Matching Items (13)
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- All Subjects: Accounting
- Creators: Cassidy, Nancy
- Creators: Garverick, Michael
- Creators: Dawson, Gregory
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Resource Type: Text
Description
In A Comparative Analysis of Indoor and Greenhouse Cannabis Cultivation Systems, the two most common systems for commercial cannabis cultivation are compared using an operational and capital expenditure model combined with a collection of relevant industry sources to ascertain conclusions about the two systems' relative competitiveness. The cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing nascent industries in the United States, and, as it evolves into a mature market, it will require more sophisticated considerations of resource deployment in order to maximize efficiency and maintain competitive advantage. Through drawing on leading assumptions by industry experts, we constructed a model of each system to demonstrate the dynamics of typical capital deployment and cost flow in each system. The systems are remarkably similar in many respects, with notable reductions in construction costs, electrical costs, and debt servicing for greenhouses. Although the differences are somewhat particular, they make up a large portion of the total costs and capital expenditures, causing a marked separation between the two systems in their attractiveness to operators. Besides financial efficiency, we examined quality control, security, and historical norms as relevant considerations for cannabis decision makers, using industry sources to reach conclusions about the validity of each of these concerns as a reason for resistance to implementation of greenhouse systems. In our opinion, these points of contention will become less pertinent with the technological and legislative changes surrounding market maturation. When taking into account the total mix of information, we conclude that the greenhouse system is positioned to become the preeminent method of production for future commercial cannabis cultivators.
ContributorsShouse, Corbin (Co-author) / Nichols, Nathaniel (Co-author) / Swenson, Dan (Thesis director) / Cassidy, Nancy (Committee member) / Feltham, Joe (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Cognitive technology has been at the forefront of the minds of many technology, government, and business leaders, because of its potential to completely revolutionize their fields. Furthermore, individuals in financial statement auditor roles are especially focused on the impact of cognitive technology because of its potential to eliminate many of the tedious, repetitive tasks involved in their profession. Adopting new technologies that can autonomously collect more data from a broader range of sources, turn the data into business intelligence, and even make decisions based on that data begs the question of whether human roles in accounting will be completely replaced. A partial answer: If the ramifications of past technological advances are any indicator, cognitive technology will replace some human audit operations and grow some new and higher order roles for humans. It will shift the focus of accounting professionals to more complex judgment and analysis.
The next question: What do these changes in the roles and responsibilities look like for the auditors of the future? Cognitive technology will assuredly present new issues for which humans will have to find solutions.
• How will humans be able to test the accuracy and completeness of the decisions derived by cognitive systems?
• If cognitive computing systems rely on supervised learning, what is the most effective way to train systems?
• How will cognitive computing fair in an industry that experiences ever-changing industry regulations?
• Will cognitive technology enhance the quality of audits?
In order to answer these questions and many more, I plan on examining how cognitive technologies evolved into their use today. Based on this historic trajectory, stakeholder interviews, and industry research, I will forecast what auditing jobs may look like in the near future taking into account rapid advances in cognitive computing.
The conclusions forecast a future in auditing that is much more accurate, timely, and pleasant. Cognitive technologies allow auditors to test entire populations of transactions, to tackle audit issues on a more continuous basis, to alleviate the overload of work that occurs after fiscal year-end, and to focus on client interaction.
The next question: What do these changes in the roles and responsibilities look like for the auditors of the future? Cognitive technology will assuredly present new issues for which humans will have to find solutions.
• How will humans be able to test the accuracy and completeness of the decisions derived by cognitive systems?
• If cognitive computing systems rely on supervised learning, what is the most effective way to train systems?
• How will cognitive computing fair in an industry that experiences ever-changing industry regulations?
• Will cognitive technology enhance the quality of audits?
In order to answer these questions and many more, I plan on examining how cognitive technologies evolved into their use today. Based on this historic trajectory, stakeholder interviews, and industry research, I will forecast what auditing jobs may look like in the near future taking into account rapid advances in cognitive computing.
