Business Commons^™

The Effect Of Information Quality On Liquidity Risk, Jeffrey Ng

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

I investigate whether information quality affects the cost of equity capital through liquidity risk. Liquidity risk is the sensitivity of stock returns to unexpected changes in market liquidity; recent asset pricing literature has emphasized the importance of this systematic risk. I find that higher information quality is associated with lower liquidity risk and that the reduction in cost of capital due to this association is economically significant. I also find that the negative association between information quality and liquidity risk is stronger in times of large shocks to market liquidity.

In Search Of A Different Accounting Graduate: Entry-Point Determinants Of Students’ Performance In An Undergraduate Accountancy Degree Programme In Singapore, Poh Sun Seow, Pan, Gary, Siok Wan Joanne Tay

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study investigates the association of prior academic achievement, admission interview, critical thinking, mathematical aptitude, gender and age with successful academic performance in an undergraduate accountancy degree programme at a Singapore university. The purpose of revisiting the determinants of academic performance is twofold: firstly, university accounting education in Singapore has changed greatly since Koh and Koh’s earlier study (1999), so this study examines if determinants previously identified as significant continue to be so in the new setting; secondly, the study tests the usefulness of admission interview in identifying applicants who achieve subsequent academic success. All the data on students’ performance …

Board Reputation And Financial Reporting Quality, Dan Segal

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study uses a new measure of board reputation that is based on the market value of other companies on which board members serve, and examines whether board reputation has a causal effect on monitoring as reflected in financial statement reporting quality. A negative causal effect is expected if reputable directors are ineffective monitors because they are too busy or they choose to cater to management, whereas a positive causal effect is expected if reputable directors are more experienced and subject to significant reputation penalties in the case of a financial reporting failure. An alternative explanation is that reputation does …

The Agency Problem, Corporate Governance, And The Asymmetrical Behavior Of Selling, General, And Administrative Costs, Hai Lu, Hai Lu, Theodore Sougiannis

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs represent a significant proportion of thecosts of business operations. On average, the SG&A costs to total assets ratio is 27 percent,compared to the research and development (R&D) to total assets ratio of 3 percent(Banker, Huang, and Natarajan 2011). Due to the importance of SG&A costs, practitionerspay close attention to controlling SG&A spending. Understanding SG&A cost behaviorand the role of managers in adjusting the costs is thus important to researchers andpractitioners. Recent empirical research indicates that SG&A costs behave asymmetrically,that is, they increase more rapidly when demand increases than they decline when demanddecreases (Anderson, Banker, …

A Visualization Of Teaching The Indirect Method For Computing Cash From Operations, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The Statement of Cash Flows (SCF) complements the Statement of Financial Position and the Statement of Comprehensive Income by explaining where the cash came from (cash receipts) and how the cash was spent (cash payments) (Harrison Jr. et al. 2011; Powers and Needles Jr. 2010). International Accounting Standard (IAS) 7 requires companies to classify cash flows during the accounting period according to operating, investing and financing activities (International Accounting Standards Board 2010). IAS 7 also requires companies to report net cash flows from operating activities using either the direct method or the indirect method (International Accounting Standards Board 2010).

Most …

The Role Of Reputable Auditors And Underwriters In The Design Of Bond Contracts, Yun Lou, Florin. Vasvari

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The authors empirically test the certification hypothesis by studying the roles of reputableauditors and bank underwriters in the design of bond contracts. The certification hypoth-esis suggests that reputable capital market intermediaries can credibly communicate insideinformation to outside investors, thereby helping improve financing terms for firms thatraise external funding. Consistent with this hypothesis, the authors provide evidence thatreputable auditors and underwriters help corporate bond issuers obtain lower bond yields.The effect of reputable auditors on the yields is greater than that of reputable underwritersin terms of economic magnitude and significance, consistent with auditors’ multiple roles asinformation intermediaries, monitors, and insurance providers. The …

Cfos Versus Ceos: Equity Incentives And Crashes, Jeong-Bon Kim, Yinghua Li, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a large sample of U.S. firms for the period 1993-2009, we provide evidence that the sensitivity of a chief financial officer's (CFO) option portfolio value to stock price is significantly and positively related to the firm's future stock price crash risk. In contrast, we find only weak evidence of the positive impact of chief executive officer option sensitivity on crash risk. Finally, we find that the link between CFO option sensitivity and crash risk is more pronounced for firms in non-competitive industries and those with a high level of financial leverage.

