Gidemy Elibray

Items

• Pre-qualification education of registered accountants and auditors in South Africa : perspectives on whether the education process is normatively justifiable
  In order to ensure that registered accountants and auditors (RAAs) discharge their functions in the public interest, the RAA profession, through its governing bodies, should establish, maintain and ensure compliance with among other things an identified set of educational requirements. The research objective is twofold: Firstly, to provide a normative description of pre-qualification professional education and, secondly, to evaluate the extent to which the current pre-qualification education process applicable to RAAs in South Africa is normatively justifiable. A study of the literature on general professional education and on education in the field of accountancy facilitated the achievement of the first objective, while the second objective was addressed by means of a comparative analysis of the basic prequalification educational requirements applicable to prospective RAAs and the normative description of professional education presented. The current educational process permits latitude for factors and practices that are not wholly justifiable within a normative definition of professional education. The lack of normative justification for several aspects of the system will impede the achievement of sound educational objectives.
• The octogenarian cultural festival (Ito-ogbo at 80) and the COVID-19 pandemic in Obosi, Anambra State
  The octogenarian (Ito-ogbo at 80) festival in Obosi is a festival that is celebrated with a huge fanfare of pumps and pageantries. It is celebrated every three years in March to rejoice with fathers and mothers on the attainment of the age of 80. The worry of the researchers now is how this festival will be handled amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the absence of curative drugs. This article examines the octogenarian cultural festival during the COVID-19 pandemic in Obosi, Anambra State, Nigeria. The article aims at narrating the history of octogenarians in Obosi, discussing the functions of age grades, and discussing its relevance and a discourse on this celebration amid the coronavirus. Historical and phenomenological methods were adopted for analytical purposes. The article found that the longevity of life among Obosi people has been strongly threatened by the delta variant and also that celebrants do not feel safe in sustaining the festival for fear of contracting the delta variant. CONTRIBUTION: The Obosi's Ito-ogbo celebration is a good one and it has become a homecoming for all. It has sparked a desire to provide more care to elderly parents, resulting in increased life expectancy. African traditional religion was implicated in this study.
• A qualitative approach to financial risk
  Dissertation (Magister Commercii (Financial Management Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2007.
• Challenges confronting accountancy in the 21st century
  As we enter the 21st century, the accounting discipline and the accounting profession shall have to adapt to an environment that is increasingly being subjected to rapid and discontinuous change. This article addresses challenges in Accountancy that should be addressed in response to its changing environment. An extensive inter-disciplinary literature survey was undertaken to identify sixteen challenges that should be considered if the discipline and profession are to retain their relevance and usefulness for society.
• Integrated reporting : insights, gaps and an agenda for future research
  PURPOSE : The purpose of this paper is to synthesise insights from accounting and accountability research into the rapidly emerging field of integrated reporting and proposes a comprehensive agenda for future research in this area. In so doing, it draws upon insights from other papers in this special issue of Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal on the theme of integrated reporting. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : The paper draws upon and synthesises academic analysis and insights provided in the embryonic integrated reporting academic literature in conjunction with policy pronouncements. Findings : The paper shows that the rapid development of integrated reporting policy, and early developments of practice, present theoretical and empirical challenges because of the different ways in which integrated reporting is understood and enacted within institutions. It highlights many areas where further robust academic research is needed to guide developments in policy and practice. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : The paper provide academics, regulators and reporting organisations with insights into issues and aspects of integrated reporting that need further development and need robust evidence to help inform improvements in policy and practice. A key limitation is that it draws upon a synthesis of the existing literature which is at quite an early stage of development – but provides scope for considerable further development. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The paper provides the growing number of academic researchers in this emerging area with a foundation and agenda upon which they can build their research.
• Bringing securitisation back onto the balance sheet
  The accounting treatment for asset securitisation has been a much debated topic in recent years. The reason for the controversy stems, amongst other things, from the complexity of these transactions, and the fact that the economic substance of the transactions may not be readily apparent, as securitisation transactions are often structured very carefully to ensure that they remain "off-balance sheet".
