On the Relevance of Debt Maturity Structure

In this paper, we present a tax-induced framework to analyze debt maturity problems. We show that under some modifications of the existing U.S. tax code, debt maturity is irrelevant even in the presence of taxes and bankruptcy costs that yield an optimal capital structure. If this restrictive structure is relaxed, and assuming the Miller [15] equilibrium does not prevail, tax reasons would usually imply the existence of an optimal debt maturity structure. If there exists a gain from leverage, then an increasing term structure of interest rates, adjusted for default risk, results in long-term debt being optimal. A decreasing term structure, under similar circumstances, renders short-term debt optimal. In the absence of agency costs, a Miller [15]-type result emerges at equilibrium and irrelevance prevails. We also argue that agency costs could again reverse the irrelevance and imply a firm-specific optimal debt maturity structure.     

The Relevance of Accounting Data in the Measurement of Credit Risk

Abstract

Option pricing theory provides a robust and theoretically sound framework for the measurement of credit risk. Assuming perfect market conditions, information relevant to the measurement of a firm’s credit risk is reflected in its equity price, with no role for accounting data. This hypothesis is tested using UK data and credit ratings as a proxy for credit risk. It is found that Merton’s distance-to-default measure is the most significant variable in the measurement of credit risk. However, it is also found that accounting variables are incrementally informative when added to a model that contains only the distance-to-default measure. The incremental informativeness of accounting data varies across industries and depends on firm size. Although it is found that the general level of credit risk depends on the state of the economy, there is no evidence to suggest that the incremental informativeness of the accounting variables depends upon macroeconomic conditions.     

Segmental Disclosure Practice: Thirteen Years On

In an age of financial disclosure directed by professional standards, the changes in practice voluntarily undertaken by companies are sometimes difficult to detect. By focusing on a period prior to the introduction of SSAP 25, the segmental disclosure issue offers an opportunity to consider whether practice has voluntarily changed. An examination of the extent and quality of segmental disclosure, for a specific group of companies over an extended period, offers an indication of the need for a standard or further regulation. If it can be demonstrated that disclosure practice has improved under a primarily self-regulatory framework, the need for a standard like SSAP 25 may be questioned. The segmental disclosure practices of the same group of seventy companies are compared for the reporting years 1975–6 and 1988–9. Whilst an underlying improvement in respect to business activity disclosure is revealed, the same cannot be claimed for geographic segmental disclosure. Not only has the number of companies reporting profit by geographic segment declined but also the consistency with other aspects of the annual report has reduced.     

On the Value Relevance of Asymmetric Financial Reporting Policies

This paper considers an overlapping generations model where investors trade in a firm's stock. Investment risk is partly determined by the volatility of the stock price at which current investors can sell their shares to the next generation of investors. It is shown that asymmetric reporting of good and bad news is value relevant as it affects the allocation of risk among future generations of shareholders.     

Value Relevance of Nonfinancial Information: The Case of Patent Data

When used in conjunction with traditional R&D expenditure information, scientific information on patent quality appear to give investors a more useful basis upon which to judge the economic merit of the firm's R&D effort. This complementary relation suggests that consistent disclosure of patent quality information would be helpful to investors in their ongoing assessment of firms in the high tech sector.     

会计数据价值相关性研究中的尺度效应:回顾与展望

尺度效应不仅会导致实证研究中估计有偏,也会影响估计效率。由于尺度效应的存在,价值相关性研究甚至得出了不正确的结论。本文从尺度效应产生与识别、尺度效应对价值相关性的影响以及尺度效应减轻与评价三个方面进行了回顾。主要结论是:第一,尺度及尺度效应的认识存在分歧,对尺度的定义及统计参数关注点并不相同;第二,尺度效应的识别是复杂的,难以对尺度效应与由其他可能原因引起的统计推断有误进行区分;第三,尺度效应对会计数据价值相关性研究影响面非常广且深远,如果不能很好的控制尺度效应,就无法得出会计数据的价值相关性的正确结论;第四,所有试图减轻尺度效应的方法都是一个实证性问题,同样的方法在不同环境下的结论可能不同。     

