scholarly journals Social mobility and Fair Access to the accountancy profession in the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1082-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus Duff
Keyword(s):  
Social Mobility ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Reputational Capital ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Big Four ◽  
Fair Access

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider how Big Four and mid-tier accountancy firms in the UK are responding to political concerns about social mobility and Fair Access to the accountancy profession. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were undertaken with 18 public accountancy firms, ranked in the Top 30 by fee income, operating in the UK to identify how they are recruiting staff in the light of the Fair Access to the Professions’ agenda. Bourdieusian sociology is used to inform the findings. Findings The Big Four firms employ a discourse of hiring “the brightest and the best” to satisfy perceived client demand, where symbolic capital is instantiated by reputational capital, reflecting prestige and specialisation, supported by a workforce with elite credentials. For mid-tier firms, reputational capital is interpreted as the need for individuals to service a diverse client portfolio. In general, most interviewees demonstrated relatively limited awareness of the issues surrounding the Fair Access agenda. Research limitations/implications The interviews with accountancy firms are both exploratory and cross-sectional. Furthermore, the study was undertaken at an embryonic point (2010) in the emerging Fair Access discourse. Future work considering the accountancy profession could usefully examine if, and how, matters have progressed. Social implications The investigation finds that accountancy firms remain relatively socially exclusive, largely due to the requirement for high educational entry standards, and interviewees’ responses generally indicate only limited attempts at engagement with political agendas of promoting Fair Access to the profession. Originality/value This paper is the first to empirically evaluate how the accountancy profession is responding to the Fair Access agenda; documents changing patterns of recruitment in accountancy employment, including the hiring of non-graduates to undertake professional work; and augments the literature considering social class and accounting.

Is Hong Kong ready for accounting education reform: an analysis of tri-partite views

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore T.Y. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Accounting Practitioners ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Big Four

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine whether Hong Kong is ready for accounting education reform. Design/methodology/approach – The approach for this study is using a Likert-scale questionnaire for the academic institutions, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the big four accounting firms, followed by detailed follow-up interviews with each. Findings – There is general agreement among accounting academics and the profession that the Accounting Education Change Commission initiatives should be adopted in Hong Kong. Hong Kong accounting academics in public institutions do not oppose to a balance between teaching and research, but would oppose to an emphasis of teaching over research. This is important as an overemphasis on research could mean less time for teaching and curriculum development. The big four accounting firms are either happy with the way Hong Kong universities have been educating the accounting graduates or have no complaints against them. This is also important as an urge for accounting education reform usually comes from the practitioners as in the USA. Originality/value – The USA was the first country that saw the need for accounting education reform as accounting practitioners felt that curriculum and pedagogical considerations placed heavy emphasis on the technical aspects of accounting at the expense of a general, broad-based education. Similar needs for change were also found in the UK and Australia. As Hong Kong is one of the world’s major financial centres with a large securities exchange, there is a great deal of emphasis on accounting standards, financial reporting, corporate governance, etc., and hence the importance of accounting education. Is Hong Kong ready for the change?

scholarly journals The newly created Publicly Available Specification (PAS 141) for reusable electrical/electronic products

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1135-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Quariguasi-Frota-Neto ◽  
Andrew Reade ◽  
Azadeh Dindarian ◽  
Andrew Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Electronic Products ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
Future Work

Purpose – In 2011, a governmental initiative driven by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills invited the British Standards Institute (BSI) to write and publish a publicly available specification (PAS) for the reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment entitled PAS 141. The specification's ambitious goals, chief among them to reduce the amount of e-waste generated in the UK, has prompted debate as to whether they are realistic and the extent to which they can be influenced by the certification. The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive framework that can be used in future research to enhance understanding of the mechanisms by which the introduction of PAS 141 certification could lead to the fulfillment of its goals, that is, successful uptake. The authors believe this framework can serve as a roadmap for those interested in the investigation of this novel certification and its effect on the market for reusable electrical and electronic products. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on interviews with reuse organizations and first hand experience as a participant in the steering group that elaborated the certification being investigated, i.e. PAS 141. Findings – It is uncertain whether PAS 141 will fulfill its promises, which are, in the view of the authors, rather ambitious, e.g. reduce e-waste. Furthermore, more research is needed to examine the effect that the introduction of the certification has on the materialization of its goals, and on the complex inter-relationship that exist between the goals and what the authors define as intermediary necessary conditions. Research limitations/implications – This is the first attempt the outline the research needs that arise from the introduction of PAS-141, and the authors believe that there are other equally important questions that are yet to be presented and examined. Practical implications – This paper proposes 28 hypotheses which will help future work to empirically establish: the possibility of PAS-141 attaining its goals and the main necessary conditions for that to happen. This information is pivotal to determine whether the certification is working and to pinpoint opportunities for improvement. Social implications – This works contributes to the understanding of the role of certification on the market of reused products, which employs a large number of people, and in particular, whose coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Originality/value – Although certification in general has been widely investigated in prior research, scant attention has been paid to certification in the context of electronic products. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper of its kind, as it is the first to examine certification in that context.

