This paper contributes to the current debate on the evolving nature and meaning of public service corporations. It draws upon notions of neo-institutional theory and adopts a case study methodology. The study focuses on the case of SMAT, an Italian water corporation, whose value has been recognized at home and internationally. Findings show how a public service corporation's priorities and activities, particularly commercialization and internationalization, are constrained by various factors. These include: the burden of regulatory frameworks, the public nature of the corporation and its governance, the expectations of users, and the need for infrastructural investment.

This paper is aimed at investigating how regulatory change affects corporate disclosure. In particular, an analysis of the information disclosed in the Management’s Reports prepared by Italian listed companies is conducted. The Italian context is interesting because the 2007 reform has extended the contents to be included in Management’s Reports. Companies have to disclose information pertaining to risks and uncertainties, performance indicators, environment and personnel. These new requirements do not only lead to an increase of the information to be disclosed, but also to a change in the nature of the information made available. In addition to the more traditional financial information, also social, environmental and strategic information must be provided. The content analysis conducted on the 2008 financial year Management’s Reports prepared by the major Italian listed companies allows for formulating reflections on the receptivity to regulatory change. Research findings suggest that only few companies have been receptive to the reform.

This chapter aims to investigate how regulatory change affects corporate disclosure. The explanations are based on institutional theory which provides an understanding of how organizations may react to a change in the regulatory framework. By conducting a content analysis, the chapter focuses on the information disclosed in the Management’s Reports prepared by the major Italian listed companies after the enactment of the 2007 law. This law extended companies’ disclosure obligations since management has to disclose information pertaining to risks and uncertainties, performance indicators, environment, and personnel. The new requirements not only lead to an increase in the information to be disclosed, but also to a change in the nature of the disclosed information. In addition to the more traditional financial information, also social, environmental, and strategic information should be provided. The main results of the content analysis allow to formulate some tentative reflections on companies’ receptivity to the 2007 regulatory change.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight and compare insights from research conducted in different disciplines on the effects of the use of calculative practices in academia. It also acts as an introduction to the special issue on “governing by numbers: audit culture and contemporary tales of universities’ accountability”.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the findings and reflections provided in academic literature on the various types of consequences stemming from the diffusion of the “audit culture” in academia. In so doing, it draws upon insights from previous literature in education, management and accounting, and other papers included in this special issue of Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management.

Findings

The literature review shows that a growing number of studies are focussing on the hybridization of universities, not only in terms of calculative practices (e.g. performance indicators) but also in relation to individual actors (e.g. academics and managers) who may have divergent values, and thus, act according to multiple logics (business and academic logics). It highlights many areas in which further robust academic research is needed to guide policy and practice developments in universities.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides academics, regulators and decision-makers with relevant insights into the critical issues of using calculative practices in academia. Despite the negative effects have been observed in various disciplines, there is an evident perpetuation in the use of those practices.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the ongoing debates on the disillusion of calculative practices in academia. Yet, positive changes can be achieved within the complex settings of “hybrid” universities when the apparent class division between academics and managers is bridged.

Purpose – This paper aims to unveil how sustainability is integrated into the courses/programmes ofhigher education institutions. The research question addressed is: how do academics representing differentdisciplines cooperate and engage in the work of integrating sustainability into their teaching programmes.Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon the notions of practise variation andinstitutional work from institutional theory and empirically focusses on the case of Kristianstad University(Sweden). This case is based on an autoethnographic approach and illustrates the experiences shared by sixcolleagues, representing different disciplines, engaged in implementing sustainability in their courses/programmes.Findings – The findings highlight how academics representing different disciplines, with specific traditionsand characteristics, face the sustainability challenge. Despite being bound by similar sustainable developmentgoals, differences across disciplines need to be acknowledged and used as an asset if trans-disciplinarity is theultimate goal.Research limitations/implications – Although the intrinsic motivation of individuals to work withsustainability might be a strong driver, the implementation of sustainability within courses/programmes andacross disciplines requires joint efforts and collective institutional work.Practical implications – By highlighting how academics engage in the work of integratingsustainability, this study emphasizes that managers of higher education institutions need to account for thetime and additional resources needed to ensure that academics effectively cope with sustainability. Intrinsicmotivation may not last if organizational structures and leadership are not supportive on a practical level andin the long run.

