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1 – 10 of 11Ying Geng, Huai-Ying Huang, Ching-Hui Chen and Pei-Hsuan Lin
This study is a pilot study exploring the usefulness and ease of use of a prototype VR PetCPR system and discusses the possibility of using it to facilitate pet healthcare skills…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is a pilot study exploring the usefulness and ease of use of a prototype VR PetCPR system and discusses the possibility of using it to facilitate pet healthcare skills acquisition. The designed VR PetCPR training system aims to provide pet healthcare professionals with an inexpensive, accessible and reliable CPR training tool and refine their skills in a controlled and simulated environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted in a one-day workshop. The workshop consisted of the morning section (Section A) and the afternoon section (Section B). Section A was the knowledge acquisition stage. Section B is the VR PetCPR stage. Trainees were then given 30 min to experience the VR PetCPR set. When trainees were ready, they were required to complete two trials of dog CPR practice. After the practice, trainees completed the questionnaire and reported their attitudes toward VR PetCPR practice.
Findings
Overall, trainees held positive attitudes toward the effectiveness and usefulness of the VR PetCPR. After practicing skills via VR CPR, over half of the trainees responded that the system is effective in helping them understand the essential knowledge (e.g. operation status, operation positions, etc.) of performing CPR skills on a 30-pound dog. A significantly positive attitude was reported on trainees’ perceptions toward the ease of use of practicing their chest compression skills with the PetCPR. The positive attitudes significantly outnumbered the negative attitudes on explicit instruction and guidance, accessibility, convenience in practice and straightforward interface.
Originality/value
From data collected from 16 animal hospitals in the United States, Europe and Australia with 709 cases, 147 dogs (28%) and 58 cats (30%) temporarily attained ROSC during CPR, and 14 dogs (3%) and four cats (2%) survived to hospital discharge. Training veterinary CPR techniques and implementing RECOVER guidelines still have a long way to go. However, recent virtual reality simulations for CPR training were mainly designed for human patients CPR (Issleib et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2022; Almousa et al., 2019; Wong et al., 2018). The VR PetCPR remains a missing puzzle in the current VR training designs.
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– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm value and the influence of financing constraints on this relationship.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm value and the influence of financing constraints on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 192 firms spanning a period of ten years (1999-2008) are used for this purpose and analyzed using the ordinary least squares regression technique.
Findings
The study finds that improvements in working capital efficiency through reduction in working capital investment results in higher firm value. However, this relationship is influenced by the financing constraints faced by a firm. For financially constrained firms, working capital efficiency significantly increases firm value but it is found to be insignificant for unconstrained firms.
Originality/value
To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study on the value of working capital in Malaysia or in any emerging market. Most studies on working capital valuation concentrate on developed countries and that too are only a handful. Hence this study contributes to the scarce literature on the valuation of working capital. This study also uses the model by Fama and French (1998) to evaluate the relationship between working capital and firm value, which has hardly been used in studies on working capital valuation.
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I-An Wang, Hui-Ching Lin, Szu-Yin Lin and Pei-Chi Chen
Abusive supervision has been a prevalent issue in the workplace. This study aims to explore the consequences of abusive supervision on employee affective organizational commitment…
Abstract
Purpose
Abusive supervision has been a prevalent issue in the workplace. This study aims to explore the consequences of abusive supervision on employee affective organizational commitment and general health in the hospitality industry and further explores the boundary conditions of employee assistance programs (EAPs).
Design/methodology/approach
The participants of this study were 231 frontline employees from the hospitality industry in Taiwan. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires from two time periods separated by a two-week interval. The data was analyzed using PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Findings
The findings from this study suggested that abusive supervision have negative impacts on both subordinates’ affective organizational commitment and general health. As expected, perceived effectiveness of EAPs moderated the relationship between perceived abusive supervision and affective organizational commitment, whereas the moderating effect of perceived effectiveness of EAPs on the relationship between abusive supervision and employee general health was not significant.
Practical implications
The results of this study showed that EAP practices can mitigate the negative effects of abusive supervision. It is expected to encourage managers in the hospitality industry to minimize or even prevent abusive supervision. Further, the authors suggest organizations implement specific strategies in their EAPs to assist employees in coping with the negative emotions accompanying abusive supervision.
Originality/value
This study offers empirical evidence that illustrates the importance of EAPs and how they may reduce the negative impacts of abusive supervision.
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Chuan‐San Wang, Samuel Tung, Lin Chen‐Chang, Wang Lan‐Fen and Lai Ching‐Hui
The paper aims to clarify the relationship between earnings management and the sale of long‐lived assets and investments for firms listed in Taiwan. In addition, it suggests…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to clarify the relationship between earnings management and the sale of long‐lived assets and investments for firms listed in Taiwan. In addition, it suggests several interesting issues for further studies by proposing that positive earnings are one of the necessary conditions for the companies to issue bonds or new shares.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses archival data and regression analysis to document empirical evidence that assets sales are one of the methods to manipulate reported earnings among 12,484 firm‐years over the period of 1984‐2006.
