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With the global expansion of business operations, many U.S. corporations now operate internationally. While these multinational corporations (MNCs) rely on information about their operations to allocate resources, this information is likely dispersed within the firm, leading to internal information asymmetry between top executives and divisional managers. Meanwhile, audits of these geographically dispersed MNCs are challenging, and parts of these audits are sometimes outsourced to local foreign auditors who have no experience serving as opinion-issuing auditors for U.S. issuers ("inexperienced component auditors"). In this article, we examine whether involving such inexperienced component auditors is associated with MNCs' internal information environment. We find that, relative to a matched control sample, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issuers with the participation of inexperienced component auditors have higher internal information asymmetry and lower internal capital allocation efficiency. Our results suggest that audit quality matters not only to a firm's external financial statement users but also to its internal users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the relation between internal audit function (IAF) quality and investment efficiency, a recurring value-added corporate activity critical to firm survival and profitability. We argue that an IAF, unlike other information intermediaries, is uniquely positioned to have access to firm-specific, private information—particularly related to localized, firm-specific risks. If a more competent IAF incrementally improves the information that is generated and communicated to management (while not participating directly in decision-making), we should observe more productive capital investment decisions from firms with higher quality IAFs relative to firms with lower quality IAFs. Through this enhanced information channel, we find that IAF quality is associated with investment efficiency. This result holds for both under- and overinvestment, although not in tests of all subsamples. We also document that this effect is more pronounced for firms with more complexity and for firms with greater investment opportunities. Our evidence indicates that IAF quality provides measurable and economically meaningful value to an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Kubernetes is an open‐source container orchestration platform, offers a comprehensive suite of features for managing containerized applications effectively. These features encompass horizontal scaling, per‐node‐pool cluster scaling and automated resource request adjustments. This research endeavors to harness these capabilities to address the limitations experienced by fog servers in edge environments, particularly those arising from restricted network connectivity and scalability challenges. In this research paper, the primary focus is on Kubernetes role of enhancing scalability, providing a robust framework for managing containerized applications. The proposed approach involves creating a predefined number of pods and containers within a Kubernetes cluster, specifically designed to efficiently handle incoming requests while optimizing CPU and memory usage. This method implements a microservice architecture for the web tier, with separate pods for the front end, back end and database, ensuring modular and scalable design. All pods communicate and integrate through REST APIs, facilitating seamless interaction and data exchange between the services. When handling web requests, the approach enables and controls both internal and external networks, ensuring secure and efficient communication. The analysis then examines the CPU and memory utilization of the pods, as well as node bandwidth, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of container scalability and performance within the Kubernetes cluster. These findings effectively demonstrate Kubernetes' capability in managing container scalability and optimizing resource utilization, highlighting its efficiency and robustness in a microservice environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the impact of family involvement in ownership and governance on the quality of internal auditing. Design/methodology/approach: Leveraging a hand-collected data set of listed family firms from 2014 to 2020, this study uses regression analyses to investigate the impact of family ownership, family involvement on the board, family CEO and the generational stage of the family business on the quality of internal auditing. Findings: The results provide evidence that family ownership is positively associated with the quality of internal auditing, while later generational stages of family businesses have the opposite effect. Additional analyses reveal that the presence of a sustainability board sub-committee moderates the relationship between generational stages of family businesses and the quality of internal auditing function. Research limitations/implications: This paper does not consider country-institutional factors and other potentially family-related antecedents or governance factors that may affect the quality of internal auditing. Practical implications: The results are informative for investors and non-family stakeholders interested in understanding under which conditions family-related factors influence the quality of internal auditing functions. Originality/value: This study offers fresh evidence regarding the relationship between family-related factors and the quality of internal auditing and board sub-committees that moderate such a relationship in family businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the nonlinear dynamics and control of the deployment and retrieval for a spinning tethered satellite formation system via artificial intelligent method. A dynamic model of the spinning tethered formation system is developed to describe the attitude motions of the system, involving the relative rotations of the tethers to the central main satellite. Considering the system with symmetric and asymmetric configurations, a learning-based control strategy with low time cost is proposed to achieve the stable deployment and retrieval of tethers. In the strategy, a nonlinear model predictive control law accounting for the control constraints and nonlinear dynamics is developed to achieve the control goal. Based on a deep learning method, a dataset including control input and state output obtained offline is trained to form deep neural networks. An online feedback control of the system can be achieved by conducting real-time mapping from the system state to the control input using the neural networks. Finally, numerical simulations for deployment and retrieval of the system with different configurations are presented to demonstrate the computational efficiency and to validate the effectiveness of the control strategy. • Nonlinear dynamics and inherent constraints of the system are accounted for. • Model predictive control law is proposed for deployment/retrieval of the system. • DNNs are developed to achieve control goals with low computational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient safety incident (PSI) reporting is essential to identify underlying problems and improve safety, but PSI reporting in Indonesian hospitals is still low. This study examines factors that contribute to PSI reports. It employed a cross-sectional design and analyzed data from Indonesia's 2019 Health Facilities Research. Methods: According to the criteria, the sample consisted of 462 hospitals. We evaluate the data using the chi-square test. The independent variables were documents, including strategic plans and hospital bylaws; activities included implementing a quality control system, monitoring and evaluation, internal audits, service evaluation and quality control, and periodic meetings. Results: Even though most hospitals already have documents and carry out activities, reports regarding PSI are still lacking in the surveyed hospitals, with half not having any. In Indonesian hospitals, all variables were significantly associated