Mandatory disclosure,greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of equity capital: UK evidence of a U-shaped relationship

This paper examines the effects of disclosing greenhouse gas (GHG) information mandatorily on the cost of equity capital (COC) using a longitudinal unbalanced panel database of the United Kingdom's FTSE 350 firms for the period 2011–2016. We use a nonlinear panel quantile regression (PQR) model to examine the relationship between GHG disclosure (GHGD) and COC in the United Kingdom. This technique was supplemented by conducting a two-step generalised method of moment (GMM) estimation to address any concerns related to the potential existence of endogeneity problems. Our findings suggest that high-level GHGD appeared to be negatively associated with COC up to a certain level, which is known as the turning point; then, any increase in GHGD is likely to increase the COC. This means that the nonlinear association between GHGD and COC is evidenced in our study and takes a U shape. Likewise, our findings are associative of a moderating effect of the 2013 carbon disclosure regulation (CDR) on the GHGD–COC nexus. We argue that mandatory GHGD and GHG risk are linked so that those companies that are associated with higher GHG risk have a tendency to be better disclosers. Consequently, we urge regulators to design GHGD regulations in a way that mirrors corporate environmental risk and leads to a lower COC in order to align the interests of corporations with those of the society at large.     

It is not a flat world after all: Tax repatriation costs and cash value

US corporations have accumulated record‐high amounts of cash, and most of it is trapped in foreign accounts. This study tests the hypothesis that the marginal value of cash decreases in the presence of tax repatriation costs, as these costs are a strong indication that part of the cash is trapped abroad. Cash abroad is not readily available to the company because it is subject to an additional layer of tax before it can be used or distributed. Moreover, uncertainty surrounds the potential use of foreign cash, and research documents that firms holding high amounts of cash abroad are likely to invest in negative net present value activities. Finally, possible changes in tax regulation are an additional source of uncertainty. Consequently, foreign cash should be worth less than domestic cash. Using a large sample of US firms drawn from COMPUSTAT during the 1991–2012 period, the analysis suggests that shareholders value an extra dollar of cash at $1.086. However, this result changes dramatically when the change in cash is interacted with the tax cost of repatriating the earnings. That is, the marginal value of cash decreases significantly in the presence of tax repatriation costs, and shareholders discount cash when it is likely to be held abroad. This study contributes to the literature on cash holding by investigating whether tax repatriation costs affect the value of corporate cash. Moreover, the findings show that there are important economic consequences linked to the phenomenon of cash accumulation in foreign countries and therefore provide regulators with a sound foundation on which to take additional actions to require more disclosure of and transparency in the actual location of firms’ cash holdings.     

Auditor conservatism and voluntary disclosure: Evidence from the Year 2000 systems issue

This study further examines the phenomenon of conservative auditor behaviour by considering the level of voluntary disclosure of Year 2000 remediation information in company annual reports. Previous studies have provided evidence of conservative auditor behaviour by examining the link between Big 6 auditor choice and accruals (Francis and Krishnan 1999; Becker et al ., 1998; Defond and Subramanyam 1998). Protecting their reputation capital increases Big 6 auditor incentives to act conservatively to avoid litigation risk. We propose and find that Big 6 auditor clients disclose more Year 2000 remediation information than non–Big 6 auditor clients.     

Information Disclosure to Employees and Rational Expectations: a Game-Theoretical Perspective: a Comment

In this comment we identify the key features of the Frantz and Walker (1997) game theoretic model that drive the non-disclosure equilibrium result in their paper. We argue that, although technically correct, their model fails to capture certain aspects of real-world wage bargaining that will be important in determining optimal disclosure strategies in practice. However, Frantz and Walker's paper illustrates the potential of analytical techniques to contribute to the employee disclosure debate.     

Pandemic risk disclosure in integrated reports: after COVID-19 is hindsight 2020?

We examine whether, and to what extent companies disclosed pandemic risk and likely impact as part of their key risks or material matters immediately prior to 2020. The integrated/annual reports of 489 companies from six global regions were examined, finding that despite clear warnings from multiple fronts that highlighted the inevitability and imminence of a global pandemic, only 15.5 percent of companies disclosed anything related to pandemic risk. Of these, 71.1 percent were boilerplate in nature, providing minimal useful information to stakeholders. This study contributes to our understanding of integrated reporting, specifically regarding the adequacy of the disclosure of material risks.     

信息披露监管模式变更影响企业投资效率吗？——基于双重差分模型的实证检验

基于制度变迁理论考察信息披露监管模式由“辖区监管”变更为“分行业监管”对投资效率的影响。研究发现：分行业信息披露监管模式的实施有效抑制了上市公司非效率投资行为,且对于低质量信息披露以及高盈余管理行为的上市公司抑制效应更加明显;提高会计信息可比性,降低代理成本是其发挥抑制作用的重要路径。在排除了替代性解释和内生性问题以及通过安慰剂检验后,研究结论仍然成立。     

对我国上市公司内部控制信息披露的探讨

作为上市公司,除对外披露经审计的会计信息外,还须披露公司的内部控制信息,因为内部控制的完善与否和执行情况,直接影响着上市公司的经营管理业绩、财务报告质量和法律法规遵循情况。然而,我国内部控制信息披露制度还不完善,上市公司内部控制信息披露很大程度上流于形式,信息披露的自愿性不强,因此,有必要对内部控制信息披露制度加以完善。     

信息不对称、信息披露与股票价格波动——兼论管理会计信息披露的市场效应

当前对市场有效性的研究只重视会计盈余或某一类市场效应,而缺乏从信息披露制度的整体角度研究披露效果。我们从信息披露的幅度、频率和结构角度对其提高公司透明度的贡献进行了验证,结果表明:上市公司信息披露的幅度越大、频率越快,越有助于降低市场关于公司的信息不对称水平;管理会计信息披露是投资者迫切需要的,在统计上显示出其能显著降低公司的信息不对称水平。     

会计国际化背景下的我国会计信息质量特征研究

会计信息质量特征是财务会计概念框架的重要组成部分。本文采用规范分析方法对西方国家的会计信息质量特征进行了国际比较，并结合实证研究结论对影响我国财务会计信息质量特征的因素进行了现状分析。最后指出在当前特殊的环境下确立我国财务会计信息质量特征体系，应该同时兼顾国际协调与中国特色，建议在透明度的总体要求下，依次将会计信息质量特征设定为：可靠性，相关性，充分披露。