Annamaria Zampella | Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" (original) (raw)

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Research paper thumbnail of Readability versus obfuscation to fight corruption: evidence from Italian local governments

Public Money & Management

Research paper thumbnail of Driving through the fog: exploring factors affecting disclosure readability in the European agrifood and beverage industries

British Food Journal

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the determinants of the readability non-financial disclosure pr... more PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the determinants of the readability non-financial disclosure prepared under the Directive 2014/95/EU in the agrifood and beverage sector.Design/methodology/approachTo reach this goal, an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is proposed employing readability and governance variables. The sample is based on European agrifood and beverage listed firms that exceeding 500 employees and are considered public interest entities, including 744 firm-year-observations from 2017, first year after the Directive entered in force, to 2020, last year available.FindingsThe authors' results suggest the importance of corporate governance mechanisms as drivers in reaching more readability of non-financial information.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful suggestions to policy makers and managers for a better understanding of the role played by some factors on non-financial information (NFI) readability. Moreover, findings may help regulators in ...

Research paper thumbnail of Compliance to IFRS 7. Evidence from the Italian banking sector

Research paper thumbnail of Value relevance of IFRS 9: The influence of country factors and heterogeneous strengths in the European banking sector

Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, Oct 12, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Il Management Accounting tra Teoria e Prassi. Le esigenze emergenti

Research paper thumbnail of Management accounting ed enterprise risk management: alcune possibili interrelazioni

Research paper thumbnail of L’influenza delle caratteristiche del board sulla carbon disclosure. Evidenze empiriche in Italia

Research paper thumbnail of L’analisi delle prime applicazioni empiriche

Research paper thumbnail of Corporate social responsibility and bank performance

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Perceived Corruption on Entrepreneurial Intention: Evidence from Italy

International Business Research

This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students, using a modif... more This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students, using a modified version of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB), considering the perception of corruption. We conducted a questionnaire survey with Italian students. There were a total of 350 student participants. In order to analyze the data collected with the questionnaire, structural equation modeling is provided. Our results indicate that the majority of students have strong entrepreneurial intention but due to the effect of corruption students are dissuaded from engaging in entrepreneurship. Corruption has a negative effect on students’ entrepreneurial behavior. This paper provides a new model that helps to understand the students’ entrepreneurial intentions considering the corruption perception.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the Entrepreneurial Intention of Female Students in Italy

Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity

The aim of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurial intention of Italian female students ... more The aim of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurial intention of Italian female students according to the Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). In particular, we analysed the women's intention to become entrepreneurs because the relevance of the female entrepreneurship phenomenon is a growing issue. Indeed, millions of women are involved in creating and operating enterprises, which suggests that women are an important engine of economic growth for developing countries. Using survey data from 441 Italian female students, we found that social pressure influences business students' intention to become entrepreneurs. Focusing on female students, their intention is affected also by the perceived behavioural control. These results are of interest for policy makers and regulators in promoting entrepreneurial skills among young populations, with consequent reduction of the unemployment rate. Finally, this paper provides a new model that helps to understand the students' entrepreneurial intentions based on gender role.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the impact of intellectual capital on company reputation and performance

Journal of Intellectual Capital

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the re... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper exploits a unique data set of 452 non-listed companies that obtained a reputational assessment from the Italian Competition Authority (ICA). To test the hypotheses, this study implemented several regression analyses. Findings Results support the argument that human capital efficiency is a key driver of corporate reputation. Findings also reveal that companies, which obtained reputational rating under ICA scrutiny, show a positive relationship between IC elements and various measures of financial performance. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on a single country; it is not free from the imprecisions of Pulic’s VAIC model. Practical implications This paper recommends companies that are interested to achieve a robust reputation should consider the human capital as a strategic intangible as...

Research paper thumbnail of Legitimating efforts in Performance Plans. Evidences on the thoroughness of disclosure in the Italian Higher Education setting

MANAGEMENT CONTROL

The aim of this paper is to understand what factors affect the thoroughness of the information pr... more The aim of this paper is to understand what factors affect the thoroughness of the information provided by Italian Universities in their Performance Plans. The recent reforms that characterized the Italian Higher Education led a full revision of the administrative apparatus. It not only encompassed a switch from cash accounting to accrual accounting, but suddenly gained wider strategic relevance, as attention is also devoted to the coherence between planning activities and reporting outcomes in order to ensure transparency and broader accountability. Hence, drawing on the legitimacy theory, we conducted a panel analysis with fixed effects on data gathered through a meaning-oriented content analysis of 132 Plans. The findings show that, early transition to accrual accounting, the adoption of management accounting tools and geographical position influence the thoroughness of disclosure towards specific accountability and legitimacy wishes. The findings offer noteworthy contributions not limited to the academic debate, but valuable for policy makers and practitioners.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Corporate Governance Mechanisms Affect the Non-financial Reporting Readability? Evidence from Italy