with PSI reports. Hospitals with these documents and management activities, like strategic plans, internal audits, or evaluations, have more PSI reports. Conclusion: The number of PSI reports has increased due to changes in reporting culture, which may indicate a safer culture rather than necessarily an increasing risk. Adopt a comprehensive, data-driven strategy, concentrating on incident reporting and detection. Hospital management must sustainably monitor, assess, and evaluate to encourage PSI reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically revises the organisational account of teleology, which argues that living systems are first and foremost oriented towards a goal: maintaining their own conditions of existence. It points out some limitations of this account, mainly in the capability to account for the richness and complexity of biological systems and their purposeful behaviours. It identifies the reason of these limitations in the theoretical grounding of this account, specifically in the too narrow notion of closure of constraints, focused on self‐production. It proposes to ground an organisational account of biological teleology in the capability of living system not just to produce and replace their parts, but to control their own internal dynamics and behaviours in such a way as to maintain themselves. This theoretical framework has two advantages. It better captures the distinctive features of biological organisations and consequently the richness and active nature of their purposeful behaviours. By doing so, it makes it possible to apply this framework beyond minimal theoretical models to real biological cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses robust output regulation for systems affected by disturbances generated by an uncertain exosystem as well as matched external disturbances. The robustness of the feedback loop is achieved by combining internal model based control with sliding mode control, resulting in a structurally simple controller. The design of the proposed controller is presented first for the full information problem, that is, the disturbances generated by the exosystem and the state‐information is available for the control algorithm. This requirement is relaxed in the second step of the controller design, where the observer‐based robust output feedback‐loop structure is developed. Results from a comparative simulation study are presented to illustrate the advantages and the effectiveness of the proposed controller concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometries constructed using the standard CAD software are always boundary-represented (B-Rep). Due to this, analysis-suitable volumetric parameterization of the geometries constructed using the standard CAD software is necessary for three-dimensional isogeometric analysis (IGA). This paper presents a user-friendly, robust volumetric parametrization tool capable of processing the B-Rep of the geometries constructed in one of the most popular CAD software, i.e. Rhinoceros®. The developed tool traverses multiple stages, starting with reading the standard 3DM CAD files of an arbitrarily shaped geometry. It then extracts surface control points, organizes them to establish an outer structural framework, and employs Coons volume parameterization to generate internal control points based on user-defined specifications. We use the NURBS-Python library for reading 3DM files and the NURBS toolbox to visualize and evaluate NURBS functions in the constructed geometries. We construct several baseline and intricate shape geometries to showcase the robustness and generality of the developed tool. Additionally, to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of our tool for IGA of non-linear three-dimensional problems, we simulate frictionless contact between two deformable geometries constructed using the developed tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) has a significant effect on firm decisions, especially corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure. This research examines the impact of EPU on corporate ESG disclosure, and tests whether this effect can be influenced by financing constraints and internal control using a sample of A-share listed firms in China from 2011 to 2019. The empirical results show that EPU positively affects corporate ESG disclosure. The positive impact of EPU on ESG disclosure is stronger at higher levels of financing constraints and internal control. The heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the positive effect of EPU on corporate ESG disclosure is more significant in state-owned enterprises, heavily polluting firms and those with a higher degree of marketization and industry competition. In times of rising EPU, firms will actively disclose ESG information to mitigate business management risks and reduce negative economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SYNOPSIS: This study investigates the risk mitigation and internal control processes organizations implement in their robotic process automation (RPA) deployments in accounting. The roles of internal controls and risk mitigation are examined by exploring how RPA Program Managers have adopted internal controls and risk mitigation regarding RPA in accounting. Employing interviews with 20 RPA Program Managers, this study provides rich insights into RPA Governance for accounting processes. The interviews revealed that organizations adopt various governance models to ensure proper oversight over RPA in accounting. RPA Governance models range from being fully centralized to being entirely decentralized. RPA risk and control oversight includes unique risk assessments for the RPA accounting environment and specialized monitoring to ensure that RPA in accounting performs as expected. JEL Classifications: M41; M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine whether employees of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) that are hired by large audit firms are associated with subsequent higher audit quality at these firms. Employees at the PCAOB acquire expertise related to the industry they regulate, the audit industry. We predict that this expertise, which we label "regulatory audit quality expertise," would improve audit quality at audit firms, particularly for clients with high misstatement risk. We find that regulatory audit quality expertise is associated with fewer client restatements, which are ex post indicators of high misstatement risk not properly addressed by the auditor (i.e., egregious audit quality issues). Further, along the continuum of audit quality, regulatory audit quality expertise is associated, for high risk clients, with audit quality improvements reflected in lower discretionary accruals and more accurate internal control audit opinions. Our results provide some evidence that regulatory audit quality expertise provided by former PCAOB employees is beneficial for audit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using primary sources composed of U.S. federal legislation and federal agency audit reports, this paper documents and analyzes events in the nearly two-and-a-half-century-long process leading up to the disclaimer of opinion on the first full-scope audit of the Department of Defense (DOD) consolidated financial statements in 2018. It also applies theoretical lenses from political science, namely governmentality and public accountability, to characterize the development of these events and their ultimate aftermath, including results of subsequent DOD audits up to the most recently completed one (FY 2023). Thus, the paper extends into the present century the historiography of accounting and auditing over military endeavors in the U.S., which stretches back to the period just before the American Civil War, and analyzes its accounting and societal significance, thereby responding to a lacuna in the literature identified in earlier research and contributing to the discussion on accountability and good government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1920s, two major defalcations by board treasurers rocked the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The