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Virginia Tech

The Influence of Evaluative Reactions to Attribute Frames and Accounting Data on Capital Budgeting Decisions

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the susceptibility of capital budgeting decisions to bias. Based on the political nature of many of these decisions, attribute framing effects were analyzed in a capital budgeting decision context. Specifically, two independent variables were analyzed: accounting data and attribute frames. This research proposed that attribute framing effects would be conditional on the nature of the accounting data being considered. When the accounting data elicited a positive or negative evaluative reaction, attribute frames were expected to be unobtrusive to capital budgeting decisions. However, when the accounting data was neutral, eliciting an ambiguous evaluative reaction, attribute frames were predicted to bias these decisions. An experiment was conducted that considered the issue across two types of capital budgeting decisions: accept/reject decisions (dichotomous decision) and strategic alliance judgments (monetary allocations). Experimental findings strongly support the predicted relationships. These results suggest that persuasive descriptions are not effective in capital budgeting contexts when accounting data provides a clear picture as to the investment's future success; however, these tactics may be vitally important when accounting information is unclear about the investment's future success.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Accounting and Information Systems
Department dc:contributor.department
Accounting and Information Systems
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Allport, Christopher Douglas
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Bhattacharjee, Sudip
  • Brown, Robert
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Nottingham, Quinton J.
  • Brozovsky, John A.
  • Moreno, Kimberly K.

Subjects

dc:subject × 4

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-06292005-165247
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/28153

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Allport, Christopher Douglas. The Influence of Evaluative Reactions to Attribute Frames and Accounting Data on Capital Budgeting Decisions. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28153