Search results

1 – 10 of over 5000
Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Jing Yin

Most research on sustainable tourism has been devoted to understanding the determinants of tourists' sustainable behavior on a unidimensional construct, overlooking the importance…

Abstract

Purpose

Most research on sustainable tourism has been devoted to understanding the determinants of tourists' sustainable behavior on a unidimensional construct, overlooking the importance of behavioral costs in sustainable travel behavior. To shed light on this issue, this study aims to quantitatively differentiate sustainable travel behaviors based on behavioral costs and to examine the impact of psychological factors on both low-cost and high-cost sustainable travel behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 470 tourists used Rasch analysis to measure the behavioral costs associated with sustainable travel behavior and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that the value-identity-personal norm model explains more variance in low-cost sustainable travel behaviors than in high-cost sustainable travel behaviors. This supports the central tenet of the low-cost hypothesis and also suggests that values and self-identity factors have a stronger influence on low-cost sustainable travel behavior. However, personal norms have a stronger influence on high-cost behaviors.

Practical implications

This research highlights the importance for tourism and destination managers to distinguish between different categories of sustainable travel behavior and to analyze their determinants separately. This allows for the development of tailored messages for specific groups of tourists based on the psychological drivers of sustainable travel behavior.

Originality/value

This study provides insights into the determinants of sustainable travel behaviors with different behavioral costs and highlights the importance of analyzing different categories of behaviors separately.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 July 2024

Sotirios Karatzimas, Vasilios Christos Naoum and Paschalis Seretis

This study explores the relationship between debt intensity and cost stickiness at the local government level, a setting characterized by the existence of debt constraints and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the relationship between debt intensity and cost stickiness at the local government level, a setting characterized by the existence of debt constraints and political influence.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on a theoretical framework informed by the concepts of coercive isomorphism and accountability, the present study focuses on Greek municipalities and applies Anderson et al.’s (2003) extended methodology, as reviewed by Banker and Byzalov (2014), in a sample of 1,366 municipality year observations for the period 2011–2020.

Findings

The results indicate that the degree of cost asymmetry is negatively associated with debt intensity. Periods before elections present the same picture. This negative relationship becomes insignificant in the case of large municipalities, which probably require more resources to support their operations and incur higher adjustment costs for reducing resources. These findings are robust to use alternative types of expenses associated with cost stickiness and a battery of control variables.

Originality/value

Little is known about the impact of debt level and financial constraints on cost behavior in the public sector context. This study takes a fresh look at the relationship between municipal debt structure and cost stickiness, adding to the understanding of cost behavior considering the debt level, financial constraints, resource-adjustment costs and the underlying managerial behavior.

Details

Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1096-3367

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2024

Rajiv Banker, Renee Flasher and Daqun Zhang

This paper explores if the firm’s strategic orientation can be associated with differences in cost behavior activity.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores if the firm’s strategic orientation can be associated with differences in cost behavior activity.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Compustat data from 1979 to 2012, the archival study examines if there are differences between differentiation and cost leadership strategies on the firm’s cost stickiness.

Findings

The main finding provides evidence that firms pursuing a differentiation strategy exhibit greater cost stickiness, on average, as compared to firms pursuing a cost leadership strategy. This relationship is moderated by the optimistic or pessimistic expectations of managers for future sales.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on cost management by explaining how strategic positioning affects firms’ cost behavior using the framework of asymmetric cost behavior. The study encompasses both product and period costs and documents the impact on earnings.

Details

Asian Review of Accounting, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1321-7348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 July 2024

Sahar Hosseinikhah Choshaly

This study aims to examine the pro-environmental behavior of tourists in one of the northern cities of Iran, Lahijan, by applying the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT).

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the pro-environmental behavior of tourists in one of the northern cities of Iran, Lahijan, by applying the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT).

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consists of a total of 180 tourists who had traveled to Lahijan city in Guilan province. Data is analyzed using descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) technique using Smart PLS 3.0.

Findings

The results confirm the importance of PMT in explaining the pro-environmental behavior of tourists. The findings of this study show the significant relationship between vulnerability, severity, self-efficacy, response efficacy, response cost and maladaptive perception with tourist’s pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, rewards are not related to pro-environmental behavior.

Practical implications

This study provides a better understanding of how to motivate tourists toward pro-environmental behavior. It also contributes to reinforcing PMT by adding evidence from tourism research and delivers profiles for tourism providers.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the understanding of the predictors of pro-environmental behavior of tourists in Iran using a full PMT which encompasses three concepts of threats appraisal, coping appraisal and maladaptive perception.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 July 2024

Jinglin Qi, Zhengbiao Han and Preben Hansen

This study constructed an information search process model based on costs and benefits to reflect different information search processes under different decisions from a…

Abstract

Purpose

This study constructed an information search process model based on costs and benefits to reflect different information search processes under different decisions from a behavioural economics perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a deductive approach to conceptualise the costs, benefits, and uncertainties of the information search process. Subsequently, we constructed an information search process model based on the costs and benefits using graphical reasoning, loss aversion theory, bounded rationality theory, the satisficing theory of behavioural economics, and the uncertainty changes of information search process.

