Palgrave Studies in Accounting and Finance Practice – serie

The presence of sound corporate governance in a financial institution is important in maintaining the confidence of both the market and the public. The power that corporate governance holds over the success of some of the largest financial institutions in the world is not to be downplayed.  This book methodically assesses the quality of corporate governance and mechanisms of accountability disclosures to various stakeholders. It is further intended to provide fresh insights into some specific corporate governance recommendations to help improve good governance in financial institutions, particularly in the United Kingdom and the EU but will also be applicable to other major economies. It explores what, when and how corporate governance has changed the financial institution functions and corporate executive behaviour by critically reviewing the pre- and post-financial crisis theoretical and empirical literature. Increasingly driven by the nature of complications, complexities and opacity in the operations of financial systems, corporate governance reporting plays an important role in the financial sector. It will provide insights into corporate governance disclosures over a long-term basis. This book should be a valuable asset to support the research of practitioners, students and all academics due to its stimulating and reflective insights into this fascinating topic.

The presence of sound corporate governance in a financial institution is important in maintaining the confidence of both the market and the public. The power that corporate governance holds over the success of some of the largest financial institutions in the world is not to be downplayed.  This book methodically assesses the quality of corporate governance and mechanisms of accountability disclosures to various stakeholders. It is further intended to provide fresh insights into some specific corporate governance recommendations to help improve good governance in financial institutions, particularly in the United Kingdom and the EU but will also be applicable to other major economies. It explores what, when and how corporate governance has changed the financial institution functions and corporate executive behaviour by critically reviewing the pre- and post-financial crisis theoretical and empirical literature. Increasingly driven by the nature of complications, complexities and opacity in the operations of financial systems, corporate governance reporting plays an important role in the financial sector. It will provide insights into corporate governance disclosures over a long-term basis. This book should be a valuable asset to support the research of practitioners, students and all academics due to its stimulating and reflective insights into this fascinating topic.

This book addresses the considerations and factors that accounting professionals should take into account when pivoting from practice to higher education, think tanks, or other non-practitioner roles. Breaking down this transition, the book addresses issues connected to the types of job opportunities, where and when these opportunities might arise, and how any practitioner can reimagine their professional persona. Crafted from a first-hand perspective, the advice and anecdotes included throughout the book add a tangible and real-world feel to the concepts and ideas discussed in this book.

This book addresses the considerations and factors that accounting professionals should take into account when pivoting from practice to higher education, think tanks, or other non-practitioner roles. Breaking down this transition, the book addresses issues connected to the types of job opportunities, where and when these opportunities might arise, and how any practitioner can reimagine their professional persona. Crafted from a first-hand perspective, the advice and anecdotes included throughout the book add a tangible and real-world feel to the concepts and ideas discussed in this book.

This book provides a new evolutionary perspective on outsourcing. The traditional prioritization of continuous outsourcing has resulted in increased hidden costs that have sabotaged business profits. As a result of undisciplined outsourcing, businesses have lost a defining characteristic of their success: decision control. In contrast, the ability to combine outsourcing with backsourcing is a winning strategy for business leaders across a broad range of industries. In this book, the author traces the essence of the outsourcing industry as it has evolved over the past two centuries. With compelling case studies from the pharmaceutical, aviation, insurance, and cookware industries, this book moves beyond theorizing. It highlights key insights from some of the leading outsourcing pioneers who helped to define the industry. The case studies demonstrate the evolution of outsourcing, from a past marked by a costly outsourcing approach to a future fueled by the diversification of sourcing for optimal business success. Through the provision of decision models and best practices, this book provides academics and practitioners with tangible steps to implement successful outsourcing and backsourcing strategies.