The conclusions forecast a future in auditing that is much more accurate, timely, and pleasant. Cognitive technologies allow auditors to test entire populations of transactions, to tackle audit issues on a more continuous basis, to alleviate the overload of work that occurs after fiscal year-end, and to focus on client interaction.
ContributorsWitkop, David (Author) / Dawson, Gregory (Thesis director) / Munshi, Perseus (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Blockchain is a sophisticated and complex technology that will have a massive impact on the public accounting industry. Currently there is concern surrounding how blockchain may impact the industry as a whole. Auditors and accountants are worried that this technology has the potential to replace the responsibilities they fulfill. However, blockchain technology will not replace accountants and will enhance their daily activities by eliminating menial tasks, providing increased transparency, and allowing time to be spent in areas that require more consideration. This will change the role of accountants and professionals, requiring them to be more technologically proficient and analytically minded. This paper is organized as follows. There will be an initial explanation of the technology to inform the reader of what blockchain is and how it works. Then there will be a discussion regarding how blockchain technology relates to, and can be utilized by, public accounting firms as well as the implications of blockchain on the public accounting industry. These implications will be discussed followed by why they are extraneous, and how to combat them in both the assurance and advisory practices. In conclusion, recommendations will be provided for public accounting firms on how to effectively utilize the technology to their benefit.
ContributorsLomsdalen, Stephen A (Co-author) / Charen, Stephanie (Co-author) / Samuelson, Melissa (Thesis director) / Garverick, Michael (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Given its impact on the accounting profession and public corporations, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002(SOX) is a widely researched regulation among accounting scholars. Research typically focuses on the impact it has had on corporations, executives and auditors, however, there is limited research that illustrates the impact SOX may have on average Americans. There were several US criminal code sections that resulted from the passing of SOX. Statute 1519, which is often referred to as the "anti-shredding provision", penalizes anyone who "knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to" obstruct a current or foreseeable federal investigation. This statute, although intended to punish behavior similar to that which occurred in the early 2000s by corporations and auditors, has been used to charge people beyond its original intent. Several issues with the crafting of the statute cause its broad application and some litigation even reached the Supreme Court due to its vague wording. Not only is the statute being applied beyond the intent, there are other issues that legal scholars have critiqued it for. This statute is far from being the only law facing these issues as the same issues and critiques are found in the 14th amendment. Rewriting the statute seems to be the most effective way to address the concerns of judges, lawyers and defendants regarding the statute. In addition, Congress could have passed this statute outside of SOX to avoid being seen as overreaching if obstruction of justice related to documents was actually an issue outside of corporate fraud.
ContributorsGonzalez, Joana (Author) / Samuelson, Melissa (Thesis director) / Lowe, Jordan (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
It appears that students have an overall negative perception of accountants due to the negative connotations associated with the profession. The overarching stereotype of an accountant appears to be one of a professional that lacks soft skills but is known to excel at hard skills. After personally working in audit, I do not believe auditors lack the soft skills that stereotypes portray but, in fact, believe they excel at these along with hard skills. It is for this reason that I surveyed undergraduate students at Arizona State University to understand their perceptions of the accounting profession. I also surveyed audit professionals at both EY LLP and the Arizona State Office of the Auditor General to understand the importance of specific traits that a professional auditor would exhibit in their daily job function. After conducting a statistical analysis, I found that the only trait where there was a statistically significant deviation between students' perceptions and professional auditors' realities was with the importance of communication in the profession. Students, on average, rated the importance of communication lower than professional auditors rated this. I also found that there was only a statistically significant deviation in the importance of creativity and volunteerism in students' future industries compared to the importance of these traits in audit, and that there were 10 other traits that did not have a statistically significant deviation. Although this is the case, students, on average, said they would not be willing to take a job in the accounting profession. Yet, it was found that students, on average, have an overall positive opinion about the accounting profession. Although the results disagree in some regards to my hypotheses, this research shows that the importance of communication should be emphasized more in introductory accounting courses. It also can be used to inform students that there is little difference in the importance of specific traits they will exhibit in their future jobs compared to the importance of those in audit.
