Intra-Industry Effects of Earnings Restatements Due to Accounting Irregularities

Abstract:  This paper investigates the intra-industry effects of earnings restatements due to accounting irregularities. We detect a significant contagion effect for rival firms whose cash flow characteristics are similar to those of the restating firm. The restatement doesn't seem to influence all the firms in the industry or firms that have a high probability of involving the same type of accounting irregularity as the restating firm does. We do not detect any competitive effect; nor do we find a significant change in the implied cost of equity capital of the rival firms, suggesting that the contagion effect is due to the revision in the expected short-run future earnings of the rival firms.     

Managed care: the strategic future for education in quality

This paper discusses the needs for future education in quality assurance, assessment and improvement, particularly in relation to managed care. The pressures for increased education about quality are derived from different components of the health care system; e.g., regulatory and governmental agencies, purchasers of care, and competitors of health institutions. The content of future education in health care quality is defined in six areas: (1) organization and management; (2) health systems; (3) quality theory and methods; (4) management information systems and research; (5) governmental policy; and (6) economics and finance. Education in health care quality in these content areas is delivered at both the primary and continuing education levels by universities, professional associations and private training and development corporations. Future oriented, strategic thinking education in health care quality is needed. The pressures for education about quality, including traditional concepts of quality assurance, methodologies for quality assessment and the newer approaches to continuing quality improvement, are clearly growing stronger. This article discusses the need for education in health care quality, the content areas and levels of education and the delivery system.