SIDREA Series in Accounting and Business Administration

Research paper thumbnail of Knowledge, innovation, and control towards accountability: a comparative case study

Technology Analysis & Strategic Management

ABSTRACT This paper deepens the countervailing relationship between control and innovation in hig... more ABSTRACT This paper deepens the countervailing relationship between control and innovation in highly innovative networks. It adopts a middle range theory perspective [Broadbent and Laughlin, 2013. Accounting Control and Controlling Accounting: Interdisciplinary and Critical Perspectives. 1st ed. Bingley: Emerald Group] integrated with the quintuple helix model (Carayannis and Campbell, 2010. “Triple Helix, Quadruple Helix and Quintuple Helix and How Do Knowledge, Innovation and the Environment Relate To Each Other?.” International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development 1 (1): 41–69] to explore how control and innovation interact and shape each other in the contexts of high complexity and intensive knowledge creation, towards the satisfaction of accountability demands by stakeholders. The research relies upon two case studies and reveals what are the factors positively shaping the interaction between innovation and control towards greater accountability. We document that successful changes are facilitated by the implementation of adequate and innovative informal control devices favouring collaborative relationships, reinforcing innovation and shared knowledge and capabilities within the organisation. The findings are relevant to all complex settings involved in multifaceted processes of producing knowledge and innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Do investors find carbon information useful? Evidence from Italian firms

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting

The usefulness of carbon disclosures has been questioned in the literature because they do not tr... more The usefulness of carbon disclosures has been questioned in the literature because they do not truly reflect firm’s carbon performance, suggesting that they may not be useful for risk evaluation and investment decisions. This study empirically tests the usefulness of carbon information voluntarily disclosed by the Italian firms. Our results based on the price model show that there is a positive association between the stock price and carbon disclosures, suggesting that investors find carbon information useful for their investment decisions. We find similar results based on the market valuation model. Additionally, the results reveal that the positive association is especially strong for firms that have established environmental committees on a voluntary basis and also for firms from the highly polluting industries defined by the EU_ETS program, confirming that investors’ positive response is especially strong to carbon disclosures by firms from the highly polluting industries. We also find that the market reacts positively to carbon disclosures by firms with a higher percentage of independent directors on their corporate boards, but the positive association is marginally significant.

Research paper thumbnail of From Accountability to Readability in the Public Sector: Evidence from Italian Universities

International Journal of Business and Management

This paper aims to explore the readability of the disclosure provided by Italian universities tha... more This paper aims to explore the readability of the disclosure provided by Italian universities that changed their accounting systems to accrual accounting over the past three years. The transition from cash to accrual accounting not only concerns financial statements, but also the related notes. Indeed, the Italian government has paid great attention to the narrative sections of reports due to their capacity to provide more transparency. To provide better accountability, financial statements must be readable for all stakeholders. We used two different indexes, namely the Gunning fog and GULPEase indexes. The analysis was conducted on a sample of universities to analyze the narrative sections of the first financial statements prepared according to the new accounting system in 2012–2014. The final sample comprised 32 Italian universities. The research results demonstrated low readability in the balance sheets of Italian universities after switching to accrual accounting, illustrating a...

Research paper thumbnail of Financial Versus Sports Performance: The Missing Link

International Journal of Business and Management, 2017

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the financial and the sports performance ... more This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the financial and the sports performance of Italian football teams. To achieve this aim, a panel data analysis was performed, using financial statements and data from sports results. The panel dataset covers seven seasons (from 2007–2008 to 2013–2014) and 29 clubs that belong to the Italian “Serie A.” The results indicate positive effects between the expenses for football players’ salaries and the clubs’ sports performance but no significant effects between player transfer fees and sports performance.

