In determining the feasibility of projects where capital investments are concerned, various methods are used. The focus of these methods is on return per se, so it is often asked to what extent any of these methods take the risk concept into account. The main objective of this study was to investigate the importance of risk with regard to capital investment projects. Secondly, with the aid of an empirical study, the study tried to establish whether risk is incorporated when South African companies evaluate capital investment projects. The empirical analysis indicated that risk analysis and evaluation in practice are to a large extent neglected by South African companies. It was found that nearly a quarter of companies estimate their annual cash flows using management subjective estimates alone. Smaller companies tend not to use any formal risk technique. Many South African companies do not make adjustments for the inflation rate when they assess the viability of a capital investment project. Although the majority of companies use various inflation rates for different annual cash flows, it was found that nearly a quarter of companies do not make adjustments for inflation.
{"title":"The Incorporation of Risk in the Capital Budgeting Decision","authors":"J. Hall","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.243163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.243163","url":null,"abstract":"In determining the feasibility of projects where capital investments are concerned, various methods are used. The focus of these methods is on return per se, so it is often asked to what extent any of these methods take the risk concept into account. The main objective of this study was to investigate the importance of risk with regard to capital investment projects. Secondly, with the aid of an empirical study, the study tried to establish whether risk is incorporated when South African companies evaluate capital investment projects. The empirical analysis indicated that risk analysis and evaluation in practice are to a large extent neglected by South African companies. It was found that nearly a quarter of companies estimate their annual cash flows using management subjective estimates alone. Smaller companies tend not to use any formal risk technique. Many South African companies do not make adjustments for the inflation rate when they assess the viability of a capital investment project. Although the majority of companies use various inflation rates for different annual cash flows, it was found that nearly a quarter of companies do not make adjustments for inflation.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132969261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
During the last several years, a considerable number of empirical studies have been published that link executive compensation with accounting performance measures or earnings components. The extant research relies on regression models based on agency theory. The objective of the research is to evaluate the extent to which the accounting-based managerial-performance measures explain executive compensation. In order to accomplish the statistical analysis, authors of several of these studies believed it necessary to adjust the time-series data for the effects of inflation. In doing so, they applied general price-level adjustments to figures drawn from successive year's financial statements, or scaled the accounting variables against other variables taken from the same year's financial statements, in order to neutralize for inter-year inflation. In this paper we show that the adjustment process followed in these studies will significantly bias the results and thereby call the conclusions into question. We conclude by calling on researchers to address the limitations of their efforts due to the adjustment process employed and by offering an alternative approach to conducting the analysis.
{"title":"The Impact of Using Inappropriate Procedures to Neutralize For Inflation in Recent Executive Compensation Studies","authors":"T. Dyckman, S. Zeff","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.262558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.262558","url":null,"abstract":"During the last several years, a considerable number of empirical studies have been published that link executive compensation with accounting performance measures or earnings components. The extant research relies on regression models based on agency theory. The objective of the research is to evaluate the extent to which the accounting-based managerial-performance measures explain executive compensation. In order to accomplish the statistical analysis, authors of several of these studies believed it necessary to adjust the time-series data for the effects of inflation. In doing so, they applied general price-level adjustments to figures drawn from successive year's financial statements, or scaled the accounting variables against other variables taken from the same year's financial statements, in order to neutralize for inter-year inflation. In this paper we show that the adjustment process followed in these studies will significantly bias the results and thereby call the conclusions into question. We conclude by calling on researchers to address the limitations of their efforts due to the adjustment process employed and by offering an alternative approach to conducting the analysis.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115742830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Douglas A. Shackelford, Mark Lang, Edward L. Maydew
Faced with pressure from increased global competition and capital mobility, Germany's government made a surprise announcement in December 1999 that it would repeal the longstanding capital gains tax on sales of corporate crossholdings. The repeal was hailed as a revolutionary step toward breaking up Germany's complex web of cross-ownership. When the changes become effective in 2002, Germany will move from having one of the most punitive taxes on corporate capital gains to having the smallest among major industrial countries. This paper uses Germany as a natural experiment to provide evidence on the extent to which taxes present a barrier to the efficient acquisition and divestiture of stakes in other firms. In particular, we examine the stock market response by German firms to the announcement that capital gains taxes on intercompany holdings would be eliminated. We find a positive association between a firm's abnormal stock returns and the extent of its crossholdings, consistent with taxes acting as a barrier to efficient allocation of ownership and investment. However, the reaction is limited to the largest banks and insurers and their extensive minority holdings in industrial firms, suggesting that taxes are not the binding constraint preventing most firms from divesting their crossholdings.