Findings

The model revealed four types of user behaviours in the information search process: (1) avoiding search at the initiation of the search process; (2) exiting in the middle of a search; (3) stopping at the point of satisficing; and (4) continuing the search until experiencing physical discomfort.

Originality/value

The model constructed in this study treats the information search as a process based on costs and benefits with uncertainty. This model integrates information search avoidance and stopping into an information search process model. The model identifies users’ bounded rationality by evaluating ideal and real situations. Moreover, the model explains relative and absolute information overloads and the area beyond the user’s bounded rationality. These findings could help improve users’ information literacy and optimise information systems.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 September 2024

Valerie Chambers, Eric N. Johnson, Gary M. Fleischman and Kenneth Zheng

Management discretion in the decision to reduce payroll costs is an important but under-researched issue in management accounting. The authors leverage the experimental…

Abstract

Management discretion in the decision to reduce payroll costs is an important but under-researched issue in management accounting. The authors leverage the experimental environment to test the role of organizational culture (close vs. distant) and managerial communion (concern for others) along with their interaction with sales decline persistence (one vs. two periods) on planned layoff decisions. The authors find that communal managers are hesitant to downsize employees and that a close organizational culture interacts with one period sales declines to reduce layoffs although the influence of culture is reduced with persistent sales declines. The authors also examine the influence of culture and communion on managers’ preference for pay cuts as an alternative to layoffs. The authors find that a close culture and higher communion are associated with decisions to choose pay cuts over layoffs; however, these costs interact such that managers low in communion in a distant culture express a higher preference for layoffs. These findings illustrate the combined influence of economic, organizational, and dispositional factors on manager decisions about the extent and form of labor cost reductions due to sales declines.

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2024

Yu Xia and Shuxin Guo

We are the first to investigate the relationship between seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) and anchoring on historical high prices in China.

Abstract

Purpose

We are the first to investigate the relationship between seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) and anchoring on historical high prices in China.

Design/methodology/approach

We use the ratio of the recent closing price to its historical high in the previous 12–60 months (anchoring-high-price ratio) to study its impact on the market timing of SEOs.

Findings

Empirical results show that the anchoring-high-price ratio significantly and positively affects the probability of additional stock issuances. Contrary to the USA market, the Chinese stock market reacts negatively to the SEOs at historical highs. Moreover, the anchoring-high-price ratio exacerbates the negative effect of announcements and leads to long-term underperformance. Finally, we investigate the impact of the anchoring-high-price ratio on a company’s capital structure, showing that the additional issuance anchoring on historical highs reduces the company’s leverage ratio in the long run. Overall, our findings support the anchoring theory and can help understand better the anchoring behavior of managers and the company’s decision on additional stock issuances.

Originality/value

We are the first to use the anchoring-high-price ratio to study the timing of SEOs. We find that the anchoring-high-price ratio positively affects the probability of SEOs. Unlike the USA, the Chinese stock market reacts negatively to SEOs at high prices. SEOs anchoring on historical highs reduce a firm’s leverage ratio in the long run. Finally, our results support the anchoring theory.

Details

China Finance Review International, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 May 2024

Shujun Zhang, Jialiang Fu, Weiwei Zhu, Guoxiong Zhao, Shuwei Xu and Biqing Chang

This study investigates the economic outcomes of the strategic deviation (SD), the fundamental and crucial question in institutional theory and strategic management. Previous…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the economic outcomes of the strategic deviation (SD), the fundamental and crucial question in institutional theory and strategic management. Previous studies have yielded contradictory findings. This study reconciles conflicting results by distinguishing the effects of the SD on financial and market performance, examining the mechanism of financing constraints and the boundary condition of institutional investor heterogeneity.

Design/methodology/approach

This research collected data from Chinese A-shares listed manufacturing firms from 2009 to 2021 from the CSMAR and Wind databases. This study conducted empirical tests using OLS models with Stata 15.

Findings

Empirical results demonstrate that the SD has different impacts on different dimensions of performance. The SD negatively impacts financial performance while positively impacts market performance. Financing constraints mediate the main effects. Moreover, transactional institutional investors positively moderate the negative effect of the SD on financial performance, whereas stable institutional investors negatively moderate the positive effect of the SD on market performance.

Originality/value

By systematically revealing how the SD has different effects on financial and market performance, this study reconciles the debate on the SD between institutional theorists and strategy scholars. This research makes contributions to the research stream by providing reasonable explanations for conflicting conclusions. Furthermore, by introducing the overlooked perspective of financing constraints, this research identifies crucial mediating mechanisms and highlights the double-edged effect of financing constraints, enriching our understanding of financing constraints. Finally, this study investigates the moderating effects of institutional investor heterogeneity, thereby making valuable contributions to the comprehension of boundary conditions.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2024

Joohyung Ha

This paper aims to examine how a firm’s exposure to economic policy uncertainty affects the auditors’ perceptions of financial reporting risk. Firms that are more sensitive to…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how a firm’s exposure to economic policy uncertainty affects the auditors’ perceptions of financial reporting risk. Firms that are more sensitive to policy uncertainty are predicted to engage in more earnings management because these firms are more likely to experience greater uncertainty in future operations. Audit fees will reflect this reporting risk. On the other hand, auditors might feel more fee pressure from policy-sensitive firms because firms are more inclined to reduce spending in the face of uncertainty and subsequently charge lower fees.

