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Article
Publication date: 6 November 2017

Elisabeth Sinnewe

The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the application of the Faff (2015) pitch template to a financial accounting research topic.

1524

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the application of the Faff (2015) pitch template to a financial accounting research topic.

Design/methodology/approach

The author recounts her personal experience with completing the template for a pitch that examines reporting conciseness in the context of integrated reporting.

Findings

The template was found useful in refining a research idea in a structured manner.

Originality/value

The letter also demonstrates how the template was used as a research collaboration tool when engaging with collaborators on research projects.

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2017

Michael A. Kortt, Todd Steen and Elisabeth Sinnewe

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of church attendance and the formation of “religious human capital” using a Becker-inspired allocation-of-time framework.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of church attendance and the formation of “religious human capital” using a Becker-inspired allocation-of-time framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Data derived from three waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey were used to estimate a reduced-form two-equation system where the endogenous variables were frequency of attendance at religious services and intensity of faith.

Findings

The results indicate that while the hourly wage rate accounts for some of the variation in the attendance and faith regressions (i.e. higher wages lead to lower levels of attendance and faith), “allocation of time” variables like working long hours also influence these dimensions. The findings also suggest that the decision to attend or not or to have any faith at all is generally independent from economic factors. However, once the decision to attend or to have faith is made, an individual’s wage influences the degree of attendance or faith to a significant level.

Originality/value

The study contributes to this embryonic body of empirical literature by providing – to the best of the authors’ knowledge – the first results for Australia.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 44 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2017

Scott Niblock, Elisabeth Sinnewe and Panha Heng

The purpose of this paper is to showcase empirical findings in the literature relating to Australian superannuation fund performance in the pre-reform period, from 2000 to 2014.

1314

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to showcase empirical findings in the literature relating to Australian superannuation fund performance in the pre-reform period, from 2000 to 2014.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors synthesize Australian superannuation performance studies in an attempt to identify empirical approaches employed in the academic literature, showcase findings and uncover themes for future research.

Findings

The review highlights the following findings in the literature: actively managed “retail” superannuation funds appear to underperform passive index and/or portfolio approaches; high management fees and preference for liquid, less growth-orientated assets may be further undermining performance. It also reveals the need for future research to assess whether the recent government inquiries and the related reformative measures have achieved the desired effect of improving the Australian superannuation system. The authors therefore identify three areas of investigation that will cater for this research need: the fund performance of not-for-profit fund and self-managed super fund; the efficiency of super funds; and the appropriateness of wholesale fund benchmarks.

Originality value

It is expected that superannuation fund performance will be subject to heightened scrutiny to assess the effectiveness of recent legislative changes resulting from the Stronger Super reform and other public inquiries. This study provides a timely, substantive and informative review of empirical findings pertaining to Australian superannuation performance in the pre-reform period to assist researchers looking to conduct further empirical research on this topic.

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2018

Scott J. Niblock and Elisabeth Sinnewe

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether superior risk-adjusted returns can be generated using monthly covered call option strategies in large capitalized Australian equity…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether superior risk-adjusted returns can be generated using monthly covered call option strategies in large capitalized Australian equity portfolios and across varying market volatility conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors construct monthly in-the-money (ITM) and out-of-the-money (OTM) S&P/ASX 20 covered call portfolios from 2010 to 2015 and use standard and alternative performance measures. An assessment of variable levels of market volatility on risk-adjusted return performance is also carried out using the spread between implied and realized volatility indexes.

Findings

The results of this paper show that covered call writing produces similar nominal returns at lower risk when compared against the standalone buy-and-hold portfolio. Both standard and alternative performance measures (with the exception of the upside potential ratio) demonstrate that covered call portfolios produce superior risk-adjusted returns, particularly when written deeper OTM. The 36-month rolling regressions also reveal that deeper OTM portfolios deliver greater risk-adjusted returns in the majority of the sub-periods investigated. This paper also establishes that volatility spread variation may be a driver of performance for covered call writing in Australia.

Originality/value

The authors suggest that deeper OTM covered call strategies based on large capitalized portfolios create value for investors/fund managers in the Australian stock market and can be executed in volatile market conditions. Such strategies are particularly useful for those seeking market neutral asset allocation and less risk exposure in volatile market environments.