{"title":"Bringing Down the Other Berlin Wall: Germany's Repeal of the Corporate Capital Gains Tax","authors":"Douglas A. Shackelford, Mark Lang, Edward L. Maydew","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.256570","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.256570","url":null,"abstract":"Faced with pressure from increased global competition and capital mobility, Germany's government made a surprise announcement in December 1999 that it would repeal the longstanding capital gains tax on sales of corporate crossholdings. The repeal was hailed as a revolutionary step toward breaking up Germany's complex web of cross-ownership. When the changes become effective in 2002, Germany will move from having one of the most punitive taxes on corporate capital gains to having the smallest among major industrial countries. This paper uses Germany as a natural experiment to provide evidence on the extent to which taxes present a barrier to the efficient acquisition and divestiture of stakes in other firms. In particular, we examine the stock market response by German firms to the announcement that capital gains taxes on intercompany holdings would be eliminated. We find a positive association between a firm's abnormal stock returns and the extent of its crossholdings, consistent with taxes acting as a barrier to efficient allocation of ownership and investment. However, the reaction is limited to the largest banks and insurers and their extensive minority holdings in industrial firms, suggesting that taxes are not the binding constraint preventing most firms from divesting their crossholdings.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133287596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study examines the effects of uncertainty associated with large-scale catastrophes on the informativeness of earnings announcements by property and casualty insurers. It contributes to the literature on the effects of uncertainty on the informativeness of earnings announcements by distinguishing between: (1) uncertainty due to exogenous events that obscure the firm's future prospects, and (2) uncertainty due to noise in earnings. Results suggest that heightened uncertainty associated with exposure to catastrophe losses is significantly positively associated with the market's response to earnings reports, even after controlling for uncertainty due to noise in earnings. This implies that during periods of high uncertainty, investors find earnings information more useful in assessing the future prospects of the firm. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.
{"title":"The Effects of Uncertainty on the Informativeness of Earnings: Evidence from the Insurance Industry in the Wake of Catastrophic Events","authors":"Theodore E. Christensen","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.146234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.146234","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the effects of uncertainty associated with large-scale catastrophes on the informativeness of earnings announcements by property and casualty insurers. It contributes to the literature on the effects of uncertainty on the informativeness of earnings announcements by distinguishing between: (1) uncertainty due to exogenous events that obscure the firm's future prospects, and (2) uncertainty due to noise in earnings. Results suggest that heightened uncertainty associated with exposure to catastrophe losses is significantly positively associated with the market's response to earnings reports, even after controlling for uncertainty due to noise in earnings. This implies that during periods of high uncertainty, investors find earnings information more useful in assessing the future prospects of the firm. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132807383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rule 501 of the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct as well as the codes of ethics of other state, national and international accounting organizations prohibits acts that are discreditable to the profession. There are several problems with this rule. For one, it is self-serving and does more to protect the profession than the public. Many kinds of personal conduct might subject an accountant to punishment for actions that do not involve fraud or the violation of rights. Another problem is vagueness. There are few guidelines to clarify what might constitute a discreditable act. Consensual sexual acts is one such area. The author concludes that accounting organizations should not engage in policing the moral conduct of their members unless that conduct adversely affects a client or a segment of the investing public.
