This study uses an institutional theory perspective to examine whether significant changes to the audit work and engagement practices required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) lead to improved audit quality in nonprofit hospitals. Unlike their for-profit counterparts, nonprofit organizations have been subject to audits of internal controls over financial reporting and program compliance for decades under Circular A-133 of the Single Audit Act of 1984, as amended. Circular A-133 audits represent the primary accountability tool over the billions of grant dollars awarded annually by the federal government. Despite the enormity of these awards and the substantial informational effect of the audit reports, prior empirical research suggests that the quality of these audits is problematic. Using the archival data of nonprofit hospital Circular A-133 audits and related hand-collected financial data from IRS Form 990s, bivariate and multivariate analyses are conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 875 audits for 141 nonprofit hospitals with audits during both pre-SOX (2001-2004) and post-SOX (2008-2011) periods. Audit quality is inferred from discretionary accruals (Modified Jones model) and auditor-reported internal control deficiencies (reportable conditions and material weaknesses). The results indicate support for improved audit quality from the pre- to the post-SOX period for all measures of audit quality. The results are different for the measures of audit quality used to examine the association between audit firm size and audit quality. Non-Big 4 audit firms experienced a significant improvement in audit quality when discretionary accruals are used as a proxy for audit quality. Conversely, Big 4 audit firms experienced a significant improvement in audit quality when internal control deficiencies are proxies for audit quality. In the post-SOX period audit firms provide approximately the same level of audit quality regardless of firm size when discretionary accruals or material weaknesses are the proxy for audit quality. When reportable conditions are the proxy, non-Big 4 firms have higher audit quality than Big 4 firms post-SOX. Client characteristics, specifically hospital size and the interaction of leverage and risk, are attributable to differences in post-SOX audit quality. Finally, the study fails to support the hypothesis that large audit firms self-select low risk clients.

This paper seeks to provide further insight as to why local Ghanaian firms may not be pursuing regional growth as a strategy, as publicly available data would suggest. The study uses Resource Based Theory and Institutional Theory to identify a range of factors that may be influencing, at a firm level, the decision whether or not to pursue a regional growth strategy. The study draws upon a sample of 65 Top Tier Local Ghanaian Companies. A key finding of this study is that a large number of local companies were providing services or products to the regional market. Evidence suggest that although local firms were at the early stage of internationalization, due to various factors identified in the study, these firms had chosen not to formally commit resources in pursuing regional growth as the traditional ―Stage Theory‖ of Internationalization would suggest. The result of the study highlights certain risk to managers and owners choosing not to actively pursue a regional growth strategy. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Fire prevention is a critical component in achieving social welfare and prosperity. The lack of worldwide fire prevention leads to an increasing number of fires, as well as to a greater number of fire-related deaths, injuries, and fire-related property damage. Traditionally, fire prevention has been the responsibility of individual governments, while fire prevention duties are usually carried out by local fire departments. Such an approach is very common and is observed globally. Until now, the above response has been successful. For example, due to fire prevention measures applied in the 1990s, the number of fires caused by open flames (such as candles) was significantly reduced. Since 2014, the number of fires in some Western countries (e.g., the US and the UK) shows an increasing trend. In March 2019,11, people have died in fires across Connecticut (O’Neill 2019). From 2017 to 2018, the number of people who died in fires in Mississippi grew by more than 40 percent (Moore 2019). Among the main reasons for this growth are new combustible materials, reduced fire prevention funds, and more dynamic lifestyles. Lack of fire prevention consequently increases fire risks, and, as a result, health inequalities. According to Whitehead and Dahlgren (2007), health inequalities are health differences that are avoidable, unjust, unfair, and unacceptable. The question arises: do current fire prevention services allow sufficient support for people to be safe from fire, specifically in domestic environments? Can social enterprises play a role and how do they fit into the fire prevention supply chain. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of social enterprises and their influence on supply chains, in general, and specifically for fire prevention supply chains. This phenomenon is evaluated through the lenses of social capital theory and institutional theory. Research (Rothstein and Stolle 2008) has shown the effects that social capital has on institutions, or simply how can it be used as a strategic resource (Gulati and Gargiulo 1999). Institutional and Social Capital Theories set the foundation of how social enterprises transform and contribute to sustainable supply chains, plus how they solve social problems, specifically fire safety (Patuelli and Savioli 2016). According to Wallace and Wallace (1997), social capital provides a collective resource that can be mobilized by individuals to enable communities to develop resilience against severe threats to public health, such as social exclusion or even unemployment. By identifying three dimensions of sustainable development: techno-economic, ecological and social (Clift 2003; Hutchins and Sutherland 2008; Yakovleva and Sarkis 2010), there are various social capital diffusion mechanisms for building sustainability within supply chains through social enterprise involvement. Transforming supply chains by building social legitimacy and by altering institutional norms, are examples of providing competitive advantages to supply chains and supply chain partners of social enterprises. This research seeks to understand social enterprises and entrepreneurship capabilities transform institutions to strengthen supply chain sustainability. Ideally, these institutions should provide solutions to the problem of decreased awareness of sustainable fire prevention, as well as available resources for fire prevention. This research focus is primarily on social sustainability and safety through fire prevention. The importance of this study lies in our contributions to help diffuse socially sustainable solutions and practices across supply chains. In this case, similar to other social concerns, the problem of fire prevention is a critical one within supply chains and society. Understanding the role of social enterprise to help diffuse these norms and practices help to understand general supply chain sustainability concerns for competitive and social reasons. Methodologically, a qualitative, exploratory method was applied. To analyze the data collected for this research, we used a Thematic Analysis. Three supply chains with social enterprises as a focal firm were investigated. This research contributes by furthering the theory of sustainable supply chains with the involvement of social enterprise; or hybrid organizations - that have both a social and a strategic financial outlook. The research involves the utilization of Thematic Analysis, and semi-structured interviews of three fire prevention-focused supply chains. This study is the first that investigates fire prevention from the perspective of supply chains and social enterprises. The results will inform other types of sustainability and social enterprises, which include humanitarian, environmental, educational, and poverty-based foci.

The efficiency of physical capital accumulation plays a critical role for economic growth. This paper aims at examine if economic freedom promotes economic growth via physical capital accumulation. This is done by estimating a production function by replacing the inputs with institutional indices. The first input is GDP per capital growth rate which serve as a proxy for institutional aspects and the other input are the economic freedom indexes which will serve as proxies for physical capital accumulation. This is done by applying the augmented mean group (AMG) estimator that is designed for dealing with macro panel data analysis, including twenty developing countries where the economies have experienced a rapid growth, and the time period are between 1995 and 2017. The theoretical framework is based on the Solow growth model, institutional theory and marginal efficiency of capital (MEC). The results show that economic freedom promotes economic growth via physical capital accumulation where GDP per capital growth rate served as a proxy for institutional aspects and economic freedom indexes as proxies for physical capital accumulation. The results also show that the AMG estimator is the best fit for macro panel data analysis since it are designed for dealing with heterogeneity.

