Accounting Commons^™

Investor Competition Over Information And The Pricing Of Information Asymmetry, Brian K. Atkins, Jeffrey Ng, Rodrigo Verdi

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Whether the information environment affects the cost of capital is a fundamental question in accounting and finance research. Relying on theories about competition between informed investors as well as the pricing of information asymmetry, we hypothesize a cross-sectional variation in the pricing of information asymmetry that is conditional on competition. We develop and validate empirical proxies for competition using the number and concentration of institutional investor ownership. Using these proxies, we find a lower pricing of information asymmetry when there is more competition. Overall, our results suggest that competition between informed investors has an important effect on how the information …

Direct And Mediated Associations Among Earnings Quality, Information Asymmetry And The Cost Of Equity, Nilabhra Bhattacharya, Frank Ecker, Per Olsson, Katherine Schipper

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using path analysis, we investigate the direct and indirect links between three measures of earnings quality and the cost of equity. Our investigation is motivated by analytical models that specify both a direct link and an indirect link that is mediated by information asymmetry, but do not suggest which link would be more important empirically. We measure information asymmetry as both the adverse selection component of the bid-ask spread and the probability of informed trading (PIN). For a large sample of Value Line firms during 1993–2005, we find statistically reliable evidence of both a direct path from earnings quality to …

The Effects Of Political Connections On The Level And Value Of Cash Holdings: International Evidence, Yuanto Kusnadi, K.C. John Wei

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In this paper, we examine the role of political connections on corporate liquidity policies and their consequences in an international setting. We find that managers of politically connected firms have a tendency to hoard more cash than their non-connected counterparts. Moreover, presence of political connections reduces the value of cash holdings. Further analysis reveals that our main findings are more pronounced for firms in emerging markets as well as for firms in countries with weak legal protection of investors and high levels of corruption. Overall, our empirical results corroborate previous findings on the agency cost explanation for corporate cash holdings.

Will It Be A Tough Year?, Daniel D. Selby, W. Darrell Walden

Accounting Faculty Publications

While there may be some glimmers of hope about a turnaround to the U.S. economy, such as decreasing unemployment, Virginia CPAs aren't betting on a huge recovery in the next year.

The second annual VSCPA Economic Outlook Survey reveals Virginia CPAs are more pessimistic about the United States and Virginia economies than they were last year, but they are actually more optimistic about Virginia's economy compared to the United States as a whole. Likewise, VSCPA members continue to feel good about the economic outlook in Virginia relative to neighboring states.

Accounting Comparability, Audit Effort And Audit Outcomes, Joseph Hongbo Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The paper investigates the usefulness of accounting comparability for audit engagement. Comparability among peer firms in the same industry reflects the similarity and the relatedness of firms’ operating environment and accounting reporting. From two perspectives of “inherent business risk” and “external information efficiency”, comparability is helpful for auditors to assess client business risk and lowers the cost of information acquisition, processing, and testing. For a given firm, I hypothesize that the availability of information about comparable firms is helpful for auditors by improving audit accuracy and audit efficiency. The comparability proxy is based on a variety of measures including pair-wise …

Enterprise Risk Management: Understanding And Communicating Risk Appetite, Larry Rittenberg, Frank Martens, Committee Of Sponsoring Organizations Of The Treadway Commission

Association Sections, Divisions, Boards, Teams

No abstract provided.

Differences In Interim Financial Reporting: Gaap Vs. Ifrs, Benjamin Carton

Honors Program Theses

This thesis examines the different accounting standards on the topic of interim financial reporting. It answers the question: What are the differences in accounting reporting standards on interim financial reporting between GAAP and IFRS? As the world becomes more globalized, it is likely that GAAP and IFRS will eventually be merged into one universal set of accounting rules. In order to arrive at this combined set of rules, the differences must first be understood and evaluated. Based on existing theory and research, I have argued which specific approach is preferable. I have recommended that the discrete basis be used to …

Reed Karl Storey [Inducted 2011], American Accounting Association

Accounting Hall of Fame Brochures

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing: More Harm Than Good, Ly Luu Pham

Honors Theses

Outsourcing is a highly effective strategy, widely used in various types of business to gain a competitive edge. The tremendous growth of outsourcing first started in the manufacturing and information technology industries. It has also spread into the accounting industry as well. However, in accounting the major problems and benefits caused by outsourcing are different from those identified in the manufacturing and IT industries. This leads to the question of whether or not outsourcing in accounting would create more advantages than disadvantages. This paper analyzes the question through four steps: (1) how accounting outsourcing is done, (2) which accounting tasks …

Comparing Historical And Implied Volatility For A Silver Electronically Traded Fund Between Months Of High And Low Returns, Jacob G. Downey

Honors Theses

Silver as a commodity is used in many different industrial applications as well as in jewelry. Silver is five times scarcer than gold (Stamey, Class Notes, 2011) is at this point and is becoming more and more popular with investors. Many investors instead of buying physical silver have looked to invest in the Silver ETF. An ETF is an Exchange Traded Fund, and is a way to trade a commodity like a stock. A price varies in proportion to the commodity, so as Silver moves so does SLV (Silver ETF). In this paper, the Silver ETE chosen was iShares Silver …

