...effective sale force (human capital, training), and not from its lab equipment or pill production facilities, Wal-Mart’s incredible competitiveness derives from unique organizational processes, such as those shifting inventory management to suppliers, rather than from bricks and mortar.” As the new intangible economy has continued to grow, so has the concern that the current system of financial reporting is incapable of providing the information its users require to assign fair value to a firm. Much research has been conducted analyzing the problems inherent in the current state of financial reporting and many solutions have been proposed. As this paper intends to display, the level of information provided to the users of financial reports regarding intangibles acquired in mergers and acquisitions has improved significantly over the last decade, however little if any progress has been made as far as improving the accounting methodology regarding internally developed intangibles. This paper aims to analyze the weakness in the current system of financial reporting in relation to intangible assets, recount the efforts to improve these weaknesses, and...
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...ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Accounting and Economics 50 (2010) 2–19 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Accounting and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jae Accrual-based and real earnings management activities around seasoned equity offerings Daniel A. Cohen 1, Paul Zarowin à New York University, Stern School of Business, NY 10012-1118, USA a r t i c l e i n f o abstract Article history: Received 15 January 2008 Received in revised form 22 December 2009 Accepted 18 January 2010 Available online 2 February 2010 We show that SEO firms engage in real activities manipulation, and the decline in postSEO performance due to the real activities management is more severe than that due to accrual management. Our evidence is important, because it shows that post-SEO operating underperformance is driven not just by accrual reversals, but also reflects the real consequences of operational decisions made to manage earnings. We also show how firms’ choices of real versus accrual-based earnings management activities around SEOs vary predictably as a function of the firm’s ability to use accrual management and the costs of doing so. & 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL Classification: G14 G32 M4 M41 Keywords: Seasoned equity offerings Earnings management Accounting choices Accounting Accruals Real activities 1. Introduction In this paper, we examine both real and accrual-based earnings management activities...
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...ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Accounting and Economics 50 (2010) 2–19 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Accounting and Economics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jae Accrual-based and real earnings management activities around seasoned equity offerings Daniel A. Cohen 1, Paul Zarowin à New York University, Stern School of Business, NY 10012-1118, USA a r t i c l e i n f o abstract Article history: Received 15 January 2008 Received in revised form 22 December 2009 Accepted 18 January 2010 Available online 2 February 2010 We show that SEO firms engage in real activities manipulation, and the decline in postSEO performance due to the real activities management is more severe than that due to accrual management. Our evidence is important, because it shows that post-SEO operating underperformance is driven not just by accrual reversals, but also reflects the real consequences of operational decisions made to manage earnings. We also show how firms’ choices of real versus accrual-based earnings management activities around SEOs vary predictably as a function of the firm’s ability to use accrual management and the costs of doing so. & 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL Classification: G14 G32 M4 M41 Keywords: Seasoned equity offerings Earnings management Accounting choices Accounting Accruals Real activities 1. Introduction In this paper, we examine both real and accrual-based earnings management activities...
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...ACC 700 How Technology Will Change the Accounting Profession Charles Duell, the director of the U.S Patent Office at the beginning of the twentieth century, prophesied that "everything that can be invented has been invented." Looking back, one can only laugh at the irony of this statement and the sheer amount that has actually changed since then. However, amidst the laughter, a question is raised: is it possible that today’s businesses believe what Duells said, that there is nothing more to come? Today, companies have access to some of the most groundbreaking technology, but are they truly taking advantage of it? One field that has changed dramatically over the past few years is the accounting profession, especially Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Are CPAs staying on top of the latest technology that can greatly assist them in doing their job? For a better understanding of how technology directly affects the CPA profession one can simply look at the changes that have occurred over the past few decades, what a current office should be using, along with checking out the technological advances and how they will affect the career of CPAs in the next ten to twenty years. Not only is the accounting world changing, but the courses that an individual must study on the road to becoming a CPA, are also rapidly changing. The objective is to better prepare new graduates with a better understanding of the technology that will soon be such an integrated part of their lives. Courses...
