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This paper explores who among the AACSB categorization of academics conducts the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research within business schools and how AACSB-accredited business schools capture SoTL research as part of their portfolio of intellectual contributions.

This study adopts a qualitative-method research design by collecting primary data through surveys, semi-structured interviews and secondary data in policy documents focused on AACSB-accredited business schools in Canada and the United States.

The findings establish that scholarly and practice academics who possess rigorously acquired research skills due to their terminal degrees are most likely to conduct SoTL research. The results also reveal an even split among respondents regarding whether their AACSB-accredited business school captures SoTL with their journal ranking frameworks.

Based on the findings, two recommendations are offered to foster more SoTL research at AACSB-accredited schools. First, higher education leaders (e.g. business school deans) can further inculcate a culture of SoTL research at the department and institutional levels by creating communities of practice (CoPs). Second, AACSB-accredited business schools could adopt more inclusive journal ranking frameworks to capture better and incentivize SoTL research.

This is the first known study to explore how AACSB Standards 3 and 8 are implemented and operationalized regarding SoTL research. Understanding how these standards are adopted and implemented could help institutional leaders, standard setters and administrators better facilitate SoTL research.

Prior literature has revealed three key earnings benchmarks: earnings level; earnings change; and analysts’ expectations. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, the authors seek to establish which earnings benchmark induces the largest extent of earnings management. Second, the authors explore the implications of earnings management on firm future performance. Both of these purposes are investigated for Chinese listed companies during China’s IFRS/ISA reporting era.

The authors rely upon the unique regulations and incentives for Chinese listed companies in order to develop four testable hypotheses. Next, the authors employ both logistic and ordinary least squares regressions to test the hypotheses.

The results suggest that Chinese listed firms have the highest level of income increasing discretionary accruals around the earnings level benchmark, followed by the earnings change benchmark. The authors do not find any evidence of earnings management to beat analysts’ expectation. In addition, the authors find evidence that Chinese listed firms with relatively high level of earnings management and low earnings exhibit relatively weak future stock performance.

The findings are the first to document an earnings management benchmark hierarchy with respect to the extent of income increasing discretionary accruals, while simultaneously establishing a link between earnings management and firm future stock performance, for Chinese listed companies. The findings are valuable for regulators and investors by suggesting that management intervention in the reporting process during China’s IFRS/ISA reporting era may act to circumvent delisting regulations and cloud earnings signal for firms that beat certain earnings benchmarks.

This study expands the performance management literature by developing a strategy map and balanced scorecard (BSC) for a large performing arts theater (PAT).

First, interviews with significant stakeholders identify key success factors (KSFs). Next, a survey is administered, and a structural model is employed to determine the importance of each KSF and their interdependent causal relationships within the PAT. Each KSF's controllability and room for improvement are also measured to facilitate implementation strategies.

The results reveal that the Financial Perspective plays a critical role in the PAT's success, while significant changes can be enacted by focusing on the Internal Processes Perspective. Regarding the individual KSF, the following emerge as the most critical: excellent reputation, attendance growth, increasing sponsorship and donation, and supporting the local arts community; however, PAT managers will have to be creative to enact change through these KSF as some are difficult to control or have little perceived room for improvement.

The data were collected prior to, or at the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Post-pandemic priorities for the organization may have changed.

By highlighting the relationships between different KSFs, this study provides PAT managers with a frame of reference for developing their BSC and performance metrics. It also offers PAT's managers a structured and adaptable approach for prioritizing their strategic choices and developing implementation plans for improved outcomes.

This study exemplifies the need for applied BSC studies in various sectors, including nonprofit organizations. Specifically, this study extends the performance management literature by providing an example of a large PAT's performance measures, the inter-relationships among KSF and the resulting strategy map. The results are significant because arts management is a unique discipline based upon a specific body of knowledge (Weinstein and Bukovinsky, 2009).

Social cognitive career theory (“SCCT”) suggests that positive feedback can influence educational choices. Introductory courses often provide students with their first opportunity to obtain feedback in a given discipline. As a result, SCCT hypothesizes that introductory courses grades will impact a student's decision to major in a given discipline. The purpose of this paper is to explore this hypothesis in the accounting domain.

Longitudinal data were collected from four cohorts of students registered at a Canadian university. The main hypothesis is tested by estimating a logistic regression.

A significant positive relationship is found between a student's introductory financial accounting (“IFA”) course grade and their decision to major in accounting. This decision to major in the discipline is not found to be affected by various student (e.g. biological sex or age) or instructor (e.g. whether the instructor holds a CPA designation or not) characteristics.

This study supports seminal and enduring research that emphasizes the IFA course as a gateway into the accounting major. As a result, educators should consider these findings when designing their IFA courses and the related student supports embedded within the IFA course.

Prior literature offers conflicting results on the relationship between IFA grades and student's choice to major in accounting. This study relies upon a theoretical framework, SCCT, to settle the debate. This study further extends the prior literature by exploring the impact of various student and instructor characteristics on the relationship between IFA grades and student's choice to major in accounting.

This paper aims to explore the audit quality and fee implications of joining a global accounting firm network and association (“AF N&A”).

A hand-collected sample focusing upon the pre- and post-periods around the time when an independent audit firm joins an AF N&A is developed. A propensity score-matched sample is created to address the endogeneity and self-selection bias. OLS regression is used on a sample of around 2,000 firm-year observations from 2003 to 2014.

