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Prior Research (prior + research)
Terms modified by Prior Research Selected AbstractsI. Introduction, Theoretical Background, and Prior ResearchMONOGRAPHS OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2002Melanie Killen First page of article [source] Improving Jurors' Evaluations of Auditors in Negligence Cases,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Kathryn Kadous Abstract Prior research indicates that individuals acting as jurors experience outcome effects in audit negligence litigation. That is, jurors evaluate auditors more harshly in light of negative outcomes, even when audit quality is constant. I posit that outcome effects in this setting are caused by jurors using their negative affect (i.e., feelings) resulting from learning about negative audit outcomes as information relevant to auditor blameworthiness. I tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which I manipulated audit quality, outcome information, and provision of an attribution instruction. The attribution instruction was designed to discredit negative affect as a cue to auditor blameworthiness. Consistent with expectations, attribution participants' evaluations of auditors exhibited less reliance on outcome information and more reliance on audit quality information than did evaluations made by control participants. In fact, outcome effects were eliminated for attribution participants. Courts may be able to improve the quality of jurors' decisions in such cases by employing an attribution instruction. [source] ARREST TRAJECTORIES ACROSS A 17-YEAR SPAN FOR YOUNG MEN: RELATION TO DUAL TAXONOMIES AND SELF-REPORTED OFFENSE TRAJECTORIES,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2007MARGIT WIESNER The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of different operationalizations of offending behavior on the identified trajectories of offending and to relate findings to hypothesized dual taxonomy models. Prior research with 203 young men from the Oregon Youth Study identified six offender pathways, based on self-report data (Wiesner and Capaldi, 2003). The current study used official records data (number of arrests) for the same sample. Semiparametric groupbased modeling indicated three distinctive arrest trajectories: high-level chronics, low-level chronics, and rare offenders. Both chronic arrest trajectory groups were characterized by relatively equal rates of early onset offenders, which indicates, therefore, some divergence from hypothesized dual taxonomies. Overall, this study demonstrated limited convergence of trajectory findings across official records versus selfreport measures of offending behavior. [source] Escalation: The Role of Problem Recognition and Cognitive BiasDECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2007Mark Keil ABSTRACT Escalation of commitment to a failing course of action is an enduring problem that remains central to the study of managerial behavior. Prior research suggests that escalation behavior results when decision makers choose to ignore negative feedback concerning the viability of a previously chosen course of action. Previous work has also suggested that certain cognitive biases might promote escalation behavior, but there has been little attempt to explore how biases other than framing affect escalation. In this article, we explore the extent to which decision makers actually perceive negative feedback as indicative of a problem and how this influences their decision to escalate. Although problem recognition and cognitive biases have been intensively studied individually, little is known about their effect on escalation behavior. In this research, we construct and test an escalation decision model that incorporates both problem recognition and two cognitive biases: selective perception and illusion of control. Our results revealed a significant inverse relationship between problem recognition and escalation. Furthermore, selective perception and illusion of control were found to significantly affect both problem recognition and escalation. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. To improve problem recognition and reduce the incidence of escalation, practicing managers should implement modern project management practices that can help to identify and highlight potential problems while guarding against these two key cognitive biases that promote the behavior. [source] Right wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation and the dimensions of generalized prejudiceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2007John Duckitt Abstract Prior research suggests that individuals' prejudiced attitudes form a single generalized dimension predicted by Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). A dual process approach, however, expects different domains of generalized prejudice that relate differentially to RWA and SDO. To test this, 212 participants rated attitudes to 24 typically disliked groups. Factor analysis revealed three distinct generalized prejudice dimensions. Hierarchical Linear Modelling indicated that attitudes towards a ,dangerous' groups domain was significantly related only with RWA, attitudes toward a second ,derogated' groups domain was related only to SDO, and attitudes toward a third, ,dissident' groups, domain was significantly related to both, but powerfully with RWA and weakly with SDO. These findings have implications for explaining and reducing prejudice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The use of