International Mergers and Acquisitions Laws,the Market for Corporate Control,and Accounting Conservatism

Exploiting the staggered enactment of country‐level mergers and acquisitions (M&A) law as an exogenous increase in corporate takeover threat, this paper examines how a disciplinary market for corporate control affects accounting conservatism. Following M&A law adoption, we find increased accounting conservatism, with more pronounced effects in countries with weak shareholder protection and in those experiencing larger growth in takeover activity. Further analysis reveals that elevated takeover threats increase conservatism through changes in capital structure and investment decisions as well as improvements in board monitoring. Our findings highlight the importance of the market for corporate control in shaping financial‐reporting outcome.     

Does accounting conservatism improve the corporate information environment?

This study investigates whether and how accounting conservatism improves the corporate information environment. We argue that conservatism facilitates the flow of firm-specific information from corporate insiders to outsiders and leads to a high-quality information environment. Using the Basu (1997) model to capture the extent of accounting conservatism and firm-specific return variation to proxy for the quality of information environment, we find that conservatism is positively associated with the improvement of the corporate information environment in our sample of 43 countries. We also find that the information role of conservatism is more pronounced in countries with weaker protection of private property rights, suggesting that conservatism substitutes for legal institutions in ensuring the quality of information environment.     

Do Firms Manage Fair Value Estimates? An Examination of SFAS 142 Goodwill Impairments

Abstract:  I find that goodwill write-offs under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 (SFAS 142) are associated with future expected cash flows as mandated by the standard. However, there are indications that goodwill write-offs lag behind the economic impairment of goodwill. Additional analysis reveals that the association between goodwill write-offs and future cash flows is insignificant for firms with contemporaneous restructuring. I hypothesize that this finding is due to agency-based motives. Finally, I examine a sample of non-impairment firms in which there are indications that goodwill is impaired. I fail to find convincing evidence that these firms are opportunistically avoiding impairments.     

The objectives of financial reporting: a historical survey and analysis

This article is a survey and analysis of the succession of writings on the objectives of financial reporting during the past 90 years. Its aim is to contribute towards an understanding of the origins, significance, and limitations of conceptual frameworks. The article begins with a review of the extensive literature, including the series of recommended and approved conceptual frameworks, in the USA and then proceeds to examine the corresponding literatures in Great Britain, Canada, and Australia, followed by a discussion of the framework issued by the International Accounting Standards Committee in 1989 and Chapters 1 and 3 of the framework issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and Financial Accounting Standards Board in 2010. Summary remarks about Continental Europe conclude the survey. Attention is drawn to the criticisms of the objectives approach as well as to its possible perverse consequences for the remainder of the framework. In the course of the survey, there is an attempt to trace the evolution of stewardship and conservatism, or prudence, in the series of frameworks.     

机构持股与会计稳健性

以我国A股具有机构持股的上市公司2007～2011年的数据为样本,采用Basu(1997)的盈余-回报率模型研究了机构持股对会计稳健性的影响。结果表明:机构持股比例越高,会计稳健性越好。考虑到产权性质后,国有公司的机构持股比例与会计稳健性具有显著的正相关关系,而在非国有公司中并不显著。另外,高成长性公司中机构持股对会计稳健性的影响显著为正,但在低成长性公司这一结果不显著。     

实际税负对会计稳健性的影响研究——基于所得税改革后中国A股上市公司数据的实证分析

本文以2008-2011年A股上市公司为样本,在Basu模型的基础上加入实际税负变量分析了新企业所得税法实施以来所得税因素对会计稳健性的影响。研究发现,2008年我国实施新企业所得税法以来,我国上市公司财务报告呈现出稳健性特征。企业实际所得税税负与会计稳健性正相关,证实了税收因素是会计稳健性的重要动因,为税务机关与会计准则制定机构之间的协调提供了经验证据。     

我国滨海旅游产业结构及集群效应定量分析

在分析我国滨海旅游产业结构现状及空间集聚与区域布局的基础上,运用偏离一份额法对滨海旅游产业部门结构与竞争力进行分解,全面分析产业整体结构效益和竞争优势,构造了旅游产业集聚能力与产业关联程度测度公式,对我国滨海旅游产业集群发展水平及特征进行定量测度,并系统分析滨海旅游产业集群的竞争、品牌和创新效应。进而,基于集群的区域协作、融合发展、投入引导及竞争优势的视角,探讨我国滨海旅游产业结构升级与优化的发展路径。     

Private Equity Involvement and Earnings Quality

Abstract:  This paper examines the relation between private equity (PE) investors' involvement and their portfolio firms' earnings quality. We operationalize earnings quality through comparative analyses of conditional loss recognition timeliness. For a sample of unlisted Belgian firms, we find that PE involvement increases a firm's willingness to recognize losses more timely as compared to industry, size and life-cycle matched non-PE backed firms. Further, we document more powerful earnings quality effects for firms backed by independent and captive PE-investors as compared to firms backed by government-related PE-investors. Finally, we find no systematic variation in earnings quality across different levels of PE ownership. Our results are robust to the inclusion of various controls and remain unaffected when we consider the endogeneity of PE investments and compare pre- and post PE investment years. The current results provide novel evidence towards the understanding of PE investors' governance implications for portfolio firms' earnings quality.     

合并财务报表、母公司个别财务报表与会计稳健性——来自沪深A股的经验证据

在回顾相关研究文献的基础上,分析了合并财务报表与个别财务报表对会计稳健性的影响,并采用Basu逆回归模型及其扩展的Basu模型,构建Vuong统计量和Basu值,以2005年-2008年的上市公司为研究样本进行实证分析,由此得出结论:合并财务报表的信息比母公司的个别财务报表的信息具有更差的稳健性,而基于主体理论编制的合并财务报表比基于母公司理论编制的合并财务报表具有更稳健的会计信息。