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...stakeholders. Therefore, stock market regulators and accounting standards setters trying to improve the quality of financial statements in order to increase the transparency level in financial reporting. (Vishnani S., Shah B.K., 2008). Financial reporting by companies is effected via the preparation and publication of financial statements. These financial statements are required to exhibit certain degree of quality in terms of their information contents. Mines & Wahlen (2006) and Belkaoui (2002) opined that accounting information contained in the financial reports should possess certain qualities as relevance, verifiability, understandability, neutrality, timeliness, comparability, and completeness. When the financial reports disclose quality accounting information, according to Benston (2007), the decision of the users (investors, management, government, employees, creditors, analysts) of the reports could as well be qualitative and informed. While there have been a number of studies on this topic in developed countries (Collins, Maydew and Weiss, 1997; Lev and Zarowin, 1999; Francis and Schipper, 1999; Beisland, Hamberg and Navak, 2010), one is not aware of any expansive study that has explored the subject of value relevance of accounting information in Nigeria. It has not been comprehensively researched primarily because of problems with data availability (Negah 2008). Literature on capital research in accounting in Nigeria is so scanty and insufficient that it is difficult...
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...purpose of financial and accounting management is to organize, plan, control and direct the financial and accounting activities, but to ensure that every stakeholder is adequately served. The effectiveness of financial and accounting management, therefore purely depends on the policies, regulations and frameworks that are designed and being evolved from time to time. According to Gray, Owen and Adams (1996) financial management is the core business discipline which is meant to ensure that financial resources are deployed in the most effective manner, within the best interest of every group of stakeholder. Moreover, the importance the financial management also increases in current business context because of the fact that economic and financial contexts have become uncertain and unpredictable in every region across the world. At the other end, financial management also supports the business activities and operations which include investment decision making, pricing, financial reporting as well as to meet the legal and regulatory obligations. This report also focuses on the different aspects of financial analysis and management to reflect its validity, reliability and usability in practice. The purpose of this report is to understand and examine the different aspects of financial management, which will be helpful to understand the effectiveness of financial management and its different aspects. In order to achieve the report’s objectives, below paper is divided into three parts...
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...of Information Technology on Public Accounting Firm Productivity Rajiv D. Banker Hsihui Chang The University of Texas at Dallas Yi-ching Kao University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee ABSTRACT: In recent years, information technology (IT) has played a critical role in the services provided by the public accounting industry. However, no empirical research has evaluated the impact of IT on public accounting firms. This study focuses on five offices of an international public accounting firm that recently made large IT investments, primarily in audit software and knowledge-sharing applications. Both qualitative and quantitative information from the research site are analyzed to estimate the change in productivity following the implementation of IT. The results from both regression analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) indicate significant productivity gains following IT implementation, documenting the value impact of IT in a public accounting firm. Keywords: public accounting; information technology (IT); IT productivity; IT adoption; data envelopment analysis. Data Availability: The confidentiality agreement with the firm that provided the data for this study precludes revealing its identity and disseminating detailed data without its written consent. I. INTRODUCTION dvances in information technology (IT) have transformed many firms in professional services industries, but perhaps none as much as those in the public accounting industry. Once a slowpaced and conservative...
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...on Public Accounting Firm Productivity Rajiv D. Banker Hsihui Chang The University of Texas at Dallas Yi-ching Kao University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee ABSTRACT: In recent years, information technology (IT) has played a critical role in the services provided by the public accounting industry. However, no empirical research has evaluated the impact of IT on public accounting firms. This study focuses on five offices of an international public accounting firm that recently made large IT investments, primarily in audit software and knowledge-sharing applications. Both qualitative and quantitative information from the research site are analyzed to estimate the change in productivity following the implementation of IT. The results from both regression analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) indicate significant productivity gains following IT implementation, documenting the value impact of IT in a public accounting firm. Keywords: public accounting; information technology (IT); IT productivity; IT adoption; data envelopment analysis. Data Availability: The confidentiality agreement with the firm that provided the data for this study precludes revealing its identity and disseminating detailed data without its written consent. I. INTRODUCTION dvances in information technology (IT) have transformed many firms in professional services industries, but perhaps none as much as those in the public accounting industry. Once a slowpaced and conservative industry, public accounting underwent...