This book provides a new evolutionary perspective on outsourcing. The traditional prioritization of continuous outsourcing has resulted in increased hidden costs that have sabotaged business profits. As a result of undisciplined outsourcing, businesses have lost a defining characteristic of their success: decision control. In contrast, the ability to combine outsourcing with backsourcing is a winning strategy for business leaders across a broad range of industries. In this book, the author traces the essence of the outsourcing industry as it has evolved over the past two centuries. With compelling case studies from the pharmaceutical, aviation, insurance, and cookware industries, this book moves beyond theorizing. It highlights key insights from some of the leading outsourcing pioneers who helped to define the industry. The case studies demonstrate the evolution of outsourcing, from a past marked by a costly outsourcing approach to a future fueled by the diversification of sourcing for optimal business success. Through the provision of decision models and best practices, this book provides academics and practitioners with tangible steps to implement successful outsourcing and backsourcing strategies.

With the transition into the Knowledge Economy, a formidable series of new challenges arise within the corporate governance space. This book tackles the issue of corporate governance along two axes. Firstly, it confronts the developments in corporate governance within the context of the Knowledge Economy and all its implications in relation to the pre-eminence of intangible assets, the advent of technologies such as smartphones and advanced forms of artificial intelligence, and cultural changes associated with the incorporation of Gen Y into the workforce and the proliferation of social networks and effects such as Big Data and cyber-threats. Secondly, it highlights the challenges for multinational organizations and the tension that exists between headquarters and subsidiary offices due to the need to combine the corporation’s ethical culture and corporate governance values with the institutional forces of the subsidiaries’ context. The combination of these two axes addressed viz aviz the relationship between senior management and the rank and file of the organization to create an ethical corporate culture leads to a completely different positioning of corporate governance and make the book truly unique and of interest to researchers, students of corporate finance and corporate governance alongside practitioners within financial organizations and more broadly.

With the transition into the Knowledge Economy, a formidable series of new challenges arise within the corporate governance space. This book tackles the issue of corporate governance along two axes. Firstly, it confronts the developments in corporate governance within the context of the Knowledge Economy and all its implications in relation to the pre-eminence of intangible assets, the advent of technologies such as smartphones and advanced forms of artificial intelligence, and cultural changes associated with the incorporation of Gen Y into the workforce and the proliferation of social networks and effects such as Big Data and cyber-threats. Secondly, it highlights the challenges for multinational organizations and the tension that exists between headquarters and subsidiary offices due to the need to combine the corporation’s ethical culture and corporate governance values with the institutional forces of the subsidiaries’ context. The combination of these two axes addressed viz aviz the relationship between senior management and the rank and file of the organization to create an ethical corporate culture leads to a completely different positioning of corporate governance and make the book truly unique and of interest to researchers, students of corporate finance and corporate governance alongside practitioners within financial organizations and more broadly.

Most university undergraduate and graduate audit classes are geared towards educating prospective auditors but do not provide education for those who will be audit clients and subjected to audits. Future audit clients need to be educated as well as future auditors to ensure that there is a level playing field. Those being audited do not receive the same level of formal education as internal auditors– most client education occurs during the audit itself. The client, once subjected to an audit and faced with the consequences of a failed audit, will learn via trial and error. If left unprepared, managers can suffer financial losses and promotional setbacks; the preparation and education that is needed to be audit ready is lacking. Of interest to accounting, finance or business students and entry-level practitioners, this book provides the audit education and preparation that has been missing. It shows how to interface with auditors, helping to identify issues, exposures andrisks, and adequately position current and future managers to achieve successful audits. The book also provides mock audit simulation exercises to further prepare prospective audit clients.

Most university undergraduate and graduate audit classes are geared towards educating prospective auditors but do not provide education for those who will be audit clients and subjected to audits. Future audit clients need to be educated as well as future auditors to ensure that there is a level playing field. Those being audited do not receive the same level of formal education as internal auditors– most client education occurs during the audit itself. The client, once subjected to an audit and faced with the consequences of a failed audit, will learn via trial and error. If left unprepared, managers can suffer financial losses and promotional setbacks; the preparation and education that is needed to be audit ready is lacking. Of interest to accounting, finance or business students and entry-level practitioners, this book provides the audit education and preparation that has been missing. It shows how to interface with auditors, helping to identify issues, exposures andrisks, and adequately position current and future managers to achieve successful audits. The book also provides mock audit simulation exercises to further prepare prospective audit clients.

