Productivity Growth in the Public Accounting Industry: The Roles of Information Technology and Human Capital

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsihui Chang ◽  
Jengfang Chen ◽  
Rong-Ruey Duh ◽  
Shu-Hsing Li
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Technical Progress ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Human Capital Accumulation ◽  
Public Accounting ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Big 4

SUMMARY: In this paper we decompose productivity growth into four components: efficiency change, technical progress, information technology (IT) capital accumulation, and human capital accumulation. We analyze data on the operations of 51 public accounting firms in Taiwan for the years 1993 and 2003, and find that productivity growth was driven primarily by the accumulation of IT capital and human capital. We also find that the difference in productivity growth between Big 4 and non-Big 4 accounting firms is attributable to technical progress and, especially, IT capital accumulation. Further, our multiple regression results indicate that accounting firms that had high growth in non-audit services (NAS) during the 11-year period enjoyed significantly higher productivity growth through greater IT capital and human capital accumulation than firms that remained focused on traditional audit services.

Human Capital Accumulation, Globalization and Global Productivity Growth

1999 ◽  
pp. 41-72
Author(s):  
Paul J. J. Welfens ◽  
John T. Addison ◽  
David B. Audretsch ◽  
Thomas Gries ◽  
Hariolf Grupp
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Human Capital Accumulation

IT Capital Accumulation and Productivity Growth in Public Accounting Firms

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsihui Chang ◽  
Jengfang Chen ◽  
Chun-Li Tsai ◽  
Yanjie Yang
Keyword(s):  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Public Accounting ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Public Accounting Firms

Human Capital Accumulation and Resource Abundance

2011 ◽  
pp. 66-77
Author(s):  
O. Vasilieva
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
Human Capital Accumulation ◽  
Resource Abundance ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Crowd Out

Does resource abundance positively affect human capital accumulation? Or, alternatively, does it «crowd out» the human capital leading to the deterioration of economic growth? The paper gives an overview of the relevant literature and discusses both theoretical and empirical results obtained regarding the connection between human capital accumulation and resource abundance. It shows that despite some theoretical predictions about the harmful effect of resource abundance on human capital accumulation, unambiguous evidence of such impact that would be robust with respect to the change of resource abundance parameter has not been obtained yet.

A Contemporary Analysis of Accounting Professionals' Work-Life Balance

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Buchheit ◽  
Derek W. Dalton ◽  
Nancy L. Harp ◽  
Carl W. Hollingsworth
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Support ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Public Accounting ◽  
Important Distinction ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Accounting Professionals ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Public Accounting Firms

SYNOPSIS In recent years, work-life balance surpassed compensation as the most important job satisfaction factor among AICPA members (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA] 2004). Despite the continued importance of this issue in the accounting profession (AICPA 2011), prior research has not examined work-life balance perceptions across different segments of the profession. We survey 1,063 practicing CPAs in order to assess the comparative work-life balance perceptions across (1) Big 4 versus smaller public accounting firms, (2) audit versus tax functions, and (3) public accounting versus industry work contexts. Consistent with predictions based on institutional logics theory, we find that work-family conflict and job burnout perceptions (our proxies for work-life balance) are highest in the Big 4. We are the first study to measure both support-for and viability-of traditional alternative work arrangements (AWAs), and we report an important distinction between these two constructs. Specifically, while CPAs across all public accounting firms (i.e., Big 4, national, regional, and local firms) report similar levels of organizational support-for AWAs, Big 4 professionals report significantly lower perceived viability-of AWAs (i.e., the ability to use AWAs and remain effective at one's job) compared to accounting professionals at smaller public accounting firms. Further, we find no differences between audit and tax professionals' perceptions across any of our work-life balance measures. We also document nuanced differences regarding work-life balance perceptions in public accounting versus industry. For example, contrary to conventional wisdom, work-life balance is not uniformly “better” in industry (e.g., burnout is actually lower in smaller public accounting firms compared to industry). Finally, we use open-ended responses from a follow-up survey to provide several recommendations for firms to improve their work-life balance efforts.

scholarly journals Multiple equilibria, fiscal policy, and human capital accumulation

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Alonso-Carrera ◽  
Marı́a Jesús Freire-Serén
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Multiple Equilibria ◽  
Human Capital Accumulation
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