Return Measures as a Link Between Financial Statements

IF 2 Q2 BUSINESS, FINANCE International Journal of Accounting Pub Date : 2022-07-21 DOI:10.1142/s1094406022500111
Andrew M. Collins
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Abstract

Synopsis The research problem I examine whether and how presenting a return measure (e.g., return on assets) on the face of the income statement influences non-professional investors’ judgments of a company as a potential investment. Motivation Accounting research suggests investors focus on bottom-line earnings to the exclusion of other financial information. To evaluate a firm’s economic performance, valuation models suggest investors should assess not only income, but also the resources employed by the firm to generate the income. Value is created when companies earn a sufficient return on resources employed in the business. Therefore, positive and/or growing accounting earnings do not necessarily indicate a firm is performing well. Return measures, such as return on assets, are ways to measure a company’s return on its economic resources. The test hypotheses H[Formula: see text]: Reporting a return measure on the face of the income statement affects nonprofessional investors’ perceptions of investment attractiveness, and it does so by priming investors to evaluate the return on resources that the company earns. H[Formula: see text]: Reporting a return measure on the face of the income statement affects nonprofessional investors’ perceptions of balance sheet relevance and acquisition of balance sheet information. Target population Standard setters, financial statement preparers, and accounting researchers. Adopted methodology In an experiment, participants viewed an abbreviated annual report of a hypothetical company and provided judgments about the firm as a potential investment. I manipulated whether a return measure was reported on the income statement. I also manipulated the level of return; while net income and earnings per share were the same in all conditions, I manipulated balance sheet amounts such that return on assets was relatively high or low. Analyses Analyses included analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and conditional process analysis. Dependent measures included participants’ judgments about the company as a potential investment, perceived efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s management, perceived relevance of balance sheet information, and recall of financial statement information. Findings Results supported my first prediction — reporting a return measure on the income statement affected non-professional investors’ perceptions of the company as a potential investment; further, these judgments were driven by perceptions of managerial efficiency and effectiveness in earning a return on the company’s resources. Results did not support my second prediction that reporting a return measure on the face of the income statement influences non-professional investors’ perception of balance sheet relevance or affects acquisition of balance sheet information.
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回报衡量作为财务报表之间的联系
研究问题我研究了在损益表上呈现回报衡量标准(如资产回报率)是否以及如何影响非专业投资者对公司作为潜在投资的判断。动机会计研究表明,投资者专注于盈利,而不考虑其他财务信息。为了评估一家公司的经济表现,估值模型建议投资者不仅应该评估收入,还应该评估公司用于产生收入的资源。当公司从企业中使用的资源中获得足够的回报时,就会创造价值。因此,正的和/或增长的会计收益并不一定表明一家公司表现良好。回报率指标,如资产回报率,是衡量公司经济资源回报率的方法。检验假设H[公式:见正文]:在损益表上报告回报衡量标准会影响非专业投资者对投资吸引力的看法,这是通过促使投资者评估公司获得的资源回报来实现的。H[公式:见正文]:在损益表上报告回报衡量标准会影响非专业投资者对资产负债表相关性和资产负债表信息获取的看法。目标人群标准制定者、财务报表编制者和会计研究人员。采用的方法在一项实验中,参与者查看了一家假设公司的简短年度报告,并对该公司作为潜在投资做出了判断。我操纵了损益表上是否报告了回报率。我还操纵了回报水平;虽然在所有情况下,净收入和每股收益都是相同的,但我操纵了资产负债表金额,使资产回报率相对较高或较低。分析分析包括方差分析(ANOVA)、协方差分析(ANCOVA)和条件过程分析。相关指标包括参与者对公司作为潜在投资的判断、对公司管理层效率和有效性的感知、对资产负债表信息相关性的感知以及对财务报表信息的回忆。调查结果支持了我的第一个预测——在损益表上报告回报率会影响非专业投资者对公司潜在投资的看法;此外,这些判断是由对管理效率和从公司资源中获得回报的有效性的看法所驱动的。结果不支持我的第二个预测,即在损益表上报告回报率会影响非专业投资者对资产负债表相关性的感知或影响资产负债表信息的获取。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.20
自引率
0.00%
发文量
19
期刊介绍: The aim of The International Journal of Accounting is to advance the academic and professional understanding of accounting theory, policies and practice from the international perspective and viewpoint. The Journal editorial recognizes that international accounting is influenced by a variety of forces, e.g., governmental, political and economic. Thus, the primary criterion for manuscript evaluation is the incremental contribution to international accounting literature and the forces that impact the field. The Journal aims at understanding the present and potential ability of accounting to aid in analyzing and interpreting international economic transactions and the economic consequences of such reporting. These transactions may be within a profit or non-profit environment. The Journal encourages a broad view of the origins and development of accounting with an emphasis on its functions in an increasingly interdependent global economy. The Journal also welcomes manuscripts that help explain current international accounting practices, with related theoretical justifications, and identify criticisms of current policies and practice. Other than occasional commissioned papers or special issues, all the manuscripts published in the Journal are selected by the editors after the normal double-blind refereeing process.
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