AN EXAMINATION OF FEDERAL AGENCY DEBT PRICING PRACTICES

Debt issuance procedures for federally sponsored agency securities differ considerably from the methods used by the U.S. Treasury and most corporate and municipal debt issuers. This paper examines the debt issuing procedures of the three major federally sponsored agencies and the efficiency with which the fiscal agents for those agencies price new debt issues. The conclusions from the analysis are: (1) fiscal agents for the major federally sponsored agencies are extremely adept at estimating the equilibrium competitive yields for new debt issues; (2) pricing errors on new issues are generally due to factors beyond a fiscal agent's control, such as the volatility of debt market conditions; and (3) the debt pricing practices for federally sponsored agency securities are efficient and effective.     

THE ROLE OF TIME SERIES ANALYSIS IN STUDIES OF ACCOUNTING POLICY CHOICE: A COMMENT

The study by Anderson and Zimmer [1992] of goodwill accounting policies uses a pooled time series experimental design. This approach can add substantially to our understanding of accounting policy choices, but not in the manner used by Anderson and Zimmer. Where accounting policy choices are believed to be independent from one period to the next, then a time series approach can greatly enhance our ability to capture the influence on such policy choices of changing circumstances, more so than a simple cross-sectional test. Conversely, if accounting policy choices are not independent between periods, pooling over time can overstate significance levels of statistical tests. The nature of Anderson and Zimmer's data makes the impact indeterminate. However, even under an extreme assumption, pre-regulation evidence remains significant at conventional levels.     

AN EXAMINATION OF THE YIELD SPREAD BETWEEN INSURED AND UNINSURED DEBT

Currently, municipal bonds insured by major insurance firms receive the highest credit rating from rating agencies. The interest rates on regular triple-A municipal bonds, however, have been persistently below those of insured bond issues. The yield spread between insured and uninsured triple-A bonds in the tax-exempt market is examined here, and it is shown that the yield spread may be attributable to split ratings and default-related risks.     

ACCOUNTING FOR THE COST OF CAPITAL: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION

One of accounting's oldest issues, accounting for interest costs, has become a subject of increased concern in recent years. This study empirically addresses the issue of whether the cost of equity capital should be charged against income. Fourteen measures of the cost of equity capital are examined. The empirical tests involve contemporaneous correlation of accounting betas for each income measure with market betas for a sample of 200 companies. The results of these association tests indicate that income measures, net of the cost of equity capital, may have greater information content than income as presently reported.     

THE ADOPTION OF PARTIAL DEFERRAL IN THE UK, 1977–78: EVIDENCE ON AN ACCOUNTING CHOICE

This study uses logit analysis to test the relationship between the UK deferred tax accounting decision in 1977–78, when SSAP 11 had been withdrawn and not yet replaced by SSAP 15, and a number of variables or corporate charac-teristics drawn from the largely American accounting policy choice and the more specific UK deferred tax literatures. The findings, of a significant association between several of these variables and the UK deferred tax accounting decision of 1977–78, suggest that further tests of the determinants of accounting policy choice in the UK should include variables that reflect direct, indirect and neutral managerial interests.     

AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF THE COMMUNICATION OF AUTHORITATIVE PRONOUNCEMENTS IN ACCOUNTING

The cloze procedure, a psycholinguistic technique, was used to empirically evaluate the communication of authoritative pronouncements in accounting. Three of the most recent pronouncements of five different authoritative bodies were tested via a random sample of 750 certified public accountants, 750 academic accountants, and 600 private accountants. Using the cloze procedure's 57% criterion level, evidence was found (contrary to expectations) that communication problems do not exist with either authoritative bodies or classes of accountants. However, evidence was found (as expected) that communication problems do exist with two of the fifteen authoritative pronouncements tested. I want to express my sincerest appreciation to the City University of New York PSC-BHE Research Award Program for the grant that made this project possible.     

A MODEL OF SPECIFIC COGNATE ABILITY IN AN ACCOUNTING COURSE

This study proposes and tests a causal model to explain variations in performance in the New Zealand University Bursaries Accounting examination. The model was based on specific abilities in cognate subjects. The influence of the specific ability was characterised by the semipartial correlation coefficient of performance in the cognate subject examination with performance in the accounting examination. Performance in the examination and the semipartial correlation coefficients were independent of gender, the year of the examination and the combination of courses taken. The effects of specific ability in statistics and calculus were greater than those for the subjects of economics and English.     

