Impact of IFRS adoption on accounting quality in European firms

In this paper it is examined whether firms following International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） exhibit higher accounting quality. While IFRS are supposed to improve international comparisons by harmonisation and definition of strong principles, Ball （2006） and Nobes （2006） were concerned about differences in the application of IFRS cross-countries and firms. Barth, Landsman ＆ Lang （2008） stated that the flexibility of principles- based International Accounting Standards （IAS） could create incentives for firms to manage earnings. This paper contributes to analyse the impact of IFRS on accounting quality for European firms. The findings show that for firms in the European Union （EU） IFRS produce a negative effect on accounting quality that continues after 2005, when IFRS becomes mandatory. By contrast, for European firms which are not EU members the IFRS adoption increases accounting quality. These results support the concerns about IFRS application and flexibility and indicate that accounting quality does not improve just because the adoption of IFRS is mandatory.

Understanding Reputational Crisis： Evidence From the European Banking Sector

This paper presents a comparative qualitative analysis of reputational crisis of four European banks, and explores how in recent years these companies have faced the manifestation of reputational risk. To achieve this, the research follows three related steps： （1） to carry out a review of the literature on reputational risk in the banking sector aimed to identify the relationships between causes, effects, stakeholders, and key qualitative-quantitative variables involved during the reputational crisis of a bank; （2） to propose a conceptual framework for management of reputational risk （and reputational crisis） in banking; （3） to test this framework with the results of an empirical analysis, carried out through the observation of key variables of some reputational crisis of intemational banks. The main results show that： （1） the banks are not yet prepared to accurately manage a reputational crisis or to prevent them; （2） the reputational crisis is determined by several internal and external factors; （3） the conduct of the managers and the corporate communication are very important to overcome a reputational crisis. Finally, this research provides indications that will help banks to better manage their corporate reputation and prevent reputational crisis.

The impact of European firms＇ economic conditions and financial performance on accounting quality

In this study the authors analyse the possible effect of firms＇ economic conditions and financial performance on accounting quality. Bradshaw, et al. （2004）, Gelos ＆ WEI （2005） stated that financial reporting quality is fundamental for investors and it affects international capital movements. Following Schipper ＆ Vicent （2003）, the authors estimated accounting quality by abnormal accruals and earnings persistence. The authors＇ contribution consists of investigating a huge number of firms from 17 European countries using unbalanced panel data. The authors found evidence that economic conditions affect accounting quality： big firms and those with high current earnings exhibit better financial information. These results are robust because they do not depend on the accounting quality proxy, even when the authors estimated regression with economical and financial factors alone or together. Financial performance does not seem to affect accounting quality. However, this relation is not linear because in high leveraged firms, the capital structure becomes determinant.

Analysis of the Critical Aspects of the Generational Turnover in Family Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises （SMEs）

Family businesses, which aim at surviving today, have to deal with a precise modality： To ensure their continuity, entrepreneurs have to ensure the transfer of leadership from one generation to another inside of them. We do believe that this matter is worth being analyzed, since the succession, from one generation to another, can be considered as a crucial variable in maintaining family small- and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） over time. Therefore, after investigating the main features, problems, and factors leading to the succession processes, in the second part of this article, an empirical analysis will be carried out, by comparing several European countries on the basis of data from the European Commission. This article contributes to enriching, from a theoretical point of view, the conceptual framework used for investigating the dynamics in the continuity of SMEs. Moreover, empirically, it contributes to the increasing literature on family businesses by comparing several European countries in order to understand what originates the longevity of family SMEs.

A Win-Win Choice

ACCORDING to a report in the Financial Times,European countries and enterprises that are teetering on the edge of a debt crisis are looking to China for investment.While the European debt crisis has eroded the value of the euro,falling asset prices have attracted the interest of foreign companies,including Chinese enterprises.

Comparative Analysis of Managerial Ownership and Its Effect on Corporate Performance in Selected Asian and European Transition Economies

This paper analyzes determinants and consequences of managerial ownership within ownership structures of the selected European and Asian transition countries. Focus of the analysis is the influence of the specific unification of ownership and control on corporate performance. Findings in the paper are based on research that produced empirical data for Croatia which is subsequently compared with evidence from other Asian and European transition countries facing the same issues. Consequently, transitional ownership structures, influenced by actual privatization process, like emergent corporate governance mechanisms, highly concentrated ownership and undeveloped markets for corporate control are also described. Research findings show that direct or indirect managerial ownership are important phenomena in transition countries, research has also shown that stable and concentrated managerial ownership have positive effects on firms＇ profitability in the observed transitional environments.

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the EU＇s Anti- Dumping Measures against China

Chinese products are major targets of the European Union （ EU）＇s anti-dumping measures. By making an empirical analysis using official data published by the Statistical Office of the European Commission （ Eurostat）, the authors conclude the EU＇s anti-dumping actions may not necessarity be helpful, Instead, the actions impose a high cost on EU consummers and make EU enterprises＇ costs rise.Eventually, Chinese enterprises will suffer a heavy toll and EU enterprises will also suffer from weakened competiveness.

The Requirements for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Croatia and the European Union

Small and medium enterprises are the main institutional medium of the European economy. This is also recognized by the government of the Republic of Croatia, which emphasizes their importance and values their dynamism and capability for revitalizing the Croatian economy, and supports this by ways of subsidies. But, for all the effort, the economic position of small and medium enterprises in the terms of globalization is becoming more complex and uncertain, limited by time and more demanding. This does not correspond with the thesis which states that in the environment and conditions of the modem market economy, which is dynamised by progress in science, technology, information and communication, entrepreneurship has manifested a progressive dimension with the character and needs of all economic activity, as well as a tendency to achieve set objectives and generate change. Recently, after the repeated recession, which was encumbered by the effects of the one before, the conditions of doing business and survival for small and medium enterprises have changed significantly in a negative sense. So, there is a justified cause for questioning earlier stances about small and medium enterprises and their capability to be a motor of development of the Croatian economy, as well as to reevaluate their influence in the context of GDP growth, to focus on the importance and prevalence of certain sectors of the economy, to critically evaluate economic measures which do not lead to a reduction in unemployment and to define the requirements for future development of the small and medium enterprises, which implicates the increased economic efficiency, quality and living standards.

2007年武汉市利用外资取得新进展

2007年,全市各区、各部门在市委、市政府的正确领导下,以科学发展观指导利用外资工作,全市利用外资取得新进展,总量和质量继续提升。全市新批利用外资项目217个,协议合同外资金额37.07亿美元,实际利用外资22.5亿美元,同比增长12.4%。其中外商直接投资16.98亿美元,增长12.4%。