Asset Revaluations and Debt Contracting

The research question investigated is: Do managers of Australian firms use upward asset revaluations to reduce debt contracting costs? Prior research, using sample periods from the 1970s and early 1980s, provides evidence that asset revaluations are used to reduce the costs of debt contracting (see Whittred and Chan, 1992; Brown et al., 1992; Cotter and Zimmer, 1995). However, considerable changes to the institutional set-ting have occurred in the past decade. These institutional changes include increased regulation of asset revaluations and disclosures, changes in the macroeconomic environment, and changes in the Australian debt market. Particularly, there has been a shift in emphasis from public to private debt. The relationship between asset revaluations and debt contracting is examined in the current setting, using refined measures of contracting variables. Interestingly, the results of prior research do not replicate in the current setting. In order to further examine the potential impact of changes to the institutional setting, a series of interviews with chief financial officers is undertaken. The conclusion drawn from this additional analysis is that the relatively closer relationship between firms and their bankers in the current institutional setting has caused many firms to choose footnote disclosure of undervalued assets in preference to recognizing an upward asset revaluation in the balance sheet.     

Asset Revaluations and Assessment of Borrowing Capacity

Prior research has found support for contracting, political cost and information asymmetry explanations for managements’ decision to revalue non-current assets. This study proposes that asset revaluations occur to signal available borrowing capacity via an increase in collateral values at the time of increases in secured debt and that the economic benefits associated with an asset revaluation will be greatest for firms when they are experiencing times of declining cash flows from operations. Results imply that firms that have undertaken an asset revaluation are more likely to be experiencing declining cash flows from operations than firms that have not revalued. This study also investigates whether the incidence of valuations coincides with increases in levels of secured borrowings due to lenders’ demands for current values of assets offered as collateral. The evidence indicates that firms are more likely to record an asset revaluation if they have increased their secured borrowings, and that most non-year-end revaluations emanate directly from contracting with lenders.     

基于RFID技术的高校固定资产全生命周期管理系统研究

通过对高校现行固定资产管理中存在的问题进行分析,作者引入资产全生命周期管理理念,利用RFID技术,建立网络数据库技术条件下的固定资产管理系统,以解决固定资产管理中存在的问题。     

Reliability of Asset Revaluations: The Impact of Appraiser Independence

In this paper we examine whether there are differences in the reliability of asset revaluations made by boards of directors versus independent (external) appraisers. We use a sample of recognized Australian asset revaluations. As a first step we examine the determinants of the choice between director-based revaluations and those undertaken by independent appraisers. We find that independent appraisers are more likely to be used for revaluations of land and buildings and directors are more likely for investments, plant and equipment and identifiable intangibles. We interpret this as evidence of firms harnessing directors' knowledge of asset specificities. We also find that firms with less independent boards are more likely to use independent appraisers. We interpret this as evidence of substitutability between governance mechanisms.As for differences in reliability, we find that revaluations of plant and equipment that are made by independent appraisers are more reliable than those by directors. However, we are unable to detect a difference for other classes of non-current assets. We define reliability in terms of ex-post adjustments of recognized value increases. Reliability is determined by an examination of the extent to which upward revaluations are subsequently reversed.     

Asset Revaluations in the Accounts of UK National Health Service Trusts

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the impact of the revaluation of fixed assets on the reported results of NHS ambulance services. It recalculates the accounting rate of return of individual trusts after removing revaluation adjustments and examines the published responses of trusts. The numerical analysis demonstrates that, in general, revaluation has depressed the stated rate of return in an inconsistent manner. Failure to meet the required rate of return may cause a trust to be subjected to additional monitoring and management reorganisation while the trusts respond by explaining deviations in the accounting return measure by referring to revaluations and other technical adjustments. Management decisions made in response to these accounting measures may be sub-optimal in delivering health care but appropriate in achieving the desired accounting outcome.     

管理层薪酬和持股激励效应的行业性差异分析--来自我国上市公司的实证证据

本文的研究以我国上市公司不同行业的实际数据为考察样本,运用实证分析方法验证我国上市公司不同类型行业管理层薪酬和持股与公司绩效之间的相关关系,分析结果表明:我国上市公司管理层薪酬和持股激励效应存在着较大的行业性差异,并提出不同行业企业应该根据自身特点和性质以及管理层薪酬和持股激励效应的大小,相机选择薪酬激励或股权激励,制定出详细周密、客观有效、切合实际的企业管理层激励方案,从而使其激励效应最大化。     

按揭购入固定资产相关业务的会计与税务处理

以按揭贷款方式进行的固定资产投资具有耗资多、时间长等特点,因此涉及的会计与税务处理问题较多。在现行会计准则和税收法规的框架下,要正确处理好这些问题,依法履行纳税义务,本文从固定资产购入和处置两个角度对资产与负债的确定、计量进行科学、合理的确认。     

The Asset Price Theory of Shareholder Revaluations: Tests with the Tax Reforms of the 1980s

A tax reform providing incentives for fixed investment may increase shareholder wealth because after-tax cash flows on planned investment increase. Alternatively, shareholder wealth may decline because existing assets receive disadvantageous tax treatment relative to new ones and equities are largely claims on existing assets. This study tests the alternative hypothesis by predicting in a simulation model the revaluation of existing assets resulting from the 1981 and 1986 tax acts and then by comparing the predictions to stock returns data. The results reject the hypothesis that cumulative excess returns accruing because of tax reform equal the revaluation on existing assets.     