first was a theft of a little over $100,000 from the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, VA, and the second was a staggering $900,000 from the Home Mission Board in Atlanta, GA. A common thread between the thefts was an overarching, albeit misplaced, trust in the men involved, combined with a lack of direct control by the separate boards and lax audit procedures. In the end, both perpetrators were convicted of their crimes and went to jail. The scandal compelled SBC officials to develop new accounting controls to minimize the risk of a reoccurrence in the future. Data Availability: Articles and books used in this manuscript are available from the public sources and cited in References. JEL Classification: M40; M41; M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space deformations deform the ambient space and thus implicitly deform the embedded objects. Free-Form Deformation allows high-order deformation to the embedding space, yet the lattice may fail to conform to the object and involves many internal control points. Cage-based Deformation utilizes a cage space that conforms to the object, obviating the need for additional internal control points, but it is typically linear at edges. In this paper, we propose a simple and general method with both advantages while avoiding their drawbacks, allowing users to implement high-order cage-based deformation. To achieve this goal, we introduce a new parametric transfinite interpolation scheme based on generalized barycentric coordinates, which unifies and generalizes the rectangular and triangular Coons patch. This C0 Generalized Coons patch can be defined not only over 2D domains but also 3D domains or even higher-dimensional domains, with arbitrary polytopes, even including non-manifold topologies. Moreover, the C0 Generalized Coons patch has an elegant mathematical expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the consequences of works councils has been dominated by economic aspects. Our study provides evidence that works councils have non‐financial consequences for society that go beyond the boundaries of the workplace. Using panel data from a large sample of workers in Germany, we show that works councils have an influence on workers' party preferences. Works council presence is negatively associated with preferences for extreme right‐wing parties and positively associated with preferences for the Social Democratic Party and The Left. These results hold in panel data estimations including a large set of controls and accounting for unobserved individual‐specific factors. Our findings fit the notion that workplace democracy increases workers' solidarity and their awareness of social and political issues. However, the influence of works council representation on party preferences is gender‐specific. Asymmetric gender norms within society may entail a lower responsiveness of women's party preferences to workplace democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context of this research is that there are still many cases of fraud that occur in companies, central government, local authorities or public institutions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether and to what extent internal audit and good governance play a role in preventing fraud in Moroccan public enterprise. The independent variable is "internal audit" and "good governance," while the dependent variable is "fraud prevention." We adopted a post-positivist posture, a hypothetico-deductive logic and a quantitative approach. The research population is made up of internal auditors, a total of 35 people in Moroccan public enterprise. We used a non-probability sampling technique, more precisely, the saturated sample technique, and then multiple regression to model fraud prevention and its determinants. The results of the study show that internal audit and good governance have a positive and significant role in fraud prevention. In addition, internal audit and good governance contribute 49.2% in the prevention of fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of poor control performance of internal permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM) due to parameter perturbations and external perturbations when adopting mode-free sliding mode control (MFSMC) algorithm, a double-closed-loop model-free super-twisting terminal sliding mode control (MFSTTSMC) algorithm of IPMSM based on third-order super-twisting observer (TOSTO) is proposed. Firstly, according to the new model-free control (MFC) algorithm, an ultra-local expansion model of IPMSM speed-current double closed-loop is established. Secondly, based on the ultra-local expansion model, a double closed-loop MFSTTSMC is designed to achieve global rapid convergence of system state errors. At the same time, a TOSTO is designed to estimate the disturbance in real time and carry out feedforward compensation, which enhances system robustness. Finally, the viability and superiority of the proposed control algorithm is demonstrated through simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the concept of bias appears consolidated in laboratory science, some important changes in its definition and management have occurred since the introduction of metrological traceability theory in laboratory medicine. In the traceability era, medical laboratories should rely on manufacturers who must ensure traceability of their in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MD) to the highest available references, providing bias correction during the trueness transfer process to calibrators before they are marketed. However, sometimes some bias can be observed arising from an insufficient correction during the traceability implementation. This source of bias can be discovered by the IVD-MD surveillance by traceability-based external quality assessment and confirmed by ad-hoc validation experiments. The assessment of significance should be based on its impact on measurement uncertainty (MU) of results. The IVD manufacturer, appropriately warned, is responsible to take an immediate investigation and eventually fix the problem with a corrective action. Even if IVD-MD is correctly aligned in the validation steps and bias components are eliminated, during ordinary use the system may undergo systematic variations such as those caused by recalibrations and lot changes. These sources of randomly occurring bias are incorporated in the estimate of intermediate reproducibility of IVD-MD through internal quality control and can be tolerated until the estimated MU on clinical samples fulfils the predefined specifications. A readjustment of the IVD-MD by the end-user must be undertaken to try to correct the bias becoming significant. If the bias remains, the IVD manufacturer should be requested to rectify the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐dimensional confined self‐assembly (3D‐CSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is a distinctive and robust strategy that can yield colloidal polymer particles boasting ordered internal structures and diverse morphologies. The unique advantage of neutral interface lies in its ability to create anisotropic particles with surface patterns. The resulting unique polymer particles exhibit deformability under swelling, coupled with excellent spreadability and optical properties. These particles can also be used for fabrication of anisotropic nanoobjects or mesoporous particles via disassembly or serving as templates. This review comprehensively outlines the research advancements in neutral interface‐guided 3D‐CSA systems, including surfactant engineering, internal structure control, properties and future possibilities of anisotropic patterned particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government expenditure is crucial to the macroeconomic income determination model and taxes constitute a major source of revenue for the government. However, low tax compliance jeopardises the government's capacity to realise its tax revenue potential. Consequently, tax audits are critical to enhancing tax compliance, which then helps to boost tax revenue. Although some empirical studies have examined the