Earnings Benchmarks and the Information Content of Quarterly Foreign Earnings of U.S. Multinational Companies

The meeting of earnings benchmarks is considered important for investors. The chief financial officers of U.S. companies state that the three most important earnings thresholds to meet are the earnings in the same quarter last year, the analysts' earnings forecast for the current quarter, and zero earnings. These earnings benchmarks have been defined in terms of total earnings. For U.S. multinational firms, total earnings consist primarily of domestic earnings and foreign earnings. We conduct an event study where we examine (1) the stock market reaction to meeting or beating quarterly domestic and foreign earnings benchmarks and (2) the market reaction to the changes in quarterly domestic and foreign earnings, while we control for meeting or beating the analysts' earnings forecast and the analysts' earnings forecast surprise. We find that the quarterly financial statement disclosure of domestic and foreign earnings under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131 supplies investors with valuable information that was not previously disseminated through financial analysts or other sources. The stock market reaction to meeting or beating foreign earnings from the same quarter in the prior year is stronger than the market reaction to meeting or beating domestic earnings from the same quarter in the prior year.     

Multinational Firm Knowledge,Use of Expatriates,and Foreign Subsidiary Performance

The impact of knowledge transfer on foreign subsidiary performance has been a major focus of research on knowledge management in multinational enterprises (MNEs). By integrating the knowledge‐based view and the expatriation literature, this study examines the relationship between a multinational firm's knowledge (i.e. marketing and technological knowledge), its use of expatriates, and the performance of its foreign subsidiaries. We conceptualize that expatriates play a contingent role in facilitating the transfer and redeployment of a parent firm's knowledge to its subsidiary, depending on the location specificity of the organizational knowledge being transferred and the time of transfer. Our analysis of 1660 foreign subsidiaries of Japanese firms over a 15‐year period indicates that the number of expatriates relative to the total number of subsidiary employees (1) strengthened the effect of a parent firm's technological knowledge (with low location specificity) on subsidiary performance in the short term, but (2) weakened the impact of the parent firm's marketing knowledge (with high location specificity) on subsidiary performance in the long term. We also found that the expatriates' influence on knowledge transfer eventually disappeared. The implications for knowledge transfer research and the expatriate management literature are discussed.     

International Differences in GAAP and the Pricing of Earnings

This study investigates the information content of two alternative accounting earnings measures constructed under U.K. and U.S. GAAP. The analysis is based on the 20-F SEC filings by U.K. domiciled companies having ADRs listed in the U.S. The research design involves testing the association between U.K. stock returns and alternative accounting numbers. The evidence suggests that, for the sample examined, U.K. GAAP earnings changes have incremental information content after controlling for U.S. GAAP earnings changes, but that earnings levels measured under U.S. GAAP have some independent incremental information content after controlling for U.K. GAAP earnings. The results are consistent with GAAP adjustments having a significant transitory component. The empirical results display explanatory power which is broadly consistent with previous work and the GAAP earnings adjustments add marginally to the ability of earnings to explain returns.     

Accuracy, Bias, and Dispersion in Analysts' Earnings Forecasts: The Case of Cross-Listed Foreign Firms

This paper examines differences in analysts' earnings forecast characteristics for foreign incorporated non-U.S. firms cross-listed in the U.S. stock markets relative to a control sample of purely domestic firms. Examining summary earnings forecasts over the calendar years 1984 through 1989, this paper provides evidence that there are statistically significant differences in bias and accuracy between domestic and cross-listed foreign firms. Consistent with prior research, we find a horizon effect in accuracy; i.e., accuracy improves as we get closer to the actual earnings announcement for both types of firms. However, the differences in accuracy between the cross-listed and domestic firms persist only in the earlier forecast horizons where analysts' forecasts are less accurate for foreign cross-listed firms compared with domestic firms. The evidence is also consistent with analysts' exhibiting less optimism with respect to cross-listed foreign firms compared with the domestic firms. Finally, the paper also documents that there is a greater consensus among analysts for foreign cross-listed firms than for domestic firms.     