ContributorsAroz, Connor Alejandro (Author) / Cassidy, Nancy (Thesis director) / Geiger, Karen (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Women have more opportunities to expand their career aspirations than ever before, so many view it as being acutely relevant. However, although women now account for more than half of the work force, there is still a considerable gap in the representation of women in the top leadership positions within their organizations. This trend is especially prevalent in public accounting firms. Drilling down to the root cause of gender inequality in firm management reveals several key obstacles that women face including generational gender biases, inflexible work schedules, insufficient career development training, and limited visibility of other female leaders. The negative implications of uneven gender distribution in upper management leave a potential for firms to miss opportunities for diverse perspectives on innovations, solutions, and advancement in the industry. Furthermore, firms make tremendous investments on extensive training of their professionals throughout the entire length of their careers, so high turnover rates cause a significant loss to each firm's investment in their human capital. So, public accounting firms have made considerable investments to develop resources and programs in order to combat the issues that create gender inequality and uneven turnover. The thesis begins by reviewing the Ann Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse trail, which was a pivotal point in changing how public accounting firms treat and prevent sex discrimination within their organizations. The rest of the thesis analyzes the correlation between the barriers that are most frequently linked to hindering women's success in public accounting and the programs that firms have installed to address those barriers. It also addresses qualitative accounts from female CPAs on the actual effectiveness of their firm's programs on the longevity of their careers in public accounting, as well as perspectives from current Accountancy students on the relevancy of diversity and inclusion programs.
ContributorsValdivia, Ashley Lynae (Author) / Cassidy, Nancy (Thesis director) / Huston, Janet (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Theoretically, negative shareholders' equity ("deficit") indicates that a business is insolvent. Yet many large, profitable businesses report deficits today. My research focused on the fast-food industry, namely McDonald's, Starbucks, Yum! Brands, and Papa John's, to uncover how these deficits came about and what they mean for investors.
ContributorsWorkman, Zachary Ryan (Author) / White, Roger (Thesis director) / Cassidy, Nancy (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis discusses accounting fraud in the workplace today, using the recent Wirecard scandal as a jumping off point. The thesis goes into the common causes of accounting fraud (organized by the three components of the fraud triangle), effective methods for countering fraud, and lessons that can be learned from the 2020 Wirecard scandal
ContributorsLudwig, William August (Author) / Garverick, Michael (Thesis director, Committee member) / Wolfe, Mindy (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Inclusion of diverse talent in the field of public accounting has been highly prioritized by the profession since the late 1960s. In seeking to acquire racially/ethnically diverse talent in addition to an expanding set of identities (e.g. veterans, people with disabilities, LGTBQ+, and various backgrounds contributing to “diversity of thought”), Big Four Public Accounting firms have taken on more operational ownership of their Diversity and Inclusion programming. We conducted interviews with D&I program facilitators and surveyed Accounting and Finance students at Arizona State University to assess whether these programs align with students’ outlooks and are being properly presented to enhance awareness. The uniformity across the Big Four’s D&I program structures, the persistence in competition among them in relation to talent acquisition and retention, and students’ lack of awareness relating to program timing and existence lead us to conclude that efforts in improving diversity and inclusion in Big Four Public Accounting are most effective when the Big Four act collectively
ContributorsAlaniz, Leslie M (Co-author) / Quintana, Jacob (Co-author) / Samuels, Janet (Thesis director) / Dawson, Gregory (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This paper consists of a literature review, wherein four papers surrounding Motivation Crowding Theory (MCT) were read and analyzed. The paper then goes into an analysis of a survey I conducted. The survey consisted of three main questions with three sub-questions for each, and all attempted to find a "limit" to MCT. However, results for the survey were ultimately inconclusive. The paper concludes with lessons learned in conducting research and surveys in particular, as well as a nod to the relevancy of MCT in business and personal applications.
ContributorsSmith, Mallory Anne (Author) / Reckers, Phil (Thesis director) / Samuelson, Melissa (Committee member) / Lowe, Jordan (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05