Details

Studies in Economics and Finance, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1086-7376

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2016

Elisabeth Sinnewe, Michael Kortt and Todd Steen

– The purpose of this paper is to estimate the association between religious affiliation and the rate of return to human capital for German men and women.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the association between religious affiliation and the rate of return to human capital for German men and women.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper employs data from the 1997, 2003, 2007 and 2011 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel for German men and women in full-time employment between the age of 25 and 54. The association between religious affiliation and wages was estimated using a conventional human capital model.

Findings

This paper finds that Catholic men (women) received a wage premium of 4 per cent (3 per cent) relative to their Protestant counterparts, even after controlling for an extensive range of demographic, economic and social characteristics.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by providing – to the best of the authors’ knowledge – the first results on the wage premium received by Catholic men and women in the German labour market.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 43 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 6 November 2017

Tracy Artiach

591

Abstract

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Content available
Article
Publication date: 3 July 2017

Ellie (Larelle) Chapple and Reza Monem

Abstract

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2022

Zhongtian Li, Jing Jia and Larelle (Ellie) Chapple

This study aims to examine whether the sustainability committee, a specialized governance mechanism for environmental and social issues, is related to environmental performance…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether the sustainability committee, a specialized governance mechanism for environmental and social issues, is related to environmental performance. Specifically, the authors consider the presence and effectiveness of the sustainability committee.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of Australian firms (2002–2016), the presence of a sustainability committee and sustainability committee effectiveness (consisting of 12 sustainability committee characteristics) are examined. Firms’ environmental performance is measured by Thomson Reuters Asset4 ratings.

Findings

The authors confirm prior findings of a positive relationship between the presence of a sustainability committee and the firm’s environmental performance. More importantly, sustainability committee effectiveness is found to be positively associated with environmental performance, indicating the active role that the composition and function of the sustainability committee plays in enhancing environmental performance.

Practical implications

The findings are of interest to directors and managers who are interested in improving firms’ environmental performance, in addition to investors and regulators who are concerned about environmental performance.

Originality/value

This study meaningfully expands the extant literature that studies the sustainability committee in at least three ways. First, the authors evidence the effect of an unexplored dimension of committee heterogeneity (sustainability committee effectiveness) by hand-collecting detailed information of sustainability committee members. Second, the authors distinguish from prior studies, in that the authors test the direct relationship between sustainability committee effectiveness and environmental performance. Third, by adopting different robustness tests of endogeneity along with sampling firms in various industries over 15 years, the authors offer more compelling and more comprehensive evidence in this regard. Broadly, the authors enrich the literature on corporate governance and environmental performance.

Details

Meditari Accountancy Research, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-372X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2022

Zhongtian Li, Jing Jia and Larelle J. Chapple

This study aims to analyze whether various textual characteristics in corporate sustainability disclosure associate with corporate sustainability performance in Australia…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze whether various textual characteristics in corporate sustainability disclosure associate with corporate sustainability performance in Australia, pertaining to tones of language and readability. The voluntary disclosure theory and legitimacy theory are used to formulate the study hypothesis.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from Australian listed firms (2002–2016), four textual characteristics are examined: tone of optimism, tone of certainty, tone of clarity and readability. Corporate sustainability performance is measured by Thomson Reuters Asset4 ratings. Different strategies are adopted to mitigate endogeneity concerns.

Findings

The authors found that there is a positive relationship between the textual characteristics of sustainability disclosure and sustainability performance. Specifically, firms with better performance communicate in an optimistic, certain, clear and more readable manner.

Practical implications

The results suggest that Australia’s voluntary reporting status does not induce a combination of poor performance and positive disclosure. This paper should be of interest to investors and other stakeholders and also informs regulatory policy on sustainability disclosure in Australia.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the sustainability disclosure literature using computer-based textual analysis to explore whether firms reveal their sustainability performance by “how things are said” (i.e. textual characteristics) in sustainability disclosure. As far as the authors could ascertain, they are the first to investigate textual characteristics of sustainability disclosure in Australia.

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