Purpose: This study investigates how Chief Financial Officers' (CFOs) personal characteristics affect qualitative materiality decisions during the preparation of financial reporting. While materiality is a key principle in financial reporting, the subjective nature of qualitative judgments remains underexplored, particularly from the perspective of preparers rather than auditors. Methodology: Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory (UET), the study adopts a survey-based approach targeting 160 CFOs from IFRS-compliant, European-listed companies in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The survey captures CFOs' weighting of qualitative materiality factors using a Likert scale. Findings: Results reveal that CFO characteristics significantly affect the integration of qualitative materiality factors. Specifically, older, longer-tenured CFOs and those with prior audit experience are more inclined to integrate qualitative factors into financial materiality decisions, reflecting a more conservative and risk-sensitive approach. Originality/value: The study shifts focus from auditors to financial statement preparers, offering novel insights into how materiality judgments are shaped at the preparatory stage. By integrating Upper Echelons Theory (UET) into the context of materiality assessments, the research introduces a behavioral perspective that enhances the understanding of how executive characteristics shape accounting judgments. This approach expands the boundaries of behavioral accounting literature and provides new insights into the subjective dimensions of financial statement preparation. Practical implications: Findings have implications for standard setters, regulators, and corporate governance by emphasizing the role of CFO characteristics in ensuring consistent and transparent financial reporting. Understanding these behavioral dynamics can inform better training, policy design, and oversight mechanisms.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of unconditional conservatism on investment efficiency, focusing on both its direct and indirect effects.Design/methodology/approachWe conduct multiple regression analyses on a sample of nonfinancial companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2018.FindingsWe provide evidence that conditional conservatism plays a central role in mediating the indirect effects of unconditional conservatism on investment efficiency. This is because a decrease in conditional conservatism, following an increase in unconditional conservatism, leads to reduced investment efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers valuable insights for the growing body of literature on the relationship between accounting conservatism and investment efficiency while emphasizing the critical role of conditional conservatism in mediating the relationship between unconditional conservatism and investment efficiency.Practical implicationsThis study has several implications. Practitioners can make informed decisions regarding accounting policies, predict the potential effects of these choices and mitigate the negative impact of unconditional conservatism on investment efficiency. Investors can make more informed decisions by understanding how unconditional and conditional conservatism affect investment efficiency. Standard setters can guide user behavior toward more efficient investment decisions.Originality/valueConsidering the lack of comprehensive understanding in prior literature regarding the underlying mechanisms through which unconditional conservatism influences investment efficiency, this study investigates the direct and indirect effects characterizing this relationship. We provide evidence supporting a new explanation for the relationship between unconditional conservatism and investment efficiency.

The never-ending fight against corruption has driven local governments (LGs) to prepare and disclose their strategies to prevent and/or reduce corruption. This paper aims to identify possible determinants that can affect disclosure provided through anticorruption plans, specifically the factors that can affect accountability behaviour. To this end, anticorruption plans published by a sample of Italian LGs are analysed. Findings reveal that governance, economic and socio-political features considerably affect anticorruption disclosure. The key lessons from the findings reveal that anticorruption regulations require further surveillance and that key mechanisms must be implemented for more effective action.

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the determinants of the readability non-financial disclosure prepared under the Directive 2014/95/EU in the agrifood and beverage sector. Design/methodology/approach To reach this goal, an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is proposed employing readability and governance variables. The sample is based on European agrifood and beverage listed firms that exceeding 500 employees and are considered public interest entities, including 744 firm-year-observations from 2017, first year after the Directive entered in force, to 2020, last year available. Findings The authors' results suggest the importance of corporate governance mechanisms as drivers in reaching more readability of non-financial information. Practical implications This study provides useful suggestions to policy makers and managers for a better understanding of the role played by some factors on non-financial information (NFI) readability. Moreover, findings may help regulators in confirming that the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee is a step in the right direction to strengthening firms' NFI readability. Lastly, this is beneficial for auditors and preparers who will pay more attention to the internal factors that can push for more (or less) understandability of NFI. Originality/value This research contributes to the academic and practical debate because it adds new insights into the literature on NFI readability and represents fertile area for future researches.