relationship between tax compliance and tax revenue scarcely any has investigated the influence of tax audit on tax compliance. To this end, this study sought to examine the influence of tax audits on tax compliance: and tax revenues from SMEs in Nigeria: the study employed a cross-sectional survey design consisting of 205 Owners and managers of SMEs in Nigeria. Convergent and divergent validity and composite reliability tests served as validity and reliability tests of the structured questionnaire designed by the authors. The study used a structured questionnaire to elicit the desired data from the respondents and used structural equation modelling to analyse the data. The results indicate that desk and field tax audits have a significant positive influence on tax compliance. Tax compliance, desk and field tax audits have a significant positive influence on tax revenue. In addition, tax compliance provides a partial linkage for the relationship between tax audits and tax revenues from SMEs. The study contributes significantly to accounting theory by showing that deterrence to tax evasion through tax audit is critical to tax compliance in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordinating the immune response and bioenergy metabolism in bone defect environments is essential for promoting bone regeneration. Mitochondria are important organelles that control internal balance and metabolism. Repairing dysfunctional mitochondria has been proposed as a therapeutic approach for disease intervention. Here, an engineered hierarchical hydrogel with immune responsiveness can adapt to the bone regeneration environment and mediate the targeted mitochondria transfer between cells. The continuous supply of mitochondria by macrophages can restore the mitochondrial bioenergy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC). Fundamentally solving the problem of insufficient energy support of BMSCs caused by local inflammation during bone repair and regeneration. This discovery provides a new therapeutic strategy for promoting bone regeneration and repair, which has research value and practical application prospects in the treatment of various diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study empirically examines the impact of firm digital transformation (DT) on the performance of Chinese-listed enterprises in the areas of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) from 2013 to 2022. We utilized OLS, IV 2SLS causal mediating effect, and moderating effect models to analyze the linkages and deep mechanisms between corporate DT and ESG performance. The empirical findings demonstrate that (i) DT has an effectively positive effect on the performance of firms' ESG; (ii) DT enhances firms' ESG performance by enhancing information transparency (TRANS), fostering green innovation (Green), and strengthening internal control (Inter) mechanisms; moreover, (iii) According to the study, common institutional ownership (CIO) effectively facilitates the positive effects of the DT impact on the ESG performance of listed enterprises, and firms' subjective perception of economic policy uncertainty (SEPU) negatively influences the effect of digital change on firms' ESG performance; (iv) the impact of DT on ESG performance is more significant in the listed companies of western region and state-owned enterprises. Our findings provide valuable insights into whether and how DT affects the firms' ESG performance, providing practical recommendations for corporate managers and government decision-making agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect marks the maturity of China's capital market, and the effect of the implementation has been the focus of academic attention. Based on this quasi-natural experiment, We select 3248 samples of heavily polluting enterprises listed in China in 2010–2020 to examine the impact of capital market liberalization and on corporate environmental performance.The results show that capital market liberalization significantly improves the environmental performance of heavy polluting enterprises. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the positive effect varies across firms with different ownership and internal controls. Finally, mechanism analysis results find that capital market liberalization promotes the environmental performance of heavily polluting firms by increasing environmental assets,reducing stock price volatility,and improving the quality of information disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to examine the effectiveness of individual intervention based on reality therapy in individuals under probation due to substance use. While conducting the research using the mixed-method approach, a single-subject experimental design was employed in the research’s quantitative dimension and employed a case study was done in its qualitative dimension. Two females and five males participated in the research. It was found that following the experimental intervention, there was a tendency for all participants to experience an increase in the levels of love/belonging, power and entertainment needs, as well as partially meeting freedom needs and increasing internal locus of control and responsibility levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control is explained as a systematic verification of the implementation of laws, directives, resolutions and decrees or as state or public measures for the supervision, inspection, accounting of the activities, behavior of natural and legal persons, i.e. control is an inspection in order to ensure the reliability and legality of the actions specified and the process of tracking the actual implementation of plans. Unfortunately, the legal reference literature and the current legislation of Ukraine do not contain a unified approach to the definition of the legal content of the term «control». The Encyclopedia of Law, for example, defines «control» (French controle – check, from Old French contre-role – a list with a duplicate for verification) – as verification of the implementation of laws, decisions, etc. The article examines the place of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine in the system of bodies exercising control in the sphere of banking activity. It is determined that state control is one of the main functions (forms, methods) of public administration. The degree of efficiency of state control, despite the sphere of its implementation, is mainly determined by the quality of legal support of control activities, a certain level of socio-economic and logistical support of state control bodies, the level of mobility and balance of the system of control bodies. It is the balanced construction of the system of state control bodies that is an important prerequisite for the successful functioning of the entire system of state bodies. Analyzing the variety of laws and by-laws, as well as scientific literature on the issue of subjects of control in the sphere of banking activity, it is determined that control over the activities of banking institutions is a complex system, which has two main directions: external control and internal control. Subjects of banking control can be represented both externally (by state and independent regulatory authorities) and internally. The subjects of banking control by the state include: the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, Control Departments under the Administration of the President of Ukraine, the State Financial Inspection of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, the State Treasury Service of Ukraine, the State Property Fund of Ukraine, state extra-budgetary funds (such as the Pension Fund of Ukraine), the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, law enforcement agencies and others in accordance with the current legislation. Independent audit firms act as subjects of independent control, and the subjects of internal control are the Supervisory Board, the Audit Commission, the Management Board (Board of Directors), functional divisions of the bank, and its internal audit service. The article thoroughly covers the functions of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine of control in the sphere of banking activity, its important role and importance. The article defines the main functions assigned to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine by the current legislation of Ukraine. On the basis of the study, it is established that in case of violation of the current legislation, material and operationaleconomic liability is provided for business entities in general, and banks in particular. When writing the article, on the basis of the studied material, it is established that the common type of operational and economic sanctions applied by the authorities are: cancellation of licenses and termination of foreign economic operations. And in case of abuse of monopoly position in the market, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has the right to adopt a resolution on the forced division of monopoly formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article there is an analysis of the national legal norms regarding the activities of audit committees, based on which the author concludes about their role in corporate governance in Ukraine. The determination of the economic competence of the audit committee of the board of directors is the article objective, which is achieved through the study and analysis of legislative acts and relevant scientific researches. The author states that the board of directors, in the course of exercising its economic competence, may, and in certain cases must, establish committees, including an audit committee, from among its members and other individuals, for the preliminary study and preparation of issues for discussion at meetings. The author concludes that the majority of members of the audit committee of a socially significant enterprise should not be affiliated with that enterprise (hold positions within it), and the chair of the committee should be appointed from among independent members. Taking into account the current national legal norms, the author concludes that the establishment of an audit committee by the board of directors may be mandatory, conditionally mandatory, voluntary, or conditionally voluntary. The grounds for such classification of prerequisites for the establishment of an audit committee by the board of directors are elaborated by the author in the article. To achieve the article objective, the author analyses the difference between external and internal audits. Based on the fact that several national corporations are required to conduct internal audits and establish an internal audit function (appoint an internal auditor), the article explores the boundaries of competence between the internal audit function (internal auditor) and the audit committee of the board of directors, and concludes that their competencies are not identical. Since the failure to establish an audit committee or not assigning relevant functions to an entity (subdivision) may lead to administrative liability for responsible individuals, the author examines the grounds for such liability. However, the conclusion is that the practical implementation of the relevant national norm regarding liability is currently absent due to the lack of amendments to the Code of Ukraine about Administrative Offenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between marital adjustment, spiritual well-being, and locus of control in married couples. A total of 526 married individuals living in İzmir, Turkey, 283 (53.8%) women and 243 (46.2%) men between the ages of 18 and 65, participated in the research. The married individuals were evaluated individually rather than as couples. The of control scale (LCS) developed by Dağ, the marital adjustment test (MAT) developed by Locke and Wallace and adapted into Turkish by Tutarel Kışlak, the spiritual well-being scale (SWBS) developed by Ekşi and Kardaş, and a socio-demographic information form were applied to the participants. SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis of the data obtained in the study. The findings were evaluated at a 5% significance level within a 95% confidence interval (p < 0.05). The findings of the study revealed that the marital adjustment of male participants was higher than that of females, and that as spiritual well-being increased, marital adjustment also increased. A positive relationship was found between transcendence, one of the sub-dimensions of spiritual well-being, and marital adjustment and internal locus of control. Similarly, a positive correlation was identified between harmony with nature and marital adjustment and internal locus of control, while a negative relationship was found between anomie and marital adjustment and internal locus of control. Moreover, negative and significant relationships were found between marital adjustment and external locus of control determinants such as belief in luck, meaninglessness of making an effort, belief in an unjust world, and anomie, one of the sub-dimensions of spiritual well-being. Additionally, a positive relationship was found between higher education and internal locus of control, and a positive relationship between marriages conducted between the ages of 17 and 20 and an external locus of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2014 PwC survey reported that 60% of the next generation is involved in senior executive roles within family businesses, and 27% are present in the company but not as senior executives. The survey also indicated that 37% of family businesses extend up to the second generation, and 33% reach the third generation. This highlights a phenomenon in Indonesia--the lack of sustainability of family businesses across multiple generations. While acknowledging the importance of accounting, management, and internal control, effective leadership in the succeeding generation can further ensure the sustainability of a family business. Therefore, it is crucial for the preceding generation to engage in efforts to acquire or prepare for such leadership. The paradox concerning the importance of the next generation in family businesses is seen as a fundamental phenomenon for developing specific hypotheses with reference to the relationship between leadership, organizational change capability, and the sustainability of family businesses. This enables these businesses to continue thriving and expanding. This study aims to identify and analyze the rules and relationships between skills, the capability of change, and the economic sustainability of family businesses in Indonesia. Utilizing a quantitative approach with an explanatory study design, the research concludes that the impact of leadership skills on the economic sustainability of family businesses, the effect of change capability on economic sustainability, and the moderating role of change capability on the relationship between leadership skills and economic sustainability are all significant, albeit at varying levels of significance. The indirect influence of leadership skills on economic sustainability through change capability is also significant, though minimal. When change capability acts as a moderator, it is proven to strengthen the relationship between economic sustainability and leadership skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcribes tRNA genes using type II promoters. The internal control regions contain a Box A and a Box B, which are recognized by TFIIIC. The 5′-flanking regions of tRNA genes clearly play a role in the regulation of transcription, but consensus sequences in it have been found only in some plants and S. pombe; although, the TATA binding protein (TBP) is a component of the TFIIIB complex in all eukaryotes. Archaea utilize an ortholog of the TBP. The goal of this work is the detection of the positions of intragenic and extragenic promoters of Pol III, which regulate the transcription of tRNA genes in eukaryotes and archaea. For this purpose, we analyzed textual and some structural, mechanical, and physicochemical properties of the DNA in the 5′-flanking regions of tRNA genes, as well as in 30 bp at the beginning of genes and 60 bp at the end of genes in organisms possessing the TBP or its analog (eukaryotes, archaea) and organisms