The Recognition and Timing of Deferred Tax Liabilities

Abstract:   This paper examines the characteristics of firms that account for deferred tax liabilities related to government investment grants under an extended adoption timing period. Not only the recognition but also the timing decision is associated with changes in future performance and changes in the debt structure. Recognisers outperform non‐recognisers in the future, while early recognition is related to post recognition performance but only for those firms that currently perform well. Changes in the balance sheet structure are also related to both decisions. Firms with recent increases in the debt level tend to postpone recognition, while currently well‐performing firms that increase their future debt level are less likely to recognise deferred taxes.     

An Examination of ERR and Asset Allocation in Public Pension Plans

In this paper, we examine the usefulness of expected rates of return (ERR) for public pension plans. Specifically, we test the correlation between the expected rate of return on plan assets and asset allocation. We also examine the predictive power of ERR on the actual returns of the pension assets. We find that the correlation between expected return and the percentage of assets that are equity securities is relatively weak. Further, we find that the percentage of assets that are equity securities is a much better predictor of actual returns than the disclosed expected return in public pension plans. These results provide evidence to support SFAS No. 87 , which requires the disclosure of plan assets and against recently promulgated SFAS No. 132 , which eliminates this disclosure requirement. The evidence also supports GASB 25'sStatement of Net Plan Assets .     

Do Firms Purchase the Pooling Method?

Review of Accounting Studies - We investigate two related questions. What factors influence firms' use of acquisition accounting method, and are firms willing to pay higher acquisition premiums...     

The Role of Real Estate in an Institutional Investor's Portfolio Revisited

Many papers have recently pointed out that institutional investors allocate only a very small fraction of their portfolio to real estate, much smaller than theory would dictate. This raises the question, are institutional investors underinvested in real estate equities? Or do we simply have the wrong priors? This paper is an attempt to provide some new insights into this asset allocation paradox. The key conclusions of the paper are several: First, unlike other assets, it would appear that real estate, and real estate diversification, pays off at the very time when the benefits are most needed, that is, when consumption growth opportunities are low. Second, real estate returns are predictable. In fact, the amount of predictability in real estate returns appears to be about the same as in stock returns. Third, real estate performs well in an asset-liability framework. Fourth, the chance of experiencing a large loss on real estate over a long horizon is quite small. We also report here that private sector commercial real estate investments represent between 6 and 12 percent of investable wealth in the United States. Thus, it follows (if one believes the capital asset pricing model) that if institutional investors were to invest more in real estate (up to 12 percent of their assets), they should be able to eliminate nonmarket or unique risk. All of this leaves us a bit dumbfounded as to why institutional investors hold only between 2 and 3 percent of their assets in real estate.     

高龄人口死亡率预测模型的比较与选择

高龄人口死亡率预测模型是人口预测、养老金成本和债务评估以及长寿风险度量与管理的基础。我国大陆地区高龄人口死亡数据量少、数据波动性大,如何选择适合我国高龄数据特点的死亡率预测模型,是重要的研究课题。本文在归纳总结死亡率预测模型研究进展的基础上,先采用数据较为充分的台湾地区高龄死亡数据,选用Lee-Carter、CBD、贝叶斯分层模型等八种死亡率模型,对模型的拟合效果、预测效果和稳健性做出比较。在此基础上,基于修正和平滑后的我国大陆人口死亡数据,采用CBD模型和贝叶斯分层模型建模和预测。结果显示:贝叶斯分层模型能捕捉我国大陆高龄死亡率数据的历史波动,预测区间能够涵盖全部死亡率的真实值,但预测区间过宽,生存曲线不收敛;相比之下,CBD模型对我国大陆地区高龄死亡率的拟合和预测较好,预测区间和生存曲线合理。在长寿风险度量中,建议采用CBD模型。     

A Sample Selection Model of Consumer Adoption of Computer Banking

We develop a bivariate probit selection model of consumer access and adoption that accounts for the cross equation correlations of the errors. The Survey of Consumers, collected by the University of Michigan, is the database used to estimate the model. We find a significant cross equation correlation between consumers perceived access and their use of computer banking. Based on our results, the bivariate selection model provides asymptotically more efficient estimates than does a single equation model because the bivariate selection model accounts for the sample selection bias associated with access. In addition, the bivariate selection model has a higher percentage of correctly predicted adopters than does the corresponding single equation (univariate) model.     