Academic literature has increasingly shown escape foreign direct investment (FDI) to be a strategic motive used by firms investing abroad to diversify their risk to their home market. Internationalisation allows firms to mitigate the risk of being based in uncertain environments characterised by underdeveloped institutions and economic weakness (institutional voids), which are seen as comparative disadvantages. By expanding abroad, firms reduce their dependence on the home market for their revenues and profits. To date, most existing research has explored the characteristics, drivers and motivations for outbound FDI from emerging economies, but has paid relatively less attention to the economic consequences of such investments. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the economic consequences of escape FDI. Understanding the economic consequences of escape FDI will enable managers of South African multinational firms (MNEs) to develop and implement internationalisation strategies that create value, as measured by an increase in market capitalisation, for the firm. Quantitative, explanatory research methods were adopted in order to gain new insights into the economic consequences of escape FDI. The study adopted a longitudinal, multi-industry design and was deductive in nature. The population was 85 firms, which were investigated over a 5-year period, with an interval between 2013 and 2018. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics followed by confirmatory regression analysis. The key finding was that South African MNEs who invested in emerging markets, particularly in multiple host countries in Africa whilst adopting a “portfolio approach” to their international investments, delivered exceptional performance, creating significant value in the process. The secondary finding was that individual firms who either invested in emerging markets or developed markets created and destroyed value evenly, confirming existing literature that firms are heterogeneous and that a firms place in time and space, and thus context, matters fundamentally. The findings from this research add to the extant literature in the field of international business by introducing the “portfolio approach” to international investment strategy and performance. The implications for management is that firms need to understand their ownership advantages in designing and implementing international investment strategies because escape based FDI and related economic performance can have profound direct consequences for the firm itself, but indirectly on the wider community as a whole. / Mini Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MPhil (International Business) / Unrestricted

Cette thèse étudie l'évolution des carrières, des rôles et de l’influence des Directeurs Financiers au regard du processus de financiarisation en France. En analysant la financiarisation et les Directeurs Financiers à travers une approche institutionnaliste, cette recherche présente leurs relations réciproques depuis les années 1980. Alors que le processus de financiarisation a influencé l'évolution de la profession de Directeur Financier, ces derniers ont de leur côté contribué à la financiarisation de différentes manières. Au moyen d'une approche méthodologique mixte, basée sur 1 040 Curriculum Vitae de Directeurs Financiers et 58 entretiens, cette thèse offre une étude approfondie et à grande échelle de l'évolution des Directeurs Financiers au regard du processus de financiarisation en France. / This dissertation investigates the evolution of the Chief Financial Officers’ (CFO) backgrounds, roles and agencies along with the financialization process in France. By studying financialization and CFOs from an institutional perspective, it presents their reciprocal relationships since the 1980s. While the financialization process has influenced the evolution of the CFO profession, CFOs also have various repercussions on financialization. Thanks to 1,040 resumes of CFOs and 58 interviews analyzed through a multiphase mixed method, this dissertation offers both a large scale and an in-depth study of the evolution of the CFOs along with the financialization process.

Audit delay refers to the time from the end of the country or company’s financial year to the date of the audit report. The chances of delay of audit in the public sector are pervasive and as such the expectations of users of these audit reports may differ which could result in the quality and reliability of these audits within this sector to be questioned. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore the external and internal factors that cause audit delay and the aftermath they have on public sector audit quality. As for this study, its original value correlates with the espousal of the institutional theory from the perspective of public sector auditing. Considering the aim of this study, a qualitative research was preferred with the objective of gathering in-depth and enriched empirical data; hence, semi structured interviews were conducted with ten auditors of the top and middle management of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) of Liberia – General Auditing Commission. There are varying views regarding the findings of this study as the respondents disclose that the external factors that result to audit delays are caused by either the audited entity or other external parties and not the SAI; however, it is the responsibility of the SAI to work with the entity involved to ensure those factors do not impede the audit process to the extent it cannot be completed; whereas, internal factors which includes inadequate staff training, delay in the review and approval of the draft audit report by top management to the poor performance of auditors as a result of lack of knowledge and etcetera cause audit delays as well and the SAI is solely responsible for ensuring that they are resolved or lessened so as not to affect the timeliness of the reporting process. The study mentions several limitations. One of them is the lack of observation being conducted which would have provided first-hand information on factors that cause the delay of audits in the public sector.

