Impact of Managerial Perception of Intellectual Capital Disclosure Practices on the Credibility of the Financial Statements

This study aims to investigate the impact of managerial perception of intellectual capital disclosure practices on the credibility of the financial statements. As the method, the primary data was collected through a questionnaire. The targeted sample was the financial managers who are directly involved in preparing financial statements in the public limited companies. 150 questionnaires were distributed covering the financial managers in all the sectors using the stratified random sampling method. There were three hypotheses developed covering the major components of intellectual capital as human, customer and social. Correlation analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis using the SPSS software. It was found that there is a relationship between the managerial perception of intellectual capital disclosure practices and the credibility of the financial statements. Through a regression analysis, it showed that there is an impact of intellectual capital disclosure practices on the credibility of financial statements. The managers believe that the existing reporting practices do not represent the reality of the organizational performance until the intellectual capital is incorporated to the financial statements. Further, they have suggested that there should be a proper mechanism to report the intellectual capital in the financial statements or in the annual reports to avoid such kind of misrepresentation.KeywordsIntellectual Capital, Disclosure Practices, Credibility, Financial Statement

Dietary selenized yeast increases the selenium content whereas organic iron (sqm) has no effect on the iron content of pork

The human health benefits of dietary selenium (Se) and iron (Fe) are well established (Rayman, 1997; Kristensen et al., 2005). Meat and meat products are primary sources of dietary Se and iron for humans. Pork from Se and Fe-supplemented pigs may provide an additional source of these nutrients. However, the effects of supplementation of Se and iron on their status in muscles and effects on pork quality are not clearly defined. This study examined the effects of dietary Se and Fe supplementation on the Se and Fe status and meat quality of pork

Competency Framework Developed for Site Administration Officers in a Sri Lankan Construction Company

This case study research was conducted to address the prevalence of ineffective performance management tools and practices that negatively impact the individual work performance (IWP) of site administrative officers in one of the highest-graded construction companies in Sri Lanka by developing a competency framework. Thirty competencies were empirically tested based on the opinion of both administration officers and their direct supervisors, namely project managers using two online questionnaires to ascertain desired, actual, and competency gaps. They were further analysed based on their degree of contribution to the successful performance and their difficulty in improving to create a simplified four -grid competency model, uncovering key, supportive, threshold-trainable and threshold-hardly-trainable competencies, providing important insights for effective recruitment and selection, performance management, training, and career development. Several established models were adopted in the competency framework development process, considering both empirical and thematic aspects. The ability to create trust-building relationships was found to be the key competency that differentiates best performers, along with initiative, stress-tolerance, responsibility, and achievement-orientation as the other key competencies useful as evaluative criteria for IWP. Emotional awareness, commitment, and optimism were found as threshold-hardly-trainable competencies that any administrative officer should embody, making them a predictive criterion in recruitment and selection. The study effectively addressed a theoretical gap of an evidence-based competency framework for the target job role with a Weighted Proficiency Rating (WPR) which could be used as a reference for other highest-graded Sri Lankan construction companies despite its inability to generalise the findings to a broader population due to the limited scope of the study which certainly makes an avenue for inclusive further research. The development of a competency profile, a competency framework, and a simplified competency model for construction administrative officers providing evaluative and predictive criteria for several HRM functions are the major contributions of the study. Keywords: Competency Framework, Competency Model, Administration Officer, Construction, Weighted Proficiency Ratin

Dietary iron improves iron status in finisher pigs fed wheat-based diets

Inulin-type fructans (IFT) have been shown to increase the absorption of copper, zinc and iron. Bacterial fermentation of IFT in the large intestine has been implicated in the increased intestinal absorption of iron naturally present in plant-based diets (Yashuda et al., 2006). Hence, inulin may promote the absorption of iron from the pig's diet and increase muscle iron content in pork. Attempts to increase muscle iron levels using iron supplements alone have largely been unsuccessful. Therefore, this study investigated effects of supplemental inulin (In) and organic iron (Fe) on growth, iron status and pork quality of boars and gilts

THE IMPACT OF SELECTED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING PRACTICES ON TAX REVENUE EFFICIENCY IN A PROVINCIAL COUNCIL IN SRI LANKA

The Provincial Revenue Department of the particular Province was established in the year 1991 with the objective of collecting provincial taxes of the particular Province as per the provision coated in the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution. The Tax Efficiency Ratio (TER) of the Provincial Revenue Department- (PRD) of the particular Province is currently at 3:100 (Rupees). Which means that in order to collect one hundred rupees of tax revenue, the department has to spend three rupees. This implies a high rate of inefficiency with a still higher corresponding figure for the Inland Revenue Department of Sri Lanka at present is Rs. 0.40:100. The international standard for this ratio, covering the developed countries is Rs. 0.10:100 or less than that. The objective of this study is to review and analyze the current management practices and accounting controls and suggest ways and means of improving them which will in fore to improve the TER. The problems associated with Financial Accounting Controls, Management Accounting Controls and General Management Practices were studied in depth which resulted in identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the PRD. This resulted in identifying of recommendations which were made for the short term and long term and also for the Income aspect and Expenditure aspect. With proper design, development and implementation of the practices and controls it should be possible to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of the Provincial Revenue Department of the particular Province; and improvement of the Tax Efficiency Ratio to the required levels. Keywords: Provincial Tax Efficiency, Management Accounting Practices, Sri LankaFor full paper: [email protected]

Selenium enriched pork may reduce colon carcinogenesis

Extensive experimental evidence indicates that selenium (Se) supplementation reduces the incidence of cancer in animals (Hu et al., 2008). However, the delivery of Se is challenging due to its toxicity, especially when consumed in an inorganic form. The consumption of Se enriched pork where the Se is bound in an organic protein matrix could provide a means of delivering direct health benefits for humans (Biesalski, 2002). This study investigated the effectiveness of Se enriched pork in the suppression of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, the putative precursors of colon cancer (Bird and Good, 2000), using a rodent azoxymethane (AOM) induced colon cancer model