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Measures of corporate environmental performance need to be objective, accurate, and reliable in order to meet the objectives of the stakeholders interested in this information. This study examines one widely used measure of corporate environmental performance: the citations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against firms for non-compliance with environmental regulations. This measure is examined in the context of the oil and gas industry, which is considered one of the more polluting industries. The results from this study show that larger firms are more likely to be cited for an EPA violation. In addition the study provides weak support that financially healthier firms are cited more often. Together these results seem to indicate that the EPA's enforcement policies target firms that are politically more visible and perhaps financially more solvent. Based on these results we argue that the number of EPA citations as a measure of environmental performance is biased because it does not accurately or reliably capture the extent of a firm's environmental concerns and potential exposure. Currently emerging SEC policies, and to some extent FASB policies, dealing with mandated environmental disclosures rely heavily on EPA compliance data. The results from this study suggest that drawing inferences from this information without taking into account the embedded EPA biases may lead to erroneous conclusions, and therefore to defective disclosure and management policies.

This paper reviews recent political proposals for a flat tax within a broad historical perspective. That perspective traces economic and philosophical arguments about a “just” tax from the 16th century to the present, focusing on progressive versus flat marginal tax rates. The conclusion is that none of the flat tax proposals differ dramatically and none proposes a pure flat tax. The political debate is one that focuses on the issue of whether or not an incalculable and only potential inequity cost to society is overshadowed by a calculable benefit by reducing compliance cost and possibly stimulating economic growth by the reduction of marginal tax rates.

We compare differences in performance for samples of firms classified as good, average, and poor environmental performers by the Council for Economic Priorities. Test results suggest that both environmentally “good” and “average” firms significantly outperform environmentally “poor” firms. These results are consistent with poor environmental performers being poorly managed and/or with market participants penalizing corporate polluters. Implications for expanded environmental disclosure are discussed.

This study examines the relationship between gender orientation (as measured by the Bern Sex Role Inventory) and success and between gender orientation and job satisfaction among accounting professors. Prior studies have shown that women in professions formerly dominated by men (among them public accounting) possess stereotypically masculine characteristics to a greater degree than average (Wong et al., 1985; Lemkau, 1983; Maupin & Lehman, 1994). Existence of these conditions in accounting academia would carry important implications for accounting professors, and for the profession of which they are a part. Results indicate that female accounting faculty at higher ranks are more likely to possess masculine characteristics than those at lower ranks. Job satisfaction was found to be related to gender orientation, but not to gender.

We elaborate an interpretation of the critical discourse analysis of Norman Fairclough illustrating this in focusing upon struggles over takeovers legislation in New Zealand. We indicate the more general applicability of such analysis in the area of financial and accounting regulation.