Institutt for regnskap, revisjon og foretaks­økonomi

Contemporary Accounting Research 42(4) s. 2357-2391 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.13060

The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 158 mandates the recognition of previously disclosed off–balance sheet liabilities (OBLs) for sponsors of defined benefit (DB) retirement plans. This recognition significantly increases reported liabilities, with notable variation across DB plan sponsors. We find that unrated DB plan sponsors reduce financial leverage following OBLs recognition, driven by net debt retirements and net equity issuances. These adjustments appear optimal because they bring firms closer to their estimated leverage targets. In contrast, DB plan sponsors with tight, floating‐GAAP covenants also reduce financial leverage, primarily through net debt retirements. The evidence suggests that on–balance sheet reporting requirements impact capital structure decisions through a rating or a covenant channel.

Waste Management & Research s. 1-11 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242x251385787

Efficient urban waste collection requires solutions that balance environmental performance, economic feasibility and social acceptability while minimizing spatial and ecological impacts. This study assesses the sustainability of vacuum waste collection systems in comparison with underground containers and indoor bins, using data from approximately 2500 households in a Norwegian city. Four waste fractions: plastic, residual and paper/cardboard were analysed across two scenarios: a fully vacuum-based system for all households, and a hybrid solution combining underground containers for 1500 households with indoor bins for 1000. The evaluation integrates three sustainability dimensions: climate impact through life cycle assessment, economic performance through lifecycle cost analysis and social aspects through qualitative assessment. Findings reveal that vacuum systems achieve the lowest climate impact, although the differences between systems are modest. For vacuum systems, emissions are dominated by the construction of pipe networks and terminal facilities; for underground containers, by the number of units and for indoor bins, by transport and operational activities. Economically, vacuum systems incur 22% higher costs than the hybrid solution. However, economies of scale are evident: increasing connected households from 2500 to 3100 reduces costs by 14%, positioning vacuum systems more competitively. Socially, vacuum systems offer notable benefits, including reduced odour and noise, improved traffic safety and decreased physical strain on personnel. Overall, the study concludes that waste collection solutions must be tailored to site-specific conditions but highlights the scalability and social advantages of vacuum systems, which may render them a viable option for sustainable urban waste management when integrated with commercial streams.

International Journal of Production Research 63(23) s. 9009-9029 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2025.2532140

Cambridge Handbook of Project Behavior s. 99-114 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009322737.009

This chapter presents a longitudinal process study of an information systems project and suggests that a hierarchy of sub-projects that belong to the same overall project may trigger unfavorable project behavior. Our findings indicate that project managers run the risk of “balancing” divergent evaluations of sub-projects via an averaging rule, which in turn leads to an overestimation of the overall project performance and consequently negatively impacting project behavior. Based on our case-study findings, we develop a process model explaining the dynamic relationship between hierarchical project structures, managerial decisions, and project behavior. Interestingly, this research shows how hierarchical project structures may hinder rather than support complex task execution, a finding that could help explain the erroneous decision making often observed in troubled projects.

Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2025.101081

The purpose of this study is to advance knowledge of the effects of using environmental criteria in the tendering and procurement of pharmaceuticals. In cooperation with the Norwegian Hospital Procurement Trust, we conducted a longitudinal case study of how environmental criteria in the tendering of generic antibiotics were implemented. This case is one of the first attempts to use environmental criteria in generic pharmaceuticals procurement. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected based on interviews, workshops, meetings and secondary sources, followed by iterative analysis, including a case narrative and causal loop diagramming. We found that rewarding environmental criteria fulfilment at the expense of price seems to have multiple effects. Firstly, higher prices increase public spending in the short-term but also help maintain the supply base, which can reduce shortages. Secondly, this increased focus gives more transparency into supplier risks. It is this latter unexpected effect of introducing environmental tendering criteria that makes the case and our analysis particularly interesting. Additionally, in the long term, interviewees expect that increased focus on environmental criteria for specific antibiotics will have the intended effect of reducing transmission of resistant bacteria through improving suppliers’ production processes. Our findings also suggest that increased focus on environmental criteria does not necessarily increase shortages of narrow-spectrum antibiotics, which could unintendedly increase transmission of resistant bacteria. Data from our case study suggest that these two effects are likely to have a positive influence on public health, thereby potentially reducing future healthcare costs.