Afrocentric features as cues for judgment in the presence of diagnostic informationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Irene V. Blair Prior research has shown that within racial category, group members with more Afrocentric facial features are presumed to have more stereotypic traits than those with less Afrocentric features. The present experiment investigated whether this form of feature-based stereotyping occurs when more diagnostic information is available. The participants were provided with photographs and information about the aggressive (or non-aggressive) behaviour of 64 African Americans in four different situations, and asked to predict the likelihood of aggression in a fifth situation. As expected, each instance of aggression increased estimates that a target would behave aggressively in the unknown situation. With degree of displayed aggression controlled, however, targets with more Afrocentric features were judged as significantly more likely to behave aggressively than targets with less Afrocentric features. Thus, stereotyping based on Afrocentric features occurs even when other obviously-relevant information is available. This suggests that it may be difficult to detect and avoid. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Local Government Accounting Standard-setting in Australia: Did Constituents Participate?FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2000Christine Ryan The Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSASB) has developed accounting standards for the public sector in Australia. A procedural ,due process' has been developed to protect the openness, neutrality and independence of Australian standard-setting both in the private and public sectors. Prior research into constituent participation in the ,due process' for specific cases in the public sector has raised doubts as to whether the ,due process' operated in an open, neutral and independent manner. It has found that account preparers were under-represented in their responses and used less sophisticated lobbying strategies than other respondents. The research also concluded that some constituents had favourable access to the ,due process', and that standard setters did not receive all pertinent information from constituents. This paper examines constituent participation in the ,due process' for the first public sector accounting standard, that for local government (AAS 27). The submissions made on the exposure draft preceding the standard ,ED 50, have been analysed using content analysis. The findings suggest that account preparers were well-represented in their responses and adopted the lobbying strategy of weighting their responses with supporting argument for the most controversial issues. Contrary to prior research, the paper concludes that in the case of ED 50 there is no evidence that the ,due process' failed to operate in an open and neutral manner. [source] Understanding the structure of audit workpaper error knowledge and its relationship with workpaper review performanceACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 3 2010Noel Harding M42 Abstract This study examines the veracity of two important, yet untested, premises underlying the interpretation of hierarchical variation in workpaper review performance. Prior research has argued that auditors at different hierarchical levels structure their knowledge of workpaper errors differently, and that these differences in knowledge structure give rise to hierarchical variation in the ability of auditors to identify mechanical and conceptual workpaper errors. This study directly examines the way in which audit firm managers, seniors and staff auditors structure their knowledge of audit workpaper errors and finds variation across hierarchical levels. These differences in knowledge structure were found to be associated with variation in workpaper review performance as they related to the identification of conceptual errors, but not, as proposed in prior research, mechanical workpaper errors. These results guide future research efforts aimed at improving workpaper review performance. [source] Anomalies and stock returns: Australian evidenceACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 3 2009Philip Gharghori G12; G14 Abstract Prior research has identified the existence of several cross-sectional patterns in equity returns, commonly referred to as effects. This paper tests for the existence of a number of well-known effects using data from the Australian equities market. Specifically, we investigate the size effect, book-to-market effect, earnings-to-price effect, cashflow-to-price effect, leverage effect and the liquidity effect. An additional aim of this paper is to investigate the capability of the Fama,French model in explaining any observed effects. We document a size, book-to-market, earnings-to-price and cashflow-to-price effect but fail to find evidence of a leverage or liquidity effect. Although our findings indicate that the Fama,French model can partially explain some of the observed effects, we conclude that its performance is less than satisfactory in Australia. [source] Supraspinal Modulation of Trigeminal Nociception and PainHEADACHE, Issue 5 2009Amy E. Williams MA Objective., This study examined modulation of trigeminal pain/nociception by 2 supraspinal mechanisms: emotional controls of nociception and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls. Background., Prior research suggests emotional picture viewing (emotional controls) and tonic noxious stimuli (diffuse noxious