This book, structured in two parts, gives a 360-degree view on integrated thinking, the foundation of integrated reporting, a rising trend in corporate reporting practice. This topic is particularly interesting in the context of new regulatory landscape, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in the EU (shaped by EFRAG's developments), alongside the IFRS Foundation's efforts towards global sustainability standards, both of which are shaping contemporary debates on sustainable value creation. The first part builds a framework for integrated thinking in a multidisciplinary perspective while the second part revises the framework in the light of practices, by bridging the gap with research findings in this field to date. The book concludes with the current shift of paradigm, and the need to address managerial questions in their complexity, building on knowledge across different specialized disciplines. The book will be of specific interest to accounting and finance teams and professional accounting bodies alongside those teaching or doing research within the fields of finance and accounting.

This book, structured in two parts, gives a 360-degree view on integrated thinking, the foundation of integrated reporting, a rising trend in corporate reporting practice. This topic is particularly interesting in the context of new regulatory landscape, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in the EU (shaped by EFRAG's developments), alongside the IFRS Foundation's efforts towards global sustainability standards, both of which are shaping contemporary debates on sustainable value creation. The first part builds a framework for integrated thinking in a multidisciplinary perspective while the second part revises the framework in the light of practices, by bridging the gap with research findings in this field to date. The book concludes with the current shift of paradigm, and the need to address managerial questions in their complexity, building on knowledge across different specialized disciplines. The book will be of specific interest to accounting and finance teams and professional accounting bodies alongside those teaching or doing research within the fields of finance and accounting.

In the fast-paced world of startups and innovation, costs are often treated with passive recognition—overshadowed by strategy, growth, and funding. But what if costs were the key to unlocking sustainable value and driving strategic success?This groundbreaking book redefines the role of costs within the entrepreneurial venture lifecycles, transforming them from passive considerations to active tools for creating, capturing, and extracting value. Through a fresh lens, it explores the inseparable relationship between costs, strategy, and investments—guiding entrepreneurs, founders, and innovation ecosystem players through every stage of the journey, from ideation to successful exit into a reincarnated life. Finally, it establishes a framework for value-driven business models as dynamic, three-dimensional platforms—driven by technology, markets, and exits—where intellectual capital development plays a fundamental role.With practical insights grounded primarily in strategic management accounting and entrepreneurial finance, and supported by real-world applications, this book establishes a powerful foundation for integrating costs into value-driven business strategies. It equips startup founders, innovation ecosystem players, researchers, and academics alike with the tools to rethink costs as a strategic advantage.Whether you're building a startup, thriving in the innovation and knowledge economy, or delving into entrepreneurial finance, this book will transform the way you think about costs—turning them into a powerful catalyst for growth and success.

In the fast-paced world of startups and innovation, costs are often treated with passive recognition—overshadowed by strategy, growth, and funding. But what if costs were the key to unlocking sustainable value and driving strategic success?This groundbreaking book redefines the role of costs within the entrepreneurial venture lifecycles, transforming them from passive considerations to active tools for creating, capturing, and extracting value. Through a fresh lens, it explores the inseparable relationship between costs, strategy, and investments—guiding entrepreneurs, founders, and innovation ecosystem players through every stage of the journey, from ideation to successful exit into a reincarnated life. Finally, it establishes a framework for value-driven business models as dynamic, three-dimensional platforms—driven by technology, markets, and exits—where intellectual capital development plays a fundamental role.With practical insights grounded primarily in strategic management accounting and entrepreneurial finance, and supported by real-world applications, this book establishes a powerful foundation for integrating costs into value-driven business strategies. It equips startup founders, innovation ecosystem players, researchers, and academics alike with the tools to rethink costs as a strategic advantage.Whether you're building a startup, thriving in the innovation and knowledge economy, or delving into entrepreneurial finance, this book will transform the way you think about costs—turning them into a powerful catalyst for growth and success.