Design/methodology/approach

The author tests my hypothesis using U.S. data on audit fees and client characteristics of public companies between the years 2001 and 2021. The author estimates a standard audit fee model based on the audit fee literature (Hay et al., 2006) while also including the two policy sensitivity measures. This study uses panel data methods that allow time-series analyses, providing a powerful setting to test dynamic audit fee adjustment to improve the understanding of the audit market.

Findings

The results suggest that audit fee is higher for policy-sensitive firms than for policy-neutral firms. These results are robust to various proxies of policy sensitivity and various specifications designed to mitigate the endogeneity concerns. The study provides assurance that on average, auditor pricing reflects client risk adequately, mitigating the concern that auditors give in to fee pressure and compromise audit quality as a result.

Research limitations/implications

While the findings from this study should be of value to regulators and academics seeking to understand audit activities amid escalating macroeconomic uncertainty, when interpreting these results, several limitations must be considered. The study does not examine how external auditors evaluate risks tied to policy uncertainty. A comprehensive understanding of how and why external auditors respond to heightened policy uncertainty faced by firms could be better achieved through interviews with external auditors and audit committee members. In addition, while this study posits that auditors adjust their approach in response to changes in policy uncertainty, largely due to potential shifts in the risks of material misstatement, there might be additional factors at play that warrant higher audit fees post a change in policy uncertainty. For instance, specific policy changes may give rise to new risks or modify existing ones, thereby precipitating increased scrutiny of records and procedures as company directors’ demand. These aspects offer potential avenues for future research.

Practical implications

This study underscores the significant role of policy sensitivity in determining audit fees and audit quality. Policy-sensitive firms present unique complexities and potential risks that require additional effort and vigilance from auditors. Auditors must develop a specialized understanding of sectors prone to policy fluctuations to navigate these unique challenges effectively. In addition, the role of professional standards boards and regulators in establishing guidelines for auditing policy-sensitive firms cannot be understated. Such guidelines could lead to more consistent audit practices and improved audit quality. Finally, by recognizing and effectively responding to the policy sensitivity of client firms, audit firms can mitigate their own risks, strengthen public trust and enhance the reliability of financial reports.

Originality/value

First, this study adds to an emerging stream of auditing literature that focuses on how audit fees interact with a firm’s external environment by providing evidence of an unexplored implication, a firm-specific policy sensitivity. Second, my main construct, policy sensitivity, provides two distinct advantages over other variables used in prior studies that explore the relationship between audit fees and external firm environments. Third, this study answers the calls for research by De Villiers et al. (2013, p. 3), who identified the cost behavior of audit fees, especially over time, as an area not well understood.

Details

Review of Accounting and Finance, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1475-7702

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 July 2024

Hassir Lastre Sierra, Antonio Ruiz Molina and Diana Barrón Villaverde

This paper investigates the effectiveness of the Ambidextrous Scorecard (ASC) in facilitating the integration of organizational ambidexterity in four-star Puebla City hotels for…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper investigates the effectiveness of the Ambidextrous Scorecard (ASC) in facilitating the integration of organizational ambidexterity in four-star Puebla City hotels for managing exploitation and exploration activities. It proposes an integrated approach to ambidexterity and introduces the ASC as a tool explicitly targeting hotels’ challenges and opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzes survey data from 41 hotels (85.42% response rate). Our methodology involves a literature review, the Delphi technique for questionnaire validation, and data collection through Google Forms. Statistical tests confirm the reliability and validity of the approach for assessing the effective integration of exploitation and exploration activities.

Findings

The paper highlights how the ASC promotes an integrated approach to managing both activities. By incorporating exploitation activities (cost reduction, strategic alliances), and facilitating exploration activities (process innovation, new market attraction), the ASC empowers hotels to streamline operations, develop novel offerings, and achieve enhanced operational efficiency and innovation.

Research limitations/implications

We acknowledge limitations due to its specific focus on the hotel industry in Puebla City, suggesting that the results may not be universally applicable. We recommended that further investigation be conducted into the application of the Ambidextrous Scorecard (ASC) across different sectors and regions to enhance understanding of organizational ambidexterity. Exploring the impact of integrating exploitation and exploration activities across corporate areas could offer valuable insights for implementing the ASC in diverse business settings.

Practical implications

The paper indicates that hotels can achieve ambidexterity by integrating exploitation and exploration activities using the Balanced Scorecard. This approach enhances competitiveness, allowing hotels to anticipate and respond to market trends quickly. It highlights the significance of considering ambidexterity across all organizational areas to ensure sustained adaptability and performance in dynamic environments.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the concept of integrated ambidexterity and the ASC as a novel tool for managing the balance between innovation and efficiency. The ASC transcends the hotel industry, potentially benefiting various service sectors by facilitating a more integrated approach to organizational performance.

Details

American Journal of Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1935-5181

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 5000