Exposure Draft On Revenue Recognition: Tax Compliance Costs, Teng Aun Khoo, Kai Guan Tan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Effect of ED on Revenue Recognition on Tax Compliance Costs

Effects Of National Culture On Earnings Quality Of Banks, Chee Yeow Lim, Kanagaretnam Kiridaran, Gerald J. Lobo

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the relation between four dimensions of national culture and earnings quality of banks using a sample of banks from 39 countries. Our main analysis, which focuses on the pre-financial crisis period 1993–2006, indicates that banks in high individualism, high masculinity, and low uncertainty avoidance societies manage earnings to just-meet-or-beat the prior year's earnings. In tests of income smoothing through loan loss provisions, we find that banks in high individualism, high power distance, and low uncertainty avoidance societies report smoother earnings. Our exploratory analysis of the effects of national culture on accounting outcomes during the financial crisis period 2007–2008 …

Access To Cpd Opportunities And Resources To Assist Professional Accountants To Meet Their Commitment To Life Long Learning: Evidence From The Asia Pacific Region, Themin Suwardy, P De Lange, Beverley Jackling

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This project sought to investigate the accounting practitioners’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the delivery of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Asia Pacific Region 1. The study aims to inform the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and its associated member bodies of the most appropriate range of delivery methods that enhance the quality of learning outcomes from participation in mandatory CPD. The Asia Pacific region was selected as it is experiencing rapid economic expansion and a growing demand for professional accounting services together with an expectation that those working in the financial services industry keep abreast of change and …

Unregulated Stock Markets In Second Life, Robert Bloomfield, Young Jun Cho

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

SLCapex is a stock exchange owned and operated by “residents” of the online virtual world Second Life. Despite its almost complete lack of regulation and legal protections against fraud or insider trading, issuers were able to raise approximately US$145,000 from investors, which grew to US$900,000 in market value before plummeting, resulting in overall investor returns of −71%. Investors in large issuances lost more than investors in small issuances, and small investors experienced more severe losses relative to large investors when more money was at stake, indicating that the market did a poor job of protecting investors from issuers and of …

Conflict Of Interest Reforms And Analysts’ Research Biases, Hai Lu, Hai Lu, Yuyan Guan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines the consequences of the series of reforms targeting investment-banking-related conflicts of interest. We compare and contrast optimism biases in analysts’ stock recommendations and earnings forecasts across different types of analyst firms in the post-reform period 2004–2007 versus the pre-reform period 1998–2001. We document a significant reduction in the relative optimism of sanctioned investment bank analysts’ stock recommendations, but not their earnings forecasts. Moreover, we find little change in the profitability of their stock recommendations, but detect a drop in the accuracy of earnings forecasts made by investment bank analysts. In sum, the reforms achieve the objective of …

Executive Equity Compensation And Earnings Management: A Quantile Regression Approach, Chih-Ying Chen, Ming-Yuan Li

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Prior research has investigated the association between executive equity compensation and earnings management but the evidence is not conclusive. We investigate this question using the quantile regression approach which allows the coefficient on the independent variable (equity compensation) to shift across the distribution of the dependent variable (earnings management). Based on a sample of 18,203 U.S. non-financial firm-year observations from 1995 to 2008, we find that chief executive officer (CEO) equity compensation is positively associated with the absolute value of discretionary accruals at all quantiles of absolute discretionary accruals, but the association becomes weaker as the quantile decreases. The association …

Corporate Tax Avoidance And Stock Price Crash Risk: Firm-Level Analysis, Jeong-Bon Kim, Yinghua Li, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a large sample of U.S. firms for the period 1995-2008, we provide strong and robust evidence that corporate tax avoidance is positively associated with firm-specific stock price crash risk. This finding is consistent with the following view: Tax avoidance facilitates managerial rent extraction and bad news hoarding activities for extended periods by providing tools, masks, and justifications for these opportunistic behaviors. The hoarding and accumulation of bad news for extended periods lead to stock price crashes when the accumulated hidden bad news crosses a tipping point, and thus comes out all at once. Moreover, we show that the positive …

Firm Structure And Corporate Cash Holdings, Venkat Subramaniam, Tony Tang, Heng Yue, Xin Zhou

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We analyze whether the organizational structure of firms (i.e., whether a firm is diversified or focused) affects their cash holdings. Using Compustat firm level and segment-level data, we find that diversified firms hold significantly less cash than their focused counterparts. Our results are robust to industry adjustments at the segment level and to different factors previously found to be important determinants of cash holdings. Using time-series, cross-sectional, and additional robustness tests we are able to attribute the lower cash holdings among diversified firms to complementary growth opportunities across the different segments of these firms and the availability of active internal …

Internal Controls And Conditional Conservatism, Beng Wee Goh, Dan Li

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study examines the relation between internal controls and conditional conservatism (“conservatism”), also referred to as timely loss recognition. Using a sample of firms that disclose material weaknesses (MWs) in internal controls under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), we find a positive relation between internal control quality and conservatism. Specifically, firms with MWs exhibit lower conservatism than firms without such weaknesses. Further, firms that disclose MWs and subsequently remediate these weaknesses exhibit greater conservatism than firms that continue to have MWs. Overall, these results are consistent with strong internal controls acting as a mechanism that facilitates conservatism. Our study contributes to …

