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We synthesise the empirical literature on the determinants and consequences of financial distress, critique the findings and offer suggestions for future research. We categorise these indicators into (i) firm‐level fundamental determinants, (ii) macroeconomic determinants and (iii) firm‐level corporate governance determinants. We categorise the consequences into (i) financial reporting and auditing consequences, (ii) firm‐level operational consequences, (iii) capital market consequences and (iv) corporate governance consequences. We suggest that future research can make a more meaningful contribution, by developing more comprehensive models of predicting financial distress which will entail a departure from the current partial analysis to a more holistic complex analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a meta‐analysis of the determinants of audit report lag, defined as the period between a company's fiscal year end and the audit report date. We group the meta‐analyzed studies into three categories: (a) audit and audit‐related determinants, (b) corporate governance‐related determinants, and (c) firm‐specific determinants. We find that audit opinion and audit season variables increase audit report lag, whereas Big 4 affiliation, nonaudit services, and auditor tenure decrease audit report lag. Among the corporate governance determinants, the existence of a financial expert member on an audit committee, and ownership concentration, reduce audit report lag. Finally, an examination of firm‐level characteristics reveals that firm complexity increases audit report lag, whereas profitability reduces it. We employ a meta‐regression technique and identify publication bias. Although we find some evidence of journal quality as a contributor to publication bias, the extent of publication bias from this source is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the funding criteria adopted by funding organisations (FOs) in New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach – The naturalistic inquiry paradigm is applied and qualitative interview data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Findings – The most important finding is that there is a strong pattern emerging as to how the selected FOs determine the allocation of their funds. Outcomes and key people are important criteria for these FOs, while financial information is regarded as less relevant. On balance, the New Zealand funders involved in this study seem to adopt a creative approach to allocating their funds. To explain the lack of performance and financial measurements, it may be that, unlike their for-profit counterparts, not-for-profit (NFP) organisations' managers are not constrained by returns to shareholders, earnings per share and the bottom line. Thus, many of the New Zealand funders' allocations rely on an instinctive feel for the projects proposed and the character of the applicants proposing them. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the research is that it was restricted to Auckland and Wellington and only to those FOs which were willing to participate. It is not possible to generalise the results and apply the findings derived based on seven FOs to all the funders in New Zealand. This research is an exploratory study; further research would be appropriate across Australasia to include larger centres such as Sydney and Melbourne where there are many more FOs. Practical implications – Funders are in favour of a more creative and soft approach to their philanthropic giving. It is hoped that this research will raise an awareness of a strong tendency of FOs to adopt a creative approach to grant-making rather than the more scientific approach involving financial analysis. Social implications – The outcomes and key people are important to this grant-making process, while much financial information is less relevant. Originality/value – The paper recommends that FOs should pay more attention to financial analysis while preserving the flexibility of a creative approach. Moreover, grant seekers will have a much clearer idea about what sort of information most grant makers actually utilise in their grant decision-making processes. The additional contribution of this research project is to enrich the existing literature on philanthropic funding in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]