The Amount and Timing of Goodwill Write-Offs and Revaluations: Evidence from U.S. and U.K. Firms

This paper investigates criticisms that U.S. GAAP had given firms too much discretion in determining the amount and timing of goodwill write-offs. Using 1,576 U.S. and 563 U.K. acquisitions, we find little evidence that U.S. firms managed the amount of goodwill write-off or that U.K. firms managed the amount of revaluations (write-ups of intangible assets). However, our results are consistent with U.S. firms delaying goodwill write-offs and U.K. firms timing revaluations strategically to avoid shareholder approval linked to certain financial ratios.     

Asset valuation and accounting strategy within the Japanese shipping industry c.1876-c.1950

The Japanese shipping industry adopted European-style book-keeping in the 1870s. Before 1937, there were few regulations on accounting practices in Japan and we can observe their natural evolution at the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). NYK, which prospered to become a blue-chip company, developed its accounting techniques in asset valuation exploiting a policy that income and expense from selling securities or vessels should not go directly to the profit and loss account. Asset revaluations were undertaken not to reflect market value but to implement accounting strategy.     

基金业绩排名与泡沫资产配置

基金在业绩排名压力下的泡沫资产配置行为会加剧市场波动、推升市场泡沫。本文基于事件研究法与固定效应模型研究了2013―2020年基金的重仓持股,发现:(1)基金在泡沫膨胀阶段显著超配了泡沫资产,而在泡沫破裂前后显著减配,展现了“泡沫骑乘者”的特征;(2)2015年前后,泡沫资产主要为小市值股票,2019―2020年,泡沫资产逐渐转为大市值“白马股”,且基金超配的程度显著提高,呈现抱团大盘白马股的特征;(3)排名前5%的赢家基金,以及1/3和1/10关键排名处的基金更激进地超配泡沫资产;(4)相邻排名基金的业绩差异越大,基金的泡沫资产配置行为越明显。综上表明,基金公司并不一定是天然的市场稳定器,监管层应密切关注业绩压力下基金超配泡沫资产的行为,投资者则应理性选择长期声誉较高的基金。     

中国居民资产配置趋势及商业银行对策

从近年来中国居民金融资产变化情况来看,在金融资产总量急剧增加的同时,资产结构也由原来单一的银行资产向多元化方向发展,但储蓄存款仍居主导地位,人均居民金融资产水平也较低。后危机时期居民金融资产总量增长空间仍然较大,资产多元化趋势将更加明显,这意味着储蓄存款将持续减少,而证券、基金、保险、信托、银行理财产品等新型金融产品的投资将日益扩大,居民资产配置以储蓄为主的格局仍将持续较长时间。这为商业银行发展带来两个机遇:一是为商业银行实现经营转型带来了发展机遇;二是为商业银行个人资产管理业务带来了发展机遇。     

Earnings Management Using Asset Sales: An International Study of Countries Allowing Noncurrent Asset Revaluation

Bartov (1993) demonstrates that US firms time asset sales to smooth income and affect debt/equity relationships. This study examines earnings management behavior through asset sales in countries that allow asset revaluation: Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) and the United Kingdom (UK). Earnings management behavior differs across these two country groups when their accounting rules differed prior to 1993, but is similar during the 1993–95 period when the UK implemented FRS 3 . The results also find that revaluer companies do not use asset sales to smooth income in ANZ nor in the UK after FRS 3 was implemented in 1993. UK revaluers (prior to FRS 3 ) and both countries' non-revaluers sell assets consistent with income smoothing.     

税率降低与企业固定资产投资的DID实证分析——来自上市公司的经验证据

为考察我国企业所得税改革对固定资产投资的影响效应,以税改前后上市公司执行税率的不同作为研究的切入点,借鉴国外衡量政策效应的主流计量研究方法——DID(Difference in Difference)方法,使用上市公司数据对此予以实证分析。研究结果表明,税改前后上市公司执行税率的不同,对不同所有制性质的上市公司的固定资产投资影响明显不同。因此,要有效调整企业的固定资产投资,应对这两类身份不同的企业制定有所区别的政策。     

The historical significance of the revaluation of fixed assets in Japan's state-owned railway system, 1955-6

The Government Railways of Japan (GRJ) established a fixed assets accounting system on the accruals basis after the Second World War. The revaluation of tangible fixed assets was indispensable for GRJ's introduction of depreciation in 1948. GRJ scheduled the revaluation to secure a reasonable depreciation expense, because the company had applied the replacement method to all tangible fixed assets since its foundation in 1869. At the same time, GRJ assumed the balance of the revaluation reserve account to be a means of dealing with possible future accumulated losses.