Findings
The paper finds that approximately 54‐57 percent of firms in Taiwan with small pre‐managed earnings losses manipulate reported earnings to show small positive earnings. This is in contrast to 30‐40 percent of firms in the USA as reported by Burgstahler and Dichev.
Research limitations/implications
The paper makes a good use of the unique institutional features of Taiwan. It has not produced other unique results that differ significantly from the findings of prior studies.
Practical implications
The paper shows that reported earnings are viewed as a primary measure of firm performance and mechanisms behind earnings management have important implications in deriving informative summary measures of firm performance.
Originality/value
The paper fulfils an identified need to study how companies listed in Taiwan to beat thresholds by selling long‐lived assets and investments and provides a comparison in earnings management with US companies. Moreover, it provides several suggestions for future studies.
Tongyu Cao, Hasnah Shaari and Ray Donnelly
This paper aims to provide evidence that will inform the convergence debate regarding accounting standards. The authors assess the ability of impairment reversals allowed under…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide evidence that will inform the convergence debate regarding accounting standards. The authors assess the ability of impairment reversals allowed under International Accounting Standard 36 but disallowed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to provide useful information about a company.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a sample of 182 Malaysian firms that reversed impairment charges and a matched sample of firms which chose not to reverse their impairments. Further analysis examines if reversing an impairment charge is associated with motivations for and evidence of earnings management.
Findings
The authors find no evidence that the reversal of an impairment charge marks a company out as managing contemporaneous earnings. However, they document evidence that firms with high levels of abnormal accruals and weak corporate governance avoid earnings decline by reversing previously recognized impairments. In addition, companies that have engaged in big baths as evidenced by high accumulated impairment balances and prior changes in top management, use impairment reversals to avoid earnings declines.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study support both the informative and opportunistic hypotheses of impairment reversal reporting using Financial Reporting Standard 136.
Practical implications
The results also demonstrate how companies that use impairment reversals opportunistically can be identified.
Originality/value
The results support IASB’s approach to the reversal of impairments. They also provide novel evidence as to how companies exploit a cookie-jar reserve created by a prior big bath opportunistically.
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Rimena Canuto Oliveira, Irenilza de Alencar Nääs and Solimar Garcia
This paper aims to contribute to understanding Brazilian fashion consumer behavior. The subsequent research question is formulated as follows: How are the consumers purchasing new…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to understanding Brazilian fashion consumer behavior. The subsequent research question is formulated as follows: How are the consumers purchasing new clothes and disposing of used ones, and how is their awareness of sustainable fashion consumption and disposal of used clothes?
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire was sent to nearly one thousand e-mails. A database was formed with 182 complete answers to 13 questions concerning consumer behavior toward sustainability, especially clothing acquisition, use and disposal. A multimethod approach was used to analyze the initial attributes, applying descriptive statistics, cluster analysis and data mining.
Findings
This survey obtained valuable answers from Brazilian fashion consumers grouped into four clusters. Age and yearly income were more critical in determining the clusters. Only four attributes were chosen by the algorithm to build the trees (age, annual income, yearly spending on clothes and how long the clothes are worn). The consumer's profile may help the fashion industry redirect investments in sustainability. The most critical factor leading to the sustainability of clothing fashion was the duration of the clothes. The study dealt with a limited sample size that was not representative of Brazil's broader population. Despite numerous attempts to seek responses through e-mail, the participant pool was predominantly composed of highly educated individuals.
Originality/value
This assessment of Brazilian consumer behavior toward sustainability and fashion presents essential knowledge to understand the relationships among variables affecting the purchase and discharge of clothes.
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Tahani Hassan, Mauricio Carvache-Franco, Wilmer Carvache-Franco and Orly Carvache-Franco
Religious tourism is one of the oldest and fastest-growing segments. This study analyzes religious tourism through the pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy city of Mecca and has the…
Abstract
Purpose
Religious tourism is one of the oldest and fastest-growing segments. This study analyzes religious tourism through the pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy city of Mecca and has the following objectives: (1) establish the motivational dimensions of religious tourism; (2) identify the motivational dimensions that predict the satisfaction of religious tourism and (3) determine the motivational dimensions that predict return, recommend and say positive things about religious tourism applied to the pilgrimage to a sacred city.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of Muslim pilgrims who had visited Mecca. The sample was collected in Bahrain, a country located on the Persian Gulf, where most of its population is Muslim. A total of 380 valid questionnaires were obtained online. For the data analysis, factorial analysis and the multiple regression method enter were performed.
Findings
The results show that religious motivations are more important when visiting a sacred city than secular ones. Three motivational dimensions were found: religious, social and cultural and shopping. The three dimensions found have a significant relationship with satisfaction and loyalty. Likewise, it was found that the religious motivational dimension is the factor that most predicts satisfaction and loyalty in the behavior of religious visits to a sacred city.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the present study was the temporality in which the sample was taken because the demand may vary at another time of the year and therefore vary its results.