Accounting Quality, Stock Price Delay And Future Stock Returns, Hai Lu, Jeffrey Callen, Mozaffar Khan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

ln frictionless capital markets with complete information and rational investors, stock prices adjust to new information instantaneously and completely. However, a substantial body of research studies information imperfections such as asymmetric information and incomplete information. Information imperfections potentially hinder timely price discovery and are likely associated with delayed stock price adjustment to information. Our first research question therefore is whether the quality of accounting information (or ”accounting quality”) is one such information imperfection that is associated with cross-sectional variation in stock price delay. We define accounting quality as the precision with which financial reports convey information to equity investors about …

Equity Incentives And Earnings Management: Evidence From The Banking Industry, Qiang Cheng, Terry Warfield, Minlei Ye

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the relationship between equity incentives and earnings management in the banking industry. By focusing on this regulated industry and using industry-specific earnings management proxies, we provide evidence on the impact of regulation on earnings management arising from chief executive officers' equity incentives. We find that bank managers with high equity incentives are more likely to manage earnings, but only when capital ratios are closer to the minimums required by regulators. This finding indicates that, in the banking industry, potential regulatory intervention induces, rather than mitigates, earnings management arising from equity incentives.

The Effects Of Decision Aid Structural Restrictiveness On Decision-Making Outcomes, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Decision aids are often designed to direct decision-makers' attention to potential problems or solutions prompted by the decision aid; but in most instances, it is impossible to prompt all possible issues that should be considered in making a decision. Decision aids can induce decision-making biases whereby users focus only on the issues identified by the decision aid and fail to adequately consider other issues that are not identified by the decision aid. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether restricting how users interact with computerized decision aids affects their performance by limiting their ability to consider other possible …

Do Management Eps Forecasts Allow Returns To Reflect Future Earnings? Implications For The Continuation Of Management’S Quarterly Earnings Guidance, Jong-Hag Choi, Linda Myers, Yoonseok Zang, Dave Ziebart

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using 18,253 firm-year observations from 1998 through 2003, we build on literature suggesting that more informative disclosures allow returns to better reflect future earnings, and test whether management earnings per share forecasts and their characteristics influence the future earnings response coefficient (FERC). We find that FERCs are greater for forecasting firms and when forecasts are more frequent or precise. We suggest that more frequent and more precise forecasts assist investors in better predicting future earnings. Importantly, we find that quarterly and short-term forecasts incrementally increase the association between returns and future earnings beyond annual and long-term forecasts; thus, even short-term, …

Accounting Information Systems Research Over The Past Decade: Past And Future Trends, Colin Ferguson, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This article reviews the extant accounting information systems (AIS) literature by conducting an analysis of AIS articles published in 18 leading accounting, management information systems, and computer science journals from 1999 to 2009 with a view to identifying whether or not the focus of AIS research has changed, and if so how it has changed, since the Poston and Grabski’s (2000) review of AIS research from 1982 to 1998. We also report our insights into where AIS research is likely to be heading in the future. We analyse each of the 395 articles identified as reporting AIS research to identify …

Why 'Democracy' And 'Drifter' Firms Can Have Abnormal Returns: The Joint Importance Of Corporate Governance And Abnormal Accruals In Separating Winners From Losers, Koon Boon Kee

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

No abstract provided.

Transition To Is Project De-Escalation: An Exploration Into Management Executive's Influence Tactics, Gary Pan, Shan Ling Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper seeks to understand the factors that shape management executives' influence behaviors and the influence tactics that may be utilized during de-escalation of commitment to information systems (IS) projects. De-escalation is potentially a more important issue than escalation because de-escalation provides remedies for the ills of escalation. Therefore, it is important to understand how project stakeholders' commitment to troubled IS projects may be transformed under management executives' influence, hence allowing project teams to carry out their de-escalation activities. Here, we adopt theories of leadership, politics, and interpersonal influence, as our lenses to examine the management executive's influence behaviors during …

Fraud: A Review And Research Agenda, Pan, Gary, Poh Sun Seow, Themin Suwardy, Hui Ting Evelyn Gay

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Corporate scandals such as Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Adelphia have drawn significant attention to the occurrence of fraud. This has implications for public interest as the prevalence and consequences of fraud may affect the shareholders, creditors and the public’s confidence in the financial system. Much research has been published on various aspect of fraud. In this paper, we selected fraud articles published in accounting and management journals between 1996 and 2010 based on selected search phrases. We identified a total of 56 articles and perform content analysis on the fraud phenomenon in the articles, classified them into a number of …

Internal Control Weakness And Bank Loan Contracting: Evidence From Sox Section 404 Disclosures, Jeong-Bon Kim, Byron Y. Song, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a sample of borrowing firms that disclosed internal control weaknesses (ICW) under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, this study compares various features of loan contracts between firms with ICW and those without ICW. Our results show the following. First, the loan spread is higher for ICW firms than for non-ICW firms by about 28 basis points, after controlling for other known determinants of loan contract terms. Second, firms with more severe, company-level ICW pay significantly higher loan rates than those with less severe, account-level ICW. Third, lenders impose tighter nonprice terms on firms with ICW than on those …