Research paper thumbnail of La disclosure nei piani anticorruzione degli enti locali in Italia

Research paper thumbnail of Addressing Corruption: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Disclosure of Anticorruption Plans in Italian Local Governments

International Journal of Public Administration

Research paper thumbnail of Readability versus obfuscation to fight corruption: evidence from Italian local governments

Public Money & Management

Research paper thumbnail of Driving through the fog: exploring factors affecting disclosure readability in the European agrifood and beverage industries

British Food Journal

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the determinants of the readability non-financial disclosure pr... more PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the determinants of the readability non-financial disclosure prepared under the Directive 2014/95/EU in the agrifood and beverage sector.Design/methodology/approachTo reach this goal, an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is proposed employing readability and governance variables. The sample is based on European agrifood and beverage listed firms that exceeding 500 employees and are considered public interest entities, including 744 firm-year-observations from 2017, first year after the Directive entered in force, to 2020, last year available.FindingsThe authors' results suggest the importance of corporate governance mechanisms as drivers in reaching more readability of non-financial information.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful suggestions to policy makers and managers for a better understanding of the role played by some factors on non-financial information (NFI) readability. Moreover, findings may help regulators in ...

Research paper thumbnail of Compliance to IFRS 7. Evidence from the Italian banking sector

Research paper thumbnail of Value relevance of IFRS 9: The influence of country factors and heterogeneous strengths in the European banking sector

Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, Oct 12, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Il Management Accounting tra Teoria e Prassi. Le esigenze emergenti

Research paper thumbnail of Management accounting ed enterprise risk management: alcune possibili interrelazioni

Research paper thumbnail of L’influenza delle caratteristiche del board sulla carbon disclosure. Evidenze empiriche in Italia

Research paper thumbnail of L’analisi delle prime applicazioni empiriche

Research paper thumbnail of Corporate social responsibility and bank performance

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Perceived Corruption on Entrepreneurial Intention: Evidence from Italy

International Business Research

This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students, using a modif... more This paper aims to examine the entrepreneurial intention of undergraduate students, using a modified version of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB), considering the perception of corruption. We conducted a questionnaire survey with Italian students. There were a total of 350 student participants. In order to analyze the data collected with the questionnaire, structural equation modeling is provided. Our results indicate that the majority of students have strong entrepreneurial intention but due to the effect of corruption students are dissuaded from engaging in entrepreneurship. Corruption has a negative effect on students’ entrepreneurial behavior. This paper provides a new model that helps to understand the students’ entrepreneurial intentions considering the corruption perception.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the Entrepreneurial Intention of Female Students in Italy

Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity

The aim of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurial intention of Italian female students ... more The aim of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurial intention of Italian female students according to the Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). In particular, we analysed the women's intention to become entrepreneurs because the relevance of the female entrepreneurship phenomenon is a growing issue. Indeed, millions of women are involved in creating and operating enterprises, which suggests that women are an important engine of economic growth for developing countries. Using survey data from 441 Italian female students, we found that social pressure influences business students' intention to become entrepreneurs. Focusing on female students, their intention is affected also by the perceived behavioural control. These results are of interest for policy makers and regulators in promoting entrepreneurial skills among young populations, with consequent reduction of the unemployment rate. Finally, this paper provides a new model that helps to understand the students' entrepreneurial intentions based on gender role.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the impact of intellectual capital on company reputation and performance

Journal of Intellectual Capital

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the re... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper exploits a unique data set of 452 non-listed companies that obtained a reputational assessment from the Italian Competition Authority (ICA). To test the hypotheses, this study implemented several regression analyses. Findings Results support the argument that human capital efficiency is a key driver of corporate reputation. Findings also reveal that companies, which obtained reputational rating under ICA scrutiny, show a positive relationship between IC elements and various measures of financial performance. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on a single country; it is not free from the imprecisions of Pulic’s VAIC model. Practical implications This paper recommends companies that are interested to achieve a robust reputation should consider the human capital as a strategic intangible as...

Research paper thumbnail of Legitimating efforts in Performance Plans. Evidences on the thoroughness of disclosure in the Italian Higher Education setting

MANAGEMENT CONTROL

The aim of this paper is to understand what factors affect the thoroughness of the information pr... more The aim of this paper is to understand what factors affect the thoroughness of the information provided by Italian Universities in their Performance Plans. The recent reforms that characterized the Italian Higher Education led a full revision of the administrative apparatus. It not only encompassed a switch from cash accounting to accrual accounting, but suddenly gained wider strategic relevance, as attention is also devoted to the coherence between planning activities and reporting outcomes in order to ensure transparency and broader accountability. Hence, drawing on the legitimacy theory, we conducted a panel analysis with fixed effects on data gathered through a meaning-oriented content analysis of 132 Plans. The findings show that, early transition to accrual accounting, the adoption of management accounting tools and geographical position influence the thoroughness of disclosure towards specific accountability and legitimacy wishes. The findings offer noteworthy contributions not limited to the academic debate, but valuable for policy makers and practitioners.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Corporate Governance Mechanisms Affect the Non-financial Reporting Readability? Evidence from Italy

