Kathryn Mackay, Mary Notman, Justin McNicholl, Diane Fraser, Claire McLaughlan and Sylvia Rossi
This article seeks to explore the difference that adult support and protection legislation may have made to work with adults at risk of harm in Scotland.
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to explore the difference that adult support and protection legislation may have made to work with adults at risk of harm in Scotland.
Design/methodology/approach
The article is based upon findings of a joint academic and practitioner qualitative research project that interviewed 29 social service practitioners across three local authorities.
Findings
The legislation was seen as positive, giving greater attention to adults at risk. Views about the actual difference it made to the practitioners' practice varied, and were more likely in new rather than ongoing work. Three differences were noted: duties of investigation, protection orders and improved shared responsibility within the local authority and across other agencies, but to a lesser extent NHS staff. Overall it gave effective responses, more quickly for the adults at risk. Whilst the law brought greater clarity of role, there were tensions for practitioners in balancing an adult's right to autonomy with practitioners' safeguarding responsibilities.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates that a dedicated law can improve safeguarding practice by clarifying the role of social work practitioners and the responsibilities of other agencies. The right to request access to records and banning orders were seen as valuable new measures in safeguarding adults at risk. As such the study from the first UK country to use dedicated adult safeguarding law offers a valuable insight for policy makers, professionals and campaign groups from other countries, which might be considering similar action.
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This study empirically examined how prevalent earnings management practices are among Korean firms during the period 1994 and 1997. Specifically, this study focuses on the use of…
Abstract
This study empirically examined how prevalent earnings management practices are among Korean firms during the period 1994 and 1997. Specifically, this study focuses on the use of controllable non‐operating items as tools of earnings management when they face unwanted operating performances caused by uncontrollable non‐operating items. We expect that firms with extreme operating and/or non‐operating performances will utilize controllable non‐operating real transaction accruals to offset or mitigate extreme performance.
This article surveys the literature dealing with theory and applications of life cycle costing (LCC). It deals with the literature published in the last 25 years and provides 667…
Abstract
This article surveys the literature dealing with theory and applications of life cycle costing (LCC). It deals with the literature published in the last 25 years and provides 667 references.
John F. Sacco and Gerard R. Busheé
This paper analyzes the impact of economic downturns on the revenue and expense sides of city financing for the period 2003 to 2009 using a convenience sample of the audited end…
Abstract
This paper analyzes the impact of economic downturns on the revenue and expense sides of city financing for the period 2003 to 2009 using a convenience sample of the audited end of year financial reports for thirty midsized US cities. The analysis focuses on whether and how quickly and how extensively revenue and spending directions from past years are altered by recessions. A seven year series of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) data serves to explore whether citiesʼ revenues and spending, especially the traditional property tax and core functions such as public safety and infrastructure withstood the brief 2001 and the persistent 2007 recessions? The findings point to consumption (spending) over stability (revenue minus expense) for the recession of 2007, particularly in 2008 and 2009.
This research examines the relative influences of different forms of government on local governments' financial management. Specifically, it seeks to determine whether or not the…
Abstract
This research examines the relative influences of different forms of government on local governments' financial management. Specifically, it seeks to determine whether or not the impact of financial and environmental factors on the unreserved fund balance differs between an administrative form of government, such as the Unit system, and a political form of government, such as the Beat system of county governments in Mississippi. The purpose of this study is to explain further why governments maintain far more savings than are the recommended benchmarks. The findings suggest that savings behave differently under different financial environments. During times of resource abundance, Beat systems increase savings as per capita income, property tax, and other revenues increase. Beat systems decrease savings as the population, debt per capita, and intergovernmental revenues increase. Unit systems, however, increase savings as property tax, intergovernmental and other revenues increase, but decrease savings as per capita income, population, and debt per capita increase. During times of resource scarcity, majority-non-white counties spent savings at a much slower rate than did the majority-white counties.