In recent years, the local government sector in European countries has undergone important changes involving, among other things, the externalisation of local public service provision through various forms of corporatisation, public-public collaboration, public-private partnerships and contracting out. An important consequence of these institutional changes has been the recasting of local governance systems through the need for increased cooperation between public and private actors. This article addresses these matters with comparative reference to the experience in Italy and Sweden. In doing so, it considers local governments in their constitutional and legal contexts, leading to more detailed discussions of their externalisation initiatives and resultant organisational forms and governance arrangements. Issues of ownership have been important concerning the significance of 'community' and 'place' in the management of public affairs.

In this paper the challenges imposed on corporate governance of water services in Italy and Sweden are analyzed and compared. From the comparative analysis we notice that with externalization of services more stakeholders become involved in the provision of the services. These stakeholders have common as well as divergent interests and the challenges thus become to find an alignment of interest among stakeholders in order to secure a sustainable provision of the services. The comparative analysis indicate that such alignment is especially difficult when stakeholders have heterogeneous background (public and private sector).

The growing development of decentralized entities has highlighted the limitations f the traditional annual reports of governments, which do not necessarily capture he financial consequences of subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates. There s a growing tendency to consider consolidated financial statements as essential o support decision-making processes and to ensure higher public accountability. his paper seeks to understand and to explain how the Swiss Federal Government as prepared its consolidated financial statements for the three fiscal years 009–2011.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between trust and contract in the context of externalized local public services provision. Design/methodology/approach - A multi-theoretical framework is used to analyse different combinations of control mechanisms (i.e. trust and contract) with reference to three cases of externalized water service provision in Estonia consisting of inter-organizational relationships between local governments and water companies with different ownership structures (public, private and mixed public-private). Findings - The relationship between trust and contract, which can either be substitutes or complements, or eventually erode each other, is contingent upon the capacity of interacting individuals (and related organizations) to keep interests aligned in water services provision. Originality/value - The relationship between trust and contract is analysed by considering the interactions between key actors within the underlying governance setting.

The purpose of this study is to explore how external auditors experience their decision to rely on internal auditors’ work. This study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods consisting of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires administered to external auditors in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with external auditors who are working in Big 4 audit firms in Sweden and have engagements with internal audit functions. A questionnaire was administered to authorized/approved auditors, members of the Swedish Association of Certified Public Accountants (FAR). Findings indicate that external auditors use the work of internal auditors as they gain efficiency in performing their work. Nevertheless, external auditors may compromise their independence and professionalism through closer involvement with internal auditors, which may lead to uncritical evaluation and use of the reports prepared by internal auditors. At the same time, while relying on the internal auditors’ reports, external auditors appear to be conscious of the consequences for the audit quality they deliver. The study highlights the dilemma faced by external auditors in their cooperative work with internal auditors and the balance/imbalance in their opinions concerning efficiency gains, independence, professionalism and audit quality.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how and why the initially ambitious reform of the Dutch water sector turned into a moderate pace of change. The explanations are based on institutional theory.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a case study at the organizational field level of the Dutch water sector.

Findings – In order to enhance efficiency and transparency, Dutch Central Government initially attempted to enforce top-down radical changes, including the formation of integrated water chain companies. However, after discussions and reactions of the interested parties, the central government authorised a bottom-up approach, giving discretional powers to the individual water organizations. This transition to a bottom-up approach can mainly be explained by the limited pressure exerted by the central government to change and the powerful position of the relevant organizations within the water sector, as well as their ability to establish strong coalitions to avoid mandatory radical changes.

Research limitations/implications – The theoretical background is useful in analysing thechange processes in other public sectors.

