Value relevance of information in hi-tech industries in Australia : accounting information and intangible asset disclosures

The main objective of this study is to test the value relevance of financial and non-financial information in high-tech industries in Australia. Ninety-one companies were selected from the sectors of Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Technology, Hardware and Equipment; and Telecommunication Services of ASX for the analysis. Both financial and non-financial sections of annual reports were scrutinized in order to obtain data for the analysis. The unaudited sections of annual reports were particularly analysed using NVivo to obtain the word-count of intangible assets. Ohlson’s (1995) Equity Valuation Model (modified for the intangible assets disclosures) was explicitly applied to examine the value relevance of financial and non-financial information. The overall results provide evidence that book value is the most significant factor and earnings are the least significant factor in deciding share prices in high-tech industries in Australia. This finding supports the previous studies that showed value relevance declined in earnings but increased in book value. This research proved that voluntary disclosures of intangible assets are value relevant, providing support for the previous US and Australian studies and the conclusion that investors probably increasingly rely upon alternative information sources

The expectation-performance gap in generic skills in accounting graduates : Evidence from Sri Lanka

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the generic skills that are important for the career success of accounting graduates in Sri Lanka from the perspectives of university educators and employers.Design/methodology/approachBui and Porter\u27s (2010) expectation-performance gap framework was modified to match with the context of the current study. Data collected via questionnaire survey was analysed for non-parametric tests: the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney test, using SPSS version 20, and quantified the expectation-performance gap and its components.FindingsThe major finding of this research is that the main cause for the expectation-performance gap, as identified in the analysis of the constraint gap is university educators’ low confidence in teaching the required generic skills for career success of graduates. However, university educators are aware of the employer expectations of graduate accountants in terms of generic skills. Employers indicated that many of the generic skills are not achieved by the accounting graduates.Practical implicationsFindings of this study reflect the importance of expanding the accounting curricula by embedding and assessing generic skill development activities. In addition, it is vital to develop the capacities of university educators in terms of teaching and assessing generic skills in accounting degree programmes.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature as one of few studies that investigate the generic skills development of accounting graduates in Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka

Value relevance of information in high-tech industries in Australia : financial and non-financial

The aim of the study is to test the value relevance of financial information and non-financial information in high-tech industries in Australia. A cross sectional sample of ninety one companies from the sectors of Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Technology, Hardware and Equipment and Telecommunication Services of ASX were selected for the analysis. Both financial and non-financial sections of company annual reports were scrutinized to obtain data: earnings, book value and intangible asset disclosures. Value relevance was examined by partially replicating and modifying Ohlson's (1995) Value Relevance Model, by incorporating quantified voluntary disclosures of intangible assets

Generic skills in accounting education in a developing country: exploratory evidence from Sri Lanka

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the generic skills developed during the undergraduate degree from the perspectives of final year undergraduates and graduate employers. Design/methodology/approach - The list of generic skills tested in this study was contextualized to Sri Lanka and developed based on prior studies. Data obtained from stakeholders via a questionnaire survey was analyzed using paired sample t-test; independent sample t-test; principal component analysis; and one-way analysis of variance, with a view to explore, evaluate and compare respondents\u27 perspectives. Findings - The findings revealed both stakeholders believe that most of the generic skills tested in this study are important for graduates\u27 career success. Consistent with prior studies, respondents prioritized generic skills for career success above technical skills. Final year accounting undergraduates are aware of the skill expectations in the employment market. However, they perceive that most of the important generic skills are not adequately developed during the degree. Practical implications - Findings of this study inform the importance of adopting a holistic approach to the redesign of the accounting curricula to accommodate generic skill development during the degree. Suggestions include: establishing strong links between universities, professional accounting institutions and employers; introducing participatory methods of curriculum design; and assimilating continuous reviews and frequent updates to curricula. Originality/value - Sri Lanka, a developing country, was selected for this research given that little has been reported in the literature in terms of generic skills development of accounting graduates in developing countries

Value Relevance of Information in Hi-Tech Industries in Australia: Accounting Information and Intangible Assets Disclosures

The main objective of this study is to test the value relevance of financial and non-financial information in high-tech industries in Australia. It is particularly focussed on voluntary intangible assets disclosers in annual reports in addition to accounting information. This paper was presented at the Eleventh International Business Research Conference held between 2-4 December 2009 at Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel, Sydney, Australi