SIDREA Series in Accounting and Business Administration

Research paper thumbnail of Knowledge, innovation, and control towards accountability: a comparative case study

Technology Analysis & Strategic Management

ABSTRACT This paper deepens the countervailing relationship between control and innovation in hig... more ABSTRACT This paper deepens the countervailing relationship between control and innovation in highly innovative networks. It adopts a middle range theory perspective [Broadbent and Laughlin, 2013. Accounting Control and Controlling Accounting: Interdisciplinary and Critical Perspectives. 1st ed. Bingley: Emerald Group] integrated with the quintuple helix model (Carayannis and Campbell, 2010. “Triple Helix, Quadruple Helix and Quintuple Helix and How Do Knowledge, Innovation and the Environment Relate To Each Other?.” International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development 1 (1): 41–69] to explore how control and innovation interact and shape each other in the contexts of high complexity and intensive knowledge creation, towards the satisfaction of accountability demands by stakeholders. The research relies upon two case studies and reveals what are the factors positively shaping the interaction between innovation and control towards greater accountability. We document that successful changes are facilitated by the implementation of adequate and innovative informal control devices favouring collaborative relationships, reinforcing innovation and shared knowledge and capabilities within the organisation. The findings are relevant to all complex settings involved in multifaceted processes of producing knowledge and innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Do investors find carbon information useful? Evidence from Italian firms

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting

The usefulness of carbon disclosures has been questioned in the literature because they do not tr... more The usefulness of carbon disclosures has been questioned in the literature because they do not truly reflect firm’s carbon performance, suggesting that they may not be useful for risk evaluation and investment decisions. This study empirically tests the usefulness of carbon information voluntarily disclosed by the Italian firms. Our results based on the price model show that there is a positive association between the stock price and carbon disclosures, suggesting that investors find carbon information useful for their investment decisions. We find similar results based on the market valuation model. Additionally, the results reveal that the positive association is especially strong for firms that have established environmental committees on a voluntary basis and also for firms from the highly polluting industries defined by the EU_ETS program, confirming that investors’ positive response is especially strong to carbon disclosures by firms from the highly polluting industries. We also find that the market reacts positively to carbon disclosures by firms with a higher percentage of independent directors on their corporate boards, but the positive association is marginally significant.

Research paper thumbnail of From Accountability to Readability in the Public Sector: Evidence from Italian Universities

International Journal of Business and Management

This paper aims to explore the readability of the disclosure provided by Italian universities tha... more This paper aims to explore the readability of the disclosure provided by Italian universities that changed their accounting systems to accrual accounting over the past three years. The transition from cash to accrual accounting not only concerns financial statements, but also the related notes. Indeed, the Italian government has paid great attention to the narrative sections of reports due to their capacity to provide more transparency. To provide better accountability, financial statements must be readable for all stakeholders. We used two different indexes, namely the Gunning fog and GULPEase indexes. The analysis was conducted on a sample of universities to analyze the narrative sections of the first financial statements prepared according to the new accounting system in 2012–2014. The final sample comprised 32 Italian universities. The research results demonstrated low readability in the balance sheets of Italian universities after switching to accrual accounting, illustrating a...

Research paper thumbnail of Financial Versus Sports Performance: The Missing Link

International Journal of Business and Management, 2017

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the financial and the sports performance ... more This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the financial and the sports performance of Italian football teams. To achieve this aim, a panel data analysis was performed, using financial statements and data from sports results. The panel dataset covers seven seasons (from 2007–2008 to 2013–2014) and 29 clubs that belong to the Italian “Serie A.” The results indicate positive effects between the expenses for football players’ salaries and the clubs’ sports performance but no significant effects between player transfer fees and sports performance.

Research paper thumbnail of La disclosure nei piani anticorruzione degli enti locali in Italia

Research paper thumbnail of Addressing Corruption: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Disclosure of Anticorruption Plans in Italian Local Governments

International Journal of Public Administration