Membership with an AF N&A is associated with higher levels of audit quality and audit fees. Furthermore, audit quality and fee increases are more pronounced for audit firms that become members of a larger, more formal AF N&A.

This paper provides additional insights into the conflicting results regarding the audit quality implications of membership with AF N&As in China. This paper also extends the discussion by exploring the audit quality and fee differentials among the non-Big Four AF N&As. These findings have significant implications for independent audit firms pursuing membership with an AF N&A and regulators seeking to reduce market concentration around the Big Four.

The purpose of this paper is to examine stock price crash risk (SPCR) as a function of meeting or missing three earnings thresholds – reporting a profit (earnings level), reporting an earnings increase (earnings change) and meeting analysts’ forecasts (earnings expectation).

The authors rely upon the research design of Herrmann et al. (2011) to identify the incremental impact of the earnings level and earnings change benchmarks on SPCR, after controlling for the effects of meeting or missing analysts’ expectations.

The authors find that meeting analysts’ expectations is negatively associated with SPCR, and this relationship strengthens with the magnitude of the unexpected earnings. However, the authors find little evidence of incremental threshold effects to suggest that earnings level and earnings change benchmarks are critical thresholds with respect to SPCR. Our results are robust after including a number of control variables.

This study contributes to the literature that investigates determinants of SPCR while simultaneously providing new evidence to conclusions that analysts’ earnings forecast is at the top of the earnings benchmark hierarchy.

This study aims to explore the audit quality supplied by the Big 4, large indigenous Chinese (LIC) and five largest second-tier international network (Tier 2) audit firms in China during the second phase of their audit market development.

Ordinary least squares regression is used on an archival sample of firm-year observations. Endogeneity and self-selection bias are addressed by creating a propensity score matched sample and using two-stage regression with the inverse Mills’ ratio.

Strong evidence is found for higher levels of actual audit quality for the Big 4 relative to both LIC and Tier 2 audit firms. Weak evidence is found regarding the audit quality superiority of Tier 2 relative to LIC audit firms. Furthermore, the actual audit quality differential between the Big 4 relative to the LIC and Tier 2 firms widens after adopting International Financial Reporting Standards, which is contrary to the intention of Chinese regulators.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known empirical study to trisect Big N and non-Big N audit firm proxies into the Big 4, LIC and Tier 2. Currently, only qualitative studies have fully appreciated the unique regulatory roles of these three firm structures in developing China’s audit market, which reflect tensions between reliance on foreign expertise and self-determination. In addition, this study adds to the ongoing global dialogue on Tier 2 as an alternative to the Big 4 and the benefits of international accounting network membership.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and earnings opacity in China.

Two corporate governance mechanisms form the basis of the analysis: 1) the board of directors and 2) the external audit function. OLS regression analysis is employed on a large sample from 2000 to 2014 with 20,235 firm-year observations.

Corporate governance is found to be associated with reduced levels of earnings opacity for Chinese listed companies. Furthermore, the association between corporate governance and reduced levels of earnings opacity strengthened after the implementation of various key reforms.

Chinese regulators are advised to proceed with caution as not all Western approaches to corporate governance are transferrable to the Chinese setting.

This study contributes to the literature by analyzing broad latent constructs of corporate governance in addition to individual observable dimensions in order to reveal that various key reforms have been successful in strengthening the link between governance and reporting quality for Chinese listed companies.

This study explores the implementation of two Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards by business schools across Canada and the US. First, this study examines how teaching effectiveness is defined and measured in light of Standard 7 (Teaching Effectiveness and Impact). Second, this study explores the value of research on teaching and learning in relation to Standard 8 (Impact of Scholarship).

This study adopts a thematic analysis framework based on data obtained from an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and policy documents.

The results reveal that business schools rarely define teaching effectiveness; instead, they adopt various measures to evaluate teaching effectiveness. The results reveal that research on teaching and learning alone usually does not lead to tenure; however, it is valued if part of a portfolio that includes discipline-specific research. Lastly, this research highlights a stigma associated with research on teaching and learning relative to discipline-specific research.

This study introduces a comprehensive and integrated teaching evaluation framework that can be adopted to define teaching effectiveness and elevate the teaching function. In addition, the authors argue that business schools should nurture a niche set of academics that holds PhDs in their respective disciplines and are education experts to increase the production of research-informed instructional strategies curated for business schools.

This is the first study to explore how AACSB standards related to teaching effectiveness and research on teaching and learning are interpreted and implemented at AACSB accredited business schools.

The purpose of this paper is to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for environmental consulting firms, explore their causal linkages and develop a strategy map around the balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives.

Relevant KPIs are identified through interviews and secondary data. Causal relationships between KPIs are explored by using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to analyze survey responses from senior partners and industry experts.

The results suggest that the learning and growth perspective plays a pivotal role for consulting firms. In addition, and contrary to views held by some, internal process perspective can play a significant cause factor role for service businesses. Among the KPIs which were identified as important, acquiring new skills/techniques, increased customer value proposition, personnel utilization, new product solutions and start to end solutions as KPIs exhibited both cause and effect characteristics.

The results isolate core KPIs which self-reinforce, complement each other and form a feedback loop. Active management and monitoring of these KPIs is likely to result aid a consulting firm in achieving strategic objectives. The strategy map developed in this study can also serve as a reference point for similar businesses.

This is the first known study to develop a strategy map for a consulting business by adopting a structured approach and identify causal link among BSC perspectives and their respective KPIs. The study provides further empirical evidence for usefulness of a structured approach such as the DEMATEL.