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...Global Perspectives on Accounting Education Volume 6, 2009, 25-45 READING AND UNDERSTANDING ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN ACCOUNTING: A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS Teresa P. Gordon College of Business and Economics University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho USA Jason C. Porter College of Business and Economics University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho USA ABSTRACT The ability to read and understand academic research can be an important tool for practitioners in an increasingly complex accounting and business environment. This guide was developed to introduce students to the world of academic research. It is not intended for PhD students or others who wish to perform academic research. Instead, the guide should make published academic research more accessible and less intimidating so that future practitioners will be able to read empirical research and profitably apply the relevant findings. The guide begins by examining the importance of academic research for practitioners in accounting and next reviews the basics of the research process. With that background in place, we then give some guidelines and helpful hints for reading and evaluating academic papers. This guide has been used for several years to introduce master’s degree students to academic literature in an accounting theory class. After reading this guide and seeing a demonstration presentation by the professor, students have been able to successfully read and discuss research findings. Key words: Understanding empirical research, supplemental readings...
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...professional body representing Chartered Accountants in Australia. Our reach extends to more than 53,000 of today and tomorrow’s business leaders, representing some 43,000 Chartered Accountants and 10,000 of Australia’s best accounting graduates who are currently enrolled in our world-class post-graduate program. Our members work in diverse roles across commerce and industry, academia, government, and public practice throughout Australia and in 107 countries around the world. We aim to lead the profession by delivering visionary thought leadership projects, setting the benchmark for the highest ethical, professional and educational standards and enhancing and promoting the Chartered Accountant brand. We also represent the interests of members to government, industry, academia and the general public by actively engaging our membership and local and international bodies on public policy, government legislation and regulatory issues. The Institute can leverage advantages for its members as a founding member of the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA), an international accounting coalition formed by the world’s premier accounting bodies. The GAA has a membership of 700,000 and promotes quality professional services to share information and collaborate on international accounting issues. Established in 1928, the Institute is constituted by Royal Charter. For further information about the Institute, visit charteredaccountants.com.au Foreword The use of extensions to traditional financial reporting...
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...136 Positive Accounting Theory and Science JCC Journal of CENTRUM Cathedra ™ Positive Accounting Theory and Science by M. Humayun Kabir Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand Abstract This paper examines the development of positive accounting theory (PAT) and compares it with three standard accounts of science: Popper (1959), Kuhn (1996), and Lakatos (1970). PAT has been one of the most influential accounting research programs during the last four decades. One important reason which Watts & Zimmerman (1986) have used to popularize and legitimize their approach is that their view of accounting theory is the same as that used in science. Thus, it is important to examine how far accounting has been successful in imitating natural science and how the development of PAT compares with the three standard accounts of science. This paper shows that accounting could not emulate the success of natural science. Further, the methodological positions of PAT conform to none of the standard accounts of science. Rather, PAT contains elements of all three. Finally, this paper identifies some methodological gaps in PAT. Keywords: Positive Accounting Theory, Philosophy of Science, Methodological Controversies Acknowledgements I would like to thank two anonymous reviewers of the journal for their helpful comments. Earlier versions of this paper benefited from comments from Lee Parker of the University of South Australia, Keith...