inhibitory controls) engage supraspinal mechanisms to modulate pain and nociceptive processes. It is currently unknown, however, whether emotional controls modulate trigeminal pain and nociception. Additionally, the influences of emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls have not been compared in the same group of participants. Methods., Noxious electrodermal stimuli were delivered to the trigeminal nerve using a concentric electrode designed to selectively activate nociceptive fibers. Trigeminal nociception and pain were assessed (34 participants) from the nociceptive blink reflex and pain ratings, respectively. Emotional controls were engaged by presentation of standardized picture stimuli (pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant) shown to reliably evoke pleasure-induced inhibition and displeasure-induced facilitation of pain and nociception. Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls were engaged with a forearm ischemia task. Results., Trigeminal pain (self-report ratings) and nociception (blinks) were facilitated by unpleasant pictures and inhibited by pleasant pictures. Emotion induction (as assessed from trend analysis) explained 51% of the variance in trigeminal pain and 25% of the variance in trigeminal nociception. Additionally, forearm ischemia inhibited trigeminal pain but not nociception. The baseline vs ischemia comparison explained 17% of the variance in pain report and 0.1% of the variance in blinks. Supraspinal modulation by emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls were uncorrelated. Conclusions., Emotional controls and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls modulated trigeminal pain and emotional controls modulated trigeminal nociception. These procedures can be used to study supraspinal modulation of nociceptive processing in disorders of the trigeminal pain system, including headache. [source] Achieving activity transitions in physician-patient encounters.HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 2 2001From history taking to physical examination This article examines how physicians and patients interactionally accomplish the transition from the activity of history taking to that of physical examination. Prior research focuses on participants' reliance on overt verbal resources (e.g., physicians' requests for permission to examine patients or explanations that foreshadow examination). Using the methodology of conversation analysis, this article draws on a corpus of 40 primary-care encounters to demonstrate that: (a) In addition to verbal behavior, nonverbal behavior is integral to the accomplishment of transitions; and (b) patients' understandings of physicians' verbal and nonverbal behavior as communicating transitions are achieved through situating those behaviors in other contexts of embodied action, talk, activity, and social structure (i.e., the phase structure of encounters). Findings have implications for: (a) the theoretic relationship between verbal and nonverbal behavior in terms of social meaning, (b) what it means to explain transitions and reduce patients' uncertainty, (c) the organization of physician-patient interaction, and (d) the relationship and interface between macro- and microconceptualization of context. [source] Performance management and assessment: Methods for improved rater accuracy and employee goal settingHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004Manuel London This article examines the gaps between research and practice in the areas of rater accuracy and goal setting. Prior research has shown that human resource managers may incorrectly believe that training raters to recognize errors will increase rater accuracy and that employee participation in goal setting is more effective than assigning goals. Theory-based research suggests ways to help raters recognize expected performance and enable employees to self-regulate their pursuit of goals. We describe applications of these findings to performance management programs and suggest methods for evaluating their effectiveness once implemented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A Privileged Status for Male Infant-Directed Speech in Infants of Depressed Mothers?INFANCY, Issue 2 2010Role of Father Involvement Prior research showed that 5- to 13-month-old infants of chronically depressed mothers did not learn to associate a segment of infant-directed speech produced by their own mothers or an unfamiliar nondepressed mother with a smiling female face, but showed better-than-normal learning when a segment of infant-directed speech produced by an unfamiliar nondepressed father signaled the face. Here, learning in response to an unfamiliar nondepressed father's infant-directed speech was studied as a function both of the mother's depression and marital status, a proxy measure of father involvement. Infants of unmarried mothers on average did not show significant learning in response to the unfamiliar nondepressed father's infant-directed speech. Infants of married mothers showed significant learning in response to male infant-directed speech, and infants of depressed, married mothers showed significantly stronger learning in response to that stimulus than did infants of nondepressed, married mothers. Several ways in which father involvement may positively or negatively affect infant responsiveness to male infant-directed speech are discussed. [source] Sex Differences in Infants' Ability to Represent Complex Event SequencesINFANCY, Issue 3 2004Amy Schweinle Prior research suggests that