The Moderating Effect of OPEC and Non-OPEC on the Relationship Between Oil Price Volatility and Accrual Earnings Management in the Oil and Gas Industry

This study is an empirical examination on the relationship between oil price volatility and earnings management in the oil and gas industry, moderated by price-setting abilities of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Nations) and price taking abilities of Non-OPEC countries. This study tests discretionary, income-decreasing, current and non-current accruals as a proxy of earnings management. A total sample of 209 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2018 of listed oil and gas firm is collected from the Thomson Datastream database. To incorporate the moderation effect, the samples were divided into two sub-groups, OPEC and Non-OPEC using reserve to production ratio.  Firm attributes are included in the analysis as the constant variable such as leverage, current ratio, EBITDA and Growth. The initial results show that, overall, the interaction effect between OPEC/Non-OPEC and oil price volatility is positive and significant to discretionary and income-decreasing accruals. Data samples are limited while comparing OPEC and Non-OPEC countries as not every oil and gas company in OPEC are listed companies and their information is heavily protected. This study contributes to extant earnings management literature regarding political cost, which remains a significant concern to oil and gas companies worldwide

Identifying what services need to be improved by measuring the librarys performance

This is an exploratory attempt to use a modified version of SERVPERF to assess users satisfaction with the services provided by an ISO9000:2000 certified library at a private university in Malaysia where measuring performance would be an integral part to continuously improve quality of services. The services being measured are grouped as frontline, core and peripheral where staff and facilities interact with users directly and where users opinions and expectations could be extracted. The clients are undergraduates and postgraduates who use these services and facilities. The results identify services deem important to users of the library as well as the problem areas which need improvements. A total of 274 students comprising 250 undergraduates and 24 postgraduates form the sample. The respondents ratings range on average between 3.13 and 4.36 on a 5-point scale, implying that the library is performing at an above average level. From 59 service attributes, 2 are perceived as excellent, 20 attributes are considered good, 31 are average and 4 services are rated as poor. A total of 16 services are rated below 50, which form the priority list of services given priority in the librarys proposed action plan. The good and excellent services would continue to be monitored to maintain their performance