Practical implications
The authors of the study recommend that holy cities increase the religious motivations of these travelers by periodically researching their needs and organizing services to suit their desired spiritual experience. Also, to improve the social and cultural part, travel agencies and tourist companies to Mecca should promote social and cultural motivation among travelers in an appropriate way by providing service packages that involve visits to cultural and social sites such as museums and cultural centers.
Social implications
This research will serve as a management guide for public institutions and private companies to develop more efficient planning in religious destinations and sacred cities.
Originality/value
This study is the first to analyze the construct of motivations in the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, to then establish what the main motivations are that predict satisfaction and loyalty in a religious city. Thus, its results provide important information for tourist destination managers and tourism service providers.
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Karen Lightstone, Karrilyn Wilcox and Louis Beaubien
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the accuracy and informational quality of the cash from operations section of the cash flow statement.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the accuracy and informational quality of the cash from operations section of the cash flow statement.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper empirically tested the accuracy of the cash from operations reported by Canadian non-financial companies. The authors studied 262 companies at three different time periods providing 786 firm observations. For each observation, the balance sheet was used to confirm the figures reported in the statement of cash flows. In addition, the authors investigated management's disclosure of the particular working capital items.
Findings
The findings suggest that in recent years, companies are more likely to overstate their cash flow from operations, thereby presenting a better financial picture than is supported by the balance sheet accounts. This would suggest that the investing or financing section would be correspondingly understated. The presence of acquisitions reduces overstatements, which may be the result of more auditor presence.
Research limitations/implications
This paper extends previous research from documented single, isolated instances of cash from operations being misstated to include a significant sample with more generalizable findings. The data are Canadian which may limit the generalizability to other countries. Future research should address the extent to which financial analysts rely on the reported cash from operations figure.
Practical implications
This preliminary study may have implications for financial analysts and others relying on the free cash flow figure.
Originality/value
This study expands on previous research which has taken place only on a case-by-case basis.
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Hind Muhtaseb, Veronica Paz, Geoffrey Tickell and Mukesh Chaudhry
This study explores the relationship between leverage and earnings management in the context of Palestinian-listed companies, while also investigating whether audit industry…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the relationship between leverage and earnings management in the context of Palestinian-listed companies, while also investigating whether audit industry specialization influences this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The data used in this study are extracted from public financial reports of 39 firms listed on Palestine Stock Exchange (PEX), spread across the service, insurance, industry and investment sectors, for the time period 2011–2022. A model is developed to test 4 hypotheses about the relationships between long-term and short-term debts, and earnings management, and then to examine the influence of audit industry specialization on these relationships.
Findings
The results depict a significant, negative relationship between long-term debt and earnings management. Whereas the association between short-term debt and earnings management is insignificant. Audit industry specialization is proven to have no influence on the relationships between the independent and the dependent variables. Results are robust for firms that changed their accounting policies and using different audit industry specialization proxies.
Originality/value
The association between leverage and earnings management is a significant research topic, given that previous research identifies credit ratings and debt covenant violations as key factors which motivate earnings management. This paper fills a substantial research gap by examining the relationship between the two variables in the context of Palestinian-listed firms, while emphasizing the distinction between long-term and short-term debts. It also highlights key relationships that have been neglected in this particular context, which adds to the body of literature. Furthermore, the research's findings provide a solid information base that is of great interest to accounting and auditing experts and that may be seriously evaluated to support and advance the PEX sector.
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Yunling Song, Shihong Li and Ling Zhou
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the spillover effects of a bright-line disclosure regulation that required Chinese listed firms to provide earnings forecasts if they…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the spillover effects of a bright-line disclosure regulation that required Chinese listed firms to provide earnings forecasts if they anticipated specified, large earnings changes.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the discontinuity of the earnings change distribution of firms listed on the Shenzhen Stock Market between 2010 and 2014. The paper finds that firms no longer subject to the bright-line test still exhibited discontinuity in earnings change distribution. The discontinuity lasted for at least three years with magnitude comparable to that of the firms still subject to the bright-line test. In addition, newly listed firms that had never experienced the bright-line test showed similar tendency to avoid the same threshold. There is some evidence that these firms’ avoidance of the −50 per cent changes was partly because of market pressure.
Research limitations/implications
Research on bright-line tests has to date focused on their immediate and direct effects on firms currently subject to such tests. This study finds that a bright-line disclosure regulation’s influence is not limited to the firms directly governed by the regulation. It could lead to widespread and long lasting distortions in financial reporting behaviors of firms not currently subject to such tests.
Practical implications
The paper has implications for regulators who study the economic consequences of bright-line regulations in general and analysts of the Chinese capital market in particular.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical report that bright-line disclosure regulations affected the financial reporting behavior of firms that were not directly subject to the bright-line tests.
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