scholarly journals Heritage: the priceless hostage of accrual accounting

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 285-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio Anessi-Pessina ◽  
Josette Caruana ◽  
Mariafrancesca Sicilia ◽  
Ileana Steccolini

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the convergence of private and public sector accounting standards is affecting conceptual and practical issues relating to heritage. More specifically, the paper is intended to provide a better understanding of the state of the art in national and international accounting standards on heritage assets, and of the views influencing such standards. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative documentary analysis is carried out to explore the variety of existing positions and views on heritage, ranging from the scholarly literature, through potential stakeholders and users, to international and national standard setters. Findings The analysis shows that the path of convergence between public and private sector standards and practices is still problematic. After more than two decades of debate around the nature, definition, measurement, and reporting of heritage, these issues are far from settled. Research limitations/implications In the light of calls for increased measurement and reporting of public sector “assets”, and specifically for the definition of standards to recognise heritage, the paper suggests the need to strongly reconsider whether the convergence between public and private sector standards is desirable, feasible and effective. As such, the risks of embracing simplified or hybrid forms of accounting and reporting for heritage should be more seriously assessed. While reporting on heritage is important, it is fundamental to keep it distinct from reporting on government’s regular operations, in order to appreciate its specific value, nature and features. Originality/value Looking at European national standards for heritage, the IPSASB’s proposals, and the reactions to the latter by relevant stakeholders, the paper provides a pluralistic view on the positions and experiences about heritage, contributing to the debate on the convergence between private and public sector accounting standards.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moumita Acharyya ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala

PurposeThe paper aims to understand the different motivations / reasons for engaging in CSR initiatives by the organizations. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from two power sector organizations: one was a private sector firm and the other was a public sector firm. A comparative analysis of the variables with respect to private and public sector organizations was conducted. A questionnaire survey was administered among 370 employees working in the power sector, with 199 executives from public sector and 171 from private sector.Findings“Philanthropic” motivation emerged as the most dominant CSR motivation among both the public and private sector firms. The private sector firm was found to be significantly higher with respect to “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest” and “normative” CSR motivations when compared with the public sector firms. Findings suggest that public and private sector firms differed significantly on four CSR motivations, namely, “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest”, “normative” and “coercive”. The CSP score was significantly different among the two power sector firms of public and private sectors. The private sector firm had a higher CSP level than the public sector undertaking.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies in the domain need to address differences in CSR motivations and CSP across other sectors to understand the role of industry characteristics in influencing social development targets of organizations. Research also needs to focus on demonstrating the relationship between CSP and financial performance of the firms. Further, the HR outcomes of CSR initiatives and measurement of CSP indicators, such as attracting and retaining talent, employee commitment and organizational climate factors, need to be assessed.Originality/valueThe social issues are now directly linked with the business model to ensure consistency and community development. The results reveal a need for “enlightened self-interest” which is the second dominant CSR motivation among the organizations. The study makes a novel contribution by determining that competitive and coercive motivations are not functional as part of organizational CSR strategy. CSR can never be forced as the very idea is to do social good. Eventually, the CSR approach demands a commitment from within. The organizations need to emphasize more voluntary engagement of employees and go beyond statutory requirements for realizing the true CSR benefits.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean D. Darling ◽  
J. Barton Cunningham

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify unique values and competencies linked to private and public sector environments. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on critical incident interviews with a sample of senior leaders who had experience in both the public and private sectors. Findings The findings illustrate distinct public and private sector relevant competencies that reflect the unique values of their organizations and the character of the organization’s environments. This paper suggests a range of distinct public sector competencies including: managing competing interests, managing the political environment, communicating in a political environment, interpersonal motivational skills, adding value for clients, and impact assessment in decision-making. These were very different than those identified as critical for the private sector environment: business acumen, visionary leadership, marketing communication, market acumen, interpersonal communication, client service, and timely and opportunistic decision-making. Private sector competencies reflect private sector environments where goals need to be specifically defined and implemented in a timely manner related to making a profit and surviving in a competitive environment. Public sector competencies are driven by environments exhibiting more complex and unresolvable problems and the need to respond to conflicting publics and serving the public good while surviving in a political environment. Originality/value A key message of this study is that competency frameworks need to be connected to the organization’s unique environments and the values that managers are seeking to achieve. This is particularly important for public organizations that have more complex and changing environments.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097226292110526
Author(s):  
Jain Mathew ◽  
Kohila Rajam ◽  
Sridevi Nair

Post-privatization, public sector organizations were encouraged to borrow and learn from private sector firms. The popular belief was that the human resource practices followed by private sector organizations were far superior and more effective than those of the public sector organizations. However, this claim lacks empirical proof. This study adds to this body of knowledge by comparing the level of work engagement in private and public sector firms of India. Given that the leadership is crucial in setting the tone of an organization, the study also analyses the dominant leadership styles and their relationship to the levels of work engagement. The study is descriptive in nature and utilizes a structured questionnaire to collect data. Individuals currently employed in Indian public and private sector firms, in managerial roles, were invited to record their responses. The final sample consisted of 240 employees, with equal representation from both sectors. The collected data was then analysed using SPSS. The findings suggested that the dominant leadership styles were not significantly different in public and private sector organizations. Private sector employees were found to be more engaged and the leadership style appeared to be significantly related to the levels of engagement in public sector firms only.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-155
Author(s):  
Porfirio Guevara ◽  
Robert Hill ◽  
Michael Scholz

Purpose This study aims to show how hedonic methods can be used to compare the performance of the public and private sector housing markets in Costa Rica. Design/methodology/approach Hedonic price indexes are computed using the adjacent-period method. Average housing quality is measured by comparing hedonic and median price indexes. The relative performance of the public and private sector residential construction is compared by estimating separate hedonic models for each sector. A private sector price is then imputed for each house built in the public sector, and a public sector price is imputed for each house built in the private sector. Findings The real quality-adjusted price of private housing rose by 12 per cent between 2000 and 2013, whereas the price of private housing rose by 9 per cent. The average quality of private housing rose by 45 per cent, whereas that of public housing fell by 18 per cent. Nevertheless, the hedonic imputation analysis reveals that public housing could not be produced more cheaply in the private sector. Social implications The quality of public housing has declined over time. The hedonic analysis shows that the decline is not because of a lack of competition between construction firms in the public sector. An alternative demand side explanation is provided. Originality/value This study applies hedonic methods in novel ways to compare the relative performance of the public and private housing sectors in Costa Rica. The results shed new light on the effectiveness of public sector housing programs.