Globalisering och teknologi har bidragit till att organisationer idag ställs inför nya krav och påtryckningar från omvärlden. Organisationer måste snabbt kunna anpassa sig efter de förändringar som samhället ständigt står inför. Ny teknik och innovativa lösningar har bidragit till att nya kontorskoncept växt fram för att anpassas efter dagens behov, där de anställda idag ställer högre krav på sin arbetsgivare. Aktivitetsbaserat kontor är en utveckling av det öppna kontorslandskapet och har under den senaste tiden blivit allt vanligare i vissa branscher och organisationer, det beskrivs ibland som framtidens kontor. Det aktivitetsbaserade kontoret utlovar ökad gemenskap, samarbete och utbyte av kunskap. Det finns också nackdelar med det nya arbetssättet som minskad integritet, platsbrist och negativ påverkan på arbetsmiljön. Studiens syfte är att öka förståelsen för medarbetarskapets påverkan vid införandet av aktivitetsbaserat kontor. Studien har som utgångspunkt i den kvalitativa forskningen. Studien behandlar två organisationer i olika branscher kring hur de har tagit medarbetarskapet i beaktning vid införandet av ett aktivitetsbaserat kontor. Båda organisationerna har under det senaste året flyttat in till ett aktivitetsbaserat kontor. Studiens datainsamlingsmetod bygger på åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer, där både chefer och medarbetare medverkat. För att studera hur medarbetarskapet har tagits i beaktning har studien använt sig av medarbetarskapshjulet fyra olika delar för att analysera empirin, tillsammans med den institutionella teorin. Studien visar på att organisationer inte alltid är så rationella som de uttrycker sig att vara. Organisationer påverkas av den institutionella kontext som organisationen befinner sig inom. Konsulter och andra organisationer inom den institutionella kontexten har påverkan vid valet av en omstrukturering för att skapa homogenitet. Några av de främsta slutsatserna av studien är att kommunikation, engagemang, delaktighet, gemenskap och ta hänsyn till medarbetarnas olikheter är delar som bidrar till ett fungerande medarbetarskap. Detta i sin tur gynnarverksamheten vid en omorganisering till ett aktivitetsbaserat kontor och är viktiga faktorer att ta i beaktning. Avslutningsvis presenteras kritik mot studien, bidrag till forskningen och förslag till framtida studier. / Globalization and technology are contributing to that organizations today are facing new demands and pressures from the surrounding world. Organizations must be able to adapt quickly to the changes the society are facing. New technology and innovative solutions have contributed to the development of new office concepts adapted to today’s needs, where the employees today are having higher demands on their employers. Activity-based office is a development of the open-plan office and has recently become more common in certain industries and organizations, this is sometimes called the office of the future. The activity-based office implies in increased community, collaboration and exchange of knowledge. Some disadvantages with the new way of working is decreased integrity, lack of space and negative impact in the working environment. The aim of the study is to increase the understanding of how the Employeeship is affected, by an introduction of activity-based office. The study is based on qualitative research. Two companies in different industries are studied, how they have considered the employeeship in the restructuring to the activity-based office. In the past year, both companies have moved into an activity-based office. The data collection method for the study is based on eight semi-structured interviews, where both managers and employees participated. In order to study how the employeeship has been considered, the study has used the four parts of the wheel of the employeeship to study the empiricism, together with the institutional theory. The study shows that companies are not always as rational as they express themselves to be. Organizations are affected by the institutional context within which the organization is located. Consultants and other organizations in the institutional context influence the choice of are structuring to create homogeneity. Some of the main conclusions of the study is that communication, engagement, participation, community and considering the differences of the employees are parts that contribute to a functional employeeship. This in turn supports the business of a reorganization into an activity-based office. In conclusion, contributions to research and proposal for future studies are presented.

