RAILROAD INVESTING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN 1880s AMERICA

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel E. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
New Information ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Comprehensive Search ◽  
The Wall Street Journal

This study has a two-fold purpose. First, it seeks to determine the importance of financial accounting information to railroad investors (and speculators) in 1880s America. Second, a further goal is to ascertain what financial accounting information was readily available for use by these investors. Based on a comprehensive search of books of the era, the 1880s were a time of expanding advice for railroad securities holders that required the use of financial accounting information. Furthermore, new information sources arose to help service investors' needs. Statistics by Goodsell and The Wall Street Journal were two such sources. This article reviews these publications along with the ongoing Commercial and Financial Chronicle and Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States. Each of these sources helped railroad investors to follow contemporary advice of gathering financial accounting and other information when investing.

scholarly journals Financial discourse of the 2007–2008 crisis: From unpredictability and explosion to predictability

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 282-293
Author(s):  
Griselda Zárate ◽  
Homero Zambrano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Wall Street Journal ◽  
Inflection Point ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
The Wall Street Journal ◽  
The Moment

This paper aims to identify the inflection point in financial discourse, the moment of explosion and unpredictability in the 2007–2008 economic crisis, through an analysis of metaphors, and its relation to the concept of jumps in finance. The corpus is formed by articles dating from 2007–2008 published in The Wall Street Journal and related to the movements of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P500) of the United States. For the purposes of this paper, two texts are analysed: “Traders in Lehman, AIG held out hope – Friday”, and the speech “Four questions about the financial crisis” by Ben S. Bernanke. What is of particular interest is the transformation of unpredictability to predictability, as incorporated in this type of discourse to indicate a predetermined chain of events, chosen from a wide spectrum of possibilities. The theoretical framework draws on Juri Lotman’s views on the concepts of explosion, unpredictability, inflection point and predictability.

Overuse of five expensive oncology pharmaceuticals in the southeastern United States: A physician-level analysis.

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 33-33
Author(s):  
Charles L. Bennett ◽  
Dinah Faith Q. Huff ◽  
William S. Shimp ◽  
Anmol Baranwal ◽  
Avinash Mamgain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Specific Drug ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
High User ◽  
The Wall Street Journal ◽  
Oncology Providers ◽  
Very High

33 Background: The Wall Street Journal recently identified that the highest rates of use of erythropoietin to Medicare-covered persons with cancer in the United States was by 11 oncologists who practiced in Florida (WSJ, June 20, 2014). We asked a related, but similar question: Could chemotherapy claims databases be used to identify individual physicians in the southeastern United States who had high rates of prescribing five expensive oncology agents: levoleucovorin (Fusilev), palonosetron plus fosapretitant (Aloxi+Emend), peg-filgastrim (Neulasta), albumin-paclitaxel (Abraxane), and epoetin/darbepoetin? Methods: Chemotherapy requests for more than 2,000 oncologists who practiced in the southeastern United States for the years 2012- 2014 were reviewed. A “high user” oncology provider for a specific drug was operationally defined as an individual whose number of prescriptions for the specific drug was more than 2 standard deviations above that for other oncology providers whose chemotherapy requests were also contained in the same database. Results: Two out of 1,479 oncology providers were identified as “extremely high users” of expensive oncology drugs (operationally defined as a high user for 5 of the 5 study drugs), two were “very high users” of expensive oncology drugs (a high user for 4 of the 5 study drugs), and 25 were “high users” (a high user for three of the five study drugs). The overwhelming majority of oncology providers (1,450) were neither extremely high, very high, nor even high users of the five study drugs. Conclusions: In the Southeastern United States, a small number of oncology physicians are extremely high, very high, and high users of expensive oncology drugs. Additional studies are needed to evaluate case-mix and other patient-related factors that might explain this finding. Focused quality improvement initiatives might also be considered. [Table: see text]

scholarly journals US media’s coverage of China’s handling of COVID-19: Playing the role of the fourth branch of government or the fourth estate?

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-23
Author(s):  
Wenshan Jia ◽  
Fangzhu Lu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wall Street Journal ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
The Wall Street Journal ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Domestic Affairs

The present study is an analysis of a sample of reports on China’s handling of COVID-19 by several major US media with a focus on a controversial op-ed by the Wall Street Journal. It is found that instead of covering it objectively as a public health crisis, these media reports tend to adopt the strategy of naming, shaming, blaming, and taming against China. In other words, they seize the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan as an opportunity to serve Trump’s “America First” doctrine by a coordinated attempt to destroy the Chinese dream and arresting China’s ascendency. First, the naming/shaming technique is used to tarnish China’s image as a virus. The op-ed on the Wall Street Journal describes China as “the real sick man of Asia.” In addition, a cluster of ferociously negative names are slung onto China to describe the coronavirus as “the Wuhan virus,” “the Belt & Road Initiative pandemic,” “the China virus,” and so on. Second, the blaming technique is applied. On top of such negative name-calling, these media tend to blame the Chinese leadership, the political system, and finally Chinese food culture for eating pangolins. Finally, the taming technique is used to constrain, isolate, or quarantine China. One goal behind such a China threat strategy is to fan American or foreign businesses to move (back) to the United States out of China. Another goal is to create the public opinion environment that would be conducive to some American groups’ litigations against China. It is concluded that American mainstream media while quarreling with the Trump administration for domestic affairs seem to be colluding with the conservative intellectual base in the United States in supporting Trump’s strategy to knock down and divide China.

A HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE ACCOUNTING TREATMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Nix ◽  
David E. Nix
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Alternative Treatment ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Development Costs ◽  
Accounting Rules

This study reviews the literature and the practice of accounting for research and development (R&D) costs from the first reference in 1917 to the current treatment. The conceptual treatment of R&D is compared to current financial accounting rules and explanation of the evolution of the current rules is presented. The economic and social consequences of the current rules which require R&D costs to be expressed are examined. The paper explores possible alternative treatment of R&D costs. As a contrast to U.S. practice, the accounting treatment of R&D costs in other countries is discussed. Given the findings of this paper, a strong case can be made for changing the way that R&D costs are accounted for in the United States.

The ideological divide in public perceptions of self-driving cars

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-451
Author(s):  
Yilang Peng
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
United States ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
New Information ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Self Driving Cars ◽  
Social Conservatism

Applications in artificial intelligence such as self-driving cars may profoundly transform our society, yet emerging technologies are frequently faced with suspicion or even hostility. Meanwhile, public opinions about scientific issues are increasingly polarized along the ideological line. By analyzing a nationally representative panel in the United States, we reveal an emerging ideological divide in public reactions to self-driving cars. Compared with liberals and Democrats, conservatives and Republicans express more concern about autonomous vehicles and more support for restrictively regulating autonomous vehicles. This ideological gap is largely driven by social conservatism. Moreover, both familiarity with driverless vehicles and scientific literacy reduce respondents’ concerns over driverless vehicles and support for regulation policies. Still, the effects of familiarity and scientific literacy are weaker among social conservatives, indicating that people may assimilate new information in a biased manner that promotes their worldviews.

The Late-19th-Century Economy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Adams
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Economic Order ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Government Interventions ◽  
Labor Strikes ◽  
Limited Government ◽  
Marketing Methods

The United States underwent massive economic change in the four decades following the end of the American Civil War in 1865. A vibrant industrial economy catapulted the nation to a world leader in mining and manufacturing; the agricultural sector overcame organizational and technological challenges to increase productivity; and the innovations in financial, accounting, and marketing methods laid the foundation for a powerful economy that would dominate the globe in the 20th century. The emergence of this economy, however, did not come without challenges. Workers in both the industrial and agricultural sectors offered an alternative path for the American economy in the form of labor strikes and populist reforms; their attempts to disrupt the growing concentration of wealth and power played out in both the polls and the factory floor. Movements that sought to regulate the growth of large industrial firms and railroads failed to produce much meaningful policy, even as they raised major critiques of the emerging economic order. In the end, a form of industrial capitalism emerged that used large corporate structures, relatively weak unions, and limited government interventions to build a dynamic, but unbalanced, economic order in the United States.

Financial accounting scandals and the reform of corporate governance in the United States and in Italy

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Sorensen ◽  
Scott E. Miller
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
The United States ◽  
Class Action ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Private Enforcement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Scandals ◽  
The Usa

Purpose In the 1990s and beginning of the next decade, a series of financial accounting scandals occurred in the United States (USA or US) and in several other countries of the world. The USA and Italy (among others) responded with legislation to reform financial reporting and corporate governance in these jurisdictions. This paper aims to compare the regulatory response of Italy to that of the USA. Design/methodology/approach This paper includes a review of relevant literature and evaluation of the actions of the regulatory authorities. Findings In the case of the financial reporting crises, the rapid response put the USA into the role of the “first mover” with the European Union (EU) reacting to US initiatives and eventually converging to a large degree with the provisions of the US legislation. Italy has adopted many of the same regulatory reforms as the USA and has added some reforms that are directed to the specific needs to Italy. Research limitations/implications In conjunction with legislative initiatives like Sarbanes-Oxley, private enforcement mechanisms, such as shareholder class action suits in the USA, play an important role in discouraging and punishing financial accounting fraud. Practical implications In the absence of significant reforms of the Italian private enforcement system, corporate governance abuses and the potential for accounting scandals may still be persistent. As a whole, cooperative efforts continue between the USA and the EU. Such efforts are needed more and more, as companies become increasingly globalized. Originality/value This paper provides comparison and evaluation of corporate governance reform efforts in the USA and Italy.

The Effect of Pension Income on the Quality of Corporate Earnings: IBM, A Case Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Case Reports ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Wall Street ◽  
Accounting Standard ◽  
Pension Income ◽  
Corporate Earnings ◽  
The Wall Street Journal

This case examines the effect of pension income, as determined by the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 87, on the quality of corporate earnings. Specifically, students are asked to interpret the pension footnote from IBM's 2001 Annual Report. Unlike many companies that indicate a cost associated with their pension plans, IBM reports pension income, not pension expense, for fiscal year 2001. An article in the Wall Street Journal referred to in the case reports that pension income boosted IBM's income before taxes by 13 percent in 2001. Through a series of questions, students are asked to analyze IBM's pension footnote and its effect on earnings. The purpose of this case is to enhance the learning process by reinforcing material learned from accounting texts with a real-world application, to understand the effect of pension accounting on a company's quality of earnings, to illustrate that accounting standards occasionally include provisions that effectively mitigate potential earnings volatility, and to demonstrate that students need to question what they read in the financial press.

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