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The purpose of this study is to examine both accruals and real earnings management in a large sample of private companies in the UK using data from 2002 to 2009 following the implementation of the UK Act of 2006.

A panel data analysis using GMM has been adopted to examine the objectives of the study and answer the research questions.

The results of this study showed that the imposition of the Companies Act of 2006, on its own, did lead to changes in earnings management behaviour, in both accruals-based earnings and real earnings management. Moreover, this study also found that firms that chose to provide IFRS financial statements tended to show less discretionary earnings management, however, it tended to have no impact on real earnings management.

In accordance with the research findings, standard setters with some insight tend to determine how capital markets see the information provided under the legislation such as the UK Act of 2006 in developed countries and thereby ensure long-term sustainability in a modern and sophisticated financial world. This study provides an insight into the successful implementation of the UK act of 2006, and its influence on the aspect of financial reporting.

The novel conclusion reached in the study is that there exists a strong and direct link between the smooth implementation of UK Act of 2006 and the practices of both accruals and real earnings management in real-world business and financial scenarios, particularly, in private companies.

This paper aims to investigate and compare the sustainability reporting practices of companies in the two most successful Western economies, the USA and the UK, as per Global reporting initiative framework.

Content analysis has been applied on a sample of 136 companies listed on the Stock Exchanges of the USA and the UK (USA – NASDAQ 100, 100 companies and Amex major market index, 20 companies; UK – FTSE 100, 100 companies). It uses descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test to identify significant comparisons.

The findings of the study suggest that the level of sustainability reporting is almost similar in the USA and the UK. It is somewhat low in both the countries. Overall mean disclosure score is 39.1 per cent in case of the USA followed by UK with 34.5 per cent. The result of independent sample t-test shows that these differences are not significant.

Sustenance is not a grave issue in both the USA and the UK. Thus, sustainability reporting is a voluntary practice in both these countries. Even then these countries are fostering in the field of sustenance and sensitizing the developing nations towards its need and relevance. The present study would provide developing countries a base and understanding of need based rules for moving on the path of sustenance.

The USA and the UK are the two most successful Western economies. However, not even a single study was found while reviewing the literature that studied and compared the sustainability reporting practices of these two leading developed countries.

This study aims to evaluate the significance of the corporate website favorability notion and examines its factors in developing competitive advantage in the context of retail and service settings in the UK and Russia.

Based on the attribution, social identity and signaling theories, this study adopted the qualitative exploratory approach by conducting 14 interviews with retail experts and eight focus groups with retail users in the UK and Russia, combined with experts in website design, communication and marketing.

The study findings indicated that it is crucial to build and maintain a favorable corporate website that reveals the corporate identity as part of the overall company strategy. The study suggests that navigation, visual, information, usability, customization, security, availability, website credibility, customer service, perceived corporate social responsibility and perceived corporate culture are the factors of corporate website favorability that contribute to the company’s competitive advantage. The findings show that consumers from Russia as well as from the UK found the significance of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability), as well as the factors affecting corporate website favorability. However, consumers in the UK are more critical and demanding in the level of expectation of the website overall and put more weight than consumers from Russia on the perceived corporate social responsibility, perceived corporate culture, customer service and website credibility.

Corporate website favorability should be adopted by the companies, as part of the overall corporate identity management. Furthermore, it is advised to take into consideration the variations in the level of importance of the factors of corporate website favorability in different countries. The findings of this study suggest that this investigation will make a considerable managerial contribution to the understanding of a company’s decision-makers, communication professionals and website specialists about the building of a favorable corporate website in line with corporate identity strategy of the company.

There has been little systematic study of the effect of corporate websites on consumer evaluations of the websites; also, there is a lack of research with regard to the factors that contribute to the development of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability). This is the first study of its kind to find the effect of corporate website favorability in Russia, representing a non-western country, and the UK, representing a western country. Therefore, it contributes to the corporate visual identity literature by presenting the corporate website favorability construct and demonstrating the factors that influence corporate website favorability.

Presents the findings of a study of the successful international marketing strategies and headquarter‐subsidiary relationships of 186 German companies operating in the UK. A strong product orientation combined with a high level of market orientation was found to characterise successful German companies in the UK. Whilst both successful and less successful companies were found to adopt an ethnocentric approach with regard to strategic and product‐related issues the top performers did enjoy greater financial independence and a high degree of autonomy in day‐to‐day marketing decision making.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into ten sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy; Customer service; Pricing; Promotion; Marketing research; Product management; Channel management; Logistics and distribution; New product development; Purchasing.

Most research on share repurchases is based on the USA. Recently, the rate of share repurchases by UK companies has increased significantly; such a marked increase in activity would suggest a change in strategic factors generating this activity. This paper aims to focus on UK practice, the motivations of UK companies to repurchase shares and compares similar research in the USA.

Strategic motives for share repurchase activity are examined by a questionnaire survey of the finance directors of the top UK 200 companies. The outcome is compared to equivalent US research. The theoretical underpinning of the survey is based on six prominent hypotheses from the academic literature.