Impact of Environmental Performance on Firm Value for Sustainable Investment: Evidence from Large US Firms

This research examines the impact of environmental performance on firm value, applying the event study methodology to Newsweek’s ‘Green Rankings’ announcement of 2012 for large US firms. Specifically, it analyzes the impact of the absolute green score and green rank of firms on their performance in the stock market. We found that investors perceive the announcement as positive news, leading to significant positive standardized cumulative abnormal returns (SCARs). After controlling for industry‐ and firm‐specific effects, we observed that firms with repeated green rankings for enhancing environmental performance showed significantly higher SCARs than those with either reduced or unchanged environmental performance. In addition, the environmental impact score measuring environmental damage from a firm's operational activities was found to be the most influential factor in improving the firm's value. Our findings are beneficial to managers in allocating resources to different types of environmental initiative, and provide valuable insight for sustainable environmental investment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Costing and Pricing in Healthcare Private Firms

This article analyzes the development of an activity-based costing （ABC） system in a private Italian healthcare firm. Findings shed light on the role of the cost accounting system in price assessment： It outlines new opportunities for the identification of the service mix offered as well as for price optimization. Because private companies provide services both within the public system--where the National Health System （NHS） provides fixed reimbursement fees--and within the private system--where prices are defined by each company. Accurate cost information is extremely important to support managers in the analysis of the service mix profitability offered in each system. For the business segment in which companies do not have flexibility in setting prices, cost information enables managers to identify services which may present profitability problems. For the business segment where price flexibility exists, cost information supports the identification of pricing errors so that charges can be better defined.     

A Comparison of Reporting Lags of Multinational and Domestic Firms

This study examines whether multinational firms report earnings sooner than domestic firms. When compared with domestic firms, the reporting environment and business operations of multinational firms are significantly more complex. There is a greater amount of information asymmetry between managers and shareholders of multinational firms. Therefore, multinational firms potentially face higher monitoring and external financing costs. To reduce these costs, we conjecture that managers of multinational firms take steps to reduce the information asymmetry between shareholders and management by increasing the timeliness (a proxy for relevance) of their earnings reports. Specifically, we expect multinational firms to announce earnings earlier than domestic firms. We separate earnings reporting delay into auditor‐related delay and management's discretionary delay. While test results weakly support the hypothesis that auditors take longer to audit multinational firms, there is strong evidence that managers of multinational firms release their earnings reports sooner than domestic firms.     

盈余操纵与公司内部激励的关系研究

盈余操纵不仅会损害利益相关人特别是公司股东的利益,造成资源的不合理配置,同时它还会削弱国家宏观经济的调控能力,影响证券市场的健康发展。本文试图通过建模阐释:公司总经理(CEO)的盈余操纵行为是怎样严重扭曲公司内部激励的动机和破坏公司价值的创造的。     

跨国公司定价目标的博弈分析

跨国公司各利益主体利益均衡的结果将决定跨国公司的目标取向，本文的几个博弈模型所表述的问题，如股东之间控股权与控制权的关系，东道国政府对跨国公司优惠政策的力度，东道国政府对引进技术国产化与引进技术先进性的关系。以及跨国公司股东与经理人员不同的目标追求等，正是在跨国公司理论研究中的难点问题。博弈论方法的使用，使问题的讨论增添了数理依据。     

缺乏优势企业跨国化的理论依据

本文采用博弈模型分析了缺乏或根本没有优势企业国际化的理由和依据,指出缺乏优势企业的对外直接投资的根本目的在于“技术获得”以弥补自身优势的不足,而这样做的根本原因在于技术具有溢出效应和扩散效应。     

会计稳健性、真实盈余管理与审计定价

本文在充分借鉴国内外诸多理论成果的基础上,以我国A股上市企业为研究对象,对会计稳健性、真实盈余管理与审计定价之间的关系进行研究。研究发现:真实盈余管理与审计定价呈正相关关系;会计稳健性与审计定价呈负相关关系;会计稳健性能够削弱真实盈余管理与审计定价之间的相关性。     

垄断企业营销定价策略中的信息甄别与最优非线性定价模型研究

本文从信息甄别原理出发，提出企业可进行最优非线性定价，克服企业定价中因信息非对称、难以确切了解每位需求者的支付意愿而导致的定价困境。通过市场调研将目标市场细分为不同类型，再利用信息甄别原理，针对所划分的各需求类型，设计出一套非线性的价格表供顾客选择，由其自行揭示自己的支付意愿，以最大限度提高企业利润。     

Wealth Effects of International Investments and Agency Problems for Korean Multinational Firms

This paper recognizes the recent surge in cross‐border investments by MNCs from newly industrialized countries and investigates the wealth effects of FDI announcements by Korean firms, which are the leading FDI providers in Asia. The empirical results indicate that for Korean MNCs: 1) cross‐border investments increase shareholder wealth; and 2) they do not obtain the firm‐specific technological advantages over international competitors. The paper also presents evidence that cross‐border investments do not increase shareholder wealth for the 30 largest chaebol‐affiliates, and that shareholder wealth losses are greater when corporate ownership is concentrated, as suggested by Shleifer and Vishny (1997) and La Porta et al. (1998, 2000) .     

