<p> Literature review verifies the fact that business profitability depends upon various factors. It also emphasizes the importance of the role microbusiness as employment generators. They will improve countries&rsquo; economies if they are effectively and efficiently managed. To be effective and efficient, microbusiness need specific skills and knowledge. </p><p> In Puerto Rico, microbusiness represent more than 50% of its entrepreneurial businesses. The results of this investigation weakly validate the proposed business profitability dependable factors: entrepreneurial attitudes, entrepreneurial orientation, enterprise resources, management knowledge, and external environment. They also validated the proposed model and statistics. That is, microentrepreneurs from the southern region of Puerto Rico do not know the factors which determine business profitability. On the other hand, they do know the profitability margin are important for their business decisions. </p><p> The most important factor is enterprise resources, been the financial factor the most relevant. If they do not have the capacity to acquire financial resources, how can they contribute to the local economy? How can they improve their business profitability? In conclusion, microentrepreneurs need to improve their business knowledge and skills in order to outperform in their profitability. </p>

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3241851."

<p>Abstract The topic for this study was the phenomenon of income smoothing as a strategy for earnings management in banks and financial institutions. The general problem of the study was that income smoothing was a form of earnings manipulation and could lead to fraud. Moreover, the specific problem was that it was unknown how the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), in its ushering of higher financial reporting quality, could influence the level of remediation and accounting practice among financial institutions and banks; having said that, there was yet to be a formal attempt at quantifying and understanding how the IFRS and the practices it ushered in could regulate income smoothing and earnings management among financial and banking institutions, as well as its effect on the quality of financial statements presented by such firms. To address this problem, the purpose of this study was to explore how the IFRS, in its ushering of higher financial reporting quality, could influence the level of remediation and accounting practices among financial institutions and banks. In line with the problem and purpose of the study, a correlational quantitative study was the research design used. Data were gathered from banks or financial institutions listed in the NYSE since 2000. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the data gathered. The results of the regression analysis supported the alternative hypothesis that earnings from tangible assets categorized as plant and equipment used for production in the year of investigation as influenced by the IFRS significantly influence in minimizing the rate to which firms? engage in earnings management. This research provides understanding into how earnings management has collaboratively influenced the reported financials of the 100 NYSE-listed companies that partook in this study.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3385838."

<p> The Single Audit Act (SAA) of 1984, as amended in 1996, encourages sound financial management by those who receive federal funds. Single audits are designed to help the federal government protect and safeguard federal funds by exercising proper oversight of non-federal entities&rsquo; expenditures of federal grant monies. Consistent with the provisions of the SAA, auditors function as chief agents of federal control to enhance accountability between the federal government and the nonfederal recipients of federal grant awards. Auditors&rsquo; reporting of single audit findings provides the opportunity to take actions that hold recipients of federal grant awards accountable for spending of federal funds. The study consisted of an examination of auditors&rsquo; perceptions, based on lived experiences, of how the reporting of single audit findings affects non-federal entities&rsquo; ability to receive federal grant awards subsequent to the issuance of single audit reports in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget&rsquo;s (OMB) Circular A-133 and Uniform Guidance. The researcher used qualitative research method and Moustakas&rsquo; transcendental phenomenology research design to purposefully select a sample of 20 certified public accountants with at least 3 years of experience in single audits from the population of licensed certified public accountants who performed single audits in the state of New Mexico and were approved by the New Mexico State Auditor Office as independent public accountants for governmental entities in New Mexico. The researcher used the modified Van Kaam analysis method to analyze data collected in the interviews of research participants. This study sought to understand how auditors experience the effectiveness of the SAA as an accountability mechanism for the federal government to oversee expenditures of federal grant awards by non-federal grantees and found that federal grant making agencies do not affect consequences to non-compliant recipients of federal grant awards in response to reported single audit findings. </p><p>

<p>Millennials are the fastest growing generational cohort to enter the professional workforce. The workplace is changing, and public sector leaders need tools to attract, motivate, and retain the talent to fill the void left by baby boomers who are retiring in massive numbers. Engaging employees has been shown to increase productivity, efficiency, morale, and retention, and millennials indicated that they need and want to be engaged within their organizations. This research study explores the topic of millennial employee engagement by conducting a qualitative study using phenomenology to understand how millennials define employee engagement, their lived experiences, and the antecedents that influence their level of employee engagement. Twenty local public sector accountants were interviewed and confirmed that a universal definition of employee engagement would remain elusive. Drawing on relevant literature, individual and organizational employee engagement antecedents were selected and analyzed to determine if there is an impact on millennial public sector accountants. This study revealed that millennial public sector accountants were most influenced by management support, work/life balance, professional growth and development, having a voice, and providing technical expertise in order to help their organization serve the greater good. When millennials perceive that they will receive a benefit from their organization, they will then reciprocate with increased commitment and productivity. The results of this study may enable public sector leaders to understand how to engage millennials to bring out their greatest potential, and in turn, organizations will have the tools and resources to meet their organizational goals and mission and to provide the highest level of services to their citizens. Keywords: Employee engagement, millennials, antecedents, management support, perceived supervisor support, social exchange theory, reciprocal relationship, accountants, public sector