The Effect Of Ifrs Convergence On Coastal Carolina University Accounting Major Students, Stephanie Wehrung

Honors Theses

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been working with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in converging United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The US is one of the last large economic powers in the world remaining that has yet to start reporting using IFRS. The business environment is not the only group that is facing great obstacles with this change; universities will also be facing difficulties as they try to properly prepare students for their future careers. Accounting students will obviously be affected, …

U.S. Progress Toward Ifrs, Whitney Hucks

Honors Theses

There has been much discussion about the FASB and the IASB and their joint efforts to create a new set of accounting standards. There is also much debate over which set of accounting standards, U.S. GAAP or IFRS works best for corporations in the U.S. and for financial accounting purposes. The following is a discussion of the pertinent and relevant points made by those who are for IFRS, those who are for GAAP, and those who are for a mixture of the two sets of standards. These arguments all tend to fall under one of the following umbrellas: ignore IFRS, …

The Smartest "Guise" In The Room: Why America Is Doomed To Repeat An Enron-Like Scandal, Shayne Reddington

Honors Theses

There is no question that Enron has brought change to the landscape surrounding business practices both domestically and globally. After the Emon Scandal occurred, Congress passed a very controversial and groundbreaking legislative act known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as a means of stopping the conditions that made this widespread scandal possible. There are several reasons why another Emon-type Scandal is prone to repeat itself in the near future. One of the reasons is that Sarbanes-Oxley is not the perfect bill. Although the controversial Sarbanes-Oxley is a valiant effort to reform the environment that fostered Enron, there are major gaps and …

Expanding Your Accounting Classroom With Digital Video Technology, Mark Holtzblatt, Norbert Tschakert

Business Faculty Publications

In the past, many activities of accounting professors were restricted or confined by their classroom walls. Bringing in guest speakers, taking students on field trips and teaching students off-campus (either locally or globally) were extraordinary efforts that required significant organization. Today, numerous technological advancements in communication infrastructure, equipment and online tools greatly facilitate such initiatives. Outside experts can now visit the classroom, students can explore or collaborate in distant places and professors can extend the geographical reach of their lessons simply via the means of digital video technology. Based on our 2010 Conference on Teaching and Learning in Accounting (CTLA) …

Opportunities And Challenges For The Asset Management Industry, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Singapore, with its open economy and stable business environment, is host to some of the world's largest asset management companies. It has been observed, however, that local asset management firms are lagging far behind; somehow unable to capitalise on the same opportunities available to the global giants. Speaking at a conference organised by SMU's Centre for Asset Securitisation and Management in Asia, a panel of industry experts shared their views on what it would take to get both local and Asia-based firms into the big league.

Year-End Individual Taxation Report, Annette M. Nellen, E. Cook, K. Fava, E. Gershman, J. Hagy, J. Horn, D. Moore, D. Newman, T. Newman, K. Rubin

Faculty Publications

Several actions by Congress and the IRS aimed to reduce improper claims of the earned income tax credit by increasing preparer penalties and due diligence procedures. * Litigation over restricted stock-based compensation focused on the proper date of the stock's market valuation and the effect of company and SEC restrictions on disposition of the stock. * The Tax Court applied the IRS's recent practice of allowing professional gamblers to deduct ordinary and reasonable nonwagering business expenses over their gambling winnings, overturning a 1951 case holding. * The Tax Court also held that limited partners of a limited partnership who perform …

Earnings Management Among Firms During The Pre-Sec Era: A Benford's Law Analysis, Jeffrey Archambault, Marie E. Archambault

Accounting Faculty Research

This paper examines the existence of financial statement manipulation in the U.S. during a time period when many of the current motivations did not exist. The study looks for types of manipulations that would be motivated by the pre-SEC operating environment. To examine this issue, a sample of U.S. firms from the 1915 Moody's Analyses of Investments is divided into industrial firms, railroads, and utilities. The railroad and utility companies faced rate regulatiori during this time period, providing incentives to manipulate the financial reports so as to maximize the rate received. Industrial firms were not regulated. These companies wanted to …

Cpa Client Bulletin, December 2011, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

How Much Do Study Habits, Skills, And Attitudes Affect Student Performance In Introductory College Accounting Courses?, Darwin D. Yu

Finance and Accounting Faculty Publications

Background: Financial accounting is a skills course which to a large extent can be best learned through deliberate practice. Teachers implement this by continuously assigning homeworks, encouraging good study habits, asking students to budget time for studying, and generally exhorting students to “work hard”. Aims: This paper examines the impact of “study habits, skills, and attitudes” (SHSAs) on the performance of students in an introductory financial accounting college course. Sample: 395 2nd year business students in a Philippine university. Method: Data related to variables found to have influenced accounting performance in previous researches as well as SHSA variables are collected …

Accounting Methods To Effectively Measure The Performance Of Public Universities' Academic Units And Increase Allocation Efficiency: The Role Of Research Grants, Madeleine Arivett

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.