M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This research investigates the complementary value of a statement of cash flows (SCF) in a set of published financial statements. Selected accounting studies and selected parts of communication theory are used to argue the case for treating an SCF as a primary financial statement. Ideas adapted from communication theory are also used to decide key issues involved in developing an SCF. Specifically, the study selects a direct rather than a reconciling format for an SCF; it also defines cash to include currency, bank accounts, and marketable securities and exclude claims to cash such as notes and accounts receivable. The definition of cash limits cash flow to strict receipts and disbursements; it excludes constructive receipts and disbursements.

Topic of this diploma thesis is auditing selected items of financial statements. The basis of the work consists of theoretical introduction of auditing principles, definition of key concepts but also regulatory frameworks according to the Czech legislation and audit procedures in particular. This theoretical part is then followed by the practical part of the thesis focusing on demonstration of audit procedures during the audit of selected items of financial statements of a fictitious company. In this part the theoretical basis is linked with audit practice. Audit procedures described in the thesis form a necessary part of audit work leading to issuing of an audit opinion on whether the financial statements give a true

Government spending is essential for the US economy, and the amount of capital that flows from the government to US firms has increased substantially in recent years. Despite the economic importance of the corporate-government contracting relationship, we know little about the firm-level financial outcomes associated with government contracts. In this study, I investigate whether the corporate government contracting relationship affects firm-level financial reporting quality. Using a sample of 58,988 US publicly-traded firms from 2001 through 2017, I find that federal government contracting firms are associated with a lower level of discretionary accruals, lower probability of internal control material weaknesses, and lower probability of restatement and fraud as compared to non government contractors. However, this association is weaker when industry competition on government contracts are lower, and government switching costs in which the cost to find new suppliers are higher. Collectively, my empirical results suggest that having the government as a customer has a positive impact on the quality of financial reports. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This case study is an investigation into the ways a powerful professional education organization, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), historically constructed and promoted pedagogical discourses about social identities, social problems, and social change. The purpose of the study was to critically analyze a dominant early childhood pedagogical discourse that is constituted by public position statements published by the NAEYC between 1991 and 2014. Using a critical, intersectional, and sustainable framework, this study revealed a complex, detailed narrative of the ways the NAEYC position statements constructed images of social identities and social groups in relation to social issues relevant to early childhood education practice and policy, particularly those that the NAEYC identified as eliciting “controversial or critical opinions” for the purposes of “promoting broad-based dialogue on these issues” (naeyc.org). This study worked to reveal the ways that the NAEYC position statements promoted harmful discourses about historically and multiply minoritized social identity groups and supremacist discourses about white and affluent children. This study also emphasized the significance of positionality and reflexivity in educational research about equity, justice, and sustainability for recognizing the potential for both harm and healing throughout the research process. The findings of the study highlight the need for layers of reflexivity at the institutional level, the disruption of deficit narratives in education, and the need for re-mediation of traditional signifiers of quality and professional development in the early childhood profession.

No description available.

No description available.