Author(s):  
Jessica Fanzo ◽  
Yusra Ribhi Shawar ◽  
Tara Shyam ◽  
Shreya Das ◽  
Jeremy Shiffman

Background: Every country is affected by some form of malnutrition. Some governments and nutrition experts look to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address the burden of malnutrition. However, nutrition-related PPPs face opposition, are difficult to form, and there is limited evidence of their effectiveness. Methods: We conducted a literature review and 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals involved in or researching nutrition-related PPPs to identify the factors that shape their creation and effectiveness in food systems. Results: Several factors make it difficult to establish nutrition-related PPPs in food systems: a lack of understanding of the causal pathways behind many nutrition problems; a weak architecture for the global governance of nutrition; power imbalances between public and private sector nutrition actors; and disagreements in the nutrition community on the advisability of engaging the private sector. These complexities in turn make it difficult for PPPs to be effective once established due to goal ambiguity and misalignment, resource imbalances, and weak accountability. Conclusion: If effective nutrition-related PPPs are to be established, private sector conflicts of interest must be addressed, trust deficits between private and public sector actors must be surmounted, and evidence must be assessed as to whether PPPs can achieve more for public health nutrition than private and public sector actors working separately.


Author(s):  
Shruti Agrawal ◽  
Mansh Mittal ◽  
Ratish Gupta

Banking sector and its performance play an important role in an economy. The current scenario of Indian banking sector is very dynamic and competitive. To maintain market share it is necessary for banking institutions to acquire large customer base. Customers today are very much aware about various financial services and institutions, moreover they are spoilt for choice. Therefore they can only be retained by providing quality services. The present study focuses on the service quality and customer satisfaction among private and public sector banks in India. It also attempts to compare service quality gaps between customer expectation and satisfaction regarding banking service. The outcome of the study shows that service gap is lower in private sector banks than public sector banks. Reliability and assurance are the dimensions where no significant difference has been observed between public and private sector banks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Darragh Flannery ◽  
Tom Turner

Abstract Over recent years pay levels in the public sector of the economy have come under increasing scrutiny. This paper provides an assessment of the key issues and challenges central to a comparison of wage levels in the private and public sector in Ireland. A review of the extant studies that have employed multivariate analysis to estimate the gap between public and private sector wages in Ireland indicates a wage premium in favour of public sector workers. However the actual magnitude of the earnings gap is difficult to accurately assess as the size of the premium varies markedly across these various studies. A number of possible options are suggested to guide the development of a fair system for assessing wage levels in the public sector.


The seemingly untamable Non-Performing Assets are leading the Indian banks towards a highly unstable environment. The financial soundness of the banks is mandatory for any economy considering it is one of the most significant and a pre-requisite of a stable economy. The present study examines the financial performance parameters of banks with a probable variation among public and private sector banks for a period between 2005 and 2018. The study is divided into three sections. The first section studies the financial performance of the Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), Public & Private Sector Banks in three identified time bands of last thirteen years. The second section assesses the probable variation in asset quality among Private and Public Sector Banks through statistical inferences. The third section finally examines the probability of variations in asset quality in the three time bands identified in the study. The study concludes a very high volatility among the SCBs during the said period and found Private Sector Banks to be more consistent and bore better stability parameters compared to Public Sector Banks. The statistically inferred results through T-test, Welch test and Post-Hoc test support a significant variation among both the sectors along with presence of significant variations in asset quality.


Author(s):  
S Ayyappan ◽  
M SakthiVadivel

The banks in India have over 67,000 branches located across the country. All these are classified into two major categories, nonscheduled banks and scheduled banks. Scheduled banks includes commercial banks and the co-operative banks. The public sector banks are accountable for more than 78 percent of total banking industry in India. Even though private sector banks came later into the market, due to their customer servicing and easy banking features they are also competing equally with already existing public sector banks. so it is very essential to analyze how their financial performance is influenced by number of factors which willfurther suggest them where they need to concentrate more. in this article we have analyzed the correlation between return on total assets and other financial variables of selected private and public banks in India.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.38) ◽  
pp. 1022
Author(s):  
Akeel Ahmed

The prime and predominant objective of this study is to investigate and analyze the botched pronunciation of English language words prevalent in public and private sector colleges of Punjab, Pakistan. We have discussed that, what are the key factors which are responsible for such botched and poor pronunciation. The paper has surfaced the bungled pronunciation got through an oral questionnaire. The paper has identified the major pitfalls embedded in English language pronunciation while pointing out why it is happening and where the problem lies. A comparative study regarding public colleges of those countries where English is secondary language viz. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Students of different subjects and teachers of different subjects having teaching experience of several level have been taken on board. Altogether 30 govt. in-service public sector college teachers and 40 teachers from private sector colleges responded to the questionnaire; and 117 students from private and public sector colleges tendered responses. The study has underpinned the English language skill of the teachers by pinpointing that what weightage pronunciations bears in English language skill.   


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