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School of Accounting, Economics and Finance

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Browsing School of Accounting, Economics and Finance by Author "Baldavoo, Kiran."

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    An exploration of environmental management accounting policies and practices at a higher education institution in KwaZulu-Natal.
    (2019) Baldavoo, Kiran.; Doorasamy, Mishelle.
    Universities have a role to play in the preservation of the environment and this study attempted to evaluate the environmental management accounting processes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). UKZN, a South African university generates the same direct and indirect environmental impacts as the higher education sector worldwide. This is significant within the context of the South African environment which is constantly plagued by having to effectively manage the already scarce resources of water and energy, evident through imposition of water and energy restrictions over the recent years. The study’s aim is to increase awareness of having a structured approach to environmental management, in order to achieve the strategic environmental goals of the university. The research studied the experiences of key managers within UKZN, with the purpose of exploring the potential factors which influence the decision to adopt and apply environmental management accounting (EMA) within the higher education sector. The study comprised two objectives, namely understanding the current state of accounting practices for managing major environmental costs and identifying factors influencing EMA adoption within the university. The study adopted a case study approach, comprising semi-structured interviews of key personnel involved in Management Accounting, Environmental Management and Academic Schools within the university. Content analysis was performed on the transcribed interview data. A theoretical framework derived from literature was adopted to guide data collection and focus the study. Contingency and institutional theory was the resultant basis of the derived framework. The findings of the first objective revealed that there is a distinct lack of EMA utilisation within the university. There is no distinct policy on EMA, resulting in minimal environmental cost information being brought to the attention of senior management. The university embraces the principles of environmental sustainability however efforts to improve internal environmental accountability primarily from an accounting perspective are absent. The findings of the second objective revealed that five key barriers contributed to the lack of EMA utilisation within the university. The barriers are attitudinal, informational, institutional, technological, and lack of incentives (financial). The results and findings of this study supported the use and application of EMA, within the higher educational sector. Participants concurred that EMA is underutilised and if implemented would realise significant benefits for both the university and environment. Environmental management accounting is being widely acknowledged as a key management tool that can facilitate improved financial and environmental performance via the concept of enhanced environmental accountability. Historically, research has been concentrated primarily on the manufacturing industry, due to it generating the greatest proportion of environmental impacts. Service industries are also an integral component of environmental management as they contribute significant environmental impacts, both direct and indirect. Educational institutions such as universities form part of the service sector and directly impact on the environment through the consumption of paper, energy and water, as well as solid waste generated, with the associated demands. Keywords: Environmental management accounting, environmental impacts, higher education, Southern Africa.
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    The implementation of mandatory audit firm rotation in KwaZulu-Natal.
    (2021) Aminu, Munkaila.; Baldavoo, Kiran.; Nomlala, Bomi Cyril.
    The study aimed to examine the perceptions of audit experts concerning the influence of mandatory audit firm rotation (MAFR) on audit independence (AI), audit quality (AQ) and audit reform in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Stakeholders concerns were considered regarding reporting irregularities that are important to those who understand the dynamics of the audit process and the relevance of audit reforms. In addition, it examined the logical connection between AI, AQ and MAFR by gathering 102 opinions of audit experts from Tier 2 audit firms and two public institutions about the readiness of the policy in the jurisdiction of Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA). The study used descriptive and inferential statistics to understand the impact of the policy on reforms. The views of role players with in-depth knowledge and experience in the auditing industry were vital ingredients of the study. Due to the distinctiveness of the study, the results were two-fold. Firstly, the descriptive statistics provided a general overview of the respondents’ opinions. The majority of respondents agreed that MAFR implementation would strengthen AI and AQ, thereby validating the initial position of the IRBA. In addition, most participants agreed that the ramification of the imposition of additional cost could not be ignored. However, there were conflicting results on the effect of audit reforms on market concentration. The majority of respondents could neither agree nor disagree that there would be a decrease in market concentration. While most respondents agreed that the rule would promote government policy on transformation and create more opportunities for tier 2 audit firms to penetrate other markets, provided they had the capacity and competency to audit them. Moreover, the utilization of SPSS on ordinal logistic regression also found that the probability of a decrease in the progress of audit reforms are significantly higher when MAFR is in place, and a non-significant positive predictor of MAFR would increase AI, AQ and audit reforms. Conclusively, the study, recommends future studies should broadly include registered auditors and academics from institutions and firms in different South African provinces to obtain diverse views about pre-and post-implementation of the rule in 2023 to compare the effects of the policy on AQ and AI.
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    Impression management: graphical representation in integrated reports of state-owned entities in South Africa.
    (2021) Maleka, Ramatsobane Mahlako.; Mbonigaba, Josué.; Baldavoo, Kiran.
    Graphical representation in the integrated report is a form of voluntary disclosure, by nature may be subject to bias or distortion by the managers of the preparing entities to yield favourable information or reduce the gravity of the financial information to the stakeholders. This situation prevails when limited evidence exists on how graphical representation may misrepresent the information in many ways, such as the types of graphs selected, the frequency of graphs presented, the quality of graphs presented, and how graphs are measured. Presenting the evidence in respect of these ways, analysing the patterns, frequencies, selectivity, quality, and distortion might alert stakeholders to pay attention to this information when reading these reports. The magnitude of maladministration and corruption in South Africa indicates that impression management (favourable bias) may hide the corruption or be perceived as performing well. The study addresses the usage of graphical representation in integrated reports of state-owned entities (SOEs) in South Africa and determines whether impression management is present. The quantitative research methodology was applied in undertaking this research study due to the objectivity of the method, following the descriptive type of research design. The positivist research paradigm was followed, with its primary focus to determine the genuine truth through a scientific method and objectivity. The study focused on the five years from 2017 to 2021 for entities listed in Schedule 2 (21 entities) of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Only 15 of the 21 entities had integrated reports for the period 2017 to 2020, and only six of the 15 had integrated reports in 2021. Therefore, these 15 SOEs were selected as the sample with a limitation of nine SOEs’ integrated reports not published in 2021. Using statistics, a trend analysis strategy was adopted to analyse and present the results. The findings are presented as graphs – with percentages, absolute numbers, and averages. The study found that all SOEs use graphs, selectivity is present. Other graph type is the most common graph used by SOEs, followed by Column graphs. SOEs are more likely to report on favourable information than unfavourable. Graph distortion was present in 75.8% of graphs. It is recommended that guidelines and standards of good graphs are adhered to, and entities to report on relevant and key information to the users of the integrated reports and not following a positive trend bias.