R&D资本化选择动机与影响因素——来自高新技术行业的经验证据

随着企业R&D投入的不断增长,R&D支出会计选择的经济后果变得重要。我国新会计准则由R&D费用化政策转为可选择的有条件资本化政策,面对会计政策的变迁,研究上市公司管理层R&D资本化选择的动机与影响因素成为首要问题。选取2007～2010年高新技术行业公司为样本,研究发现,大规模企业、国有控股公司、机构投资者持股比例越高的公司管理层倾向于选择资本化R&D政策,"四大"审计并未抑制R&D资本化,而债务融资约束不能解释R&D资本化选择动机。我国上市公司管理层选择资本化R&D会计政策既有提高和平滑利润的盈余管理动机,亦有向市场传递研发信号的动机。     

Transition Period of Mandated Accounting Changes — Timing of Adoption and Economic Consequences: The Case of SEAS No. 13

This study examines the economics of the timing of adoption of SFAS No. 13, Accounting for Leases by Lessees . We analyzed actual debt contracts of the affected firms to determine whether they were based on GAAP or Non-GAAP accounting rules. We also examined what actions were taken by management to alleviate the negative effects of complying with SFAS No. 13 . The results indicate that late adopters had a higher percentage of debt convenants based on GAAP measures, and that the late adopters would have experienced significant increases in closeness to default had they adopted SFAS No. 13 early. The results also indicate that by choosing late adoption, the firms were able to reduce the expected negative effects of the new accounting standard on financial statements.     

Home bias and Dutch pension funds’ investment behavior

Using a panel data set of more than 600 Dutch pension funds (PFs) between 1992 and 2006, we investigate asset allocation behavior of Dutch PFs across multiple asset classes. We find that domestic investments, also known as home bias, in portfolio choices of Dutch institutional investors have fallen. We also find that the introduction of the euro, the dot-com crisis (1999–2001) and individual PF's characteristics are significant determinants of home bias. Overall, mature PFs’ portfolios are diversified internationally, whereas large PFs seem to prefer to only scale up their foreign, less-risky positions at the expense of domestic fixed-income positions. The effect of the dot-com crisis is more pronounced for domestic bonds, whereas the introduction of the euro was more important for domestic equities.     

新生代农民工养老保险参与意愿及影响因素——基于安徽省调查数据

摘要：文章从理性选择理论出发,建立养老保险参与意愿模型,运用Tobit模型和安徽省微观调查数据研究了新生代农民工养老保险参与意愿及影响因素。研究发现,新生代农民工参与意愿较高,实际参与率较低;性别与婚姻对新生代农民工养老保险参与有显著影响,文化程度与年龄对新生代农民工养老保险参与没有显著影响;新生代农民工养老保险参与意愿概率不仅仅是其经济理性体现,更重要的是其非经济理性行为的体现,这些非经济理性变量对新生代农民工养老保险参与概率与数量都有非常显著的正向影响。     

Benchmark Invariancy,Seasonality and APM-Free Portfolio Performance Measures

The Jobson-Korkie (1981) Z score and the positive period weighting (PPW) score of Grinblatt and Titman (1989) are applied to various benchmarks of market and mimicking portfolios to study the benchmark invariancy problem. Significantly different portfolio performance inferences are found for a sample of 146 equity mutual funds depending on the mean-variance efficiency of the portfolio benchmarks (mimicking portfolios versus market indices). Portfolio performance inferences are affected significantly by the number of factors, nonsynchronous trading adjustment, and the sizes of the firms used for factor extraction. The returns of the portfolio benchmarks exhibit significant monthly seasonalities, which, in turn, significantly influence mutual fund performance inferences.     

IFRS adoption: A costly change that keeps on costing

This paper documents the results of a study exploring the transitionary and ongoing costs incurred by Australian companies from their use of IFRS. A longitudinal survey approach was adopted. Challenging the underlying logic of convergence, survey results highlighted that IFRS is costly for firms both in the lead up to adoption and thereafter. Specifically, the transition to IFRS imposed significant AIS, staff training and development, financial statement user education, and financial statement adjustment costs on many firms. Furthermore, many firms perceived that IFRS adoption has resulted in an ongoing increase of 20% or more on annual accounting and compliance costs.     

Portfolio Selection with Quadratic Utility Revisited

Considering a simple portfolio selection problem by agents with quadratic utility, an apparently counterintuitive outcome results. When such a choice is over two assets that can be ordered in terms of riskiness, an agent that is more risk averse may optimally invest a larger portion of wealth in the riskier asset. It is shown that such an outcome is not counterintuitive, since for the portfolios from which agents optimally choose, a larger proportion of investment in the riskier asset leads to a less risky portfolio.