Lisa Ruth Oakley, Lee-Ann Fenge, Simon Bass and Justin Humphreys
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a study exploring the understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith-based settings. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a study exploring the understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith-based settings. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners involved in safeguarding adults in faith-based Christian settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper considers a survey (n=3,182) into understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding for individuals who attend Church regularly or work in a Christian organisation
Findings
This study is the first to be undertaken with a UK sample and highlights a range of factors informing adult safeguarding practice within Christian organisations. This includes: complexity linked to understanding vulnerability and its role in safeguarding activity; lack of clarity about what to do with a safeguarding adult concern; and the need for safeguarding training pertinent to the particular needs of faith-based settings.
Research limitations/implications
As there is currently a dearth of research in this area this paper makes a valuable contribution to the developing knowledge base around safeguarding and vulnerability within faith-based organisations.
Practical implications
Professionals need to develop increased understanding of the complexities involved in safeguarding activity, and specifically how those working in the wider context of supporting vulnerable adults make sense of safeguarding processes and procedures.
Social implications
It is important that all organisations, including faith-based settings, working with adults have an understanding of their roles and responsibilities with respect to safeguarding those at risk of harm.
Originality/value
This paper is the first UK study to consider safeguarding adults at risk of harm in Christian faith contexts.
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Qiao Xu, Lele Chen and Rachana Kalelkar
Extant studies propose music sentiment as a novel measure of individuals’ sentiment. These studies argue that individuals’ choice of music reflects their emotional condition in…
Abstract
Purpose
Extant studies propose music sentiment as a novel measure of individuals’ sentiment. These studies argue that individuals’ choice of music reflects their emotional condition in real time and influences their cognitive ability, making it a powerful tool for assessing their mood. This study aims to use music sentiment as a proxy for auditors’ mood and explore its impact on audit quality.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of the US firms from 2017 to 2020 is used in the study. The authors apply the ordinary least squares regressions and the logit regressions to the audit quality models. The authors use absolute discretionary accruals and the propensity to meet or beat earnings forecasts as proxies for audit quality and calculate a stream-weighted average sentiment measure for Spotify’s Top-200 songs of each day during the audit period of a client firm to capture the sentiment of auditors.
Findings
The authors find that music sentiment is positively associated with audit quality. The result is consistent with the mood maintenance hypothesis, which suggests that a positive mood can induce auditors to be more careful in risky situations. Furthermore, the result is robust to various sensitivity analyses.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the scarce literature that focuses on auditors’ emotional state and highlights the importance of monitoring auditor mindset during the audit period.
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Hong Nee Ang and Matthew Pinnuck
The purpose of this paper is to address the concern about the impact of accounting regulatory change pertaining to employee share options (ESOs) on earnings management. Following…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the concern about the impact of accounting regulatory change pertaining to employee share options (ESOs) on earnings management. Following Australia's adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2005, companies are required to recognise the fair value of ESOs as expenses. Due to inherent imprecision in the estimate of ESO's fair value, the regulatory change from disclosure to recognition was widely claimed to potentially give rise to an alternative mechanism to manage earnings. This study provides empirical evidence on whether the regulatory change leads to earnings management problems.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the regulatory change in accounting for ESOs to provide a direct test of earnings management between disclosed versus recognised regimes for the same sample of firms. The sample consists of Australian firms from S&P/ASX300 for the period from 2003 to 2006.
Findings
The results show that, although the accounting regulatory change from disclosure to recognition may provide an alternative earnings management vehicle, there is no evidence of this occurring. There could be several reasons for this finding. First, the statistical tests lack power. Second, there are stricter audit tests on recognised amounts than on disclosed amounts. Third, given the concern of excessive pay and the close scrutiny of compensation, managers may have already understated ESO values in the disclosure regime. Finally, managers have limited time and resources and the effort involved in the adoption of IFRS in 2005 could have restricted the time available to manage earnings via the ESO reporting channel.
Originality/value
This study adds to the limited research on whether a change in accounting regulation for employee share options from disclosure to recognition gives rise to greater scope for earnings management. One reason for the lack of empirical evidence in the research is due to the problem of designing a test. Bernard and Schipper suggest that within‐firm studies have limitations for comparing the effects of recognition versus disclosure when the change is driven by an estimate becoming more reliable. A cross‐sectional study is also problematic due to self‐selection bias if firms can choose between disclosure versus recognition. This study circumvents potential design problems raised by Bernard and Schipper by setting a test using regulatory change which allows the test to be compared directly using the same company.