The results indicate that a primary motive of share repurchases in the UK is to achieve an optimal capital structure, and that the requirement to cancel shares is fundamental to buy‐back decisions in the UK.

USA/UK comparison has limitations, nevertheless it highlights differences and possible reasons. A follow‐up study in the current market conditions may give further clarity. Also, a survey of smaller quoted companies may further enhance our understanding of the motives.

The likelihood is of this trend being maintained, especially in view of legal development.

Individual respondents indicated that finance directors have a genuine interest in this topic and that further research would be beneficial in both practical and academic use. Share buy‐backs can be an effective part of the overall strategy of a company, however the effects of a repurchase are ultimately short term.

This paper aims to explore the reasons why the USA makes a good comparator for the UK when it comes to corporate governance.

The paper is largely theoretical.

The paper finds that the USA has become a laboratory for ideas in corporate governance and the UK can learn a lot in areas such as takeovers and shareholders’ rights.

The paper explains the reasons why the UK and the USA have dominated research literature in corporate governance. The findings and arguments raised throughout the paper are very original.

The diffusion of “best management practice” across national boundaries is becoming a significant strategy for multinational companies (MNCs) to achieve competitive advantage in global markets. Several studies have shown that national cultural and institutional differences may constrain or limit the transfer of such “best practice”. However, these conclusions are based on studies of MNCs from developed countries and we know little about MNCs from developing countries in relation to human resource management best practice. China is engaging in rapid economic development and internationalisation of its business system, and Chinese MNCs see the adoption of advanced management practices as central to the process. Drawing on a study of Chinese MNCs operating in the UK, the article shows how the subsidiaries of these MNCs used the advanced environment of a developed country to transfer best practice of HRM into their organisations.

This paper seeks to outline the driving forces behind the acceleration of cross‐border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs) and to review the recent trends involving United Kingdom (UK) companies.

The paper draws on data available from Thomson One Banker and the Office of National Statistics, to examine the trends in CBMAs between 1996 and 2005.

The driving forces underlying the trend of CBMAs are complex and vary by sector. One of the most significant driving forces is technological change. In addition, changes to government policies influence CBMAs by opening up opportunities and increasing the availability of favourable targets for mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Other forces are market drivers, industry‐level drivers and firm‐level drivers. The scale of CBMAs involving UK companies has increased rapidly in recent years. The area analysis shows that European Union (EU) companies are the most significant target for UK companies followed by the USA and Canada. In terms of distribution within sectors, UK companies tend to acquire more manufacturing companies in the EU, the USA and Canada than in the Asia‐Pacific region. In contrast, UK companies tend to acquire more service sector companies in the Asia‐Pacific region than in the EU, the USA and Canada.

The paper provides an accessible account of drivers of CBMAs and considers in detail the value and scale of activity relating to UK CBMAs. The paper will be of value to academics and practitioners interested in CBMAs as an important element of firm strategy.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the attributes of corporate boards in UK companies and their tendency to assure their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports.

From the agency theory perspective, the authors examine the impact of board attributes on the assurance of CSR reports for the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 350 during 2016–2019. The authors used annual integrated reports, companies’ websites and Thomson Reuters Eikon database for data collection and the logistic regression for data analysis.

The results confirm that some board attributes significantly influence a company’s decision to assure its CSR reports. While board size, board tenure, the presence of female board members and female executive directors and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)’ global working experience positively contribute to CSR assurance (CSRA) decisions, the chairman’s independence negatively contributes to it. However, board independence, board meetings and board financial expertise demonstrate no effect on the CSRA decision.

The authors focus on some attributes of board members, but the authors did not consider board diversity in its broader meaning. Moreover, the effect of board committees and their attributes on CSRA was not addressed. The authors also did not consider the impact of scope, the quality level of assurance service and the differences between assurance providers on companies’ decisions to neither undertake CSRA nor choose between assurance providers.

The study provides insights into the increasing demand on voluntary assurance to boost the credibility of CSR reports and the role of the board of directors (BOD) in taking this initiative. The findings highlight the importance of board diversity (e.g. gender) in improving transparency and sustainability reporting, which can help policymakers and regulators in shaping future governance policies. Additionally, the findings refer to a drawback in the UK Corporate Governance Code regarding the chairman’s independence, which requires corrective actions from the Financial Reporting Council. The findings raise concern over the small share of audit firms in the assurance service market, despite the growing demand for these services in the UK, which may require more attention to these services from the audit firms.

Companies are increasingly pressurized, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, to discharge their accountability to stakeholders and to act in a socially responsible manner in their business activities. CSR reporting is one of the main tools that companies use to communicate their social activities. Understanding the determinants of voluntary CSRA helps to increase the credibility of CSR reports and the favorable response to social pressure.

The authors add empirical evidence to the limited literature on CSRA about the role of the BOD in undertaking companies’ social responsibility, improving CSR reporting and reducing information asymmetry. It also highlights the significance of maintaining a balanced BOD in terms of gender, experience and tenure, in minimizing the risk of perpetuating non-transparent integrated reporting.