International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics
Volume:10 Issue: 12, Dec 2023

This paper investigates the impact of diversification strategy on firm performance. The paper looks into three dimensions of diversification strategy in terms of staff, product and geographical presence, using return on asset (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) to proxy for financial performance. Using the fixed effects regression estimation method to analyze the data of 30 Iranian insurance companies in the period from 2012-2021, the article finds a significant positive impact of diversification in terms of staff education on ROA, while the relationships between staff diversification in terms of gender and experience with ROA are significantly negative. No significant relationship is found between diversification in terms of geographical presence, insurance policy, and premium with ROA. When ROE measures financial performance, the research reports significantly positive effects of diversification on ROE in terms of education and insurance policy. In contrast, the relationships between diversification in terms of gender and premium with ROE are found to be significantly negative. Meanwhile, the effects of diversification on ROE in terms of geographical presence and experience are insignificant. The paper contributes to the literature on diversification strategy by developing specific models to measure staff, geographic and product diversification strategies in the insurance industry. It also adds to the literature on the diversification-performance nexus by bringing fresh insight into the multiple dimensions of diversification strategies and their impacts on firms' profitability.

The self-directed career attitude encompasses the willingness to take ownership and control of one's career path and actively steer one's professional growth and advancement. The present study aims to investigate the influence of self-directed career attitude (SDCA) on employee job satisfaction (EJS). This study additionally investigates the mediating function of leadership in the relationship between self-directed career attitude (SDCA) and employee job satisfaction (EJS). Four hypotheses were formulated in order to examine both the direct and indirect connections. The primary data was obtained by administering a questionnaire and then analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The demographic information was analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences. The theoretical framework employed in this study was self-determination theory. The test results indicate a significant positive correlation between SDCA, leadership, and EJS. The findings also suggest a noteworthy positive mediating influence of leadership in the relationship between SDCA and EJS. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the causes and outcomes of human behavior on human resources, hence playing a crucial role in facilitating efficient career management and formulating suitable HR policies.

This study explores the variations in discretionary accruals’ specific earnings management practices across different industries and their implications for financial reporting quality. Discretionary accruals are part of earnings management which affect the quality of financial reporting. These can distort financial statements and mislead stakeholders.  Understanding how these practices differ among industries provides valuable insights for regulators, investors, and financial analysts.  Yet, literature is overly scarce on specific industries which are most affected by discretionary accruals.  Delving into information from a robust principles-based economy adopting IFRS, this paper addresses a research gap with a dataset spanning multiple industries over a multi-year period from 2013 to 2022. The Dechow, Kasznik, and Kothari models are employed to assess the extent of discretionary accruals within each industry. Based on winsorized mean and standard deviation, the industries which appeared most in the list of signed and absolute discretionary accruals were Energy and Financials followed closely by the Technology industry.  Additionally, applying panel data regressions with multiple fixed effects, the size of a firm, equity ratio, asset turnover, and past profitability were significant in the models which influence discretionary accruals whereas the impact of liquidity was not statistically significant.

The study examines the effect of chief executive officers (CEO) Characteristics on the financial performance of listed fast moving consumer goods firms in Nigeria from 2013 to 2022. The study used a sample size of thirteen (13). The dependent variable was measured by ROA and ROE. The study engaged a secondary source of data which was obtained from the annual reports of the firms and NEG website. The results from the Driscoll-Kraay robust fixed effect regression analysis proved that CEO financial expertise and tenure have a positive and significant effect on the financial performance of the listed while CEO Political connection has a positive and insignificant effect on financial performance. The study concludes that firms with CEOs who are financial experts outperform firms without expertise in terms of financial performance in listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study recommends among others that the board of the consumer goods firms when hiring CEOs should give significant weight to candidates' financial expertise. The recruitment process should assess the candidates' financial acumen, educational background, and relevant experience.

Dearth of quantification of the nexus between employee compensation and turnover gave rise to this empirical investigation of the effect of employee salary, employee pension scheme, employee allowance, employee share bonus, and employee savings scheme on turnover of Chevron Group of Companies using audited secondary data from annual reports for 2012 to 2021. Anchored on economic theory, the five hypotheses developed for the study were tested simultaneously based on univariate general linear model with the aid of statistical package for social sciences. The cardinal findings of this study (which carried out descriptive and inferential statistical analyses) show that the effect of employee compensation on turnover of Chevron Group with the studied period is mixed in line with reviewed literature. Salary of employees has non-significant negative effect on turnover; employee pension scheme has significant positive effect on turnover while employee allowances, share bonus, and savings scheme have significant negative effect on turnover. The findings of the study have salient significance in terms of theory, practice, and policy. Far reaching recommendations are put forward.

The controversy surrounding the scientific or artistic nature of accounting has been the subject of various scientific circles for years, and the source of such debates is the fundamental difference between accounting and natural sciences such as physics, in such a way that some experts consider physics to be the ultimate goal of science. They have tried to bring these two categories together, and on the other hand, some others have completely invalidated such an attempt with some baseless criticism. In this article, we have tried to outline the current and ideal accounting situation while expressing different views on the nature of science and describe the tools to fill the gap between the current and ideal situation. Finally, while respecting the efforts made to draw the path of the scientific movement of the profession, we considered the comparison of physics and accounting to be unworthy, and at the same time, we have given a worthy answer to some of the unfair criticisms. In the same way, we believe that the change of the accounting paradigm towards the use of fair values ​​promises a scientific revolution in accounting, which will smooth the path of the faster movement of the profession towards the scientific position it deserves, but at the same time, we have also mentioned the challenges facing this mutation.