M.S.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Africa Centre for Investment Analysis (AClA) at the University of Stellenbosch is undertaking the creation and maintaining of a capital markets database on historical financial and market data of all companies listed on various African stock exchanges (excluding South Africa). This study report aims at establishing a user's guide for the Centre's financial statement database in anticipation that the database will become a comprehensive source of vital market and financial information for investors in Africa. The guide describes the common format that was created so that African companies can be easily compared. The guide clarifies the standardised coding system that was created so that future users are able to access relevant data, and attempts to facilitate the ease of maintaining and developing the database. Some of the coding described in the guide is not original, since an adequate coding system is already available and in use at the Centre, but forms part of this study project since no formal or documented guide to its operation and implementation is available. The guide describes the classification and coding system used for the various countries, industries and companies on the Centre's database. The industry classification system that was developed is not as comprehensive as the global industry classification standard that it is based on, but is adequate to fairly describe the core activities of African companies. The guide introduces the standardised financial statement templates that are (to be) used on the Centre's database, and also describes the individual line items on these. The templates created are such that the annual financial statements of African companies, in conformity with international generally accepted accounting practice, fairly present the state of affairs of the African companies and their businesses. Templates for balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements for the companies have been created. The value of the information on the database is based on the soundness of the data reported in the African company's annual reports, and the interpretation of these when being captured onto the database. The definitions listed in this study report serve merely as a guideline to compensate for the differing accounting rules and practices that exist between countries. Not all listed African companies are recorded on the database. This is because the Centre relies on the contribution of data (like annual financial reports) from African stock exchanges, stockbrokers and the individual companies themselves. The importance of encouraging all African stakeholders to contribute as much information as possible, in order to ensure that comparable data is collected, is vital to the successful development and use of the database. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Afrikasentrum vir Beleggingsontleding aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch is besig met die daarstelling en instandhouding van 'n databasis van kapitaalmarkte van historiese finansiële- en markinligting van alle maatskappye op verskeie Afrika effektebeurse (Suid-Afrika uitgesluit). Hierdie ondersoekverslag beoog om 'n gebruikersgids saam te stel vir die sentrum se finansiële databasis met die verwagting dat die databasis 'n omvattende bron van mark- en finansiële inligting vir beleggers in Afrika sal word. Die gids verklaar voorts ook die gestandaardiseerde kodestelsel wat ontwikkel was om toekomstige gebruikers toegang tot relevante data te gee. Die gids poog ook om die instandhouding en verdere ontwikkeling van die databasis te vergemaklik. Sommige van die kodefisering wat in die gids beskryf word, is nie oorspronklik nie aangesien 'n voldoende kodestelsel reeds beskikbaar en in gebruik is in die sentrum. Dit vorm egter deel van hierdie studieprojek aangesien geen formele of gedokumenteerde gids vir die databasis se gebruik en implementering beskikbaar is nie. Die gids beskryf die klassifikasie en kodestelsel vir die verskeie lande, industrieë en maatskappye wat op die sentrum se databasis gebruik word. Die klassifikasiestelsel vir industrieë wat ontwikkel is, is nie so omvattend soos die globale industrieklassifikasiestandaard waarop dit gebaseer is nie, maar dit is genoegsaam om 'n redelike beskrywing van die kernaktiwiteite van Afrika se maatskappye te gee. Die gids stel die gestandaardiseerde finansiële patroon wat op die sentrum se databasis gebruik word (en gebruik sal word) bekend en dit beskryf ook die individuele lynitems daarop. Die patrone wat sodanig geskep word gee 'n redelike beeld van die jaarlikse finansiële state van Afrika se maatskappye in ooreenstemming met internasionale algemene aanvaarde boekhoupraktyke. Patrone vir balansstate, inkomstestate en kontantvloeistate vir die maatskappye is geskep. Die waarde van die inligting op die databasis is gebaseer op die egtheid van die data beskikbaar in die Afrikamaatskappye se jaarverslae en die interpretasie daarvan wanneer dit op die datastelsel vasgelê word. Die definisies wat in die studieverslag voorkom, dien slegs as 'n handleiding om te vergoed vir die verskille in boekhoureëls- en gebruike wat in verskillende lande bestaan. Alle Afrikalande wat op die effektebeurs is, is nie ingesluit op die databasis nie aangesien die sentrum op die verskaffing van inligting op Afrika se effektebeurse, makelaars en individuele maatskappye aangewese is. Die belangrikheid om alle Afrika rolspelers aan te moedig om soveel inligting as moontlik by te dra, is deurslaggewend tot die suksesvolle ontwikkeling en gebruik van die databasis.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Value added is the wealth that a reporting entity has been able to create by its own and its employees' efforts. A Value Added Statement (VAS) reports on how this value added is shared between employees, providers of capital, the state and reinvestment. In order to put wealth created by an organization in proper perspective, the users of VAS should be able to compare the results in a statement of an entity over a given period of time to evaluate trends and should furthermore be able to compare the statements of various companies in order to determine the relative performance of a company in the creation of wealth. Little empirical work has been done on Value Added Statements in South Africa resulting in a lack of standards or benchmarks against which to judge/compare the value-added data and ratios of different entities. The aim of this study was to contribute towards creating a data bank, which ultimately will be used in setting industry standards. This study was limited to 65 companies, which published Value Added Statements for five or more consecutive years and disclosed the number of employees during the period 1977 to 2000. The research is of an exploratory nature and it was decided to focus on the following aspects of a Value Added Statement in order to calculate standards or benchmarks: (a) Common size Value Added Statements. (b) Compound growth rates for the different elements of a Value Added Statement. (c) Annual growth rates of sales/employee, salaries and wages/employee and valueadded/ employee. Certain trends were identified. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toegevoegde waarde is die rykdom wat 'n verslaggewende eenheid skep deur eie en werknemers se pogings. Toegevoegdewaardestate (TWS) doen verslag oor hoe hierdie toegevoegde waarde gedeel word tussen die werknemers, kapitaalvoorsieners, die staat en herinvestering. Ten einde die rykdom wat deur 'n organisasie geskep is in toepaslike perspektief te sien, moet die gebruikers van TWS hierdie resultate, kan vergelyk oor 'n gegewe tydperk ten einde tendensie-ontledings te kan doen. Verder moet die gebruikers van TWS 'n vergelyking kan maak tussen die state van verskillende maatskappye om sodoende die relatiewe prestasie in die skepping van rykdom te evalueer. In Suid-Afrika is min proefondervindelike navorsing gedoen oor TWS, met die gevolg dat daar 'n gebrek aan standaarde of beginpunte is waarteen die toegevoegde waarde data en verhoudings van verskillende maatskappye gemeet kan word. Die doel van hierdie studie is om by te dra tot die databank wat uiteindelik gebruik sal word in die daarstelling van bedryfstandaarde. Die studie is beperk tot 65 maatskappye wat TWS vir 'n tydperk van vyf of meer opeenvolgende jare gepubliseer het asook die hoeveelheid werknemers vir die tydperk 1977 tot 2000 bekend gemaak het. Die navorsing is ondersoekend van aard en daar is gefokus op die volgende aspekte in die daarstelling van standaarde en beginpunte in 'n Toegevoegdewaardestaat: (a) Gemene grootte Toegevoegdewaardestate. (b) Saamgestelde groeikoers vir die verskillende komponente van TWS. (c) Jaarlikse groeikoers in toegevoegde waarde, verkope/werknemers, toegevoegde waarde/werknemers en salarisse en lone/werknemers. Sekere tendensies is geidentifiseer.