会计信息可比性与劳动收入份额北大核心

利用2006-2019年沪深A股数据,本文考察了会计信息可比性对企业劳动收入份额的影响。研究发现,会计信息可比性的增强显著提高了企业的劳动收入份额,表明会计信息质量的提高有助于员工更好地分享企业的发展成果。进一步研究结果表明,(1)降低资本成本及增大自主研发强度是会计信息可比性提高企业劳动收入份额的两大作用路径;(2)会计信息可比性的增强主要提高了普通雇员的劳动收入份额,对高管劳动收入份额的影响并不显著;(3)会计信息可比性对劳动收入份额的影响存在一定异质性,当企业自身融资约束程度较高、信息透明度较低,或可比公司的会计盈余质量较强时,会计信息可比性与劳动收入份额的正相关关系更强;(4)会计信息可比性通过提高劳动收入份额,提升了企业的价值创造能力。     

会计信息相关性与可靠性的矛盾及其协调

理想而有用的会计信息应当具备相关性和可靠性。信息相关性的目的在于与决策目标相关。可靠性强调真实的反映过过去的事实。两间存在着一定的矛盾，真正相关而可靠的信息是难以取得的。现实的选择应当是：在可靠性基本得到保证前提下尽可能提高会计信息的相关性，以最终实现会计信息的有用性。     

签字注册会计师行业专长与会计信息可比性

以我国 A股上市公司为研究对象,考察签字注册会计师行业专长对会计信息可比性的影响.结果显示:由拥有行业专长的签字注册会计师审计的配对客户公司会计信息可比性要强于其他公司,特别地,在拥有行业专长的签字注册会计师审计的配对客户公司中,来自同一事务所的签字注册会计师审计的配对客户公司可比性要高于其他客户公司;进一步,地区分签字注册会计师角色差异后发现,这一现象在项目负责人签字注册会计师和复核人签字注册会计师中同时存在,但其影响在项目负责人当中更加显著.     

会计信息可比性与公司避税

会计信息可比性通过公司间信息溢出效应为外界理解和判断公司的经济业务提供增量信息,使避税活动难以实施,抑制避税代理成本从而抑制公司避税。本文从会计信息质量治理效应出发,运用2005-2015年我国A股非金融上市公司数据研究会计信息可比性对公司避税的影响,结果发现公司会计信息可比性越高,避税程度越低。可比性对避税的抑制在信息透明度较低的公司以及在面临产品市场竞争更激烈的公司中更显著。进一步研究发现可比性与税收征管之间存在替代效应,可比性对避税的抑制作用在税收征管强度较低的地区更显著。本文扩展和深化了会计信息质量的治理效应,为我国政府强化会计信息披露监管以营造公平税收环境提供理论依据。     

主并企业会计信息可比性与股东长期财富效应

本文以2006-2011年我国A股上市公司发起的并购交易事件为样本,研究主并企业会计信息可比性能否增强并购后股东的长期财富效应。研究发现:(1)可比性增强了会计信息的有用性,主并企业会计信息可比性与并购后股东的长期财富效应显著正相关;(2)并购导致主并企业不确定性显著增加,且增加的程度与并购后股东的长期财富效应显著负相关,但主并企业会计信息可比性抑制了不确定性增加的程度,从而有利于并购后股东长期财富的提升。上述结果表明,主并企业会计信息可比性在并购的价值创造中发挥重要作用。     

The Benefits of Financial Statement Comparability

Investors, regulators, academics, and researchers all emphasize the importance of financial statement comparability. However, an empirical construct of comparability is typically not specified. In addition, little evidence exists on the benefits of comparability to users. This study attempts to fill these gaps by developing a measure of financial statement comparability. Empirically, this measure is positively related to analyst following and forecast accuracy, and negatively related to analysts’ dispersion in earnings forecasts. These results suggest that financial statement comparability lowers the cost of acquiring information, and increases the overall quantity and quality of information available to analysts about the firm.     

