Analysts' Forecasts and the Broker Relationship

Analysts' ability to forecast earnings per share has been the subject of considerable debate. A concern highlighted in previous research is the agency problem which may arise when analysts have a close working relationship with the firms for which they are providing forecasts. This paper provides evidence that this relationship does not improve the accuracy of the earnings forecasts, but stimulates optimistic forecasts. In addition, the paper examines whether firm size is a factor in forecast accuracy or bias.     

Managing Earnings with Intercorporate Investments

Abstract:  We explore to what extent firms deliberately manage their financial reports by exploiting the flexibility of generally accepted accounting principles. Using a sample of Oslo Stock Exchange-listed firms with 20–50% equity holdings in other firms, we find that firms with high financial leverage tend to maximize reported earnings from these investments through their choice between the cost method and the equity method, possibly in an attempt to reduce debt renegotiation costs or to avoid regulatory attention. In contrast, managers do not systematically bias reported earnings to extract private benefits or to signal revised expectations about future cash flows. Firms use different earnings management tools in a consistent way, as the earnings effect of the cost/equity choice is not offset by discretionary accruals.     

The impact of mergers on acquiring firm shareholder wealth: The 1905–1930 experience

From the standpoint of investors successful acquisitions increase profitability and stock Contemporary studies find acquiring firm shareholders earning small gains before and large losses after consolidation. Using modern financial market procedures, we examine a portfolio of 191 acquiring firms from 1905 to 1930 to determine the impact on firm owners of early industrial acquisitions in the United States and the effect of institutional changes on takeover gains. Acquisitions from 1905 to 1930 raised shareholder wealth by more than 3 percent, an increase exceeding gains from more recent mergers. Stock price continued to rise after completion for acquisitions before World War I, but fell dramatically for acquisitions during the oligopoly merger wave of the late 1920s.We would like to thank Patrick Byrne and Tara Nussman for help in collecting the financial data, Ralph Nelson for permitting us to use his and Carl Eis's worksheets on merger activity from 1905 to 1930, and George Bittlingmayer, Malcolm Burns, David Gulley, Stephen Grubaugh, Lori Leeth, John Matsusaka, Dennis Mueller, Rexford Santerre, Scott Sumner, Tugrul Temel, and Nikhil Varaiya for their helpful comments.     

浅析审计收费与意见购买的关系——基于不变更会计师事务所的探讨

目前,学术界对审计意见购买行为都高度关注,国内外大多数学者都是通过会计师事务所的变更来研究审计意见购买,但本文在研究审计意见购买行为时发现,在我国现有的审计环境下,一般理性的上市公司,如果能够和现任会计师事务所谈判成功从而购买到审计意见,是不愿意更换会计师事务所的。本文在借鉴、吸收前人研究成果的基础上,将理论分析和案例分析相结合,从审计收费的角度,研究不变更会计师事务所情况下发生的审计意见购买行为。     

“国外引进”还是“自主发展”？——对我国政府信息系统审计发展途径的探讨

对于我国政府信息系统审计发展途径这个问题,学界一直有着不同的看法,其中存在＂国外引进＂与＂自主发展＂两种典型的观点。事实上,单纯依靠＂国外引进＂是行不通的,＂自主发展＂虽然还存在很多问题,但却是最终发展的方向。因此当前除了对国外理论进行消化外,研究者和审计人员还需要不断探索、试错和创新,逐步形成适合我国现状的政府信息系统审计体系。     

上市公司社会责任审计的理论建构与实践问题探索

随着上市公司履行社会责任情况的信息披露日益受到利益相关者的密切关注,作为履行第三方鉴证责任的上市公司社会责任审计也越来越受到理论界和实务界的重视,因此通过理论建构与实践操作两个层面对上市公司社会责任审计问题进行有关探索十分必要。上市公司社会责任审计的理论框架可以从审计依据、审计原则、审计主体、审计内容、审计目标五个方面来构建;上市公司社会责任审计的实践问题可以从强化上市公司社会责任审计信息披露的监管、构建上市公司社会责任审计的标准、巩固上市公司社会责任审计的依据、探索上市公司社会责任审计的辅助机制和培养上市公司社会责任审计人员几个方面来探索。     

我国国家审计体制改革研究述评简

国家审计体制改革一直为审计理论界所关注和探讨,各种观点纷纷提出,大致可以分为改良观、立法观、双轨制、司法观和独立观五种。独立性问题是国家审计体制改革研究的关注点,但是对独立性含义的笼统使用使得独立性问题又成为研究的分歧点。国家审计体制改革应能同时满足政府和公众的审计需要,应从政治学和公共行政学等学科引入新的研究视角。     

会计师事务所转制对审计质量的影响研究——来自上市公司的经验证据

通过分析2008-2012年A股上市公司相关数据,研究会计师事务所转制对于审计质量的影响,结果显示：特殊普通合伙制会计师事务所的审计质量高于有限责任制会计师事务所的审计质量;转制后会计师事务所的审计质量高于转制前会计师事务所的审计质量,但是转制对审计质量的提高有一定的不同步性。研究结论为转制政策的合理性提供了证据支撑,也为其他中小型会计师事务所改制提供了必要性方面的经验依据。     

国家审计在反腐败中的作用透视——以捷克为例

防范与揭露腐败,是国家审计义不容辞的责任,也是国家审计参与国家治理的重要途径。捷克最高审计署依法参与反腐败的经验与做法,在国有企业财务收支、政府采购合同和欧盟资金管理等方面的审计实践,尤其是针对腐败的预防提出的建设性的要求,可以为我国国家审计所借鉴。另外,捷克最高审计署为了提升自身的反腐败审计水平,在加大对员工信息化审计培训的同时,积极参与国际反腐败审计的合作,取得了一些成果。我国国家审计可以借鉴捷克最高审计署的反腐败审计经验,更好地参与国家治理。     

DIY: How internationalization shifts the locus of indigenous innovation for Chinese firms

We elaborate theories of indigenous innovation by explaining how internationalization choices help emerging market firms transition from dependence on external knowledge to self-reliance on internal knowledge. Using a 1998–2007 census dataset of Chinese manufacturing firms, we theorize and test the moderation effect of foreign equity and export orientation on the relationship between knowledge and indigenous innovation. We show that foreign equity dis-incentivizes, while export orientation incentivizes, investments in internal knowledge. We contribute by showing that internationalization choices may radically change indigenous innovation outcomes by shifting the locus of problem solving outside or inside the firm. Our study corroborates the negative direct and indirect effects of external knowledge on indigenous innovation at the firm level previously suggested by China-centric scholars but also shows how two types of internationalization choices may gradually relieve firm-level dependence on imported technology. We bridge the gap between Western research and Chinese thought and practice by introducing a do-it-yourself (DIY) explanation of how firms may implement China’s indigenous innovation (zizhu chuangxin) policy.