bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical audit: are we not closing the loop?
Authors: Dunne Declan , Lal Nikhil , Pranesh Nagarajan , Spry Michael , Mcfaul Christopher , Rooney Paul
Published: October 2018

Purpose

A clinical audit is a key component of the clinical governance framework. The rate of audit completion in general surgery has not been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to assess the rates of audit activity and completion and explore the barriers to successful audit completion.

Design/methodology/approach

This was a multi-centre study evaluating current surgical audit practice. A standardised audit proforma was designed. All clinical audits in general surgery during a two-year period were identified and retrospectively reviewed. Data held by the audit departments were collated, and individual audit teams were contacted to verify the data accuracy. Audit teams failing to complete the full audit cycle with a re-audit were asked to explain the underlying reasons behind this.

Findings

Of the six trusts approached, two refused to participate, and one failed to initiate the project. A total of 39 audits were registered across three surgical directorates. Only 15 out of 39 audits completed at least one audit cycle, with 4 deemed of no value to re-audit. Only seven audits were completed to re-audit. Achieving a publication or a presentation was the most cited reason for not completing the audit loop.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates that the poor rates of audit completion rate found in other areas of clinical medicine pervade general surgery. Improved completion of an audit is essential and strategies to achieve this are urgently needed.
Corporate governance and voluntary risk and forward-looking disclosures
Authors: Elgammal Mohammed M. , Hussainey Khaled , Ahmed Fatma
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of corporate governance on risk and forward-looking disclosures in Qatar.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors automatically measure levels of risk and forward-looking disclosures in the annual reports of Qatari firms for the period 2008–2014. The authors also use two ways clustered error pooled panel regressions to examine the determinants of these disclosures.

Findings

The authors find that firms with a higher percentage of foreign ownership disclose more forward-looking information; conversely, board size has a negative impact on the forward-looking disclosure. Financial firms tend to disclose less forward-looking information, however, they tend to disclose more forward-looking information after the 2008 global financial crisis. The authors also find negative relationships between the risk disclosure and both the number of non-executive members of the board of directors and duality role of the CEO.

Research limitations/implications

The study uses the quantity of disclosure as a proxy for the quality of disclosure.

Practical implications

The findings should help the users of corporate annual reports in Qatar to understand managerial incentives for reporting risk and forward-looking information. This should help regulators to set a proper set of disclosure rules. Moreover, this study increases our understanding of the behavior of international investors and the board characteristics (i.e. board size) in motivating risk and forward-looking disclosures in Qatari firms.

Originality/value

The authors provide the original empirical evidence on the impact of corporate ownership and board characteristics on risk and forward-looking disclosures for Qatari firms using two ways clustered error pooled panel regressions.
Investors’ sentiment and accruals anomaly: European evidence
Authors: Beer Francisca , Hamdi Badreddine , Zouaoui Mohamed
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether investors’ sentiment affects accruals anomaly across European countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors estimate the model using Fama–MacBeth regressions. The sample includes 54,572 firm-year observations for 4,787 European firms during the period 1994–2014.

Findings

The authors find that investors’ sentiment influences accruals mispricing across European countries. The effect is pronounced for stocks whose valuations are highly subjective and difficult to arbitrage. The cross-country analysis provides evidence that sentiment influences accruals anomaly in countries with weaker outside shareholder rights, lower legal enforcement, lower equity market development, higher allowance of accrual accounting and in countries where herd-like behavior and overreaction behavior are strong.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest the generalizability of the sentiment-accruals anomaly relation in European countries characterized by different cultural values, levels of economic development and legal tradition.

Practical implications

The findings suggest to caution individuals investors. These investors would be wise to take into account the impact of sentiment on the performance of their portfolio. They must keep in mind that periods of high optimism are accompanied by a high level of accruals and followed by low future stock returns.

Originality/value

The research supplements previous American studies by showing the significance of the level of sentiment in understanding the accruals anomaly in Europe. Hence, it is important for future studies to consider investor sentiment as an important time-series determinant of the accruals anomaly, particularly for stocks that are hard to value and difficult to arbitrage.
CEOs’ accounting-based attributes and earnings management strategies under mandatory IFRS adoption
Authors: Kouaib Amel , Jarboui Anis , Mouakhar Khaireddine
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the moderating effect of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption on the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) experience/education and earnings management in European companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from a sample of 302 European firms listed on Stoxx Europe 600 index and 596 CEOs from 2000 to 2014 are used to test the moderation model using moderation regression analysis.