{"title":"Can Sexual Acts between (or Among) Consenting Adults Be Considered an Act Discreditable to the Profession Under Aicpa Code of Professional Conduct Rule 501? A Philosophical Look at a Practical Ethical Question","authors":"Robert W. McGee","doi":"10.2139/SSRN.242329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.242329","url":null,"abstract":"Rule 501 of the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct as well as the codes of ethics of other state, national and international accounting organizations prohibits acts that are discreditable to the profession. There are several problems with this rule. For one, it is self-serving and does more to protect the profession than the public. Many kinds of personal conduct might subject an accountant to punishment for actions that do not involve fraud or the violation of rights. Another problem is vagueness. There are few guidelines to clarify what might constitute a discreditable act. Consensual sexual acts is one such area. The author concludes that accounting organizations should not engage in policing the moral conduct of their members unless that conduct adversely affects a client or a segment of the investing public.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125910067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The propensity of proprietary life insurance firm managers to voluntarily report supplementary information concerning the present value of actuarially-calculated earnings (earnings expected to emerge from their existing business in the future) is predicted to be related to their desire to provide information to capital market participants about their future profit expectations. By contrast the existence of complex residual claims in mutual firms suggests that equivalent incentives facing managers of mutual firms is expected to be motivated by earnings management behaviour. These predictions are tested on a random sample of 67 Australian and UK proprietary and mutual firms. Even after controlling for other variables posited to affect accounting policy choice, Australian and UK proprietary firms reporting the present value of actuarial earnings tend to have higher future profit expectations. However, results for mutual firms are more equivocal and do not support an earnings management hypothesis. Key words: Actuarial earnings; Present value; Earnings management
{"title":"Incentives Facing Life Insurance Firms to Manage Actuarial Earnings: Evidence from Australia and the UK","authors":"P. Klumpes","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.250904","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.250904","url":null,"abstract":"The propensity of proprietary life insurance firm managers to voluntarily report supplementary information concerning the present value of actuarially-calculated earnings (earnings expected to emerge from their existing business in the future) is predicted to be related to their desire to provide information to capital market participants about their future profit expectations. By contrast the existence of complex residual claims in mutual firms suggests that equivalent incentives facing managers of mutual firms is expected to be motivated by earnings management behaviour. These predictions are tested on a random sample of 67 Australian and UK proprietary and mutual firms. Even after controlling for other variables posited to affect accounting policy choice, Australian and UK proprietary firms reporting the present value of actuarial earnings tend to have higher future profit expectations. However, results for mutual firms are more equivocal and do not support an earnings management hypothesis. Key words: Actuarial earnings; Present value; Earnings management","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128676611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The paper reports the results of a survey of the content and learning materials used in courses in financial statement analysis in Europe and the United States. Courses in Europe and undergraduate courses in the US exhibit similar characteristics with respect to course content (heavy emphasis on basic tools of analysis). Graduate courses in the US place heavier emphasis on coverage of generally accepted accounting principles and on applications of basic analytical tools. Differences in course content appear related to where the financial statement analysis course lodges within the accounting curriculum.
{"title":"Survey of Financial Statement Analysis Courses in Europe and the United States","authors":"C. P. Stickney, Hervé Stolowy","doi":"10.2139/SSRN.263292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.263292","url":null,"abstract":"The paper reports the results of a survey of the content and learning materials used in courses in financial statement analysis in Europe and the United States. Courses in Europe and undergraduate courses in the US exhibit similar characteristics with respect to course content (heavy emphasis on basic tools of analysis). Graduate courses in the US place heavier emphasis on coverage of generally accepted accounting principles and on applications of basic analytical tools. Differences in course content appear related to where the financial statement analysis course lodges within the accounting curriculum.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116613961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We investigate firms' financial reporting policies with respect to business combinations, particularly the choice between the purchase and pooling-of-interests methods. To control for potentially confounding effects related to the method of acquisition financing, we focus on a sample of stock-for stock acquisitions. We provide evidence that the accounting method choice is jointly determined by the size of the step-up, i.e., the premium paid over the book value of the acquired firm and which is recognized under the purchase method, and proxies for economic benefits derived from accounting-based contracts. In particular, we find that, when the business combination involves a large step-up to the target's net assets, CEOs with earnings-based compensation plans are more likely than others to incur the costs of qualifying for pooling and avoid the earnings 'penalty' associated with the purchase method. However, we find no association between stock-based compensation and the purchase-pooling choice, suggesting managers are not concerned about implications of large step-ups for firms' equity values. We also find no support for the prediction that top executives' preference for pooling is greater when their job security is relatively low. Finally, consistent with the favorable balance sheet effects of the purchase method, we find that the likelihood of pooling decreases with the acquirer's debt-equity ratio, a proxy for debt contracting costs. We also predict and find an association between the purchase-pooling choice and potential costs related to meeting the restrictive pooling criteria. In particular, we find that firms for which the pooling requirement of no share repurchases appears to be binding (firms that have already announced a share repurchase plan and/or have a large number of outstanding employee stock options) are less likely than others to use pooling. However, we do not find that firms for which the requirement of no post-acquisition divestitures of the target's assets may be binding are less likely to use pooling.