scholarly journals Storage of prescription veterinary medicines on UK dairy farms: a cross-sectional study

2018 ◽  
Vol 184 (5) ◽  
pp. 153-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwen M Rees ◽  
David C Barrett ◽  
Henry Buller ◽  
Harriet L Mills ◽  
Kristen K Reyher
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
European Medicines Agency ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Veterinary Medicines ◽  
Veterinary Profession ◽  
Farmer Decision Making ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Work

Prescription veterinary medicine (PVM) use in the UK is an area of increasing focus for the veterinary profession. While many studies measure antimicrobial use on dairy farms, none report the quantity of antimicrobials stored on farms, nor the ways in which they are stored. The majority of PVM treatments occur in the absence of the prescribing veterinarian, yet there is an identifiable knowledge gap surrounding PVM use and farmer decision making. To provide an evidence base for future work on PVM use, data were collected from 27 dairy farms in England and Wales in Autumn 2016. The number of different PVMs stored on farms ranged from 9 to 35, with antimicrobials being the most common therapeutic group stored. Injectable antimicrobials comprised the greatest weight of active ingredient found, while intramammary antimicrobials were the most frequent unit of medicine stored. Antimicrobials classed by the European Medicines Agency as critically important to human health were present on most farms, and the presence of expired medicines and medicines not licensed for use in dairy cattle was also common. The medicine resources available to farmers are likely to influence their treatment decisions; therefore, evidence of the PVM stored on farms can help inform understanding of medicine use.

The effect of the financial crisis on audit quality: European evidence

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria I. Kyriakou
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Big Four

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of the recent financial crisis on audit quality by analysing discretionary accruals. Design/methodology/approach This study considers a sample of German, French, Italian and Spanish non-financial firms from 2005 to 2013 to investigate the auditor’s independence. It uses a cross-sectional and time-series ordinary least squares regression model to control for other predictors of the auditor’s independence when the financial crisis produces a decrease in audit quality. Findings The proportion of the non-financial firms having lower audit quality was higher during the financial crisis. In addition, during the crisis auditors were less likely to provide a higher audit quality for these non-financial firms. The level of audit quality returned to normal levels during the post-crisis years when the crisis had ceased. Originality/value These findings contribute to the literature on the impact of economic and financial changes on audit quality. In addition, this research finds that the Big Four accounting firms provide a higher audit quality in different circumstances from non-Big Four accounting firms, and that audit quality decreased during the crisis and returned to normal in the post-crisis period.

Immigrants in the EU5 labour markets: what happened during the economic crisis?

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Quintano ◽  
Paolo Mazzocchi ◽  
Antonella Rocca
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Dynamic Factor ◽  
Time Series Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relative Disadvantage ◽  
Temporal Dimensions ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand: whether the changes that have occurred in migrants’ conditions over time are smaller than the differences in their conditions existing across countries; and whether the comparison between immigrants and native-born conditions allows the verification of the levels of disparities between them and, therefore, the relative disadvantage suffered by migrant. After a general overview of the 28 European Union countries, this paper analyses the changes that have occurred from 2006 to 2017 in the conditions of migrants in the labour market in the big five European countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK). Design/methodology/approach Various statistical methodologies were used. First, to gain an overall picture, taking into account both the spatial and the temporal dimensions, dynamic factor analysis (DFA) was applied. Second, time-dependent and cross-sectional time-series models were estimated to better understand the DFA results. Findings The results highlight very different scenarios in terms of labour market vulnerabilities, both affecting immigrants and native-born workers. The results also highlight the existence of a very complex framework, due to the high heterogeneity of immigrants’ characteristics and labour market capacities to integrate migrants and also to promote good conditions for the native-born population. Originality/value The picture emerging from this study and the evaluation of the policies and legislation in force to cope with migration and to promote integration suggests some reflections on the most efficacious actions to take in order to improve migrants’ integration, counteracting social exclusion and promoting economic growth.

