Keeping Watch! Recounting Twenty-Five Years of the Office of Chief Accountant, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 1976–2001

This article adds to the literature of accounting regulation by providing background, including facts and circumstances relating to a quarter century of SEC activity preceding the events identified with the reshaping of the capital markets following the dot.com collapse and the attack on the World Trade Center, 11 September 2001. The subsequent collapse of Enron, the bankruptcy of Worldcom, the dissolution of Andersen, one of the Big Five accounting firms, and the passage in the United States of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, collectively have ushered in a new era of public–private capital market relationships. This study provides guidance and outlines topics useful to future researchers undertaking assessments of regulatory policies and the individuals involved in their administration.
From 1976 to 2001 five individuals played a significant role in the development of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's disclosure and reporting practices by virtue of their office and the collective influence of their views. A. Clarence Sampson (1976–87), Edmund Coulson (1988–91), Walter P. Schuetze (1992–95), Michael H. Sutton (1995–98) and Lynn E. Turner (1998–2001) directed accounting policy activities at the SEC during these years.     

Corporate governance and incidences of listing suspension by the JSE Securities Exchange of South Africa: An empirical analysis

We examine the association between corporate governance structures and incidences of listing suspension from the JSE Securities Exchange of South Africa. Using a matched-pairs research design, we compare 81 firms suspended between 1999 and 2005 to an equal number of control firms matched in terms of time, size and industry. Employing a conditional logistic model, we find that the likelihood of suspension is higher in firms with a smaller proportion of non-executive directors, without an audit committee, and with greater block-share ownership and higher gearing (i.e. leverage). Further analysis splitting block-share ownership into institutional and non-institutional investors provides mixed results. While we find a positive association between suspension and non-institutional investors, we observe no association with institutional investors. No association is detected for board size, role duality, directors' share ownership, auditor quality and return on assets. Given the paucity of studies examining listing suspension from stock exchanges and corporate governance mechanisms, these findings contribute to the literature. Additionally, the dearth of research on corporate governance in developing countries suggests that our findings have important implications for policy makers in these countries as they endeavor to improve corporate governance.     

Convergence between US GAAP and IFRS: Acceptance of IFRS by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Abstract

The world's capital markets stand to benefit significantly from widespread acceptance and use of global accounting standards that are high quality, comprehensive and rigorously applied. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced in April 2007 a series of actions it intends to take relating to the acceptance of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). To implement this, the SEC proposed in July 2007 amendments to Form 20-F and conforming changes to SEC Regulation S-X to accept financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS without reconciliation to US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) when contained in the filings of foreign private issuers with the SEC. This paper analyses the forces driving convergence between US GAAP and IFRS and discusses the most recent activities by the SEC in relation to IFRS and international cooperation, including the SEC vote as of 15 November 2007, to allow foreign private issuers to prepare their financial statements using IFRS as issued by the IASB without reconciling to US GAAP.     

证券融资交易国际监管改革进展及对我国的启示与借鉴

此次国际金融危机表明,影子银行由于缺乏监管、信息不透明、资本覆盖和流动性储备不足,成为系统性风险的重要来源。危机后,金融稳定理事会(FSB)和巴塞尔银行监管委员会等国际标准制定机构协调合作,制定了加强影子银行监测和监管的一揽子政策措施。其中,针对证券融资交易的流动性风险、杠杆风险、交叉传染风险和顺周期效应,提出了一系列监管措施建议,旨在防范证券融资交易的潜在系统性风险,维护全球金融稳定。我国在证券融资交易方面发布实施了一系列法规制度,但近期发生的“国海证券”等事件也暴露出部分证券融资交易行为不规范、反复开展证券融资交易产生流动性错配和杠杆风险、监管框架不够系统完整等问题,对金融市场稳定运行造成了一定的负面影响。本文论述了危机后国际标准制定机构提出的证券融资交易监管框架,结合我国业务发展情况和存在的问题,提出了完善我国证券融资业务监管的相关建议。     

Achieving High Quality, Comparable Financial Reporting: A Review of Independent Enforcement Bodies in Australia and the United Kingdom

This article provides a review of the activities of two quite different types of national enforcement body, the U.K.'s Financial Reporting Review Panel (FRRP) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). We present material (some not available elsewhere) about their activities over the period 1998–2004 and show that both types of body can fulfil an enforcement role, albeit subject to political forces. We also assess the relevance of the bodies' past activities for comparable international enforcement following the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2005. A review of cases reveals that for both bodies approximately half were related to recognition and measurement issues, where interpretation can be crucial. Although there is potential for cross-country differences to arise, they may be mitigated by the participation of both bodies in international enforcement coordination activities. Past activities suggest that the scope of the bodies' activities and the extent of comparability of enforcement decisions are likely to reflect political views held within the government, corporate sector and accounting profession.     

Accounting and Auditing Activities of the Ontario Securities Commission, 1960s to 2008 Part 3: The Fifth Chief Accountant, 1996–2008

We present Part 3 of a historical review and analysis of the role played by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in accounting and auditing from the 1960s onward. Part 1 dealt with the period from the 1960s to 1985 (Zeff and Radcliffe, 2010a). Part 2 reviewed the work of the first four chief accountants, from 1986 to 1996 (Zeff and Radcliffe, 2010b). This third and final part reviews the work of the fifth chief accountant, John A. Carchrae, from 1996 to 2008. It began with the reorganization of the OSC and the reassignment of functions. The chief accountant position was now that of a permanent employee, albeit still as head of a very small department. The second part of Carchrae's tenure was dominated by the need to respond to the financial crises of the early 21^st century with extensive regulatory change as well as addressing the shift to international accounting standards in Canada.     

The Ontario Securities Commission on Accounting and Auditing from the 1960s to 2008 – Part 1: 1960s to 1985*

We present Part 1 of a historical review and analysis of the role played by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in accounting and auditing from the 1960s onwards. Part 1 deals with the period from the 1960s to 1985. Parts 2 and 3 will treat the roles played by the first five Chief Accountants, from 1986 to 2008. As the principal Canadian stock exchange in recent times has been the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OSC has been the most important securities market regulator in Canada. Prior to this article, the academic and professional accounting literature has been largely barren on the OSC’s evolving role on accounting and auditing issues.     

Developments in accounting regulation: A synthesis and annotated bibliography of evidence and commentary in the 2016 academic literature

In this paper key regulation-related findings and commentaries in the 2016 academic literature are synthesized in annotated form. This paper is one in a series of previously published annotated bibliographies published in this journal. Papers published in academic outlets including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, The Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Business, Finance & Accounting, The Journal of Financial Reporting, Auditing A Journal of Practice and Theory, and Research in Accounting Regulation were reviewed for potential inclusion. The 2016 literature featured strong regulation-related threads as follows: financial accounting regulation, analysis of individual pronouncements, SEC regulatory activity and its impact, international financial reporting standards, income tax reporting, and auditing.     

国外证券业规制研究：综述与启示

证券业作为金融行业的重要组成部分,在整个国民经济中占有重要地位。任何一个存在证券市场的国家无一例外地存在明显的政府规制,各国均从各自的实际情况出发,对证券产业的进入、价格、退出等方面采取了一定的规制措施,以确保金融和经济体系的稳定。本文从国外的研究成果中得到启示,希望以此对我国的证券业规制实践活动起一定的指导作用。     

汇率冲击、公司特质与外汇风险暴露——基于上证180样本股票的分析

开放经济条件下,汇率波动对上市公司价值的影响成为学者和业界广泛关注的重要课题。学者在研究外汇风险暴露的过程中发现,即使是同行业的公司,外汇风险暴露差异也很大,公司特异性因素对外汇风险暴露的水平有重要影响。2005年7月21日人民币汇率形成机制改革启动,人民币汇率波动幅度不断扩大,我国企业面临的外汇风险将不断增大。本文在对我国上市公司外汇风险暴露进行实证分析的基础上,采取两阶段回归方法,对影响上市公司外汇风险暴露公司特异性因素进行深入分析,认为36%的样本上市公司有显著的外汇风险暴露,这一比例高于发达国家的水平;外汇风险暴露与外部经济活动、负债状况和公司成长性密切相关。     

国外券商自营业务风险控制及对我国券商的启示

风险控制是证券自营业务风险管理的核心环节,是证券公司自营业务风险管理的关键所在。国外券商在自营业务风险控制方面各具特色且个性鲜明。在对国外著名券商自营业务风险控制分析的基础上,比较了国内券商与国外券商自营业务风险控制的差距。国外券商已经逐步形成一整套比较成热、完善的自营业务风险控制系统,对于我国证券公司自营业务风险控制改进有借鉴意义。     

Exchange rate regimes and FDI in developing countries: A propensity score matching approach

Theory suggests that regimes of relatively fixed exchange rates encourage inward foreign direct investment (FDI) relative to regimes of more flexible exchange rates. We use propensity score matching (PSM) to investigate the relationship between the exchange rate regimes of 70 developing countries and FDI into such countries using de facto regime classifications. We include a large number of variables in the logit equation that estimates the propensity score, the probability of regime choice. We also use general-to-specific modeling to get alternative, parsimonious versions. Based on four matching procedures, the average treatment effects suggest, with overall modest statistical significance, that relatively fixed de facto regimes do encourage FDI compared with relatively floating regimes. In addition, the estimated effects are sometimes economically large.     

The Ontario Securities Commission on Accounting and Auditing from the 1960s to 2008–Part 2: The First Four Chief Accountants, 1986–1996*

This article, Part 2 of a historical review and analysis of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), describes the role played by the first four Chief Accountants in the regulation of accounting and auditing from 1986 to 1996. Part 1 dealt with the period from the 1960s to 1985. Part 3 will treat the role played by the fifth Chief Accountant, from 1996 to 2008. As the principal Canadian stock exchange in recent times has been the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OSC has been the most important securities market regulator in Canada. Prior to this article, the academic and professional accounting literature has been largely barren on the OSC’s evolving role on accounting and auditing issues.     

