Gordon Howitt and Noel Harding
This paper reports on the introduction of a scheme based on the principles of Supplemental Instruction into the accounting curriculum at the University of New South Wales…
Abstract
This paper reports on the introduction of a scheme based on the principles of Supplemental Instruction into the accounting curriculum at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Supplemental Instruction is argued to have a number of benefits which complement the traditional faculty facilitated lectures, tutorials and seminars. The scheme was introduced into the first course in accounting with a view to improving student performance, reducing withdrawal rates, and encouraging the development of communication and interpersonal skills. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected in order to understand how students perceived the scheme, and what effect the scheme had on student performance. The results suggest that the scheme has had a positive impact on student performance. In providing this account, we hope to assist accounting academics identify subjects where Supplemental Instruction might be of benefit to students, and the issues to consider when tailoring the program to the specific needs of the subject.
Robert Czernkowski, Rosin a Mladenovic, Carolyn Cousins, Roger Gibson and Gordon Howitt
In this paper, we measure the impact of transactional leadership and transformational leadership styles on student learning outcomes. Leadership style was measured using a set of…
Abstract
In this paper, we measure the impact of transactional leadership and transformational leadership styles on student learning outcomes. Leadership style was measured using a set of questions that were developed based on the conceptions of leadership style from Avolio, Waldman and Yammarino (1991). Student learning outcomes investigated included overall final mark achieved in the course, as well as communication skills, writing skills, critical thinking and analysis skills, study skills, reading skills and interpersonal skills.
Many studies document the importance of learner-centered active teaching to improve college students' critical engagement with challenging problems presented by our…
Abstract
Many studies document the importance of learner-centered active teaching to improve college students' critical engagement with challenging problems presented by our information-rich twenty-first-century environment. Others indicate that students from less privileged backgrounds often struggle even in well-designed classrooms. What is lacking is a mechanism for understanding these divergent outcomes and designing courses that better meet the needs of the diverse students in the college classroom. In this chapter, an argument is presented for understanding college student learning and curriculum design through the lenses of epistemological development and behaviors of learning. The consensus model presents descriptions of four epistemological stages, creating a framework to help classroom practitioners and administrators better understand the abilities of their students. The foundational assumption is that using appropriate curricular components will support student engagement and epistemological and self-regulation growth. To support this assumption, the model is accompanied by research-supported activities and strategies that benefit learners at different developmental stages and with different degrees of self-regulation. Moreover, intentional and reflective teaching has the potential to improve faculty understanding about the nature of learning and acceptance of learner-centered pedagogies, which will also have positive consequences for students. The end result will be a more inclusive learning environment with improved outcomes for a wider range of students.
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The purpose of this paper is to introduce counterfactual analysis and reasoning to the study of accounting history. The counterfactual focus is the institutionalisation of public…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce counterfactual analysis and reasoning to the study of accounting history. The counterfactual focus is the institutionalisation of public accountancy in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a counterfactual research design using Ferguson and Bunzl and asks a “what if” question of an event of importance to accounting historians in order to create a plausible counterfactual outcome that is grounded in rationality and causal analysis. The specific counterfactual question relates to the royal charter granted to public accountants practicing in Edinburgh in 1854. The counterfactual outcome is compared to the actual timeline of public accountancy institutionalisation in the UK.
Findings
The “alternative” history reveals uncertainties that confronted public accountants in the past and provides a basis for suggesting that the current fractured and inefficient state of institutionalised public accountancy in the UK has its origins at least partially in the 1854 royal charter. It also suggests that attempts to register and unify public accountants in the UK have been hindered by nineteenth century royal charters.
Research limitations/implications
The study argues that counterfactual analysis is a useful historical tool with which to understand the consequences of historical decisions made in the professional project of British public accountancy. In addition, the study reveals the potential for counterfactual analysis to illumine the consequences of decisions in other areas of accounting and auditing history.
Originality/value
This study is the first counterfactual analysis in the accounting history literature and therefore provides a template for further studies and improved research design.
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Moren Levesque, Phillip Phan, Steven Raymar and Maya Waisman
We study the events that motivate CEOs to underinvest in R&D long-term projects (CEO myopia). Based on the existing literature in earnings management and agency theory, myopia is…
Abstract
We study the events that motivate CEOs to underinvest in R&D long-term projects (CEO myopia). Based on the existing literature in earnings management and agency theory, myopia is likely to become more problematic under five circumstances: when the CEO nears retirement (the CEO horizon problem), R&D projects have very long time horizons (the project horizon problem), the firm’s financial health is deteriorating (the cover-up problem), ownership structure is heavily weighted toward insider owners (minority owner oppression problem), and when the threat of hostile takeover increases (the entrenchment problem). We setup a dynamic simulation model in which rational CEOs maximize the total value of their bonus compensation over their tenure. Our findings related to the five circumstances are consistent with the extant literature. However, we found an unexpected stable, nonlinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship between CEO tenure and R&D investment. We discuss the theoretical implications of our model and offer suggestions for future research.
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In 2001, the Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ) published a special issue entitled “Managing, measuring and reporting intellectual capital for the new…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2001, the Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ) published a special issue entitled “Managing, measuring and reporting intellectual capital for the new millennium”. After 20 years, we revisit the eight articles in this special issue to trace early developments in interdisciplinary intellectual capital (IC) accounting research, link these developments to the current state of play, and set out an agenda for future research. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper, written reflectively, includes an impact assessment of the articles using citation analysis and a thematic framing of the prominent issues they discussed. We critically reflect on the status of these eight foundational papers after 20 years, before presenting propositions for a multidisciplinary IC research future.
Findings
We find that IC research needs to extend beyond organisational boundaries to help improve human rights, human dignity and the human condition as part of the wider interdisciplinary accounting project. We argue that fifth stage IC research can assist because it explores beyond organisational boundaries and helps address the wicked problems of the world.
Research limitations/implications
This paper only investigates the themes found in the AAAJ special issue. However, the implications for researchers are intended to be transformational because, to go forward and help resolve the material issues facing society and the planet, researchers need to move from being observers to participants.
Originality/value
We argue that IC researchers must embrace both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary IC research. This requires IC researchers to reflect on what they are trying to achieve and which issues facing the planet are material.