Relationship between prestige signals and over-subscription ratio

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Albada ◽  
Othman Yong ◽  
Soo-Wah Low
Keyword(s):  
Initial Public Offering ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Executive Board ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Underwriter Reputation ◽  
Reputational Capital ◽  
Public Offering ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Institutional Participation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether initial public offering (IPO) over-subscription is a function of firm’s prestige signals conveyed by third parties with reputational capital such as underwriter, auditor and independent non-executive board member.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between prestige signals and over-subscription ratio (OSR) of IPOs is analysed using a cross-sectional regression based on a sample of 393 IPOs issued between January 2000 and December 2015.FindingsThe results indicate that IPOs underwritten by reputable underwriters have lower OSR than those underwritten by non-reputable underwriters. While issuer engages reputable underwriter to certify firm quality to reduce information asymmetry, the action brings with it lower initial returns for its IPO. Investors interpret the signal conveyed by issuer’s choice of underwriter from under-pricing perspective and respond accordingly by reducing IPO demand. This implies that investors regard under-pricing as a more valuable signal than firm quality signal associated with underwriter reputation. The findings also indicate that over-subscription increases in IPOs that have above average initial returns and higher institutional participation. Issuing firms that go public in a period of high IPO volume are associated with low OSR.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to examine the relationship between the prestige signals and OSR of IPOs in the Malaysian context.

scholarly journals The influence of a country’s brands and industry on its image

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-62
Author(s):  
Carmen Lopez ◽  
George Balabanis
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Schema Theory ◽  
Experimental Methodology ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Extant research has largely treated country image (CI) as an exogenous variable, focusing mostly on its consequences for consumers’ evaluations and purchases of products or brands originating from a country. Scant research has examined the instrumental role of a country’s brands and products in the evaluations of CI. This study aims to investigate how the brands of a country contribute to CI ratings and the conditions underlying their effect on CI. Design/methodology/approach Three experimental studies test the hypotheses, one pertaining to the effect of brands on CI (N = 227), the second to the effect of products on CI (N = 116) and the third to the effect of brands and products on industry image (N = 215). The experimental approach overcomes the limitations of cross-sectional surveys commonly used in CI studies to detect the direction of the observed effects. Furthermore, respondents (British consumers) were allowed to determine the brands and products associated with a country. Findings Drawing on memory schema theory, across three studies, the authors identify two types of reverse inferences: from brand to CI and from product category to CI. The reverse inference from a brand to a superordinate image is stronger for industry image than for CI. Research limitations/implications This research focuses on consumers’ evaluations from only one country (the UK). Further research could replicate the studies across different countries and with different countries of origin (COOs). Researchers could also examine the influence of brands misidentified with the wrong COO and mistakenly stored as such in consumers’ memories. Practical implications The results are relevant for managers and consultants working with country- (place-) branding campaigns. Brands and industries can help strengthen the evaluations of the economic dimension of different countries; however, these assets are underdeveloped in country-branding campaigns. Linking countries with brands and industries in campaigns could result in positive associations, which, in turn, could enhance the reputational rating of the countries. Originality/value This research extends previous studies on the effects of a country’s products and brands on CI by incorporating the mediating role of industry image between brands/products and CI, separating the effects of brand and product category on CI, allowing consumers to determine, which brands and products are associated with a country and adopting an experimental methodology to ascertain the causal direction of the effects.

International work and leadership in UK general practice

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Young ◽  
Chris Smith ◽  
Luisa Pettigrew ◽  
Ha-Neul Seo ◽  
David Blane
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
High Income ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Work ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an exploration of the leadership competencies developed by UK GPs through having undertaken international work and the ability to transfer these competencies back to the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a cross-sectional survey. Findings – A total of 439 UK-based, ranging from GP specialty trainees to retired GPs who had worked overseas, responded to an online survey of UK general practice and international work. Doctors were asked to report competency development through international work using the domains of the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF). The most common competencies developed, to a “moderate or significant” degree, related to “personal qualities” (89 per cent) and “working in teams” (87 per cent). To a lesser extent Doctors developed competencies in “setting direction” (60 per cent), “managing services” (59 per cent), and “service improvement” (56 per cent), and found these competencies harder to transfer back to the UK. A common reason for limited transfer of competency was the lack of leadership opportunities for Doctors when returning to UK locum roles. Overseas posts were more common in low/middle income countries, and these Doctors reported a greater range of leadership roles, including in health policy, management and teaching, compared to high-income countries. Most doctors felt that they were able to develop their clinical skills overseas whilst relatively few Doctors performed research, especially in high-income countries. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge this is the first cross-sectional survey exploring the international work of UK GPs and leadership development using the MLCF domains.

