follow-up in-depth interviews in order to gain further insights from experts in Nigeria to help interpret the results obtained. Anecdotal commentaries from the popular press in Nigeria had suggested that, despite gaining EITI compliance status there were still major shortfalls in what might be described as acceptable standards of disclosure relating to oil and gas revenue transparency. This study’s findings to a certain extent provide evidence that this is the case. In addition, it finds that there appears to be no corresponding improvement in accountability for the use of the said revenue for the good of Nigerian society. This study found out that there was information about oil revenue and other activities of the oil and gas industry, in addition to an increase of oil revenue to the Government. Further, this study discovers that there is a need for the Government and its related agencies to improve, in the management of oil and gas revenue. The Government should also allow the remedial actions to be made appropriately in the oil and gas industry, as recommended by the NEITI audit reports. This study also recommends Nigerian Government to allow civil societies and NGOs to act independently, in the activities of oil and gas industry. They should also be involved in the decision making on how to use the oil and gas revenue received. There is also a need for consultation or a group discussion among the key stakeholders of the oil and gas industry, including the government officials and those that were not accessing enough information of the oil and gas revenue, to discuss on how the Government, related agencies and the oil and gas companies will improve and maintain effective processes in providing sufficient and accurate information of the oil and gas revenue at the appropriate period. The results of this study have importance to the policy and also the body of literature.

<p>The increased information flow with the expansion of the Internet together with the increase in business media has forced corporations to change their communications department in order to keep up with these changes. Structural changes have been made emancipating the communication department as its own with its communication director reporting directly to the CEO. </p><p> </p><p>To gather information regarding these issues interviews with the communications directors were conducted. The corporations chosen were larger Swedish publicly traded companies from the OMX Stockholm 30 Index. The information collected in the interviews together with the information from <em>ICCO, SPRA and Internet World Stats</em> gave a clear image on what the change in communication has been like over the past ten years and how this change has increased the influence and power of the communications department.</p><p> </p><p>In conclusion, according to Wallström’s <em>ten trends affecting corporate focus</em> there were clear results indicating a change in corporations focus. This was then applied to Salancik and Pfeffer’s (1977) strategic contingency theory, which showed that the communications department in the corporations that we investigated, according to theory, have increased in power and influence the last ten years.  </p>

I explore the impact financial statement transparency has on the probability of restatement and the effect a restatement announcement has on the levels of future financial statement transparency. Information theory suggests that a strong information environment increases accounting quality. Using financial statement transparency as a proxy for the information environment, I find that transparency is associated with a lower probability of financial statement restatement. There are competing theories to predict how restatement announcements affect future levels of transparency. Skinner’s (1953) theory of operant conditioning, which states that behavior is modified based on positive or negative conditioning suggests that the level of transparency increases after a restatement announcement. However, expectancy theory suggests that firms engage in certain behaviors in order to derive expected rewards or incentives. Motivation is eliminated if the rewards are deemed unobtainable thereby eliminating managers’ incentive to improve their reporting strategy suggesting that the level of transparency decreases after a restatement announcement. I find that restatement announcement has a negative association with the transparency measure and the magnitude of this effect decreases over time compared to non-restatement firms. These results are magnified if the restatement is due to fraud. However, the changes are not significant. Further, the transparency associations are mitigated if there is a change in CEO after the restatement announcement. In addition, using a sample of firms that made a restatement announcement matched with a sample of firms that did not make a restatement announcement, the difference in the transparency measure before and after the restatement announcement is statistically insignificant. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The increased information flow with the expansion of the Internet together with the increase in business media has forced corporations to change their communications department in order to keep up with these changes. Structural changes have been made emancipating the communication department as its own with its communication director reporting directly to the CEO.    To gather information regarding these issues interviews with the communications directors were conducted. The corporations chosen were larger Swedish publicly traded companies from the OMX Stockholm 30 Index. The information collected in the interviews together with the information from ICCO, SPRA and Internet World Stats gave a clear image on what the change in communication has been like over the past ten years and how this change has increased the influence and power of the communications department.   In conclusion, according to Wallström’s ten trends affecting corporate focus there were clear results indicating a change in corporations focus. This was then applied to Salancik and Pfeffer’s (1977) strategic contingency theory, which showed that the communications department in the corporations that we investigated, according to theory, have increased in power and influence the last ten years.

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