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...Hashem Valipour Assistant Professor, Accounting Department, Firouzabad Branch Islamic Azad University, Firouzabad, Iran Tel: 00989173086986 E-mail: h.valipour@gmail.com Alireza Shahabi Accounting Department, Marvdasht Branch Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran E-mail: arshahaby@gmail.com Javad Moradi Assistant Professor, Accounting Department, Marvdasht Branch Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran E-mail: jmoradi2005@yahoo.com Abstract Income levels and its components which are presented in income statement, are the first criteria for assessing financial operation, users are quite interested in this criterion. So investigating the effect of this attraction on firm value is important. The present paper studies this matter. Statistical population is listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). Based on considered preconditions 49 companies selected over 1999 to 2008 and classified into three groups based on their size, small, medium and large. Regression has used for analyzing data. Findings indicate that income level and components prepare relevant information for users. Other findings show that considering firm size has negligible impact on value relevance of income level and components. Keywords: Income Statement, Relevant, Firm Value, Firm Size, Income Component. 1. Introduction Market value relevance means that there is a statistical association between financial information and stock prices or returns, and that the accounting based measures explain market prices...
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...THE ACCOUNTING REVIEW Vol. 79. No. 4 2004 pp. 967-1010 Costs of Equity and Earnings Attributes Jennifer Francis Duke University Ryan LaFond University of Wisconsin Per M. Olsson Duke University Katherine Schipper Financial Accounting Standards Board ABSTRACT: We examine the relation between the cost of equity capital and seven attributes of earnings: accrual quality, persistence, predictability, smoothness, value relevance, timeliness, and conservatism. We characterize the first four attributes as accounting-based because they are typically measured using accounting information only. We characterize the last three attributes as market-based because proxies for these constructs are typically based on relations between market data and accounting data. Based on theoretical models predicting a positive association between information quality and cost of equity, we test for and find that firms with the least favorable values of each attribute, considered individually, generally experience larger costs of equity than firms with the most favorable values. The largest cost of equity effects are observed for the accounting-based attributes, in particular, accrual quality. These findings are robust to controls for innate determinants of the earnings attributes (firm size, cash flow and sales volatility, incidence of loss, operating cycle, intangibles use/intensity, and capital intensity), as vi/ell as to alternative proxies for the cost of equity capital. W I. INTRODUCTION e...
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...Does Voluntary Disclosure Improve Stock Price Informativeness? Author(s): K. Stephen Haggard, Xiumin Martin and Raynolde Pereira Reviewed work(s): Source: Financial Management, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Winter, 2008), pp. 747-768 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Financial Management Association International Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20486678 . Accessed: 25/07/2012 04:27 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Blackwell Publishing and Financial Management Association International are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Financial Management. http://www.jstor.org Does Voluntary Stock Price Disclosure Improve Informativeness? K. Stephen Haggard, Xiumin Martin, and Raynolde Pereira* According to theory, comovement in stock prices reflects comovement in thefundamentalfactors underlying the values ofstocks. Recent theory contends that stockprice comovement can be driven by information markets or the informational opacity of the...
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...Introduction This paper examines the development of positive accounting theory (PAT) and compares it with three standard accounts of science. There is some confusion about what PAT is. If the definition of accounting theory (i.e., accounting theory seeks to explain and predict accounting and auditing practice) given in Watts and Zimmerman’s 1986 book is taken to mean PAT, studies of accounting choices and auditing practices constitute PAT. At the same time, they also seek to explain the economics-based empirical literature in accounting and they describe, in addition to accounting choice studies, capital market-based accounting research. They point out that Ball and Brown (1968) initially popularized positive research in accounting, suggesting that PAT includes both capital market-based accounting research and research in accounting choices. This paper takes PAT to include both research programs. This usage is consistent with Watts and Zimmerman’s (1986) assertion that when they use the term “positive” to differentiate it from “prescriptive” theory. Positive Accounting Theory and Science by M. Humayun Kabir Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand Abstract This paper examines the development of positive accounting theory (PAT) and compares it with three standard accounts of science: Popper (1959), Kuhn (1996), and Lakatos (1970). PAT has been one of the most influential accounting research programs during...
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