scholarly journals Performance appraisal and premature sign-offs and underreporting of chargeable time of external auditors – internal benchmarking of experience and gender

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabih Nehme ◽  
Amir Michael ◽  
Alcheikh Edmond Kozah
Keyword(s):  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Performance Appraisals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Internal Benchmarking ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Level Of Experience ◽  
Big Four

PurposeThe research paper investigates auditors' dysfunctional behaviors in relation to performance appraisals. It explores the dysfunctional audit behavior (DAB) differences among experienced/inexperienced and male/female auditors when expecting performance appraisals, how their perception of DAB changes and how their reactive-outcomes vary.Design/methodology/approachThe survey comprises statements pulled from performance appraisal templates used by the Big Four audit firms in the UK. The sample has been tested during two different periods to highlight variations in the perception of DAB.FindingsExperienced auditors become more tolerant of DAB compared to their perception when they were inexperienced. Inexperienced male auditors are generally more accepting of DAB compared to their inexperienced female counterparts. Experienced female respondents continue to be less accepting of DAB.Originality/valueThe study associates performance appraisal procedures with DAB. The analysis examines the perception of dysfunctional behavior according to the level of experience auditors (males and females) accumulate over time.

scholarly journals A flash in the pan or a permanent change? The growth of homeworking during the pandemic and its effect on employee productivity in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Felstead ◽  
Darja Reuschke
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Employee Productivity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Working At Home ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Uk ◽  
At Home

PurposeThis paper has three aims: Firstly, it puts the pandemic-induced surge in homeworking into context by charting trends in homeworking in the UK since the early 1980s. Secondly, it examines what effect the growth in homeworking during the pandemic has had on employees' self-reported levels of productivity. Thirdly, it assesses whether the spike in homeworking is a flash in the pan or a permanent feature of the post-pandemic world.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses cross-sectional and longitudinal data taken from three nationally representative surveys of workers: (1) the Labour Force Survey (LFS), an official government survey carried out between 1981 and 2019; (2) a special module of the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), also an official government survey, which has been run every week since the pandemic began in March 2020; and (3) the Understanding Society Covid-19 Study, an online survey of the same people interviewed on six occasions during 2020.FindingsThe recent surge in homeworking in the UK during the pandemic has been dramatic. Before 2020, it had taken almost 40 years for homeworking to grow by three percentage points, but its prevalence grew eight-fold virtually overnight as people were instructed to work at home if they can because of the pandemic. Despite theories and predictions to the contrary, employees reported that their productivity was not adversely affected. Seven out of ten employees said that they were able to get as much done while working at home in June 2020 as they were able to do six months earlier. By September 2020, this proportion had risen to 85%. However, around one in six homeworkers reported that their productivity had fallen.Research limitations/implicationsWhile there are solid theoretical reasons for the paper's findings, these data do not allow us to test all of the mechanisms involved. In addition, our outcome measure relies on employees' self-reports of how their hourly productivity changed when working at home and is not based on a direct measure of changes to output per hour. However, surveys of employers also suggest that, on average, productivity has not been reduced by the pandemic-induced surge in homeworking.Social implicationsThis paper argues that a higher level of homeworking is here to stay. Nine out of ten employees who worked at home during the pandemic said that they would like to continue working at home when they did not have to. Furthermore, those keenest to continue working at home were the most productive, hence providing a business case for a sustained increase in the prevalence of homeworking after the pandemic has passed. Nevertheless, the experience of homeworking varies with those with higher domestic commitments reporting significantly lower levels of productivity.Originality/valueThere is an urgent need to investigate what effect enforced, as opposed to voluntary, homeworking has had on employee productivity. In addition, in order to decide whether continued homeworking should be encouraged or discouraged, policymakers and employers need to know what effect continuing with these arrangements is likely to have on employee productivity. This paper answers these questions using robust survey data collected in the UK throughout 2020, complemented by evidence taken from a variety of employer surveys.

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