Findings

Evidence reveals that CEO’s accounting-based attributes are negatively associated with accruals-based earnings management and positively associated with real earnings management (REM). Further, mandatory IFRS adoption significantly moderates the impact of CEO’s accounting-based traits on earnings-management activities.

Research limitations/implications

A small number of European firms were studied and, given the long study period, many firms with missing data were eliminated. To avoid a small sample size, countries with few observations were included, which leads to an uneven distribution between observations per country.

Practical implications

Findings from this paper can help: European firms to consider demographic traits when recruiting or promoting executives; the IASB to improve enforcement mechanisms and make IFRS implementation mandatory; and audit committees to effectively monitor REM.

Originality/value

This study is unique in providing European evidence for the moderating effect of mandatory IFRS adoption on the relationship between CEOs’ accounting experience/education and earnings management activities. This paper is also relevant as it addresses the effectiveness and efficiency of accounting literates.
Efficacy of going concern prediction model for creditor oriented regime via liquidation
Authors: Javaid Muhammad Irfan , Javid Attiya Yasmin
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the original and the revised versions of the existing prediction models are the best tools for assessing the going concern assumption of a firm in the creditor-oriented regime.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis begins from estimating the classification accuracy of the original versions of the bankruptcy, going concern and liquidation prediction models. At the second step, the revised versions of the aforesaid existing prediction models are developed. At the third step, the accounting-based going concern prediction model is proposed by using multiple discriminant analysis for the creditor-oriented regime. The sample contains the financial ratios of manufacturing firms for the period 1997–2014.

Findings

The finding indicates that the five discriminatory variables, which belong to “income statement” and “statement of financial position,” of the proposed model are not only useful for evaluating the going concern assumption of a firm, but also give aid for evaluating the financial fraud risk of a firm as compared to the original and revised versions of the prediction models that are developed for the debtor-oriented regime.

Research limitations/implications

The external validity of the proposed prediction model can be tested on the large data sets of the countries where the liquidation provisions are a part of their local corporate law.

Practical implications

The proposed accounting prediction model will be helpful for the internal and external auditors in order to determine the going concern assumption at planning, performing and evaluation stages.

Originality/value

The proposed accounting-based going concern prediction model is based on liquidated firms.
The influence of management accountants on managerial decisions
Authors: ten Rouwelaar Hans , Bots Jan , De Loo Ivo
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate which factors stimulate or hinder the influence management accountants operating at the business unit (BU) level have on the decisions taken by their BU manager(s).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from 119 management accountants in 77 Dutch, multi-divisional organizations, using surveys.

Findings

The study shows that influence on managerial decisions can have two forms: influence on strategic decisions, and influence on operating decisions. Influence on strategic decisions is positively related to the degree of decentralization of an organization. It also depends on whether a management accountant is more extravert and emotionally stable. There is a negative relationship between influence on operational decisions and management accountants’ agreeableness. Not being sufficiently critical may well diminish their influence on operational affairs.

Research limitations/implications

The authors put the view that management accountants at the BU level can partially affect their own role. This may also be expected by their managers. There are more opportunities for management accountants to influence strategic decisions than operational decisions. This study, however, is limited to Dutch, multi-divisional organizations. The management accountants who completed the survey also belong to the personal networks of master degree students who assisted in the data collection process, so that the sample used is not random. Data collected in another country, or in smaller companies could yield different results.

Practical implications

Knowing more about the complex relationship between BU management accountants’ personality traits and their degree of influence on managerial decisions allows organizations to make better-informed choices about who to appoint in such a role.

Originality/value

This study distinguishes between management accountants’ influence on strategic decisions and influence on operational decisions. At the BU level, these are two distinct concepts. This reinforces findings from earlier studies conducted at the corporate level. In addition, it turns out that specific personality traits of management accountants, at the BU level, affect the influence they can exert on both strategic and operational decisions taken by their manager(s).
Opportunity identification and identity creation in non-profit organizations
Authors: Elfving Jennie , Howard Pernilla
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This study aims to deepen the authors’ understanding of how identity influences opportunity perception in non-profit organizations. The authors expand to the discussion about opportunity perception by including the concepts of organizational identity, collective entrepreneurial cognition, co-creation and storytelling.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reports on a qualitative analysis of interviews, observations, reflections and other material produced during a European Union-financed project called FöreningsKICK. All in all, 35 workshops and lectures on how to develop associations have been held for 345 participants, representing 120 associations.