when very simple event sequences are used, 4.5-month-olds demonstrate the ability to individuate objects based on the continuity or disruption of their speed of motion (Wilcox & Schweinle, 2003). However, infants demonstrate their ability to individuate objects in an event-monitoring task (i.e., infants must keep track of an ongoing event) at a younger age than in an event-mapping task (i.e., infants must compare information from 2 different events). The research presented here built on these findings by examining infants' capacity to succeed on an event-mapping task with a more complex event sequence to determine if the complexity of the event interferes with their ability to form summary representations of the event, and, in short, individuate the objects. Three experiments were conducted with infants 4.5 to 9.5 months of age. The results indicated that (a) increasing the complexity of the objects' trajectories adversely affected infants' performance on the task, and (b) boys were more likely to succeed than girls. These findings shed light on how representational capacities change during the first year of life and are discussed in terms of information processing and representational capabilities as well as neuro-anatomical development. [source] Violated wishes about division of childcare labor predict early coparenting process during stressful and nonstressful family evaluations,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008Inna Khazan Prior research has indicated that expectant parents overestimate the extent to which fathers will take part in the "work" of parenting, with mothers often becoming disenchanted when these expectations are violated following the baby's arrival. In this study, we examine the role of violated wishes concerning childcare involvement in accounting for variability in maternal and paternal marital satisfaction, and in early coparenting behavior as assessed during family-interaction sessions. The results indicate possible negative effects of violated wishes on the enacted family process and confirm previous findings regarding the effects of marital satisfaction. In addition, we uncovered differences in the way that violated maternal wishes are related to coparenting during playful and mildly stressful family interactions. [source] A taxonomy of political processes in systems developmentINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 5 2010Rajiv Sabherwal Abstract Significant resources invested in information system development (ISD) are wasted due to political manoeuvres. Prior research on ISD politics has contributed mainly through theoretical development and case studies. This has enhanced understanding of relevant concepts, political tactics and conditions facilitating politics. However, there is limited understanding of the different processes through which politics unfold. This paper uses 89 ISD projects to develop a taxonomy of political processes in ISD. The taxonomy includes three distinct processes: Tug of War, wherein multiple parties strive to gain project control; Obstacle Race, which involves efforts to resist and pursue the project; and Empire Building, wherein the project is used as an instrument to enhance political or resource bases. The taxonomy is explained using the non-proponents' view of the project and the balance of power between system's proponents and non-proponents. We also discuss the emergent taxonomy's implications for how politics can be managed and studied. [source] Comparing senior executive and project manager perceptions of IT project risk: a Chinese Delphi studyINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010Shan Liu Abstract The success rate for information technology (IT) projects continues to be low. With an increasing number of IT projects in developing countries such as China, it is important to understand the risks they are experiencing on IT projects. To date, there has been little research documenting Asian perceptions of IT project risk. In this research, we examine the risks identified by Chinese senior executives (SEs) and project managers (PMs), and compare these two groups. The importance of top management support in IT projects is well documented. Prior research has shown that from the perspective of IT PMs, lack of support from SEs is the number one risk in IT projects. Surprisingly, senior executives' perceptions towards IT project risk have never been systematically examined. One reason why lack of support from senior executives continues to represent a major risk may be that senior executives themselves do not realize the critical role that they can play in helping to deliver successful projects. In this study, we use the Delphi method to compare the risk perceptions of senior executives and project managers. By comparing risk factors selected by each group, zones of concordance and discordance are identified. In terms of perceived importance ascribed to risk factors, PMs tend to focus on lower-level risks with particular emphasis on risks associated with requirements and user involvement, whereas SEs tend to focus on higher-level risks such as those risks involving politics, organization structure, process, and culture. Finally, approaches for dealing with risk factors that are seen as important by both SEs and PMs are provided. [source] Reconciling user and project manager perceptions of IT project risk: a Delphi study,INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002Mark Keil Abstract. In an increasingly dynamic business environment characterized by fast cycle times, shifting