Accounting & finance books

Contemporary Issues in Economic and Financial Analysis 99 includes fourteen studies on contemporary issues within governance and regulations by authors invited from various universities and institutions. The chapters are a mix of discussion-based studies and empirical research studies aimed at understanding particular aspects of governance and regulations. Some refer to a particular country—specifically Malta, Indonesia, and India—and others are more generic and/or European-focused. These chapters include studies of the following: the challenges of corporate governance in small family-owned firms; a credit institution's perspective for managing conduct risk in the boardroom; the implications of the regulation and governance of financial advice in Europe for the retail financial advice sector and its consumers; the barriers to the development of Maltese cooperatives; corporate governance and cash holdings in Indian firms; whether good governance fosters trust in the government; the impact of takeover bids on European law and corporate governance; the developments and outcomes of the reform of the doctrine of “utmost good faith” in the UK; whether corporate decisions in Indonesia are a result of corporate governance requirements; earning management and audit reports; the European deposit insurance scheme; product intervention of supervisory authorities in financial services; the teaching of financial services regulation; how to link the human element to the risk management process, which is one of the internal control processes in governance of an organisation; and whether the transparency regime on the financial institutions market really works.

Research in Finance seeks to provide a collection of quality research articles that reflect the current and primary issues in financial markets. Contributions include finance theory and financial practice, plus accounting issues such as reporting derivatives positions, reflecting intangible holdings, or predicting financial distress. The broad theme of this volume of Research in Finance is “Comparing the Influence upon Equity Valuation of Strategy Compared with Cash Flow Expectations.” Contributions assess the strong role of strategy in equity valuation, compared with valuation of expected dividends. We also see new evidence about the triggers for financial distress in emerging countries.

Investment Behaviour explores the relationship between competing demographic factors, personal awareness and perceived attitudes to risk in shaping the behaviour of individual investors in the stock market. Arup Kumar Sarkar and Tarak Nath Sahu analyse the suitability of using Behavioural Finance theories in understanding investor behaviour across developed, developing and under-developed country contexts and in all types of stock markets. Across an in-depth study, the authors examine differing variables impacting on behaviour, give an overview of the empirical and theoretical literature, and also provide an analysis of the empirical findings of their investigation. The book promotes a greater understanding the psychological foundations of human behaviour in financial markets to facilitate the formulation of more individual-centered financial policy.

Winner of the Book Excellence Awards 2017, Personal Finance category Given the complex and challenging world of investing, what chance do individuals have navigating the financial minefield and emerging unscathed? Not much, unless they become knowledgeable about investment fundamentals, recognize and correct their mistakes and behavioral biases, and avoid traps strewn along their path. Investment Traps Exposed guides investors past such potential pitfalls as pyramid and Ponzi schemes to help them become more financially successful. Investment Traps Exposed helps investors and advisors increase their awareness about the external and internal traps that they or their clients can encounter. Baker and Puttonen not only examine common mistakes, assumptions and deceptions that can ensnare investors, affect sound judgment, and reduce wealth but also delve into how to recognize and avoid these errors. The authors present practical advice and real-world examples in a user-friendly manner, and also nudge investors to stay on the right course to mitigate misbehaving.

Financial reporting is a strategic means of communication: management has an opportunity to interpret, and the power to deliver, what is materially important to the organization’s stakeholders. Understanding materiality means steering the company in the right direction, and many internal management battles regarding what and how to disclose in external financial reporting run on the verge of materiality. This book offers an integrated perspective of materiality from the angles of accounting (IFRS, US GAAP and SEC Rules and Regulations), auditing, internal control over financial reporting, management commentary, financial analysis, management control, forensic analysis, sustainability reporting, corporate responsibility, assurance standards, integrated reporting, and limited legal considerations. In Materiality in Financial Reporting: An Integrative Perspective, the author adopts a practical, operational approach to show how strategy, processes, and communication can be used to devise a consistent corporate governance system of materiality.

Continuing the search for greater reflectivity regarding accounting’s role in society, this volume identifies the many ways accounting contributes to knowledge creation and the consequences in socio-economic realms. Accounting practice has always been concerned with fraud, legitimacy and trust. One might speculate an essential premise behind the audit of publicly held corporations is potential management deception, and thus a raison d'être for accounting and accountability. In this volume researchers, exploring themes of deception: examine financial statement manipulation in the decade after Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), consider internal control impacts on earnings management, deliberate on the usefulness of audit opinions, and contemplate tax evasion practices and their antecedents. In contextualizing the public interest these researchers contemplate cultural distinctions, conflicts of interest, regulation, and the dynamic interfaces and divides between practitioners and academics. Envisioning the facilitation of overall enhancement of the broad community, recommendations for increasing the quality of communication between scholars and professionals is deliberated. Contributing as well to the undeniable concern for broad environmental degradation, the role of the discipline in maintaining the status quo is challenged. Rather, accounting's characterization of accountability should include attributes of socio-environmental destruction: complexity, uncertainty and diffused responsibility. These emergent accounts would inform the journey of constructing more representative accounts of technological degradation. Such imaginative emancipatory accounting would enhance decision- making, develop social well-being, and unfold new forms of knowledge and possibilities.

This volume contains exemplary papers that were presented at the 2017 Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control in Nice, France, by researchers in the field from North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. This book represents a collection of innovative research in management control and performance measurement, and provides a significant contribution to the growing literature in the area. The collection also covers a representative set of topics, research settings, and research methods. The editors hope that this book will stimulate researchers to continue the search for additional understanding of performance measurement and management control, and provide guidance for both academic researchers and managers as they work toward improving organizations.

During the last two decades, public procurement evolved in most of the world but is often carried out by government officials with little or no experience with procurement policies and procedures. As a result, substantial amounts of public funds are lost due to wrong selection of suppliers and contractors. While a large amount of literature exists on public procurement, it deals with different aspects such as commercial, environmental, legal, and technical aspects. In this new work, Khan provides an introduction to procurement and efficiency, bringing together these difficult and complex aspects of public procurement in a clear and succinct manner. From his experience with the World Bank throughout Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans, Caucuses, and Central and South Asia, Khan has created a step-by-step manual for government officials, researchers, and students.

Quality Control Procedure for Statutory Financial Audit: An Empirical Study takes a comprehensive look at the quality control framework for statutory financial audit. The authors, Saha and Roy, begin with a conceptual discussion on the quality of statutory audit of financial statements, focusing on identifying the different factors governing quality of audit, and establishing a comprehensive framework for quality control. They delve into the quality control framework in three specific countries: USA, UK and India, based on select parameters, and a comparative study is made among them. Lastly, the authors examine the effectiveness of the existing standards and other legal and regulatory requirements in enforcing quality control policies and procedures and suggesting modifications in those regulations which have been made based on a few respondents’ perceptions. Their recommendations can improve the future audit environment in safeguarding stakeholders’ interest.

Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting is devoted to publishing high-quality research and cases that focus on the professional responsibilities of accountants and how they deal with the ethical issues they face. The series features articles on a broad range of important and timely topics, including professionalism, social responsibility, corporate responsibility, ethical judgments, and accountability. The professional responsibilities of accountants are broad-based; they must serve clients and user groups whose needs, incentives, and goals may be in conflict. Further, accountants must interpret and apply codes of conduct, accounting and auditing principles, and securities regulations. Compliance with professional guidelines is judgment-based, and characteristics of the individual, the culture, and situation affect how these guidelines are interpreted and applied, as well as when they might be violated. Interactions between accountants, regulators, standard setters, and industries also have ethical components. Research into the nature of these interactions, resulting dilemmas, and how and why accountants resolve them is the focus of this journal.