Findings

A collective identity is important because it influences how opportunities are perceived. A weak team spirit and a weak identity may even lead to situations where member choose to ignore good opportunities because they feel that pursuing the ideas would result in too much work for them personally. Contrariwise, a strong collective identity fosters an atmosphere of trust, which makes the members more willing to recognize and pursue opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

This is a case study in a limited geographical area. To ensure generalizability, more research is needed.

Practical implications

The authors’ model provides a good opportunity to point out strategic and communicational shortcomings in organizations. When these are resolved, the result is a stronger organizational identity and new opportunities.

Originality/value

This study bridges a research gap by shifting focus of the entrepreneurial cognition research from an individual perspective to a collective perspective.
Investigating the differences in entrepreneurial success through the firm-specific factors
Authors: Blažková Ivana , Dvouletý Ondřej
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of firm-specific determinants on the entrepreneurial success (measured through the objective financial performance) of the Czech food processing firms over 2003-2014 and with the main particular focus on capital structure and productivity as the tough challenges of the firms in transition and emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach

Determinants of profitability are tested econometrically, as for the estimation technique, both-way fixed effects controlling for variety over the time and across enterprises were applied. The collected micro-panel data set consists of 10,509 observations and includes 1,804 firms. Estimated regression models with fixed effects are used to quantify the determinants of the financial performance, operationalized through three key performance indicators – price–cost margin, return on assets and return on equity.

Findings

Estimated econometric models supported hypothesis assuming a positive relationship between the labour productivity and profitability. In line with the assumptions based on the development of the Czech food market, high leverage of firms led to the decrease of profitability, which can be explained by the high financial distress costs and worsened market position of firms in the competitive environment. Ageing of firms and firm size were associated with the increase of profitability indicators.

Practical implications

The findings of the presented research are important for investors considering agribusiness as a part of their investment portfolios and for policymakers to enhance the economic efficiency of the food industry through regulations and public support, and particularly, from the firm management viewpoint, e.g. to pay attention to the debt policy due to the negative impact of high indebtedness on firm profitability, and to the productivity factors, which proved to be important drivers of entrepreneurial success.

Originality/value

Although the firm-specific factors responsible for firm performance have already been studied, the food processing industry has received limited interest from the empirical analysts, and the results are not always unequivocal. This study is expected to contribute to the literature on this subject, both empirically and methodologically, as to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has been encountered yet where the factors determining the profitability of the Czech food processing industry have been the focus. With regards to the collected micro-data set and the estimation technique, the study can be considered as extensive not only from the perspective of the research in the Czech Republic but also from the international perspective.
Environmental determinants of destination competitiveness and its Tourism Attractions-Basics-Context, A-B-C, indicators
Authors: Manrai Lalita A. , Manrai Ajay K. , Friedeborn Stefanie
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the literature and develop a model of the determinants, indicators and effects of destination competitiveness (DC), as well as several propositions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study thoroughly reviewed extant literature to develop a conceptual model and propositions.

Findings

Two key findings are listed below. First, 12 different environmental factors are identified and 12 propositions are developed linking these environmental factors to DC. Second, a new indicator of DC is developed, namely, Tourism Attractions-Basics-Context (TABC) model. The TABC model is simple and directly taps into the benefits tourists seek in a destination.

Research limitations/implications

Directions for future research are discussed in detail in the paper.

Practical implications

Managerial implications are discussed in detail in the paper.

Originality/value

The extant research on the topic of DC has been rather fragmented and incomplete in scope. The research presented in this paper addresses these limitations.
FIFA – highlighting the links between global banking and international money laundering
Authors: Naheem Mohammed Ahmad
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper uses the recent (August 2015) FIFA arrests to provide an example of how illicit financial flows are occurring through the formal banking and financial services sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore which elements of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance need to be addressed to strengthen the banking response and reduce the impact of IFFs within the banking sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the indictment document currently prepared for the FIFA arrests and the District Court case of Chuck Blazer the FIFA Whistleblower. It uses the banking examples identified in the indictment as typologies of money laundering and wire fraud. Corresponding industry reports on AML compliance are included to determine where the major weaknesses and gaps are across the financial service.

Findings

The main findings from the analysis are that banks still have weak areas within AML compliance. Even recognised red flag areas such as off shore havens, large wire transfers and front companies are still being used. The largest gaps still appear to be due diligence and beneficial ownership information.

Research limitations/implications

The research topic is very new and emerging topic; therefore, analysis papers and other academic writing on this topic are limited.