not possessing the TBP (bacteria). Representative tRNA gene sets of 11 organisms were taken from the GtRNAdb database. We found that the consensuses of A- and B-boxes in organisms from all three domains are identical; although, they differ in the conservativism of some positions. Their location relative to the ends of tRNA genes is also identical. In contrast, the structural and mechanical properties of DNA in the 5′-flanking regions of tRNA genes differ not only between organisms from different domains, but also between organisms from the same domain. Well-expressed TBP binding positions are found only in S. pombe and A. thaliana. We discuss possible reasons for the variability of the 5′-flanking regions of tRNA genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most existing studies have focused on the innovation capabilities of organisations within interfirm networks while neglecting to consider the impact of the choice of innovation evolution mechanisms and the degree of internal interaction control on this system. This study addresses this research gap based on the NK model framework to investigate how different innovation evolution mechanisms and the degree of internal interaction control affect interfirm network performance. In addition, we investigate the moderating role played by the frequency of technological change between the innovation evolution mechanism and the degree of internal interaction control of the interfirm network. The results show that to achieve higher performance levels, the interfirm network should be assigned a self-organisational model in the early stage of innovation evolution, while in the later stage of innovation evolution, it should undergo organisational changes and be assigned a federated alliance model to establish an alliance coordination committee with a certain degree of interactive control over the supporting firms. When the frequency of technological change is low, the alliance coordinating committee takes relatively strong control over the supporting firms as the best, and when the frequency is high, the degree of control over the supporting firms should be appropriately weakened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal quality control (IQC) for routine and specialist hemostasis testing represents a mandatory requirement for assays offered by clinical laboratories under International Organization for Standardization, Code of Federal Regulations, and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards. The underlying principle is that regular IQC audits the analytical performance of automated, semiautomated, and manual methods. This review investigates IQC practices, including benefits, limitations, frequency per time period or batch, sources of material used, primary supplier, third party or in-house, plus troubleshooting when IQC falls outside acceptance criteria. To assess IQC practice, the UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme (NEQAS) Blood Coagulation distributed a questionnaire to 1,200 participants enrolled in our scheme that collected details of the local practices for IQC testing. We received returns from 127 centers that described their local practices for the frequency of IQC, the type of IQC material employed, acceptance criteria for IQC data, and troubleshooting protocols for IQC failures. The data collected as part of an NEQAS BC questionnaire confirmed that all the participants returning answers to the questionnaire meet the standards for regular IQC testing for the hemostasis assays they perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantification of functional C1 inhibitor activity (fC1-INH) is an important tool to diagnose bradykinin-mediated angioedema (AE), whether hereditary or acquired. For that an accurate assay is necessary, therefore we evaluated the analytical performances of a fC1-INH chromogenic assay (Berichrom®, Siemens) performed utilizing an Optilite turbidimeter (Binding Site). fC1-INH was quantified by means of the chromogenic assay Berichrom®. Internal quality controls were used to determine the precision of the assay. Stability under various storage and matrix conditions, uncertainty, linearity, interference (of hemolysis, lipemia, and icterus), agreement with the manual Technochrom® assay, and diagnostic performances were further evaluated on samples from patients and healthy donors. The fC1-INH Berichrom® assay presented good performances regarding intra- and inter-assay precision (CV: 1.3–4.5 % and 3.0–6.0 %, respectively), expanded uncertainty (5.5 % at normal level and 12.5 % at the clinical threshold) and linearity (rho2>0.99: range 7–130 % activity). Addition of interfering substances (hemoglobin <16 g/L, intralipid® <12 g/L, and bilirubin <1 g/L) did not affect fC1-INH quantification. fC1-INH activity from healthy donors remained stable in citrate whole blood until 4 days at room temperature, and 7 days when plasma was collected. Agreement between the automated Berichrom® assay and the manual Technochrom® assay (n=47) was excellent as obtained with both quantitative (Deming regression and Bland–Altman difference plot) and qualitative (Kappa index=1) analyses. Finally, the diagnostic performance of the quantification of fC1-INH for AE evaluated on 81 patients revealed a sensitivity of 100 %, a specificity of 97.2 %, a positive predictive value of 83.3 % and a negative predictive value of 100 %. The automated fC1-INH Berichrom® assay showed good performance, both at the analytical and diagnostic/clinical levels that allowed its usage in a clinical laboratory for C1-INH-dependent bradykinin-mediated AE research in combination with quantitative C1-INH and C4 determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the associations among self-compassion, resilience and mental health of community residents. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Voluntary survey of web-based, posters-based platform. Participants: 453 community residents. Methods: Participants living in Kaohsiung, Taiwan were recruited from posters, online advertisements based platforms and were assessed with the self-compassion scale (SCS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and The Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-scale) measures during the period from March 1 to October 31, 2023. Results: After adjusting for age, gender and education, stepwise regression analysis revealed that isolation, self-judgment, and control accounted for 14% of the variance in depressive symptoms (CES-D) (adjusted R 2 =.149, P <.05). Over-identification, self-kindness and control accounted for 26% of the variance in satisfaction with life (SWLS) (adjusted R 2 =.263, P <.001). Over-identification, self-kindness, isolation, control and personal competence and tenacity accounted for 37% of the variance in positive mental health (PMH-scale) (adjusted R 2 =.375, P <.05). Conclusions: Findings suggested that components of self-compassion and resilience may be important factors that promote positive mental health and provide potential interventions for professionals to increase the well-being of community residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although employee opinions play an important role in effective organizational functioning, research shows that employees, paradoxically, tend to withhold their opinions at work. Responding to numerous calls for future research in the literature, we study the adverse effects of employee silence on employee outcomes. Using a field study and an experimental study, we advance the current understanding of employee silence and show its detrimental consequences for employees' job performance and creativity and the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Both studies consistently showed that employees' silence about their work-related operational concerns was positively related to their emotional exhaustion, which was then negatively related to their job performance and creativity. Moreover, they revealed that these relationships were stronger when employees' internal locus of control and the actionability of their concerns were high rather than low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between