With recent advances in manufacturing techniques being introduced into industry, cost accounting assumptions and techniques have been revised. One major innovation among cost systems is Activity Based Costing (ABC). This project was devised to gather comparative data on the performance and operating costs of the three most commonly used costing systems, full cost, marginal cost, and ABC systems. An experimental approach was used. The general ledger, pricing, demand, capacity, and cost aspects of a manufacturing organization were simulated by computer, and various candidate accounting systems were overlaid on the manufacturing system to assess the degree of cost distortions and the mix errors inherent in a simulated product mix optimization. Sixteen cases explored a range of external variables in a four by four design using the proportion of non-volume related overhead and the degree of product diversity as the two variables. Variables explored for the cost system designs include the cost system type, the number of traced accounts, the ratio of traced to total costs, and the number of overhead pools. The experimental runs found very close conformance of the ABC systems to the master costing system, and increasing distortion and mix errors for the marginal and full cost systems in that order. The risk of experiencing a mix error with these systems was also estimated by means of an incidence of error measurement. The errors found experimentally were not as severe as expected from accounts in the literature. An analysis of the run results revealed that if specific runs were selected to illustrate a point, examples of large distortions and mix errors that would seriously impact the profitability of a firm could be found. Estimated costs of system setup and operation were derived for the systems under analysis. These estimates revealed the relatively low cost of the full cost system, the moderate cost of the marginal system and the relatively high fixed cost of the ABC system. Opportunities for pursuing the design of an optimized cost system were suggested by the results of regression analysis on the mix error data and the projections of system operating costs.

This dissertation investigates the manager motivations involved in the participation of White Knights (WKs) in corporate control contests. The three features of WK bids, viz. (i) it is a subsequent bid, (ii) it is a friendly bid and (iii) it follows a hostile bid, combine uniquely to provide the context for varying bidding motivations of WK managers relative to the hostile bidders (HBs). An analysis of the sequence of bidding in these contests reveals a category called HHW WKs who make their bid after two consecutive bids by the HB, and tend to take relatively more time in doing so. The non-HHW WKs make their bid in relative haste after the first HB bid. Overpayments by WKs, for which statistical evidence is documented, are observed to be much more pervasive, and of considerably greater economic magnitudes, for non-HHW WKs. The managers of HHW WKs are thus more likely to be firm value maximizers; any observed overpayments could be the result of hubris or the winner's curse. However, the managers of non-HHW WKs may not be maximizing firm value through their bids, implying an absence of proper ex-ante incentive alignments for minimizing agency conflicts. These managers may thus have a lower proportion of annual expected income from their separate holdings of stock and stock options relative to their annual cash compensation (defined as variables COM and OP respectively). An examination of the structure of compensation packages of managers reveals that COM is lower for non-HHW WKs as compared to HHW WKs. OP is unable to directly distinguish between non-HHW WKs and HHW WKs. Yet, OP (as well as COM) are lower for non-HHW WKs relative to HBs. Further, neither COM nor OP is able to differentiate between HHW WKs and HBs. Thus, if HBs are considered as firm value maximizers, then HHW WKs are likely to be governed by similar motivations. In contrast, size maximization goals leading to higher proportions of cash compensation for their managers may dominate the acquisition activity of non-HHW WKs. External monitoring to limit agency conflicts, as proxied by relative debt levels, is also lower for non-HHW WKs.

Proefschrift Universiteit Maastricht. / Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Nederlands.

Movable non-current assets are physical and mobile assets that a municipality uses to provide services to the community directly or indirectly. Therefore, effective movable non-current asset management is necessary to ensure that these assets provide value to both the municipality and the community. This study seeks to determine whether poor asset management negatively affects capital budgeting for procurement of movable non-current assets. Mbhashe Local Municipality, a Category B municipality in the Eastern Cape Province was selected for the study. A desktop research method was utilised for this study. The analysis of secondary data includes policy documents (such as National Treasury asset management guidelines and Mbhashe budgeting policy), books, journals, internet data, newspapers and research documents in order to determine asset management guidelines and budgeting theories by noteworthy scholars. Auditor General South Africa (AGSA) and State of Local Government Finance reports were also analysed to establish the current practice and impact of the role of the municipal management in its finances as well as budget spending patterns at Mbhashe Local Municipality. The results of the study revealed that Mbhashe Local Municipality’s non-compliance with asset management and budgeting policies and procedures throughout the period of the study negatively affected their capital budgeting decisions. The consequences of instability in leadership and lack of approved movable non-current asset management policy resulted in partial asset information, incorrect recording and accounting systems for assets and unauthorised disposal of strategic movable non-current assets. Although, an approved budget policy existed at Mbhashe Local Municipality, the budgetary information was unrealistic because of negligence such as: lack of public participation, consultation and alignment of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) with the municipality’s objectives. This resulted in habitual under-spending of capital assets compared to the capital budget throughout the period of the study.