Practical implications

The research paper has identified a number of implications for the banking sector, addressing AML deficiencies, especially the need to consider the source of funds and the need for further enhanced due diligence systems for politically exposed and influential people and the importance of beneficial ownership information.

Social implications

This paper has implications for the international development and the global banking sector. It will also influence approaches to AML regulation, risk assessment and audit within the broader financial services sector.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is the link between the emerging issues associated with allegations of bribery and corruption within FIFA and the illicit financial flow implications across the banking sector.
Toward a new model of money laundering
Authors: Cassella Stefan D.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The criminal money laundering statutes grew out of the experience drug investigators had in tracking the proceeds of illegal drug transactions. Frequently, the cash was disguised as legitimate proceeds or hidden in a way that concealed the true owner and was then moved into the legitimate stream of commerce or returned to the country where the drugs originated to keep the scheme going. This led to training investigators to believe that money laundering always occurred in three stages: placement, layering and integration. That model, however, has little application to most money laundering scenarios, including those that involve funds already in electronic form when the laundering process begins. This paper aims to take a broader look at money laundering and suggests an accordingly broader approach to identifying money laundering transactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the origins of the current paradigm.

Findings

The current paradigm is obsolete.

Originality/value

A broader approach to training is needed.
Anti-money laundering and moral intensity in suspicious activity reporting
Authors: Coombs-Goodfellow Brett , Lokanan Mark Eshwar
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the influence Jones’ Moral Intensity Model (1991) has on the decision-making process of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance officers charged with reporting suspicious money laundering transactions in Jersey.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten interviews were conducted to elicit participants’ views on the six dimensions of moral intensity and their influence on the compliance officers’ decision to submit a suspicious activity report (SAR) of potential money laundering.

Findings

The findings indicate that the officers’ moral intensity to submit a SAR seems to be heavily influenced by issue-specific contextual factors. Contexts (legal and legislative mandates) seem to have more of an effect on the moral intent and actions of the officers rather than directly affecting the decision to submit a report of a suspicious money laundering transaction.

Research limitations/implications

The paper lays the groundwork for further work in this area and calls on researchers to develop instruments that can enhance the measurements of the dimensions of moral intensity.

Practical implications

The setting (AML in the financial sector) is both timely and extremely interesting to keep studying, particularly in Jersey because of its dubious sensitive particularities.

Originality/value

The study is the first to examine Jersey AML sector through the lens of moral intensity. In this sense, the paper poses interesting questions, namely, to explore the dynamic complexities experienced by compliance officers in Jersey to detect and report suspicious money laundering activities and the decision-making criteria of actually submitting a SAR.
The regime against money laundering: a call for scientific modelling
Authors: Sotande Emmanuel
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the magnitude of the global problem of money laundering and the scholarly critics of money laundering concept. The paper further explores the scientific modelling to combat money laundering transactions.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology adopted was qualitative analysis. This was applied through the use and analysis of documents and expert interviews.

Findings

The paper reveals how the global displacement on the fight against money laundering is being determined by “attractiveness index”. This attractiveness index is the dark side affecting anti-money laundering (AML) concept within developing economies. The critics of the AML accounts for major discrepancies associated with the context of the term AML regimes and international standards to combat illicit financial flows.

Social implications

The regimes against money laundering compel countries to adopt the same recommendations and standards and were not given opportunity to proffer their own creative alternatives within their own circumstances.

Originality/value

The paper suggests AML Transaction Validation Model in the quest to combat illicit financial flows originated from organized and serious crime within the global jurisdictions.
Language, brand and speech acts on Twitter
Authors: Chandler Jennifer D. , Salvador Rommel , Kim Yuna
Published: October 2018

Purpose

As a social media platform, Twitter enables direct, continuous and real-time communication across many markets simultaneously. Drawing on speech act theory (SAT), this study aims to view tweets as “speech acts” and explores whether language and brand on Twitter influence firm value.

Design/methodology/approach

The frequency of two language types (accommodative and defensive) used on four corporate Twitter accounts for Sony and Microsoft was observed during the product launch periods of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, respectively, covering 5,056 tweets. A linear mixed model was used to analyze whether language and brand influence firm value.

Findings

Results show that accommodative language used by firms on their corporate Twitter accounts has an overall negative influence on firm value the following day, whereas the use of defensive language has a positive influence. Moreover, the effects of these language types on firm value are attenuated when the Twitter accounts are personal, compared to the brand accounts.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on one type of social media platform (Twitter) and one product category (video game consoles). Future studies should investigate other platforms and product categories to improve generalizability.

Practical implications

Managers should carefully strategize their use of Twitter, especially the use of language and account type, as they can significantly affect firm value.

Originality/value

This study applies SAT to explain how language and brand on Twitter can influence firm value.
A sociomaterial inquiry into the clinical teaching workplace
Authors: Hibbert Kathryn Marie , Faden-MacDougall Lisa , Huda Noureen , DeLuca Sandra , Seabrook Elizabeth , Goldszmidt Mark
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to trace the relational and material ways in which workplace teams come together (or fail to) in the provision of patient care.

Design/methodology/approach

Six interprofessional scholars brought their unique theoretical and disciplinary lenses to understand the contextualized experiences of the patient and the team. Adopting a critical narrative inquiry (CNR) approach, the experiences of 19 participants were documented as they interacted in the care of an elderly patient over a three-week period. Actor network theory constructs enabled the analysis of multiple artefacts implicated in the interactions to learn of their contribution to the enactment of her care.

Findings

The study gives empirical insights about ways in which knowledge circulates amongst the workplace and how systemic structures may impede effective and quality patient care. Various types of knowledge are held by different team members, and both individuals and materials (e.g. technologies) can influence the way those knowledges are shared (or not).

Research limitations/implications

Focusing on a rich data set surrounding one patient documented as theatre serves pedagogical purposes and serves as a shared “boundary-breaking” object to interrogate from multiple stakeholder perspectives. CNR provides for recursive, dynamic learning as readers critically consider experiences within their own contexts.

Practical implications

Despite research that documents competing political, systemic and economic goals, sedimented policies and practices persist in ways that undermine care goals.

Social implications

Tackling the urgent issue of an aging population will require expanding collaboration (for planning, research and so on) to include a broader set of stakeholders, including operational, administrative and post-discharge organizations. Attention to social infrastructure as a means to assemble knowledges and improve relationships in the care process is critical.

Originality/value

Building a boundary-breaking shared object to represent the data offers a unique opportunity for multiple stakeholder groups to enter into dialogue around barriers to workplace interaction and collaboration progress, linking problems to critical perspectives.
Implementation of the Court Records Management System in the delivery of justice at the Gaborone Magisterial District, Botswana
Authors: Mosweu Tshepho Lydia , Kenosi Lekoko
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess whether the implementation of the electronic Court Records Management System (CRMS) at the Gaborone Magisterial District, Botswana, brought improvements in the delivery of justice as expected in the management of case file records.

Design/methodology/approach

Principally, a quantitative approach utilizing a research survey design, supplemented by a qualitative approach was used in this study.

Findings

The CRMS implementation led to improvements in case file management at the Gaborone Magisterial District; case files were successfully captured into the system; retrieval of case files became easier; and incidents of lost and misplaced case files went down significantly. Challenges included shortcomings related to the security of digital case files, digital records preservation and disposition, records appraisal, training, inadequate bandwidth and shortage of computers, as well as inadequate archives and records management standards and guidelines.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the study are limited to the case study and cannot be generalized to other organizations.

Practical implications

The findings should aid future implementation of court records management systems in the judiciary specifically and the public sector in general in Africa. Lessons learnt can enable the avoidance of pitfalls experienced in the implementation of CRMS by other courts.

Originality/value

This paper provides empirical evidence from an original study.
State Theory from the Street Altar: The Muscles, the Saint and theAmparo
Authors: Boudreau Julie‐Anne
Published: October 2018

This article identifies traces of the state in three urban neighborhoods of Mexico City. Instead of asking what is the state, where is it located or what does it do, the question posed here is: what are the effects of state practices at the street level? By ethnographically and visually describing how protection is performed, the article argues that the state is not only ‘somewhere’ in specific functions, actors or institutions; it also manifests materialized effects produced by a web of conflict‐ridden relations. Discussion about the state in the global South generally revolves around its failures and informality. The proposal here is that, by analyzing the state from the standpoint of urban space, the focus is on how protection is performed and by means of which operations, relations, objects and actors—not whether the state works or not, or whether actors are formal or informal. Based on ongoing ethnographic work and a collaboration with two visual artists in Mexico City, the article analyzes three protective processes: the ‘muscles’ (involving actors including police officers, gang leaders, fathers and husbands), the ‘saint’ (involving caring for representations of various saints and participation in other clientelistic chains of fidelity) and the ‘amparo’ (a form of application of the rule of law in a personalized manner for the redress of interpersonal conflicts). These are three sets of practices that have been embedded in Mexico's history of state formation since the days of colonization.
Asia's Third Giant: A Survey of the Indonesian Economy
Authors: Hill Hal
Published: October 2018