跨国公司转让定价避税与反避税研究

转让定价是跨国公司实施的最主要的转移利润的手法。随着越来越多的跨国公司将在中国设立并发展,对于部分跨国公司通过国际转让定价对我国税基造成的损害,更应该引起重视。从税务当局的角度研究转让定价与反避税问题,成为税收研究和企业管理的一个重要课题。     

The Boundaries of the Firm: The Choice Between Stand-Alone and Integrated Firms

This study presents a theory of corporate structure selection. It outlines when economic units should be structured as stand-alone firms versus an integrated firm (conglomerate). The theory suggests that an integrated firm better controls agency problems through yardstick competition between managers for project acceptance. However, this structure reduces the ability to receive division-specific project information from the market. Based on this trade-off, we show that divisions within a conglomerate have different characteristics and, thus, different valuations than "similar" stand-alone firms. Our theory also explains differences in the required rate of return between stand-alone firms and conglomerates and how they relate to relative valuations of conglomerates and "similar" stand-alone firm. It also predicts when stock price reaction to divestiture and merger announcements will be positive or negative.     

浅议跨国公司境外资金管理

随着我国市场经济体制的不断改革以及与世界经济的逐步接轨,如何依据国家外汇管理法规有关规定,建立高度集中的境外资金管理体制和运行机制,实现"统筹运作、保证需要;集中监管、确保安全;统一调度、提高效率"的境外资金管理要求,取得最优的管理模式,成为跨国公司境外财务管理的重点。本文主要就石油企业跨国公司相关境外承包工程项目的资金管理模式和具体内容结合本人在国际项目的经验谈谈石油跨国公司如何对境外资金进行有效的管理。     

Enforcement Releases,Firm Characteristics,and Earnings Quality: Insights from Germany's Two‐tiered Enforcement System

The implementation of a two‐tier external enforcement mechanism in Germany in 2004 permits the examination of the interrelationship of enforcement releases, firm characteristics, and earnings quality in a unique institutional framework. A total of 151 cases are examined where the announcement of errors in prior disclosed and audited financial statements was mandatorily ordered by the enforcement authority. Prior literature documents the correlation between underperformance in financial ratios and the probability of erroneous disclosure of financial statements. Evidence is provided of differences in characteristics between firms with enforcement releases and control firms as well as all German publicly listed firms. The research affirms the connection of financial ratios to earnings quality metrics. Overall, the results document the underperformance in important financial ratios as well as indicate an inferior earnings quality of firms subject to enforcement releases vis‐à‐vis the control groups. These results hold with regard to both different earnings quality specifications and different periods observed. This study adds to the earnings quality discussion and contributes to the development of a comprehensive picture of accounting quality in the unique institutional settings of Germany. The findings show that a conjoint two‐tier public and private enforcement system is effective and could be a model for consideration by other countries.     

The Effect of CEO Stock-Based Compensation on the Pricing of Future Earnings

This paper examines whether CEO stock-based compensation has an effect on the market’s ability to predict future earnings. When stock-based compensation motivates managers to share their private information with shareholders, it will expedite the pricing of future earnings in current stock prices. In contrast, when equity-compensated managers attempt to temporarily manipulate the stock price to maximize their own benefit rather than that of shareholders, the market may not fully anticipate future performance. We find that a CEO’s stock-based compensation strengthens the association between current returns and future earnings, indicating that more information about future earnings is reflected in current stock prices. In addition, we find that the positive effect is weaker for firms that have a high level of signed discretionary accruals or a low management forecast frequency. Overall, our study suggests that on average, equity-based compensation improves the informativeness of stock prices about future earnings, while opportunistic discretionary accruals or lowered earnings guidance hamper this improvement.