DETERMINANTS OF ACCOUNTING POLICY CHOICE IN THE AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY INDUSTRY: A PORTFOLIO APPROACH

The objective of this research is to explain accounting policy choice in the Australian property industry by reference to costly contracting theory. This paper makes three departures from the predominant literature. First, instead of focusing on a single policy choice, it focuses on a portfolio of 15 choices. Second, instead of measuring each policy choice dichotomously, it measures the dollar effect of each policy choice. Finally, the research focuses on the impact of policy choices on owners' equity as well as income. The results confirm the importance of compensation arrangements as a determinant of accounting policy choice but fail to provide evidence that debt constraints or political costs are significant determinants of accounting policy choice. These results suggest that including property firms in a more heterogeneous sample may reduce the power of tests on the debt constraints and political costs hypotheses. More generally (when compared to previous research) the results suggest that the determinants of policy choice are likely to be industry specific.     

MANAGING LOCAL PUBLIC DEBT IN TRANSITION COUNTRIES: AN ISSUE OF SELF-CONTROL

One and a half decades after the end of a centralised regime in Central and Eastern Europe, the policy literature on local debt management in transition economies reveals that there is a general confusion about the appropriate use of debt finance at the municipal level. The literature is mainly concerned with institutional borrowing restrictions and sanctions against excessive debt. Both emphasise the responsibility of the centre and consider local government unable to pursue a sound financial management without central patronage. Breaking with the traditional focus on budget  discipline , this study advocates budget  responsibility . Favourable credit ratings and compliance with legal norms are necessary but not sufficient conditions for municipalities to borrow. Successful financial management requires a more proactive attitude in which local governments adjust their investment policy to their financial capacity, assessing the costs and benefits of each investment project.     

AN EXAMINATION OF MARKET REACTION TO SUBSTANTIAL SHIFTS IN DIVIDEND POLICY

This study provides further empirical evidence on the informational content of dividends hypothesis. To reduce the misclassification of unfavorable and favorable dividend announcements, which can result when small dividend changes are included, the analysis is restricted to cases where a substantial shift in dividend policy has occurred. Specifically, the authors examine the aggregate market response to announcements of (1) omitted dividends, (2) dividend decreases of at least 25 percent, (3) dividend increases of at least 25 percent, and (4) initial dividend payments. The results indicate that announcements of dividend omissions and large decreases have a pronounced downward impact on stock prices even though the market has anticipated the forthcoming news to a large degree. Similarly, the market reaction to initial dividend declarations is found to be substantial and much greater than previously found for favorable dividend classifications in general.     

开放经济条件下人民币汇率政策手段的选择

目前我国所实行的以市场供求为基础的、单一的、有管理的浮动汇率制,从制度安排上符合今后开放经济条件下我国汇率政策的目标取向,但从长远角度看,随着开放进程的加快,人民币汇率政策手段的单一化将会制约我国经济的均衡发展.特别是加入WTO组织临近,我国经济内外均衡的目标冲突也将更加显现出来.因此,必须进一步完善人民币汇率政策的实施环境,如扩大外汇市场参与主体、注重外汇交易品种的培养和丰富、扩大人民币汇率的浮动范围、完善中央银行的外汇干预等;同时,在多重经济目标并举且相互制约的情况下,为了最大限度地发挥政策效应,人民币汇率政策要同产业政策、利率政策和外汇储备政策协调运作.     

A MODIFIED VERSION OF THE KELLER PLAN IN AN ADVANCED FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING COURSE

This note provides an account of the introduction of a modified version of the Keller Plan in an advanced financial accounting course. The experiment involved (1) issuing detailed study guides which included a specification of behavioural outcomes; (2) abandoning large group lectures in favour of small group discussions and (3) measuring achievement by multiple choice testing. Although the degree of individualised learning was limited, most students felt that the changes made - especially the introduction of discussion groups - were of some improvement in their learning and development.     

TALKING ACCOUNTING: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE IN BRITISH AND GERMAN BREWERS

The organisational functionings of accounting hinge on its combination with other forms of organisational knowledge in talk. This paper analyses some of the talk observed in paired situations in British and German brewers, to contrast the intertwining of accounting and other expertise and relate it to the enactment of different organisational orders. Through accounting talk, organisational members air their shifting conceptions of order and, thereby, point to its precariousness and ambivalence. The focus on accounting talk emerges as an approach to the study of the organisational practice of accounting which promises insight into the complex processes of enacting the orders which accounting engenders, their flexibility and fragility. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd