Discussion of “Using accounting information for consumption planning and equity valuation”

This paper discusses Yee (2007), who investigates the role of accounting information for consumption planning and equity valuation. Higher earnings quality increases investor welfare and ex ante stock prices as well as the weight on earnings in valuation equations based on both cash flows and earnings. The former is due to improved consumption smoothing through more informed production choices, while the latter is due to the impact on the relative information content of current cash flows versus earnings about future cash flows.     

Discussion of “Earnings Management and the RevelationPrinciple”

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On the convergence of management accounting and financial accounting – the role of information technology in accounting change

In this article we theorize and conceptualize the recent convergence of management accounting (MA) and financial accounting (FA) with the advancements in information technology (IT), and explicate not only how this convergence is manifested in the technical and technological domain, but also how it is reflected in their convergence at the behavioral and organizational level.Drawing on the analytical model by Hemmer and Labro (2008), in which the forward-looking perspective of FA leads to forward-looking MA, we build a conceptual framing to analyze this convergence. According to this framing, information technology (IT) serves as a facilitator, catalyst, motivator, or even an enabler for the convergence of MA and FA. We further argue that convergence is a much broader phenomenon than claimed by Hemmer and Labro. It firstly covers the technical and technological domain, including the intentional integration of information systems and software, as well as the intentional combination of methods or standards, extending thereafter to the behavioral and organizational domain with the (un)intentional alignment regarding both functions and processes as well as the (un)intentional convergence regarding both work and roles. The applicability of this conceptual framing is illustrated with a set of examples.We present illustrations of the manifestations and outcomes of convergence in both the technical and technological domain (related to accounting standards, discretionary reporting, performance measurement, transfer pricing, competitor, customer and contractor analysis, due diligence in M&As), and the behavioral and organizational manifestation domain (related to accounting processes, work and the role of accountants, incentive systems, accounting and control in multinational companies, the control of business networks, the board of directors and venture capitalists). Based on our observations, we conclude that the forward-looking FA elements are often intertwined with MA, and vice versa, and that convergence in the technical and technological domain appears to precede convergence in the behavioral and organizational domain. In most of our observations, IT plays an important or even crucial role in this convergence process. In the light of these convergence observations, we open several avenues for further research.     

Discussion of “Board interlocks and the diffusion of disclosure policy”

Cai et al. (Rev Account Stud, forthcoming, 2014) find that firms with interlocked directors are more likely to stop quarterly forecasts and that the past stopping experience of interlocked directors affects the forecast-cessation process. Their findings are consistent with the notion that interlocked directors serve as conduits for information sharing, which may result in the change of corporate disclosure policies. My discussion focuses on potential issues with the findings and implications for future study.     

Discussion of “Contagion of accounting methods: evidence from stock option expensing”

Reppenhagen (Rev Account Stud, 2010) investigates how and through which channels contagion, i.e., accounting methods used by related firms, can influence a firm’s accounting choice. My discussion focuses on research design choices and the potential effect of factors other than those investigated in the study.     

Discussion of “Hedge commitments and agency costs of debt: evidence from interest rate protection covenants and accounting conservatism”

Beatty, Petacchi, and Zhang investigate the role of two hedge commitment mechanisms??interest rate protection covenants and accounting conservatism??in reducing agency costs of debt. Using a large sample of syndicated loan agreements, they provide evidence that borrowers required to hedge interest rate risk through interest rate protection covenants receive lower interest rate charges. However, borrowers who voluntarily hedge interest rate risks receive lower rates only if they implement conservative financial reporting. The authors conclude that the benefits of hedging are realized only when borrowers can credibly commit to maintain hedge positions once a syndicated loan is issued. While the evidence provided by the authors is novel and interesting, I argue that the empirical assessment of hedge benefits is more complex. In addition, there are still some important open issues left unanswered that could be tackled by future research.     

Discussion of “intangible investment and the importance of firm-specific factors in the determination of earnings”

Brown and Kimbrough (Review of Accounting Studies, 2011, this issue) examine the effect of intangible assets on the “uniqueness” of a firm’s earnings. The paper represents an important link between the strategy literature on firm organization and the accounting literature on the drivers of firm performance. This discussion reviews the relevant strategy literature and its link to the accounting literature, discusses various aspects of Brown and Kimbrough, and explores implications of Brown and Kimbrough’s findings.     

Discussion of “on the relation between expected returns and implied cost of capital”

This paper discusses the paper “On the relationship between expected returns and implied cost of capital” by Hughes, Liu, and Liu. The discussion focuses on developing the intuition behind the mathematical results and on extensions of the analysis that future research could address.     

Discussion of “Investor recognition and stock returns”

Lehavy and Sloan (2008, Review of Accounting Studies) note that prior studies find that earnings and cash flows explain only a small portion of the cross-sectional variation in stock return. This motivates them to investigate empirically the ability of a behavioral model of capital market equilibrium proposed by Merton (1987, Journal of Finance, 42, 483–510) to explain the remaining variation in stock returns. Their primary findings show that security value is, as predicted, increasing in investor recognition of the security and that investor recognition is incremental to and more important than cash flows in explaining the cross-sectional variation of stock returns. While the research question is intriguing and well motivated, a number of methodological limitations may limit the reliability of the findings/interpretations. In this paper, I first evaluate the motivation and potential contribution of the Lehavy and Sloan (2008) study. I then outline methodological limitations underlying the study and offer ways of overcoming them. In the final section, I state my conclusions.     

Beyond accounting and back: An empirical examination of the relative relevance of earnings and “other” information

Ohlson (1995) models firm value as a function of book value, earnings, and analysts' earnings forecasts which capture “other” information not yet reflected in the financial statements. Within this framework, stock returns reflect information from earnings and forecasts, each of which is different in terms of reliability and timeliness. For the period 1984–2012, this paper examines time trends and the influence of aggregate market conditions on the relative relevance of earnings and forecasts. In this context, relative relevance is defined as the incremental explanatory power of earnings or forecasts, relative to their combined explanatory power with respect to the cross-section of stock returns. This inquiry is motivated by anecdotal evidence and recent research, which suggests that aggregate market conditions influence the usefulness of accounting information for investors. The findings show that while the relative relevance of earnings has remained stable, the relative relevance of forecasts has increased over time. I also find that the relative relevance of earnings is higher in bad years, i.e. years with low market returns or elevated market uncertainty. Overall, the results reported in this study suggest that despite the increase in the relevance of timely “other” information, investors tend to rely more on reliable accounting information during bad years.     

Discussion of “Financial statement comparability and credit risk”

Comparability of financial statements has been a subject that is often referred to by academics and practitioners alike. In recent years, researchers have attempted to develop a quantifiable framework to study the benefits of comparability from the perspective of equity markets. Kim et al. (2013) approach this issue from the perspective of credit markets. This discussion of their paper has three objectives. First, it critiques their proxy for comparability and offers suggestions on how to validate their assumptions. Second, it recommends improvements to their research design, keeping in mind nuances of credit as an asset class. Finally, to help the authors with their future research, it offers proxies for comparability and information asymmetry that can be developed through some new datasets that have become available to researchers.     

Discussion of “Brand Values and Capital Market Valuation”

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Discussion of “decentralized capacity management and internal pricing”

Dutta and Reichelstein (2010) study the role of transfer pricing and organizational choice in providing incentives for efficient decisions on the acquisition and subsequent reallocation of capacity within decentralized firms. Their analysis suggests that transfer prices based on the historical cost of capacity facilitate the efficient allocation of resources. They also find that symmetric responsibility center structures are generally better suited for providing efficient investment incentives than hybrid organizations. An important condition for the derivation of the two results is the linearity of the shadow prices of capacity. If shadow prices are nonlinear, transfer prices should be below (above) the historical cost of capacity in order to counteract the managers’ incentives to underinvest (overinvest). Because profit center organizations can use transfer prices for mitigating the inefficiency caused by nonlinear shadow prices, they offer a natural advantage over pure investment center organizations in implementing efficient capacity decisions. Overall, these observations suggest that the curvature of profit functions is an important factor in determining the suitable instruments for decentralized capacity management.     

The dynamics of “closure” amidst the construction of market,profession, empire and nationhood: An historical analysis of an Australian accounting association, 1886–1903

This paper argues that Weber's class-status-party model enables an in-depth understanding of the cross-border professionalization projects of accountants. Analysis of the activities of the Incorporated Institute of Accountants (VIC) from 1886 to 1903 shows that (a) the concept of monopolistic closure is imprecise; and (b) its activities were significantly shaped by multiple and changing divisions within the association, between it and competing colonial and imperial associations, the actions of ‘autonomous’ state agencies and wider political and communal tensions. Specifically, imperial discourses and institutions, which mutated when transplanted from the metropolitan centre to the penal (then productive) periphery, were material.     

Discussion of “The impact of product market competition on the quantity and quality of voluntary disclosures”

Li (2010, this issue) examines how product market competition affects voluntary disclosure by firms. Using several competition proxies, she finds that both the competitive threat from potential entrants into an industry and from existing rivals affect the quantity and accuracy of voluntary profit and investment forecasts by firms in that industry. However, the study’s findings are inconclusive mainly because each competition proxy used can reflect both types of competitive threat. The focus of my discussion is to provide some comments and suggestions for future researchers to consider in examining how the nature of product market competition affects voluntary firm disclosure.     

Discussion of “Implications of the integral approach and earnings management for alternative annual reporting periods”

The paper by Gunny, Jacob, and Jorgensen (Rev Account Stud, 2013) provides evidence on whether the earnings volatility induced by year-end adjusting entries results from the integral method of accounting or from purposeful earnings management. The authors find that the variance and negative skewness of annual fiscal-year earnings is greater than the corresponding attributes of alternative annual earnings ending in the first three quarters and interpret these findings as evidence consistent with earnings management rather than settling up annual earnings under the integral method of accounting. While it is difficult to assess the usefulness of their conclusion due to problematic assumptions inherent in the research design, Gunny et al. (2013) reinforce the importance of assessing earnings performance using rolling annual windows. Specifically, they find that the quality of earnings for the alternative annual earnings is greater than that of fiscal-year earnings, highlighting that financial statement users may benefit from using alternative annual earnings to assess current and future performance.     

CEOs’ experience of the Great Chinese Famine and accounting conservatism

This study investigates how a CEO's early-life experience of the Great Chinese Famine affects corporate accounting conservatism. We find that companies whose CEOs had experienced famines in early life adopted more conservative accounting policies. This famine experience effect is more pronounced in high uncertainty environments proxied by non-SOEs, politician turnovers and the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Additional tests indicate that CEOs with famine experience tend to support conservative accounting practices for contingencies and accelerate the recognition of asset impairments in negative events. Overall, consistent with imprinting theory, our results highlight the role of early-life traumatic experiences in shaping CEOs’ risk preferences and financial reporting policies.     

Discussion of “Accruals,Cash Flows and Equity Values”

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Discussion of “How disclosure quality affects the level of information asymmetry”

Brown and Hillegeist (2007) examine how disclosure quality relates to information asymmetry. Specifically, the authors show that the negative association between the overall quality of a firm’s disclosures and the average level of information asymmetry is primarily driven by the negative association between disclosure quality and the frequency of information events. My discussion focuses on issues surrounding proxies for information asymmetry and disclosure quality the authors use. I also suggest some venues for future research.