This paper surveys the Indonesian economy and the drivers of socioeconomic development over the past half‐century. It highlights the country's rapid economic development in the face of unfavourable ‘initial conditions’. We examine episodes in economic development, in particular comparing and contrasting the two main sub‐periods, of high economic growth during the authoritarian Suharto era, 1966–98, and moderate economic growth during the democratic era since 1999. The paper emphasises the importance of sound macroeconomic management, economic openness, inclusive social progress and institutional development. For all the challenges that Indonesia faces, and its unfinished reform agenda, the major conclusion is one of development success, broadly defined.
The Role of Forensic Botany in Reconstructing the Dynamics of Trauma from High Falls
Authors: Aquila Isabella , Sacco Matteo A. , Ricci Pietrantonio , Gratteri Santo
Published: October 2018

The analysis of botanical traces can be supportive, especially when the crime scene investigation and autopsy do not provide sufficient information. This issue arises most commonly in fatal falls from height. We report the case of a man found dead below a hill. The body showed traumatic injuries from a fall. During the scene investigation, a sampling of botanical elements was carried out on three zones of the hill called the point of loss of balance, the point of fall, and the point of impact. The botanical elements collected on the three zones were compared with those found on the victim and an autopsy was performed. The botanical analysis clarified the phases of falling, as well as allowing us to reconstruct the dynamics and the accidental manner of death.
The Effects of Competition from S Corporations on the Organizational Form Choice of Rival C Corporations
Authors: Donohoe Michael P. , Lisowsky Petro , Mayberry Michael A.
Published: October 2018

Subchapter C of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code levies an entity‐level tax on corporate profits, whereas Subchapter S allows corporations meeting specific criteria to elect out of this tax. Despite these differences, C and S corporations regularly compete for customers and capital. We examine whether and the extent to which competition from S corporations influences the future organizational form choice of rival C corporations and explore outcomes of this choice. Using data for 4,462 private U.S. commercial banks grouped by Metropolitan Statistical Area during 1997–2010, we find that greater competition from S corporation banks increases the likelihood that rival C corporation banks convert to Subchapter S status. We estimate that the aggregate first‐year tax savings from S conversion exceed $372 million. Consistent with these savings being used to maintain competitive parity with rivals, we find that converting banks increase their interest rates on customer deposits and advertising intensity. Our findings provide insight into whether competition from tax‐advantaged firms influences the organizational form choice of rival tax‐disadvantaged firms.
Remote real‐time supervision via tele‐ultrasound in focused cardiac ultrasound: A single‐blinded cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Jensen Stig H. , Weile Jesper , Aagaard Rasmus , Hansen Kåre M. , Jensen Troels B. , Petersen Morten C. , Jensen Jacob J. , Petersen Poul , Kirkegaard Hans
Published: October 2018

Background

Supervision via tele‐ultrasound presents a remedy for lacking on‐site supervision in focused cardiac ultrasound, but knowledge of its impact is largely absent. We aimed to investigate tele‐supervised physicians’ cine‐loop quality compared to that of non‐supervised physicians and compared to that of experts.

Methods

We conducted a single‐blinded cluster randomized controlled trial in an emergency department in western Denmark. Physicians with basic ultrasound competence scanned admitted patients twice. The first scan was non‐supervised, and the second was non‐supervised (control) or tele‐supervised (intervention). Finally, experts in focused cardiac ultrasound scanned the same patient. Two blinded observers graded cine‐loops recorded from all scans on a 1–5 scale. The outcome was the mean summarized scan gradings compared with a linear mixed‐effects model.

Results

In each group, 10 physicians scanned 44 patients. From the mean summarized gradings, on a scale from 4 to 20, the second non‐supervised scan grading was 10.9 (95% CI 10.2‐11.7), whereas the tele‐supervised grading was 12.6 (95% CI: 11.8‐13.3). From the first to the second scan, tele‐supervised physicians moved 9% (1.09; 95% CI: 1.00‐1.19; P = 0.041) closer to the experts’ quality than the non‐supervised physicians.