Fire prevention is a critical component in achieving social welfare and prosperity. The lack of worldwide fire prevention leads to an increasing number of fires, as well as to a greater number of fire-related deaths, injuries, and fire-related property damage. Traditionally, fire prevention has been the responsibility of individual governments, while fire prevention duties are usually carried out by local fire departments. Such an approach is very common and is observed globally. Until now, the above response has been successful. For example, due to fire prevention measures applied in the 1990s, the number of fires caused by open flames (such as candles) was significantly reduced. Since 2014, the number of fires in some Western countries (e.g., the US and the UK) shows an increasing trend. In March 2019,11, people have died in fires across Connecticut (O’Neill 2019). From 2017 to 2018, the number of people who died in fires in Mississippi grew by more than 40 percent (Moore 2019). Among the main reasons for this growth are new combustible materials, reduced fire prevention funds, and more dynamic lifestyles. Lack of fire prevention consequently increases fire risks, and, as a result, health inequalities. According to Whitehead and Dahlgren (2007), health inequalities are health differences that are avoidable, unjust, unfair, and unacceptable. The question arises: do current fire prevention services allow sufficient support for people to be safe from fire, specifically in domestic environments? Can social enterprises play a role and how do they fit into the fire prevention supply chain. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of social enterprises and their influence on supply chains, in general, and specifically for fire prevention supply chains. This phenomenon is evaluated through the lenses of social capital theory and institutional theory. Research (Rothstein and Stolle 2008) has shown the effects that social capital has on institutions, or simply how can it be used as a strategic resource (Gulati and Gargiulo 1999). Institutional and Social Capital Theories set the foundation of how social enterprises transform and contribute to sustainable supply chains, plus how they solve social problems, specifically fire safety (Patuelli and Savioli 2016). According to Wallace and Wallace (1997), social capital provides a collective resource that can be mobilized by individuals to enable communities to develop resilience against severe threats to public health, such as social exclusion or even unemployment. By identifying three dimensions of sustainable development: techno-economic, ecological and social (Clift 2003; Hutchins and Sutherland 2008; Yakovleva and Sarkis 2010), there are various social capital diffusion mechanisms for building sustainability within supply chains through social enterprise involvement. Transforming supply chains by building social legitimacy and by altering institutional norms, are examples of providing competitive advantages to supply chains and supply chain partners of social enterprises. This research seeks to understand social enterprises and entrepreneurship capabilities transform institutions to strengthen supply chain sustainability. Ideally, these institutions should provide solutions to the problem of decreased awareness of sustainable fire prevention, as well as available resources for fire prevention. This research focus is primarily on social sustainability and safety through fire prevention. The importance of this study lies in our contributions to help diffuse socially sustainable solutions and practices across supply chains. In this case, similar to other social concerns, the problem of fire prevention is a critical one within supply chains and society. Understanding the role of social enterprise to help diffuse these norms and practices help to understand general supply chain sustainability concerns for competitive and social reasons. Methodologically, a qualitative, exploratory method was applied. To analyze the data collected for this research, we used a Thematic Analysis. Three supply chains with social enterprises as a focal firm were investigated. This research contributes by furthering the theory of sustainable supply chains with the involvement of social enterprise; or hybrid organizations - that have both a social and a strategic financial outlook. The research involves the utilization of Thematic Analysis, and semi-structured interviews of three fire prevention-focused supply chains. This study is the first that investigates fire prevention from the perspective of supply chains and social enterprises. The results will inform other types of sustainability and social enterprises, which include humanitarian, environmental, educational, and poverty-based foci.

The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of the relationship that may exist between the institutional determinants and the inward flow of FDI in France. Indeed, the French government and various decisions-makers have attributed the unique growth of the inward flow of FDI to the institutional quality of the country. Moreover, to support this assumption, scholars and experts describe France as an institutionally powerful country. Therefore, in order to test this assumption, we have designed an explanatory analysis of the institutional determinants’ indexes from the WGIs over the period from 2005 to 2018 to test their likely relationship with the FDI inflows in France using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. This study is based on the rich and furnished literature addressing the role of institutional characteristics in attracting FDI. Although our research has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic in terms of data collection and analyses, the corroborating evidences from the empirical findings do not validate the raised hypotheses and bring out many practical implications beneficial for national and local policymakers as well as companies’ managers in the worldwide FDI location competition.