Accounting for SGARAs: Towards Comparability and Consistency

The objectives of this study were to examine whether consistency and comparability has been achieved through the introduction of AASB 1037 and the subsequent adoption of AASB 141. We find that consistency in measurement methods has not been achieved through the introduction of a prescribed accounting method under AASB 1037 and is not likely to be achieved through the application of AASB 141. Consistency was found however in the application of measurement methods over time and, in particular, in these SGARA types of native forests and plantation timber. The study contributes to an understanding of the issues faced by Australian firms surrounding the processes leading to the introduction of a new accounting standard.     

会计信息可比性与高管薪酬契约有效性

会计信息在高管激励契约中的作用历来是理论与实务中关注的重要问题。本文以2006～2016年我国上市公司为对象,研究会计信息可比性与高管薪酬契约有效性之间的关系,结果发现,会计信息可比性与公司高管薪酬-业绩敏感度之间存在显著正相关关系。与国有企业相比,会计信息可比性对薪酬契约有效性的影响在非国有企业中更为显著。进一步分析发现,会计信息可比性与高管薪酬-业绩敏感度之间的正相关关系在信息复杂程度较高、内部控制质量较差、外部监督较弱的企业中更为显著。总体而言,本文的研究结果表明会计信息可比性特征对薪酬契约有效性具有重要影响。     

投资者保护、终极控制人性质与会计信息可比性

通过测度中国上市公司的会计信息可比性值,实证考察了投资者保护对可比性的影响.结果显示:投资者保护程度与会计信息可比性显著正相关,即在我国投资者保护程度较强的地区,企业管理层能更严格遵守会计准则规定,会计信息可比性较高.进一步检验发现,相对于国有控股公司,投资者保护程度与会计信息可比性的正相关关系在非国有控股公司中更加显著,因此,投资者保护制度对国有控股公司管理层会计行为的约束能力较弱.稳健性检验结果发现,这种正相关关系在中央政府控股公司与地方政府控股公司间不存在显著差别.     

The Measurement of Comparability in Accounting Research

Indices of harmony such as the H, C, I and T indices have been developed and used in the accounting literature to quantify the level of comparability of company accounts. This has led to advances in definitions of comparability as well as empirically quantifying the extent of comparability between actual company accounts. These are important because the general concept of comparability is considered desirable, as highlighted by its inclusion as one of four qualitative characteristics in the framework of the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). This paper rebuts criticisms of harmony indices in the accounting literature by arguing these criticisms either: (a) apply to old indices but not to newer ones, (b) apply to most empirical accounting research, (c) are based on incorrect or irrelevant assertions, or (d) relate to alternative definitions of harmony. This assists the use and interpretation of harmony indices and advances our understanding of what comparability means. New indices within the T index framework are also proposed by directly comparing company accounts and therefore avoiding the previous requirement to define ‘accounting methods’. A new index R is also proposed to capture international harmony between countries when within‐country uniformity is absent.     

货币政策紧缩、会计信息可比性与银行借款

本文研究了中国上市公司会计信息可比性对银行借款规模、成本和期限结构的影响,以及货币政策紧缩时期会计信息可比性对银行信贷融资的影响.研究发现,会计信息可比性越高,银行借款规模越大,成本越低.短信贷期限结构公司的会计信息可比性有助于延长其信贷期限结构,支持代理成本假说;长信贷期限结构公司的会计信息可比性有助于缩短其信贷期限结构,支持信号传递假说.货币政策紧缩期间,会计信息可比性能够增加银行借款规模,降低借款成本.短信贷期限结构公司依然支持代理成本假说,长信贷期限结构公司减弱了信号传递假说.本文的结论丰富了会计信息可比性经济后果研究,以及宏观经济政策与公司微观财务行为的互动性研究.