An analysis of the evolution of crown financial statements in New Zealand : a grounded theory approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Accountancy at Massey University

In April 1992 the Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand (also called Crown Financial Statements (CFSs)) were published for the six months ended 31 December 1991. These accrual statements consolidated the activities of Government and were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice (GAAP). This initiative by a sovereign government is believed to be unprecedented in the world in recent times. The initiative occurred within core public sector management reform undertaken in New Zealand since 1987, a subset of broader economic reform that commenced with the election of the Fourth Labour Government in July, 1984. This study investigates how the process of change led to the evolution of CFSs in New Zealand. Grounded theory, an interpretive research strategy, is applied to discover why this initiative was taken in New Zealand. The primary source of data for this study came from interviews with participants involved with the development of CFSs at various stages (i.e., idea initiation, development, approval, and implementation). Interview data were supplemented by searching archival documents, newspaper cuttings collected since the commencement of the study, and the literature. The study provides a substantive theoretical framework to explain many mutually shaping factors that influenced the phenomenon under investigation. All the conceptual categories (Key People. Axial Principles, Communicating Ideas, Contextual Determinants, Ethos, Knowledge, Process of Change, Synergistic Process of Change, Innovation, Action, Information and Consequences) illustrated in the framework are defined and explained with supporting extracts from interview data. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, it offers a new way of understanding accounting by developing a framework that incorporates many complex and interdependent factors that influenced the publication of CFSs in New Zealand. Second, the study explains the approach taken and how the research evolved during the research process in a manner that would benefit other similar research. Key Words: Crown Financial Statements; Grounded Theory

Environmental Law, Governance, and Management- the Need for Environmental Management Systems for Cities

Human activities damage the environment. They deplete natural resources, generate pollution and wastes, accelerate the loss of forests and biological diversity, as well as threaten the water supply. As populations increase, these problems are exacerbated. Cities bear the brunt of increased human activities on limited land space with limited resources. It is therefore essential that cities adopt a system of environmental governance that will help ensure sustainability. As each city has its own mix of geographic, social, economic, political and environmental problems, it would be simplistic to suggest that there is a formula for sustainability that would fit every city. What is clear is that every city needs an effective environmental management system (EMS) to manage its many activities, to ensure that development is controlled, environmental damage is minimized, natural areas are preserved and its citizens have an enhanced quality of life. This paper examines the ingredients for sound environmental management in cities, particularly cities in the developing world. It submits that a sound EMS for a city must first start with sound environmental policies, land use planning and good environmental laws. It emphasizes that the best environmental laws will not work if it is not integrated with sound management policies and implementation, starting with the building of the environmental infrastructure, both physical and institutional. This paper then looks at ISO 14001 certification, in the context of a city and asserts that environmental management systems in their current context, focus largely on resolving problems of pollution. There is a clear lack of ecological dimensions in environmental management systems as exemplified by the ISO 14000 series. This paper submits that environmental stewardship and ecological sustainability is at the heart of sustainable development, and the integration of the natural environment within the city has been largely overlooked. It advocates bringing the natural environment back to our cities and the incorporation of this dimension into environmental management systems. The paper introduces the Singapore Index on Cities\u27 Biodiversity, adopted at the CBD\u27s COP-10 Meeting in Nagoya, Japan, 2010

New records and additions to the hepatic flora of Uganda 2

82 liverwort taxa are recorded from Uganda, of which 24 are new to the flora of the country. Colura hedbergiana, Colura kilimanjarica and Harpalejeunea fischeri found on Mt. Elgon, were previously known only from their type locality on Mt. Kilimanjaro or on Mt. Karisimbi. A Madagascan-Mascarene species, Plagiochila boryana was also found on Mt. Elgon. Its only known previous locality in continental Africa was Mt. Kilimanjaro

Confidence bounds for the extremum determined by a quadratic regression

A quadratic function is frequently used in regression to infer the existence of an extremum in a relationship. Examples abound in fields such as economics, epidemiology and environmental science. However, most applications provide no formal test of the extremum. Here we compare the Delta method and the Fieller method in typical applications and perform a Monte Carlo study of the coverage of these confidence bounds. We find that unless the parameter on the squared term is estimated with great precision, the Fieller confidence interval may posses dramatically better coverage than the Delta methodTurning Point, Fieller interval, U-shaped

A Reinterpretation of Interactions in Regressions

Regression specifications in applied econometrics frequently employ regressors that are defined as the product of two other regressors to form an interaction. Unfortunately, the interpretation of the results of these models is not as straight forward as in the linear case. In this paper, we present a method for drawing inferences for interaction models by defining the partial influence function. We present an example that demonstrates how one may draw new inferences by constructing the confidence intervals for the partial influence functions based on the traditional published findings for regressions with interaction terms.Interaction effects; dummy variables; linear transformation; Fieller method

Interactions in Regressions

Regression specifications frequently employ regressors that are defined as the product of two other regressors to form an interaction. Unfortunately, these models have a number of potential difficulties when it comes to interpretation. In this paper, we discuss two common aspects of these specifications that can lead to difficulties. The first is the change in parameter estimates and tstatistics when different definitions of dummy variables are used. The second involves an application of Fieller’s theorem to draw appropriate inferences from a regression with interaction variables.Interaction effects; dummy variables; linear transformation; Fieller method

Alcohol Consumption, Smoking and Wages.

The good health of an individual is a combination of uncontrollable factors that includes genetics and random events and controllable factors through the regulation of activities such as smoking and drinking. Since the work of Grossman (1972) a significant relationship between health and earnings is predicted. In this paper, the 1995 Australian National Health Survey is used to simultaneously examine the effects of drinking and smoking on wages. To model the interaction of smoking with alcohol consumption separate models are fit for smokers and nonsmokers. These models account for potential selectivity bias resulting from the decision to smoke and endogeneity arising from a potential casual relationship between earnings and alcohol consumption.WAGES ; ALCOHOL ; CONSUMPTION ; MODELS

The Indirect Impacts of Smoking Bans in Gaming Venues

Recent changes in smoking laws have influenced gambling behaviour at Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) venues. In this paper we review the literature that examines the interrelationship between gambling, problem gambling and smoking in order to gauge the indirect effects of smoking bans in gaming venues. We then perform an analysis on the consequences of a smoking ban in Victoria, Australia that was instituted on September 1st, 2002. This analysis investigates the nature of the pattern of drops in local EGM revenue and the impact on the state tax revenue.slot machines, pokies, tax revenue, border effects