Protectionism through legislative layering: Implications for auditors and investors

Protectionism is on the rise. Although it tends to be associated with tariffs on imports, governments are increasingly applying other mechanisms to influence international business. Import substitution initiatives have been used to replace purchases from foreign producers with local alternatives. Russia implemented import substitution through legislative layering where layers of regulation created requirements targeting different industries and companies. Following sanctions imposed in 2014 on Russia, the government responded with additional import substitution efforts. We are interested in effects of such measures on the Big 4, global professional service firms, and the choice of auditors by partially privatized enterprises (PPEs). PPEs have more complex multilevel agency problems because it is less clear who is in charge. We find that companies with state ownership were more likely to switch away from the Big 4, and this was more pronounced for companies in strategic industries. It also contributed to companies switching from the Big 4 to the next tier of audit firms. After 2015, PPEs were less likely to receive a modified audit opinion on IFRS audits. However, auditor changes did not occur at the cross-listed enterprises that are under enhanced monitoring from global investors and foreign stock exchanges.publishedVersio

The relationship between CSR disclosure and accounting conservatism : The role of state ownership

The literature has explored an association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and accounting conservatism. This paper investigates how state ownership moderates this relationship in the context of the emerging Russian economy. Using a sample of 223 publicly listed Russian companies for the period of 2012–2017, we find that companies with higher CSR disclosure tend to have more conservative financial reporting practices. We observe, however, that state ownership has a negative moderating effect on this association, in line with agency theory. Moreover, we explore the unique structure of Russian companies’ state ownership, whereby public companies often have a combination of federal, regional, and municipal state ownership, the outcome of privatization reform. We find that federal state ownership alone or in combination with regional or municipal levels of state ownership has a significantly negative impact on the CSR disclosure–accounting conservatism association. We find no evidence that a regional or municipal level of state ownership, a combination of regional and municipal levels of state ownership, or a combination of all three levels has an impact on the association between CSR disclosure and reporting conservatism. We address the recent call for a contextualized approach that focuses on institutional, legal, and cultural features of different economies to advance our knowledge of the antecedents of CSR disclosure, its association with reporting quality, and the factors that moderate it.© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Students' Use of Second Life in Learning Spanish as a Foreign Language

The affordances of Second Life provide a life-like environment for language learning. This study explores how college students learn Spanish as a foreign language in the Second Life environment. We investigated their perceptions of and experiences with Second Life in their foreign language learning, from a sociocultural perspective. Employing qualitative research methods, we collected chat logs, observations, reflective journals, and interviews. Findings include a) the advantages of authentic communication with native Spanish speakers, b) learners’ motivation and anxiety, c) opportunities to practice the target language, d) the nature of their language production, and e) the participatory culture. Our discussion highlights the various ways in which Second Life can provide a good environment for language learning. We describe benefits such as opportunities for authentic conversation, and to explore the target culture, as well as increased motivation for foreign language learning in Second Life. Students did encounter a few challenges, but in general Second Life provides an excellent platform to practice language skills

A Study on corruption and entrepreneurship

Thesis(Master) --KDI School:Master of Development Policy,2015Corruption is one of the important factors affecting country’s economic growth and development. Mostly people tend to perceive corruption negatively as it is believed that corruption is detrimental for economic growth and development of the country as it discourages investments and deteriorates people’s values and beliefs. This study investigates whether corruption should be perceived as negative phenomenon, or there are favorable sides of corruption that can positively contribute to country’s development, particularly in developing countries. Given study uses 3 models linear regression OLS, fixed panel model and random panel model with two continuous variables from 2004 to 2009 to test if there is any positive correlation between level of corruption and entrepreneurial activities in the country, utilizing CPI index, GEM and WBGES data. The analysis of WBGES data revealed, in support of previous studies, that corruption negatively affects entrepreneurship, nevertheless, the correlation was weak. On the other hand, there was an evidence that corruption has positive correlation with entrepreneurship according to GEM dataset and country specific data analysis which doubts unflinching idea of negative sides of corruption.masterpublishedOksana KIM

A New Powerful Method for Site-Specific Transgene Stabilization Based on Chromosomal Double-Strand Break Repair

Transgenic insects are a promising tool in sterile insect techniques and population replacement strategies. Such transgenic insects can be created using nonautonomous transposons, which cannot be transferred without a transposase source. In biocontrol procedures where large numbers of insects are released, there is increased risk of transgene remobilization caused by external transposase sources that can alter the characteristics of the transgenic organisms lead horizontal transgene transfer to other species. Here we describe a novel, effective method for transgene stabilization based on the introduction of directed double-strand breaks (DSB) into a genome-integrated sequence and their subsequent repair by the single-strand annealing (SSA) pathway. Due to the construct's organization, the repair pathway is predictable, such that all transposon and marker sequences can be deleted, while preserving integration of exogenous DNA in the genome. The exceptional conservation of DNA repair pathways makes this method suitable for a broad range of organisms

2009-2010 Dean\u27s Showcase No. 1

https://spiral.lynn.edu/conservatory_deansshowcase/1029/thumbnail.jp

Occurrence and removal of chemicals of emerging concern in wastewater treatment plants and their impact on receiving water systems

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered the main sources of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic environments, and can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. In this study, WWTP influent, effluent, and sludge, and upstream and downstream waters from the WWTP recipient were investigated at 15 locations for a total of 164 CECs, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and pesticides. In addition, zebrafish (Dania rerio) embryo toxicity tests (ZFET) were applied to WWTP influent and effluent, and upstream and downstream waters from WWTP recipients. A total of 119 CECs were detected in at least one sample, mean concentrations ranging from 0.11 ng/L (propylparaben) to 64,000 ng/L (caffeine), in wastewater samples and from 0.44 ng/L (ciprofloxacin) to 19,000 ng/L (metformin) in surface water samples. Large variations of CEC concentrations were found between the selected WWTPs, which can be explained by differences in CEC composition in influent water and WWTP treatment process. The sludge-water partitioning coefficient (K-d) of CECs showed a significant linear con-elation to octanol/warer partition coefficient (K-ow) (p < 0.001), and thus could be used for predicting their fare in the aqueous and solid phase. The Sigma CEC concentrations in WWTPs declined by on average 60%, based on comparisons of WWTP influent and effluent concentrations. The high concentrations of CECs in WWTP effluent resulted in, on average, 50% higher concentrations of CECs in water downstream of WWTPs compared with upstream. Some WWTP samples showed toxicity in ZFET compared with the respective control group, but no individual CECs or groups of CECs could explain this toxicity. These results could provide a theoretical basis for optimization of existing treatment systems of different designs, and could significantly contribute to protecting recipient waters. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V