The current paper critically explores current research on the topic of accounting and blockchain. It draws from the commonly accepted categorization of account-ing studies into financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, and other accounting-related subjects. Borrowing this categorization and assuming a more holistic posture to observe blockchain implications for accounting, the study dis-cusses how blockchain can contribute to each building block of accounting studies and helps expand the boundaries of accounting research. The piece has relevance for the academic debate and, above all, for practitioners and policymakers, raising several issues that need to be dealt with in the foreseeable future

Purpose—This study investigates whether corporate governance mechanisms can affect the readability of non-financial reporting required by Directive No. 2014/95/EU. In particular, it examines the impact of board independence, gender diversity, the social committee, and the impact of the social rating on non-financial information (NFI) readability. Design/methodology/approach—The analysis is performed on a sample of 82 firms listed in the Italian Stock Exchange mandated by the EU Directive, and covers the periods 2017 and 2018. We used the Gunning Fog index to measure the NFI readability. Thus, we perform a regression analysis to empirically test its association with test variables and some other control variables. Expected Findings—Our findings show that board independence, the social committee, gender diversity, and the social rating (i.e., the ESG score) improve the NFI readability of Italian-listed firms. Originality/value/contribution—This research contributes to the academic debate in several ways. Firstly, it adds fresh insights into the literature on the role played by corporate governance mechanisms on NFI readability. Secondly, this study provides useful information to give policymakers a better understanding of the factors that improve the NFI readability of firms. Thirdly, findings may help regulators in confirming that the establishment of a social committee is a step in the right direction to enhance firms’ NFI readability.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether the characteristics of the chief financial officer (CFO) have an impact on the intensity of the corporate research and development (R&D) investment.Design/methodology/approachBased on hand-collected data for the CFOs of a sample of the largest European listed companies for the period 2013–2016, this study uses regression analyses to test empirically the association of CFO education, CFO gender and CFO age with R&D investment intensity.FindingsThe presence of female CFOs, CFOs with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree and older CFOs is positively associated with the intensity of R&D investment.Research limitations/implicationsThis study relies on some observable characteristics of CFOs and focuses on large listed companies.Practical implicationsThe results of this study may help investors, stakeholders and practitioners to understand better which type of CFO characteristics are more likely to result in higher firm-level R&D investment intensity.Originality/valueThis study offers the first insights into the impact of CFOs, as the most prominentC-suite executives, on the level of corporate investments in R&D activity.

Disclosure on Anticorruption Strategies in Italian Local Governments Italian local governments are mandated to publish their three-year anticorruption plans on their website, in accordance with specific guidelines to try to limit the corruption phenomenon ex ante. Embracing an institutional theory perspective, namely coercive isomorphism, and to tap into the areas most covered/uncovered, the paper investigates to what extent the plans published by all Italian provincial capitals comply with the national guidelines. Results demonstrate that local au-thorities comply partially with guideline requirements. Furthermore, results show local authorities are more compliant only with regard to certain sections of the plans (i.e. Risk Management), while others appear neglected (i.e. Raising the quali-ty level and monitoring the quality of the training provided). Moreover, a high heterogeneity appears between items provided in different plans.

The current paper moves from the awareness that the literature on accounting change, especially for the public sector, is still inconclusive and leaves room for more inquiry, because of a compartmentalized approach to the understanding of these phenomena. Thus, the aim of the current paper is to realize a review of the studies on accounting change in public sector, identifying the approaches (i.e. mainstream, critical and interpretive) and focusing on the determinants of such processes, to enucleate in the debate the issues of accountability, power and politics, context and culture, as well as complexity, thus overcoming the existing lack of systematic comprehension. This will allow us to offer a bases for a unitary view of these phenomena, better encompassing the effects of those internal and external forces mounding change. Methodologically, the paper employs a systematic review approach to gather data, then analyzed by means of a linear regression.

This study investigates individuals’ blockchain adoption behavior focusing on the Italian setting, and gathering perceptions from information systems practitioners and entrepreneurs. The aim of the paper is to understand what are the factors that push organizational actors to use the blockchain. To this aim we embrace the second version of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The model was estimated using the structural equation modeling with partial least square estimation (PLS-SEM). Our results show that performance expectancy and social influence are factors that have a strong positive effect on people intention to adopt blockchain. Surprisingly, the findings unveil that experience has a negative effect on blockchain use intention. This allows us to argue that the technology under scrutiny has such a disruptive nature that individuals with previous experience look at it with skepticisms as its implementation involves a full re-think of all routines and practices.