{"title":"Purchase Versus Pooling in Stock-for-Stock Acquisitions: Why Do Firms Care","authors":"David Aboody, Ron Kasznik, Michael Williams","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.246775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.246775","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate firms' financial reporting policies with respect to business combinations, particularly the choice between the purchase and pooling-of-interests methods. To control for potentially confounding effects related to the method of acquisition financing, we focus on a sample of stock-for stock acquisitions. We provide evidence that the accounting method choice is jointly determined by the size of the step-up, i.e., the premium paid over the book value of the acquired firm and which is recognized under the purchase method, and proxies for economic benefits derived from accounting-based contracts. In particular, we find that, when the business combination involves a large step-up to the target's net assets, CEOs with earnings-based compensation plans are more likely than others to incur the costs of qualifying for pooling and avoid the earnings 'penalty' associated with the purchase method. However, we find no association between stock-based compensation and the purchase-pooling choice, suggesting managers are not concerned about implications of large step-ups for firms' equity values. We also find no support for the prediction that top executives' preference for pooling is greater when their job security is relatively low. Finally, consistent with the favorable balance sheet effects of the purchase method, we find that the likelihood of pooling decreases with the acquirer's debt-equity ratio, a proxy for debt contracting costs. We also predict and find an association between the purchase-pooling choice and potential costs related to meeting the restrictive pooling criteria. In particular, we find that firms for which the pooling requirement of no share repurchases appears to be binding (firms that have already announced a share repurchase plan and/or have a large number of outstanding employee stock options) are less likely than others to use pooling. However, we do not find that firms for which the requirement of no post-acquisition divestitures of the target's assets may be binding are less likely to use pooling.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115182451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Professor Lambert provides a very useful synthesis of the major issues in managerial accounting and the insights that agency theory has provided on those issues. In this discussion, I highlight some of the limitations of these models in examining accounting measurement questions. Lambert calls for additional work in multiperiod contracting models, and I discuss some of the modeling choices that must be made in such work. Finally, I present some thoughts on the relation between contract models and empirical research.
{"title":"Discussion of 'Contracting Theory and Accounting'","authors":"R. Magee","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.259634","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.259634","url":null,"abstract":"Professor Lambert provides a very useful synthesis of the major issues in managerial accounting and the insights that agency theory has provided on those issues. In this discussion, I highlight some of the limitations of these models in examining accounting measurement questions. Lambert calls for additional work in multiperiod contracting models, and I discuss some of the modeling choices that must be made in such work. Finally, I present some thoughts on the relation between contract models and empirical research.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125934637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study examines how dividend imputation affects the incentive of New Zealand firms to minimise tax. By effectively eliminating double taxation on company income, imputation reduces firms' incentives to engage in costly tax minimisation strategies. Before September 1993, resident and non-resident shareholders were treated differently under New Zealand's imputation system. Because imputation credits cannot be passed to shareholders unless dividends are paid, we expect firms to pursue different tax paying strategies depending on their level of foreign ownership and their dividend payout ratios. After September 1993 when imputation credits were extended to non-resident portfolio shareholders, we expect that firms with high foreign ownership and high dividend payouts would have less incentive to minimise tax. Our results provide some support for these expectations.
{"title":"Tax Strategies and Dividend Imputation: The Effect of Foreign and Domestic Ownership on Average Effective Tax Rates","authors":"Brett R. Wilkinson, S. Cahan, Geoff Jones","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.242778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.242778","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines how dividend imputation affects the incentive of New Zealand firms to minimise tax. By effectively eliminating double taxation on company income, imputation reduces firms' incentives to engage in costly tax minimisation strategies. Before September 1993, resident and non-resident shareholders were treated differently under New Zealand's imputation system. Because imputation credits cannot be passed to shareholders unless dividends are paid, we expect firms to pursue different tax paying strategies depending on their level of foreign ownership and their dividend payout ratios. After September 1993 when imputation credits were extended to non-resident portfolio shareholders, we expect that firms with high foreign ownership and high dividend payouts would have less incentive to minimise tax. Our results provide some support for these expectations.","PeriodicalId":180033,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting Abstracts","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2000-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117317603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：