Practical implications – The Dutch way of consensus seeking might be threatened by its own inertia, and in the case of ineffectiveness, it could be replaced by a more top-down and radical reformpackage.

Originality/value – Unravelling public sector reform into goals, means and approaches is useful, because although goals can remain the same during the change process, the means and approachesmay be altered. Resistance to radical changes might stimulate convergent change options, such as reinforcement of the existing means of reform and may also decrease the embededdness and impermeability of the institutional fields.

This article aims at analysing the commonalities and differences in recent water sector reforms in Italy and in the Netherlands. The reforms in both countries are characterized by similar goals of achieving greater transparency and efficiency, and comparable governance ideas regarding the establishment of integrated water companies. However, there appears to be a gap between the reforms as initially intended and the way in which they were realized. Although the reform idea of forming integrated water companies has been maintained in Italy, its realization has been postponed, whereas in the Netherlands this reform idea has been replaced by a bottom-up implementation approach, stimulating cooperation rather than integration projects within the water sector. An assessment of the accomplishment of the reform goals conducted in the Netherlands shows that greater transparency and efficiency have been realized to some extent, whereas in Italy any systematic information on this issue has been unavailable. Our analysis of the reasons for the gaps between the reforms as originally intended and the way in which they have been realized shows some similarities between the two countries in the sense of highly institutionalized practices. There are, however, also substantial differences between these two countries. In Italy, there are no networks of water organizations, which explains the lack of local and regional commitment to the centrally desired changes, resulting in their slow execution. In the Netherlands, these networks are powerful enablers with strong coalitions, which have resisted the compulsory implementation of radical changes.

Points for practitioners

The success of a radical water sector reform, which proposes that the current types of organizations be replaced by new types of organizations, is dependent upon the approval of all powerful stakeholders. However, if radical reform is only supported by some of these powerful stakeholders, it is wise to focus mainly on the relevant goals, and have the stakeholders achieve these goals at their own discretion. The reform implementation will benefit from the involvement of stakeholders at the executive level in both the discussions about the reform content and the processes through which this content can be realized.

Local governments are increasingly entering into partnerships with the private sector in the “externalization” of public service delivery. While the financial and non-financial interests of the partners involved may appear to be in opposition and potentially un-reconcilable, this is not always the case, especially where governance arrangements exist to align and balance the requirements of financial and non-financial performance. Such arrangements are analysed here with reference to Estonia’s largest water company with mixed public-private ownership. It has a business-like management that facilitates a combination of good non-financial performance (quality and affordability) and considerable financial performance (profitability.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which strategies and business models (BMs) are disclosed in Integrated Reports (IRs). In addition, this paper seeks to understand the reasons for the changes in such disclosures over time. A longitudinal case study focusing on Terna, an Italian listed public utility operating in the electricity sector, is presented. Multiple methods of data collection and analysis were adopted. A content analysis based on the framework of Sukhari and De Villiers (2018) was performed on Terna’s IRs from 2011 to 2017. Interviews were conducted with several managers to integrate the data stemming from the content analysis. The paper opens up the ‘black box’ of corporate strategy disclosures, showing how they can evolve over time. The findings reveal a resistance to fully communicating sensitive corporate information related to strategic goals and their implementation.   

This question is the theme of a recent book by Richard Watermeyer (2019) which focuses on the impact that competitive accountability has on the capacity of academics to act as public intellectuals. In eight intense chapters, Watermeyer shows how a culture of increased competitiveness, based on performance metrics, has given rise to stress and anxiety among academics, who struggle to legitimise their work within marketised and corporatized universities. Watermeyer’s answer to the above-posed question is ubiquitous: competitive accountability is more than evil; it destroys the work of university people who are aiming to meet research impact devices at the expense of their primary mission of being public intellectuals. The underlying analysis is provocative, as it fundamentally questions taken for granted ways in which research is assessed, not only in the UK but also in many other Western countries. Scholars in public policy, education policy and public management and accounting can benefit from taking notice of this book, but this does not mean that all of Watermeyer’s ideas are convincing, as will be explicated.