environmental violations and stock price crash risk, using the sample of Chinese A-shared listed firms and a comprehensive range of Chinese listed heavily polluting companies covering 2012 to 2021. We provide strong and robust evidence that environmental violations significantly increase future stock price crash risk for Chinese listed heavily polluting companies. Through the mechanism of internal control, our paper finds that environmental violations lead to the weakening of internal control, thereby exacerbating future stock price crash risk. We further find that the legal environment has a negatively moderating impact on the relationship. Additionally, heterogeneity analysis shows that the influence of environmental violations on stock price crash risk is more prominent when firms are smaller, have non-state ownership, and have a lower level of corporate governance and external monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CRP is a hepatic acute-phase reactant protein, which is primarily induced by the interleukin-6 action due to an inflammatory/infectious process. Precision is closeness of agreement between indications or measured quantity values obtained by replicate measurements on the same or similar objects under specified conditions. Precision goals should be stated as the maximum allowable imprecision, SD, and/or CV expressed as a percentage (% CV) at each analyte´s concentration to be tested. The aim of this study was to verify the two different manufacturers' claims on C-reactive protein (CRP) based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP 15-A3 document. Methods: To represent low, intermediate, and high level, 3 sera pools were prepared from remnant sera of patients. After the familiarization period of the operator, two runs per day (morning and afternoon) with ten replicates per run were performed for five days for each measurand concentrations. Original CRP kit of Beckman uses latex immunoturbidimetric assay (OSR 6299, Beckman) and novel kit practices enzymatic immunoturbidimetric assay (B21220, Bioanalytic) were utilized to measure CRP. For both kits, only one calibration was applied before the study in favor of daily internal control results within the eligible area. Results: The original kit failed at all levels, even if the upper verification limit was applied. Novel kit passed for the intermediate- and high-level claim of the manufacturers. The highest CV% was 5.24%, and the EFLM recommendation for CRP is 8.5% at the optimum level. Conclusions: Such experiments with expanded data should be performed with daily calibration to provide manufacturers' claim. Otherwise, it is hard to pass the precision verification. Studies are valuable in terms of demonstrating the reproducibility of the produced kits in end-user laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to assess the impact of determinants on the effectiveness of internal audit (IA) within the banking industry of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: The data was obtained through 152 survey questionnaires from a total of 43 privately owned and six state-owned commercial banks in Bangladesh. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the independence of internal auditors and the quality of IA substantially impact enhancing the efficiency of IA. On the other hand, the competence of internal auditors and management support in IA functions do not significantly impact the effectiveness of IA. Practical implications: The study's findings may have significant policy implications for the government, regulators, internal auditors, management committees and other stakeholders in establishing programmes to enhance the efficacy of IA as a component of banking audit management reforms. Originality/value: This study makes three distinct contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, previous literature focused on the determinants affecting the external audit efficiency of the public companies and banking sectors in Bangladesh (Hasan, 2018; M. M. U. Reza, 2021). In this study, the author enhances the research by presenting empirical findings on the IA effectiveness of banks. Secondly, the author expands the research by incorporating both private and state-owned commercial banks as samples. Thirdly, the study is unique given that it investigates the effectiveness of IA in response to the recent financial scandals in the banking industry of Bangladesh (The Daily Star, 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Motivated by the importance of gaining an understanding of the flow of transactions when assessing the effectiveness of internal controls for Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) compliance, concerns raised by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) of audit firm deficiencies in these areas and auditors' use of both narratives and flowcharts to document the flow of transactions, this article aims to examine the impact of auditors creating flowcharts versus narratives on auditors' transaction flow understanding and internal control evaluation performance. Design/methodology/approach: This paper conducts a between-participants experiment examining auditor-created flowcharts versus narratives and different levels of documentation quality on auditors' understanding of the flow of transactions and internal control evaluation performance. Findings: This paper finds that auditors who create flowcharts gain a better understanding of the clients' transaction flow and perform better on internal control evaluations than auditors who create narratives. Process results from a moderated-mediation model also show a moderating effect of quality and mediating effect of understanding. Practical implications: These findings inform PCAOB policy decisions and inspection efforts and audit firms' quality and process improvement efforts by providing initial support for having auditors create flowcharts to improve their understanding of the flow of transactions and internal control evaluation performance. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effect of auditor-created flowcharts compared to narratives on auditors' understanding of the flow of transactions and internal control evaluation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Utilizing text analysis through machine learning techniques, this study investigates the influence of enterprise digital transformation on audit opinions within China's A‐share listed companies spanning from 2011 to 2020. The findings underscore that enterprise digital transformation has the potential to bolster standard unqualified audit opinions through the enhancement of internal control quality and information transparency. Additionally, factors such as marketization level, property rights nature, and industry classification are found to be pivotal in shaping this relationship. These research outcomes not only extend the theoretical horizons of audit opinion studies but also offer valuable insights and recommendations for auditors to optimize the efficacy of audit opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding effective internal control is vital for accounting and business students. Examples of fraud and loss through poor internal control are widespread in practice. The learning objectives of this teaching case focus on improving students' ability to comprehensively evaluate internal control practices and suggest and justify new practices where applicable. The McDonald's Monopoly fraud is a real-life example of a situation where multiple internal control failures had substantial financial and reputational consequences for McDonald's, particularly its outsourcing partners involved in operationalizing the monopoly game. We use this factual case to illustrate control system shortcomings, allowing students to evaluate internal control and suggest internal control techniques with reference to all five components of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) Internal Control—Integrated Framework. JEL Classifications: A22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IMPACT: This article offers a critical reflection on taken-for-granted underpinnings