The dominant view is that outsourcing is driven by efficiency considerations. We demonstrate that a different path to outsourcing originates from critical internal resource shortages. These shortages pose a critical dilemma; on the one hand outsourcing is a reasonably durable approach to solving resource shortages. On the other hand, the same resource shortages complicate the management of outsourcing and may create knowledge and evaluation problems. We empirically examine this dilemma and thereby add to the limited work on the enabling effects of outsourcing under resource constraints. We employ two rich and unique panel datasets of Australian firms observed over five-year periods, to test dynamic change models if firm-level financial and competence constraints induce outsourcing, and if this in turn enables internal process improvement. The results show that outsourcing indeed is associated with both financial and competence constraints, although the impact of these constraints differs over time. In turn, we find that increased outsourcing relates positively to contemporaneous and future process improvement. These findings thus shed a positive light on how outsourcing can enable firms to overcome constraints and realize internal process improvement.

For a large sample of U.S. listed firms, we find that unconditional and conditional accounting conservatism help lower bankruptcy risk. We further find that the mitigating effect of accounting conservatism on bankruptcy risk functions via cash enhancement and earnings management mitigation channels. This evidence is relevant to accounting standards setting, financial regulation, financial risk management, and helps explain conservatism’s longstanding presence as a pervasive feature of financial accounting.

This is the first report of a project examining the introduction of AASB 16 Leases (AASB 16), the Australian equivalent of IFRS 16 Leases. It reports on a survey that provides a snapshot of the process of implementation of AASB 16 Leases by preparers. A subsequent report, to be released in 2020, will report on an interview-based study of users of financial reports prepared under AASB 16. The results indicate that entities have made relatively good progress in implementing the standard, focusing their project structure on existing internal resources. Preparers have faced challenges in implementation, including the need for additional data collection and systems implementation. However, the results suggest that preparers are expecting to see the benefits of adopting the new standard highlighted by the standard-setters, including enhanced comparability and transparency. Importantly, the need for recognition of (almost) all leases on the balance sheet is an improvement to the quality of the underlying lease data, and thus the quality of the reported information to users of financial statements. This report aims to assist preparers in benchmarking their progress against peers, and for policy makers, including Australian and international standard-setters, to receive feedback as input to the post-implementation review process of AASB 16 and its international equivalent, IFRS 16.

We examine the association between managers’ expertise and their discretionary bonus decisions in a hospital setting. We hypothesize that high-expertise managers make decisions that encourage cooperation among their subordinates. However, low-expertise managers cannot do so because their lower levels of knowledge, experience, and domain expertise prevent them from having sufficient personal influence to persuade other professionals to cooperate. We find that high-expertise managers make two types of bonus decisions: (1) keep a smaller share of the bonus pool than what they are entitled to retain and (2) allocate the remainder to subordinates more evenly after adjusting for the underlying heterogeneity in their productivity. We also find evidence that high-expertise managers whose bonus decisions reflect their support for cooperation have higher department performance than all other managers.

Philanthropy is an important catalyst for social change and plays a pivotal and instrumental role in supporting communities and ameliorating disadvantage. The Trust Company’s Engaged Philanthropy Model suggested five key pillars of a good practice grant making framework: 1. Grant making philosophy 2. Capacity building and not-for-profit resilience 3. Scaling, replication and collaboration 4. The strength of the relationship between grant makers and grant seekers 5. Approaches to evaluation and social impact Building on these pillars, this project developed a survey tool to establish a framework for thinking about philanthropic practices and supporting better practice models. These results are substantiated by thirty interviews with grant makers and grant seekers. In general there is optimism about the future of philanthropy in Australia and a genuine desire to continue to develop best practice approaches to social impact by both grant makers and grant seekers. All those interviewed were united in their commitment to address serious social problems and work collaboratively to support social change. However, our findings revealed a disconnect between Australian grant seeker and grant maker perceptions around these issues, with philanthropists having a far more favourable view of the state of practices and relationships in the sector than their not-forprofit (NFP) counterparts. Interview respondents from throughout the sector identified multiple causes for the mismatch between grant maker and grant seeker and experiences and impressions, and broadly felt that the responsibility and power to continue to enhance philanthropic impact lay with the continued development of more strategic relationships between the NFPs and philanthropy. An important catalyst is a greater focus on the strategic impact of philanthropic initiatives and a higher priority by philanthropic decision makers, namely the philanthropists themselves, and the Boards and Trustees responsible for governance of philanthropic entities, to clarify their strategic intent and measure their performance against this strategy. The insights from this report establish a benchmark for the current state of play in Australia. It presents challenges, but also enormous opportunity for changes that will build towards better practice models and increased impact of Australian philanthropy. The NFP sector is seeking stronger, more strategic relationships with grant makers in order to make that happen.

Sustainability reporting can allow internal stakeholders to be more effective in their roles. It can increase employee engagement and inform management decision-making, among other benefits. Yet companies often fail to connect sustainability reporting to the core operations of the business, and so fail to realize the potential benefits. This playbook identifies opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness and impact of sustainability reporting.

Outsourcing engagements are defined by contracts, but personal relationships drive success. In this paper, we propose a set of behavior archetypes and use them within four action-research cases that altered behavior to achieve positive outcomes. The results suggest that a successful outsourcing engagement can be derived through adaptation of well-considered behavioral approaches rather than contracting techniques.

Business Analytics (BA) systems use advanced statistical and computational techniques to analyze organizational data and enable informed and insightful decision-making. BA systems interact with other organizational systems and if their relationship is synergistic, together they create higher-order BA-enabled organizational systems, which have the potential to create value and gain competitive advantage. In this paper, we focus on the enablers and mechanisms of synergy between BA and other organizational systems and identify a set of organizational practices that underlie the emergence of BA-enabled organizational systems. We use a case study involving a large IT firm to identify the organizational practices associated with synergistic relationships that lead to the emergence of higher-order BA-enabled organizational systems.

The Federal Court of Australia in Financial Synergy Holdings Pty Ltd v FCT endeavoured to effectively reconcile complex and inconsistent deeming provisions in relation to capital gains tax (CGT) and tax consolidation. The interpretative approach that was adopted at first instance resolved the matter directly at hand, but also raised a number of problems that may not have been immediately apparent. In one view, these seemingly unforeseen complications would arise because of the special rules that govern tax consolidation, and might manifest themselves: (1) on the wholesale or staggered disposal of membership interests in a subsidiary member by a consolidated group; and (2) in terms of the potentially narrow scope of the CGT concession created by the pre?CGT proportion provisions. This article therefore puts forward an alternative consideration of the interaction between the provisions at issue, an approach consistent with that adopted by the court on appeal and which addresses, to some extent, the problems that might be said to arise as a result of the approach that was accepted at trial.