The current paper relies upon Broadbent and Laughlin’s (Manag Account Res 20(4):283–295, 2009 , Accounting control and controlling accounting: interdisciplinary and critical perspectives, Emerald, Bingley, 2013 ) notion of culture, context, and steering mechanisms to understand how context and culture mould PMS change in healthcare switching from one pathway to another. It employs the case study of an Italian regional health service carried out over a 3-year period (2010–2013) with 25 semi-structured interviews with relevant actors (regional councillors, CEOs of healthcare organisations, and physicians that are heads of health departments), and including the retrospective collection of data on the period 2005–2009 through respondents’ views supported by secondary data. The findings show a switch from the reorientation trough absorption response of the first period (2005–2009) to the reorientation trough boundary management towards evolution response of the second period (2010–2013). They highlight that this is the result of a change in context and the leading rationalities towards a policy based on cooperation and stakeholder dialogue through the development of a common language helping to supersede previous inability to interact. It enlightens that the change in the RHS came about in the wake of a hybridisation of all the actors involved which can be construed as an enlargement in their interpretive schemes happening at the individual level and influencing the organisational level. In the study RHS the change in context and culture favoured the formation of a managerial logic and an enrichment of the value system of the organisation towards a well-functioning PMS. In turn the PMS daily helps to reinforce the cooperative and dialogic approach, prompting a virtuous circle, and offering broader insights relevant to theory, practice, and the policymakers.

This chapter investigates whether Italian-listed companies involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) during the period 2009–2017 manipulated earnings through recourse to discretionary accruals in response to financial market competition. Interest in the possible effects of competition on earnings management practices follows the considerable attention attracted by the effects of business combinations on disclosure quality and reliability. M&A represents an opportunity for managers to manipulate financial reports and to deliver misleading market information in order to enhance company reputation and attract funds from investors. This empirical analysis demonstrates that Italian-listed companies involved in M&A used goodwill as a discretionary accrual for managing earnings. The findings indicate that the increasing level of financial market competition between Italian-listed companies prompted major recourse to earnings management practices based on discretionary accruals.

Innovation processes are becoming increasingly central, and newer industries have become already less resource-intensive in comparison with the traditional ones. Nevertheless, this alone does not assure sustainability, which requires a step further towards economically viable, environmentally compatible, and socially responsible behaviours. This chapter addresses the issues relating to sustainable development to provide a critical discussion on the potential role played by networking relationships in the biotech field. For the purposes of the study, we employ the co-management and multi-stakeholder perspectives. We demonstrate that the biotechnology research results may be enhanced thanks to cooperation dynamics and interactions among heterogeneous actors, with undeniable cultural and social positive impacts. Also, we discuss social implications and open concerns, both with regard to the relationships within innovative networks and between institutional professional actors, allowing the identification of any grey areas and limitations, especially relevant to policy makers.

Using a unique dataset of 1270 Egyptian listed firm-year observations over 2003–2014, we investigate whether the basic premises according to the pecking order or market timing theories provide an explanation for the capital structure mix of Egyptian firms. Current work has provided mixed evidence in regard to these capital structure theories in the Egyptian context. Our results show that the most profitable firms are less likely to resort to external financing. However, in case where financial deficits exist then equity issued appears to track the deficit rather than debt. Moreover, issuances appear to track deficit periods instead of market timing attempts. Results obtained support notion that the typical Egyptian firm follows revised pecking order theory, with the importance of the four conventional determinants, profitability, tangibility, size effect and growth opportunity in debt holdings.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper exploits a unique data set of 452 non-listed companies that obtained a reputational assessment from the Italian Competition Authority (ICA). To test the hypotheses, this study implemented several regression analyses. Findings Results support the argument that human capital efficiency is a key driver of corporate reputation. Findings also reveal that companies, which obtained reputational rating under ICA scrutiny, show a positive relationship between IC elements and various measures of financial performance. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on a single country; it is not free from the imprecisions of Pulic's VAIC model. Practical implications This paper recommends companies that are interested to achieve a robust reputation should consider the human capital as a strategic intangible asset. Second, the results suggest that companies with an ICA reputational rating are able to leverage their intangibles to potentiate performance and competitiveness. Originality/value This is the first empirical investigation on the contribution of IC in generating value for corporate reputation. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature on the link between IC and performance by examining a sample of firms not yet explored in prior research.

Several authors tried to explain the key determinants in technology acceptance using the technology acceptance model (TAM). TAM posits that ease of use and usefulness predict technology usage. Despite it strong usage there are several studies that show a lack in the model due to the absence of personal factors that should be considered. This paper aims to show the existence of significant difference in technology usage between different groups of people. Two hundred and fifty individuals responded to a survey about technology usage in their firms. Our results show that there is a statistically significant difference in ease of use and in perceived usefulness. The investigation applies TAM to help researchers, developers and managers understand antecedents to users’ intention to use.