of public sector accounting vis-à-vis the diversity of accounting in society. The authors encourage academics and practitioners to consider values other than those usually embraced in public sector accounting, such as enabling and anticipatory over coercive controls, co-operation over competitiveness, resilience and social equity over efficiency, and we make a case for turning public sector accounting into a catalyst for change. The authors challenge the public sector accounting community to respond to changing accountabilities in a society that is often divided on matters of public concern, exemplified by current debates around climate change. Building on the publication of the 'Handbook of Accounting in Society', this article calls for wider debate about the role of public sector accounting in society. In exploring accounting beyond its technical understanding as a professional practice, the handbook draws attention to the diversity of accounting in society. The authors discuss the implications of this diversity for understanding public sector practice, particularly with respect to enabling or coercive forms of control, orientations towards competition or co-operation, efficiency or resilience, and social equity. Changing accountabilities and conflicting accountings are considered, and the article closes by briefly exploring the position of public sector accounting in the divisive politics of our changing climate, drawing attention to the need for further engagement with the diversity of accountants and accountings who are active out there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenwashing is a fraudulent environmental, social and governance (ESG) behavior. Previous literature has explored the impact of unidirectional disclosure on greenwashing. However, how interactive disclosures affect greenwashing has not been fully explored. Given the background of the regulatory transformation of China's capital market, we use data from the Q&A boards of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) "Interactive Easy" and Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) "SSE e‐Interactive" online platforms to investigate the impact of interactive disclosure between firms and retail investors on greenwashing. We find that online platform interactions (OPIs) inhibit greenwashing. Moreover, such negative effects are more pronounced for firms with high‐quality internal controls, high executive shareholding, high analyst coverage, low financing constraints, and executives with overseas backgrounds. Overall, our research provides empirical evidence that OPIs improve capital market efficiency by inhibiting greenwashing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loess internal erosion caused by preferential flow often leads to serious loess ground collapse, shallow loess landslides, and other geological disasters. However, there is a lack of quantitative evaluation of the internal erodibility of undisturbed loess under the action of preferential flow, and little is known about the correlation between the internal erodibility of loess and its microstructure. In this study, we carried out a series of hole erosion tests (HET) on undisturbed loess samples from 4 typical locations on China's Loess Plateau. The internal erodibility of loess was quantitatively evaluated through an improved HET method, and its association with initial water content, clay content, and initial water head difference was investigated. On the microscopic scale, the microstructure of loess with different clay content was measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The correlation between pore and particle microstructure parameters and loess internal erosion parameters was established based on grey correlation theory. When the initial water content increased from 10% to 36%, the erodibility index increased from 1 to 2.5. When the clay content increased from 8% to 27.95%, the erodibility index increased 3.5 times. The increase of initial water head difference has a positive linear effect on the internal erodibility of loess. The microstructure analysis shows that with the increase of clay content, the microstructure of undisturbed loess changes from a mosaic structure to a cementation structure, which creates favourable conditions for controlling the internal erosion of loess. Through grey correlation analysis, it has been determined that the microstructure of undisturbed loess has a significant correlation with the critical shear stress, and the loess microstructure morphology strongly correlates with the erosion rate. Under normal circumstances, the higher the clay content, the better the erosion resistance, the better the mechanical stability, and the easier to form a stable cave in loess. This study can provide a reference for revealing the cave formation mechanism in the loess area in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all external control arm analyses to contextualize findings of a single arm trial struggle with two key issues: the lack of baseline randomization, and equally important, the difference in data collection between the experimental arm with its primary data collection, and the external control arm using secondary data. We illustrate the data calibration design to remedy issues arising from differential measurements in the two arms, and discuss the hybrid design that expands an underpowered randomized internal control arm with real‐world data to mitigate the lack of randomization of the external control arm. We show how the two approaches fit into an evidence‐development strategy that naturally builds on the incremental insights gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the impact and mechanism of internal audit quality on the comparability of corporate accounting information. Using manually collected internal audit data, the study focuses on non-financial listed companies of A-share market spanning from 2007 to 2022 in China. The findings are as follows: (1) Internal audit significantly enhances the comparability of accounting information, the higher the quality of internal audit, the more pronounced its contribution. This conclusion remains robust after conducting endogeneity tests. (2) Mechanism testing reveals that internal audit enhances accounting information comparability through two channels: mitigating agency costs and improving financial information transparency. (3) Moderation effect test proves that the quality of internal control and the high-tech industry will strengthen the positive relationship between internal audit and comparability of accounting information, while the degree of industry competition and the level of capital occupation by major shareholders will weaken the positive relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), trade openness, and remittances received on the novel misery index, a measure of macroeconomic dynamics, while considering heterogeneity in misery levels. It analyzed data from 1995 to 2022 across six economically uncomfortable East African Community (EAC) countries. Given the non-normal distribution of the data, a panel quantile regression model was employed to address both distributional and unobserved individual heterogeneity. The empirical findings indicated the weak negative effects of FDI in the lower misery index countries and stronger negative effects in the upper misery index countries. Trade openness shows stronger negative and statistically significant effects in lower misery countries, while its effects are negative but not significant in higher misery countries. Additionally, remittance inflows have a more pronounced positive impact in lower misery countries but show lesser positive effects in countries with higher misery levels. The results are robust even after accounting for additional controls, exclusion of regressors, outliers, and endogeneity issues, suggesting that foreign funds can enhance economic stability for those in misery. The study recommends promoting clean FDI in lower-meminous countries, beneficial trade agreements, and encouraging diaspora communities to advocate for productive remittances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]