Conclusion

Tele‐supervised physicians performed scans of better quality than non‐supervised physicians. The present study supports the use of tele‐supervision for physicians with basic focused ultrasound competence in a setting where on‐site supervision is unavailable.
Management controls and their links with fairness and performance in inter‐organisational relationships
Authors: Wang Andy , Dyball Maria Cadiz
Published: October 2018

This study seeks to contribute to inter‐organisational management control literature by examining the impact of the use of management controls on fairness and performance. Findings from a survey of 232 Australian inter‐organisational relationships reveal that the use of social controls could improve procedural, distributive and interactional fairness. In turn, distributive and interactional fairness could lead to high levels of perceived relational performance. Additional analyses also confirm that formal and social controls are used as complements in managing inter‐organisational relationships.
The association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the United Kingdom
Authors: Jacob L. , Haro J. M. , Koyanagi A.
Published: October 2018

Objective

The goal was to analyze the association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a UK nationally representative sample.

Methods

This study used cross‐sectional data from 7403 people who participated in the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS). Religion was assessed with the question ‘Do you have a specific religion?’ with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answer options. Lifetime and past 12‐month suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were assessed. The association between religiosity and suicidality was studied in multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioural, and psychopathological factors.

Results

Compared to those without a religion, the prevalence of past 12‐month suicidal ideation (3.2% vs. 5.4%), past 12‐month suicide attempts (0.4% vs. 0.9%), lifetime suicidal ideation (11.2% vs. 16.4%), and lifetime suicide attempts (3.6% vs. 6.0%) was lower among those with a religion. In the fully adjusted model, having a religion was significantly associated with lower odds for all types of suicidality except past 12‐month suicide attempts: suicidal ideation (past 12‐month: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51–0.99; lifetime: OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69–0.99) and suicide attempts (past 12‐month: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.35–1.45; lifetime: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.53–0.90).

Conclusion

There is a negative association between religiosity and suicidality in the UK. Future studies should focus on the underlying mechanisms.
Social motivational processing and interpersonal function in aging cocaine smokers
Authors: Bedi Gillinder , Hao Xuejun , Van Dam Nicholas T. , Cooper Ziva D. , Rubin Eric , Vadhan Nehal P. , Marino Leslie , Haney Margaret
Published: October 2018

Illicit drug use among aging cohorts is increasing, yet little is known about functional impairments in older drug users. Given the importance of social integration for aging and documented social decrements in cocaine users, we examined social function and its neurocognitive substrates in aging cocaine users relative to carefully matched non‐cocaine users. Regular (≥twice/week), long‐term (≥15 years) cocaine smokers 50–60 years old (COCs; n = 22; four women) and controls (CTRLs; n = 19; four women) underwent standardized probes of social reward and threat processing during functional magnetic resonance imaging and a behavioral facial affect recognition task. Self‐report and peer‐report of daily interpersonal function were also collected. COCs, and CTRLs reporting current marijuana or alcohol use, were tested after four drug‐free inpatient days. COCs had pronounced problems in daily social function relative to CTRLs indicated by both their own and their peers' reports. Compared with CTRLs, COCs had stronger amygdala responses to social threat versus control stimuli, with no other differences in social processing or cognition. Aging cocaine users appear to have marked, generalized difficulties in ‘real‐world’ interpersonal function but largely intact social processing on laboratory‐based measures when compared with appropriately matched controls and tested under well‐controlled conditions. Daily social difficulties may be related to transient factors such as acute/residual drug effects or cocaine‐related changes in health behaviors (e.g. disrupted sleep and poor diet). These data suggest that interpersonal function may be a valid intervention target for aging cocaine users and warrants further study in older drug users.
Efficacy of an artificial pancreas device for achieving tight perioperative glycemic control in living donor liver transplantation
Authors: Soyama Akihiko , Kugiyama Tota , Hara Takanobu , Hidaka Masaaki , Hamada Takashi , Okada Satomi , Adachi Tomohiko , Ono Shinichiro , Takatsuki Mitsuhisa , Eguchi Susumu
Published: October 2018