关于当前我国证券公司实行股权激励的监管思考

我国证券公司目前实行股权激励的部分背景条件正逐步形成,但是仍存在制约因素,而且可供复制的相关成功实践较少。因此,全面开展证券公司股权激励还为时过早,证券监管部门应引导先试点再推行,使得股权激励为证券业发展发挥积极作用。     

The extent of corporate governance disclosure and its determinants in a developing market: The case of Egypt

This paper assesses the extent of corporate governance voluntary disclosure and the impact of a comprehensive set of corporate governance (CG) attributes (board composition, board size, CEO duality, director ownership, blockholder ownership and the existence of audit committee) on the extent of corporate governance voluntary disclosure in Egypt. The measurement of disclosure is based on published data created from a checklist developed by the United Nations, which was gathered from a manual review of financial statements and websites of a sample of Egyptian companies listed on Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX). Although the levels of CG disclosure are found to be minimal, disclosure is high for items that are mandatory under the Egyptian Accounting Standards (EASs). The failure of companies to disclose such information clearly shows some ineffectiveness and inadequacy in the regulatory framework in Egypt. Moreover, the phenomenon of non-compliance may also be attributed to socio-economic factors in Egypt. Therefore, it is expected that Egyptian firms will take a long time to appraise the payback of increased CG disclosure. The findings indicate that that—ceteris paribus—the extent of CG disclosure is (1) lower for companies with duality in position and higher ownership concentration as measured by blockholder ownership; and (2) increases with the proportion of independent directors on the board and firm size. The results of the study support theoretical arguments that companies disclose corporate governance information in order to reduce information asymmetry and agency costs and to improve investor confidence in the reported accounting information. The empirical evidence from this study enhances the understanding of the corporate governance disclosure environment in Egypt as one of the emerging markets in the Middle East.     

Exchange rate returns and volatility: the role of time-varying rare disaster risks

This paper provides empirical evidence to the theoretical claim that rare disaster risks have predictability for exchange rate returns and volatility using a nonparametric quantile-based methodology. Using dollar-based exchange rates for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the quantile-causality test shows that indeed rare disaster-risks affects both returns and volatility over the majority of their respective conditional distributions. In addition, these effects are much stronger when compared to those using the British pound, especially in terms of currency returns.     

发展中国家汇率制度选择的影响因素分析

任何汇率制度都不能适合所有的时期,也没有一种汇率制度可以适用于任何国家,发展中国家汇率制度的选择更是理论界讨论的热门话题。本文在回顾不同国际货币体系时期汇率制度选择理论的基础上,尝试探讨以36个发展中国家为样本,对汇率制度选择的影响因素进行分析。     

中国外汇储备损益与人民币汇率制度改革

本文在系统总结中国外汇储备损益研究视角的基础上,提出央行＂实际汇兑损益＂的崭新视角,并以此为切入点,研究了中国外汇储备损益与人民币汇率调整的关系问题。本文借助国家资产负债表构建了双顺差分析模型,并通过升值情景模拟分析,得出结论：在汇率制度改革过程中,既有的汇率错位和通常伴随的汇率超调往往导致了央行发生＂实际汇兑损益＂,损失量与兑换资金规模、汇率错位程度成比例,由此产生的汇兑损益可能导致对国家外汇储备的＂非对称分配＂。鉴于目前理论与实证研究不支持人民币被大幅低估的观点,货币当局应关注和避免因汇率错位及汇率超调产生的外汇储备汇兑损失;对于人民币的汇率调整应基于学理、结合实际,研究出一套准确客观的算法体系,以动态界定汇率合理区间;而从中长期考虑,需将汇率制度改革作为系统工程来推进。针对上述结论,本文提出四方面政策建议。     

The Cascade of Fear: Policy Implementation and Financial Management Reform in the European Commission

The complexity of managing European Union (EU) spending programmes is the subject of much comment but relatively little academic analysis. Using a multi‐disciplinary analytical framework drawn from the management, policy and social sciences, this fieldwork‐based case study examines the reform of financial management within the European Commission. In constructing an agent focussed narrative of a specific reform episode, it contributes to a growing literature on public management reform analysed from this perspective and also to the lightly developed field of EU financial management.     

The impact of mandatory IFRS reporting on institutional trading costs: Evidence from Australia

This study examines the impact of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the market quality of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) 200 constituent stocks. Using traditional metrics that are consistent with prior literature (i.e., bid‐ask spreads), the first stage analysis confirms that stock liquidity has improved. However, when the analysis is extended to consider the trading costs incurred by market participants (i.e., execution shortfall), results suggest liquidity has not changed significantly. The paper utilizes rich unique datasets that contain detailed trade information, and findings are robust after controlling for trade difficulty and market conditions. In the era of High Frequency Trading (HFT) and occurrences of ‘fleeting’ liquidity, this paper provides some evidence that while IFRS may have enhanced ‘visible’ bid‐ask spreads, tangible liquidity for market participants, particularly global institutional investors, has not improved significantly.