• An analysis of fundamental concepts in the conceptual framework using ontology technologies
  The interpretation of financial data obtained from the accounting process for reporting purposes is regulated by financial accounting standards (FAS). The history and mechanisms used for the development of ʻThe Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting’ (the Conceptual Framework) as well as the financial accounting standards resulted in impressive volumes of material that guides modern financial reporting practices, but unfortunately, as is often the case with textual manuscripts, it contains descriptions that are vague, inconsistent or ambiguous. As part of the on-going initiatives to improve International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) promotes the development of principle-based IFRS, which aim to address the problems of vagueness, inconsistency and ambiguity. This paper reports on the findings of a design science research (DSR) project that, as artefact, developed a first version ontology-based formal language representing the definitions of asset, liability and equity (the fundamental elements of the statement of financial position as defined in the Conceptual Framework) through the application of knowledge representation (ontology) techniques as used within computing. We suggest that this artefact may assist with addressing vagueness, inconsistencies and ambiguities within the definitions of the Conceptual Framework. Based on our findings, we include suggestions for the further development of a formal language and approach to assist the formulation of the Conceptual Framework. The project focuses on the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting after the incorporation of Phase A in the convergence project between the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and IASB.
• Determinants, mechanisms and consequences of corporate governance reporting : a research framework
  Corporate governance disclosures form a key part of a company’s non-financial reporting. Several studies consider the determinants of corporate governance reporting, including external factors such as country-specific legislation and scandals, and internal factors such as financial performance, size and culture. Others consider the consequences of corporate governance reporting, using simple proxies for corporate governance mechanisms such as board composition characteristics to analyse the impact on financial reporting quality and company valuation. Yet the determinants and consequences of corporate governance reporting may be interlinked, and many quantitative studies fail to consider these links and their multiple effects adequately. Poor financial performance, for example, can be both a determinant and a consequence of the underlying governance mechanisms that corporate governance reporting aims to capture. The framework provided in this paper considers both the determinants and consequences of corporate governance and likely links between them, and also considers internal corporate governance mechanisms and the measures that are used as their proxies. In combining these three aspects of corporate governance and showing potential links, the framework offers insights into future research opportunities. The framework can be adapted to any country or organisational setting and also offers the opportunity to consider theories other than agency theory when studying corporate governance disclosures.
• Postmodernism and accounting : mirror or myth?
  Words such as postmodernism and postmodern have become part of our vocabulary and are used in everyday conversations. However, the underlying concepts and ideas are generally diffuse and defy concise definition and exact classification. This article examines the concepts and ideas of postmodernism and their implications for accounting. It is accepted that postmodernism does not necessarily replace modernism entirely. Rather, it represents a modification of modernism. Some of the implications of a postmodern world for an essentially modern subject, such as accounting, are differentiated in this article. For example, accounting may be required to become more flexible and address the needs of various stakeholders, whilst barriers between itself and other subjects, disciplines and areas of interest may decline in importance or may even disappear.
• HIV/Aids reporting in annual financial statements in South Africa
  Dissertation (MCom (Accounting Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2005.
• The effect of changes in the accounting for loan loss provisions on managers' decisions
  Thesis (PhD (Accounting Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2022.
• The conceptual framework for financial reporting represented in a Formal Language
  Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
• Ethical arguments regarding corporate environmental reporting
  The environment is an important business issue and it will be even more so in future. Environmental reporting nowadays features increasingly in annual reports and elsewhere. It is however not compulsory and corporate decision makers must therefore make a decision for or against such reporting. Ethics is at stake in any decision involving right or wrong. Ethical theory is therefore examined in an effort to establish whether environmental reporting should be done. It is concluded that corporate environmental reporting constitutes the ethical high road.
• Are shareholders willing to pay for financial, social and environmental disclosure? A choice-based experiment
  This study investigates whether shareholders are willing to pay for higher levels of corporate financial, social, and environmental disclosure. We conduct a choice-based conjoint experiment wherein 65 shareholders are asked to make 12 choices, choosing each time between two predetermined randomized combinations of different levels of investment returns, financial disclosure, environmental disclosure, and social disclosure. Results indicate that whereas shareholders are willing to pay for financial disclosure and environmental disclosure, they are unwilling to pay for social disclosure. Hence, the latter finding does not provide conclusive evidence on the overall question. However, the result that investors are willing to pay for non-financial disclosures – such as environmental information – constitutes our main contribution as prior research has not been able to provide strong evidence that investors are willing to forfeit investment returns in order to gain access to more corporate disclosures. The use of a choice-based conjoint experiment to examine these matters is novel and potentially opens avenues for future research. We believe our theoretical and practical contributions to be of interest to various stakeholders, including firms in making decisions about disclosure levels and regulators in assessing the need for disclosure regulation.
• Subsidiaries acquired exclusively with a view to resale - a new approach
  The previous version of AC 132, Consolidated Financial Statements and Accounting for Investments in Subsidiaries, contained an exemption from the consolidation of a subsidiary where control is intended to be temporary because the subsidiary is acquired and held exclusively with a view to its subsequent disposal in the near future. With the release of IFRS 5 (AC 142), Noncurrent Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations, this exemption from consolidation has been eliminated; and the revised IAS 27 (AC 132), Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements, now requires all subsidiaries to be consolidated. The disclosure and individual fair value accounting exemptions provided in IFRS 5 (AC 142) for subsidiaries acquired exclusively with a view to resale should save costs and effort in the consolidation of these subsidiaries. Care should, however, be taken to ensure that compliance is achieved with the IFRS 5 (AC 142) criteria for classifying a disposal group as 'held for sale' on the date of acquisition. Failure to comply with these criteria upon the acquisition of a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to resale may well result in unfavorable implications for the group.
• The usefulness of the added value statement : a review of the literature
  The increased incidence of publication of the value added statement in South Africa does not seem to be supported by evidence substantiating its usefulness. This study sets out to determine whether sufficient evidence on the usefulness of the statement, from the perspective of the users, exists. A review of the local and international literature revealed 23 studies using empirical tests or surveys to obtain evidence of usefulness. Despite some contradictory claims, the results indicate that on the whole the studies reported in the literature do not demonstrate sufficient evidence of usefulness from the perspective of the users of the value added statement.
• The potential of integrated reporting to enhance sustainability reporting in the public sector
  This paper examines the influence of integrated reporting (IR) on the sustainability reporting practices of a state-owned enterprise through a content analysis of their reports and interviews with report preparers. The findings show a steady increase in the quantity and quality of sustainability disclosures. In 2012, the organization chose to adopt the IR framework in order to enhance sustainability reporting for all stakeholders. The IR process resulted in a more balanced disclosure of material aspects of sustainability. However, while IR has the potential to enhance public sector sustainability reporting, inter-generational equity issues were ignored.
• Corporate social responsibility : a review of empirical research using Thomson Reuters Asset4 data
  Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Auckland, as part of the Wiley - The University of Auckland agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
• Construction of research articles in the leading interdisciplinary accounting journals
  PURPOSE– The purpose of this paper is to examine the construction of articles published in three highly ranked interdisciplinary accounting journals. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – The analysis is based on articles published during 2010 in Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ), Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS) and Critical Perspectives on Accounting (CPA). The authors develop a framework and examine characteristics of the published articles, including the prose. FINDINGS – Based on the construction of accounting academic articles in the highly ranked interdisciplinary journals, the authors introduce a simplified concept of the five distinct major parts of an article, make some taken-for-granted aspects of article construction explicit and conclude that alternatives, if used effectively, can add to the quality of an article. Finally, there is a discussion of, and a reflection on, how the taken-for-granted rules of academic publishing can be challenged. REASEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS – This article is limited by the authors’ own analysis and interpretations of AAAJ, AOS and CPA articles published during 2010. ORIGINALITY/VALUE– As far as can be ascertained, the authors are the first to examine the construction of research articles published in high ranking interdisciplinary accounting journals. The paper can assist emerging scholars in the process of planning and writing their own articles. For seasoned researchers, the paper’s insights may serve to reaffirm or help further develop their approach. The paper also contributes to the ongoing debate around the pressure to publish, the measurement of publications, and the difficulties of getting published.
• Exposure draft 111 : the nature of temporary differences
  In April1997 the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants issued a new exposure draft on Income Taxes. Exposure Draft 111 closely follows the International Accounting Statement 12 (revised) and forms part of the Harmonisation and Improvements Project of the Institute. The exposure draft has far-reaching implications, especially for the calculation of deferred tax and is far too voluminous to discuss comprehensively in an article. This article briefly summarises the differences between AC 102 and ED 111. It then considers the nature and types of temporary differences, which now form the basis for the provision of deferred tax in terms of the exposure draft.
• The homological transfer research method revisited
  The Homological transfer method is a very efficient research method which is based on similarities between manufacturing, financial, educational, informational and other productive processes. The existence of these similarities imply that corresponding disciplines should have similar models- i.e. laws, techniques. Therefore existing models in one discipline should be capable of being transferred to another discipline. This article suggests three improvements to the transfer research method proposed by Mende [ 15] and identifies the benefits that may be obtained by using the method.
• The association between corporate social responsibility reporting and firm value for South African firms
  BACKGROUND : Corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure is widespread among the largest companies in South Africa due to the listing requirements of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). These companies have also increasingly pursued external assurance of their CSR disclosures in recent years. The increased regulation of CSR disclosure and the increased rate of obtaining assurance of these disclosures motivated us to perform our study. AIM : To examine the association between CSR reporting, including both CSR disclosure and CSR assurance, and firm value of large South African companies. SETTING : The JSE listing requirements place South Africa, the setting for our study, at the forefront of corporate governance and CSR reporting. METHOD : Tobin’s Q is used as a measure of firm value. Three measures of CSR disclosure and three of CSR assurance are used in this study. The measures are based on data collected by Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) International on the CSR reporting practices of large South African companies. The sample period for this study coincides with the sample period covered in the KPMG surveys conducted during 2008, 2011 and 2013. RESULTS : No significant association is found between CSR disclosure and firm value. However, a significant negative association is found between CSR assurance and firm value. Additional analysis found that the negative association between firm value and CSR assurance is more significant for companies that are not listed on the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) index. CONCLUSION : The results found between CSR disclosure and firm value may suggest that firm value is unaffected by CSR disclosures. Taken together, the findings on CSR assurance and firm value and the additional analysis may suggest that in South Africa managers with negative CSR issues are more likely to obtain assurance on their CSR disclosure. The findings may be of interest to regulators when considering current and future disclosure and assurance requirements for CSR reporting in South Africa, as well as other parts of the world, shareholders when considering investment options, and managers when considering the benefit of certain CSR reporting practices.
• Internal control risks within the data warehouse environment
  Dissertation (MCom (Computer Auditing))--University of Pretoria, 2008.
• Hallmarks of integrated thinking
  DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.
• Qualitative accounting research : special issue introduction
  This special issue dedicated to qualitative accounting research shows the commitment of Accounting & Finance to support and publish qualitative research. This introductory piece explains the rationale behind this commitment and recounts the process followed with this special issue, before introducing the papers published in it. The first paper in the special issue, co‐authored by De Villiers, Dumay and Maroun, will be of interest to a large cross‐section of accounting researchers, even those with a quantitative bent, because it dispels some myths around qualitative research, and it sets a research agenda that others may pursue.