markets and unstable technology, a business organization's survival hinges on its ability to align IT capabilities with business goals. To facilitate the successful introduction of new IT applications, issues of project risk must be addressed, and the expectations of multiple stakeholders must be managed appropriately. To the extent that users and developers may harbour different perceptions regarding project risk, areas of conflict may arise. By understanding the differences in how users and project managers perceive the risks, insights can be gained that may help to ensure the successful delivery of systems. Prior research has focused on the project manager's perspective of IT project risk. This paper explores the issue of IT project risk from the user perspective and compares it with risk perceptions of project managers. A Delphi study reveals that these two stakeholder groups have different perceptions of risk factors. Through comparison with a previous study on project manager risk perceptions, zones of concordance and discordance that must be reconciled are identified. [source] Psychological Characteristics Contributing to Expertise in Audit JudgmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2006Pamela Kent Prior research has sought a better understanding of the relation between audit expertise and judgment of auditors. The motivation for this study is derived from the need to further understand psychological characteristics contributing to audit expertise. This paper adopts part of a framework derived from the decision-making literature in psychology and applies it to auditing. Shanteau proposes that expert decision makers inherently possess 14 psychological characteristics. The importance of these characteristics is assessed using the perceptions of 55 practising auditors from three national accounting firms in Australia within and across four phases of the audit using a survey instrument. The results indicate that each of the 14 characteristics is important across all four phases of the audit in varying degrees. In addition, the degree of importance varies across characteristics and between audit phases. These findings indicate that psychological characteristics are associated with audit expertise to be applied and tested in future research. [source] Depressive symptoms in late life: associations with apathy, resilience and disability vary between young-old and old-oldINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2008Mona Mehta Abstract Objective Prior research has found that disability and apathy are associated with late-life depression. However, the effect of age on these associations in "late-life," an ambiguous term encompassing all individuals typically older than 60 years, has not been examined. We investigated the association of depression with disability, apathy and resilience across the age range of late-life. Methods One hundred and five community-dwelling elderly with moderate levels of disability were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Hardy-Gill Resilience Scale, Starkstein Apathy Scale and IADL/ADL questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess relationships between depression, disability, apathy and resilience, stratified by age (<80 vs. >80). Results In the <80 year old subject group, resilience, apathy and disability scores (partial type III R2,=,11.1%, 10.4% and 12.8%, respectively) equally contributed to the variability of GDS score. In contrast, in the >80 year old subject group, apathy (partial type III R2,=,18.7%) had the greatest contribution to GDS score. Conclusions In elderly persons under age 80, resilience, apathy and disability all have relatively equal contributions to depression scores, whereas in those over age 80, depression is most highly correlated with apathy. These data suggest that depressive symptoms in elderly persons have different clinical features along the age spectrum from young-old to old-old. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Job satisfaction among intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of ChinaINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 1 2008J. Li rn Background:, Prior research has suggested that job satisfaction is a major concern for both nurses and healthcare administrators. A variety of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics have been found to contribute both positively and negatively to job satisfaction. However, most of this research has been conducted in Western culture countries, leaving one to wonder if the findings are relevant in China, particularly in regard to intensive care nurses. Aim:, Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to determine, in intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of China, which combination of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics was the best predictor of job satisfaction. Methods:, To address these purposes, four self-report questionnaires were administered to a convenience sample of 102 intensive care nurses from four teaching hospitals located in two cities in central China. Results:, The best predictors of job satisfaction were workload, years of experience in nursing, uncertainty about patients' treatment, behavioural disengagement and positive reframing. Conclusions:, The findings provide information about what factors need to be considered and addressed in the workplace to facilitate job satisfaction among Chinese intensive care nurses. [source] The Effects of Alternative Justification Memos on the Judgments of Audit Reviewees and ReviewersJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003Christopher P. Agoglia Prior research on justification has typically focused on the differences in judgments between auditors required, or not required, to justify their decisions. However, justification memos can be prepared using different approaches. In this study we examine the impact of using three justification memos: supporting, balanced, and component. Using a comprehensive control environment case based on an actual client that experienced fraud, we find that the justification memo used can affect the judgments of auditors preparing the memos as well as the judgments of auditors who review their work. Specifically, the results indicate that auditors using an unrestricted component memo, who were required to write memos for components of their task by providing important positive and negative evidence, thought that the firm's control environment was more likely to prevent fraud as compared with the supporting and balanced memo groups. Additional analyses suggest that the reason for this result is that an unrestricted component memo focuses auditors' attention on a larger percentage of positive control environment characteristics when a firm's underlying evidence set is mostly positive. This may be problematic because firms can have more positive than negative control environment characteristics, even when fraud is present. [source] The Impact of Affective Reactions on Risky Decision Making in Accounting ContextsJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 5 2002Kimberly Moreno In this study we examine whether managers' affective reactions influence their risk,taking tendencies in capital budgeting decisions. Prior research on risky decision making indicates that decision makers are often risk averse when choosing among alternatives that yield potential gains, and risk taking when the alternatives yield losses. The results reported here indicate that negative or positive affective reactions can change this commonly found risky behavior. Managers were generally risk avoiding (taking) for gains (losses) in the absence of affective reactions, as predicted by prospect theory. However, when affect was present, they tended to reject investment alternatives that elicited negative affect and accept alternatives that elicited positive affect, resulting in risk taking (avoiding) in gain (loss) contexts. The results also indicate that affective reactions can influence managers to choose alternatives with lower economic value, suggesting that managers consider both financial data and affective reactions when evaluating the utility of a decision alternative. These findings point to the importance of considering affective reactions when attempting to understand and predict risky decision making in accounting contexts. [source] On portfolio optimization: How and when do we benefit from high-frequency data?JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMETRICS, Issue 4 2009Qianqiu Liu We examine how the use of high-frequency data impacts the portfolio optimization decision. Prior research has documented that an estimate of realized volatility is more precise when based upon intraday returns rather than daily returns. Using the framework of a professional investment manager who wishes to track the S&P 500 with the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks, we find that the benefits of using high-frequency data depend upon the rebalancing frequency and estimation horizon. If the portfolio is rebalanced monthly and the manager has access to at least the previous 12 months of data, daily data have the potential to perform as well as high-frequency data. However, substantial improvements in the portfolio optimization decision from high-frequency data are realized if the manager rebalances daily or has less than a 6-month estimation window. These findings are robust to transaction costs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Primacy of Affect Over Cognition in Determining Adult Men's Condom,Use Behavior: A Review,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2005Tina R. Norton Prior research suggests that failure to use condoms can be understood within the context of condom-related attitudes. We reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature on adult men's condom-use attitudes; condom-related attitudinal beliefs were classified as cognitive (e.g., effectiveness) or affective (e.g., pleasure-related), and their relationships to behavior were examined. To determine differences in the effects of cognitive and affective beliefs, we conducted a critical qualitative review, a meta-analysis, and a "vote-count." In support of the primacy of affect hypothesis (Zajonc, 1984), cognitive beliefs were weaker predictors of condom use than were affective beliefs. Results suggest that HIV-prevention interventions will have greater success by addressing negative affective reactions to condom use in addition to promoting the protective value of condoms. [source] Prospective and retrospective evaluations of experiences: how you evaluate an experience depends on when you evaluate itJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 1 2003Dilip Soman Abstract Prior research (cf. Soman & Shi, 2001) has shown that obstacles and periods of low progress in an experience reduce the evaluation of that experience. In this research, we propose that the temporal distance between the obstacle and the time of making the evaluation moderates the effect of the obstacle. Consequently, an early (late) obstacle reduces prospective (retrospective) evaluation more significantly than a late (early) obstacle. In two experiments, we find support for this temporal proximity hypothesis. Further, differences between prospective and retrospective evaluations disappeared when the data were analyzed in terms of temporal distance, suggesting that the judgment policies underlying prospective and retrospective evaluations were the same. We also show that it is possible to create pairs of paths such that one of the two paths would be preferred when viewed in prospect, but the other path might be preferred in retrospect. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Usefulness of Measures of Consistency of Discretionary Components of Accruals in the Detection of Earnings ManagementJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 9-10 2009Salma S. IbrahimArticle first published online: 26 OCT 200 Abstract:, Prior research has shown the prevalence of measurement error in models used to estimate aggregate discretionary accruals. In these models, the incremental information content of the various components of accruals is ignored. Limited prior research and data gathered from firms under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) litigation indicate that managers use either one or more than one component of accruals simultaneously, in a consistent way to manipulate bottom-line earnings in a given direction. I propose two measures that capture the consistency between the discretionary components of accruals and test their significance in earnings management (EM) detection in firms that have artificially added accrual manipulation and firms that were targeted by the SEC for accrual manipulation. There is evidence that this information is incrementally useful in detecting EM. This finding paves the way for improvements in the discretionary accruals measure by including consistency information from the components of aggregate accruals. [source] US Managers' Use of ,Pro Forma' Adjustments to Meet Strategic Earnings TargetsJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3-4 2009Dirk E. Black Abstract:, The practice of reporting manager-adjusted ,pro forma' earnings numbers in quarterly earnings press releases has attracted considerable attention in recent years in the United States. Prior research suggests that while some managers report these adjusted numbers to better reflect core earnings, others may use these earnings adjustments to meet strategic earnings targets on a pro forma basis when they fall short based on GAAP reporting standards. Assuming the latter motivation could potentially mislead investors, the difficulty lies in distinguishing the ,good guys' from the ,bad guys.' Using hand-collected pro forma earnings data, we investigate the extent to which different types of earnings adjustments affect the spread between pro forma earnings and GAAP earnings from continuing operations. Moreover, we investigate which types of adjustments managers use to meet strategic earnings targets. In addition to the exclusion of one-time items like restructuring charges, the results indicate that managers often exclude recurring expenses such as depreciation, research and development, and stock-based compensation to meet these strategic targets. The exclusion of recurring items is especially indicative of aggressive pro forma reporting. Finally, we find that firms that report adjusted earnings numbers only sporadically are more likely than firms that adjust earnings figures on a regular basis to use pro forma reporting to achieve strategic earnings targets by excluding recurring items. [source] The Interaction of Solvency with Liquidity and its Association with Bankruptcy EmergenceJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 7-8 2002Daniel M. Bryan Prior research has shown that accounting information available prior to a bankruptcy is associated with the likelihood of bankruptcy. We show that additionally, the accounting information available prior to bankruptcy is associated with whether or not a firm will emerge from bankruptcy. We predict that firms that exhibit low solvency risk and high liquidity risk are most likely to emerge from bankruptcy. Firms that exhibit high solvency risk and high liquidity risk are predicted to be least likely to emerge from bankruptcy. Cross,sectionally, our results support these predictions, but our findings differ across large and small firms. [source] Asymmetric response of retail milk prices in the northeast revisitedAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005Daniel A. Lass Retail milk price responses to farm price changes were analyzed for Boston, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut. Prior research concluded that asymmetries did not exist in the response of retail fluid milk prices to changes in farm prices. This study finds transmission rates are greater for the Compact period (100,120%) than the pre-Compact period (66,88%). Short-run asymmetries are apparent. Retail prices respond rapidly to farm price increases, but slowly to farm price decreases. This study also finds evidence of long-run asymmetry. When equivalent farm price increases and decreases occur, retail prices do not return to the same levels that were observed before the price changes. Such long-run asymmetry was not observed in prior empirical studies of retail prices in the Northeast. [EconLit Classification: Q110, Q130, L110]. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 493,508, 2005. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||