Intraoperative hyperglycemia during liver transplantation can induce infectious bacterial complications after surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the artificial endocrine pancreas in achieving perioperative blood glucose control and preventing infection in patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We compared 14 patients with an artificial endocrine pancreas device to 14 patients who underwent glycemic control using the sliding scale method with respect to perioperative blood glucose level and postoperative infection. In this study, we aimed to control the perioperative glucose levels consecutively for 24 hours from the induction of anesthesia. The average blood glucose level in the artificial pancreas group was significantly lower than that in the sliding scale group (118 vs. 141 mg/dL, P < 0.05). The postoperative bacterial infection rate of the artificial pancreas group was significantly lower than that of the sliding scale group within one month after LDLT (35.7% vs. 78.6%, P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed non‐application of artificial endocrine pancreas as a significant risk factor of posttransplant infection. The artificial endocrine pancreas enabled the perioperative glucose level to be stably controlled without hypoglycemia. Artificial pancreas may reduce the incidence of postoperative infection after LDLT.
Influence of age and experience rider on differentiate the behaviour of recreational horses being prepared for use
Authors: Jastrzębska Ewa , Wilk Izabela
Published: October 2018

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of selected rider‐related factors (riders’ age and experience, type of preparatory activities, test variant) on the behaviour of recreational horses being prepared for use. Six adult, hot‐blooded recreational horses were handled by two female riders that the horses knew and by another two that the horses did not know (two of them were aged 12 and two aged 30). The horses were assessed by a behaviourist for their behaviour during the pre‐training activities (entering the box, grooming, cleaning the hooves, bridling, saddling up, taking a horse to a riding arena). These actions were performed in a basic variant in complete silence and in a variant with an added sound stimulus (human voice) as a riding (supporting) aid. An analysis of variance for repeated measurements, Tukey t‐test and Spearman's correlations were performed. It was found that the behaviour of recreational horses being prepared for use can be better if they are handled by people whom they know. However, the age of the handler and a supporting factor (human voice) is not expected to have any effect on horse behaviour. A horse's behaviour can change during various preparatory activities. Horses can misbehave mainly when a person enters the box and when the horse is being bridled.
Prevalence of renally inappropriate medicines in older people with renal impairment — A cross‐sectional register‐based study in a large primary care population
Authors: Schmidt‐Mende Katharina , Wettermark Björn , Andersen Morten , Elsevier Monique , Carrero Juan‐Jesus , Shemeikka Tero , Hasselström Jan
Published: October 2018

The aim of this population‐based, cross‐sectional study was to analyse the prevalence of renally inappropriate medicines (RIMs) in older people with renal impairment. We included 30 372 people aged ≥65 years with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3, and 2161 with stage 4 attending primary care in Stockholm, Sweden. We used data derived from SCREAM, a database linking patient‐specific data on demography, morbidity, healthcare consumption and dispensed drugs to creatinine measurements. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated with CKD‐EPI based on the first non‐hospital serum creatinine in 2010. RIMs were defined as medicines needing dose adjustment or being contra‐indicated in CKD stage 3 or 4 with reference to Swedish “Janusmed Drugs and Renal function.” Dispensed prescription drugs were analysed during 1 year after creatinine assessment. Drug doses were considered as excessive if their mean volume dispensed per day exceeded the recommended dose. Contra‐indicated medicines were regarded as inappropriate if dispensed at least once during 1 year. Excessive dosing was present in 42.5% of older people with CKD stage 3 and in 58.1% with stage 4. The prevalence of contra‐indicated medicines was 9.4% and 38.0%, respectively. A limited number of RIMs accounted for the majority of excessive dosing, such as drugs acting on the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system, betablockers and opioids. Commonly dispensed contra‐indicated substances were NSAIDs and antidiabetics. We conclude that the prevalence of RIMs in older people with renal impairment is considerably high. Still, RIM use may be manageable as only a limited number of RIMs are frequently used.
Modelling mood disorders: An ACE solution?
Authors: Malhi Gin S , Irwin Lauren , Hamilton Amber , Morris Grace , Boyce Philip , Mulder Roger , Porter Richard J
Published: October 2018

Objectives

The treatment of mood disorders remains sub‐optimal. A major reason for this is our lack of understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of depression and bipolar disorder. A core problem is the lack of specificity of our current diagnoses. This paper discusses the history of this problem and posits a solution in the form of a more sophisticated model.

Method

The authors review the notable historical works that laid the foundations of mood disorder nosology; discuss the more recent influences that shaped modern diagnoses; and examine the evidence that mood disorders are characterised by multidimensional and longitudinal symptom profiles.

Results

The ACE model considers mood disorders as a combination of symptoms across three domains: Activity, Cognition, and Emotion; that vary over time. This multidimensional and longitudinal perspective is consistent with the prevalence of complex clinical presentations, such as mixed states, and highlights the importance of recurrence in mood disorders.

Conclusions

The ACE model encourages researchers to characterise patients from a number of equally important perspectives and, by doing so, add specificity to the treatment of mood disorders.