Public and Private Disclosure and the Role of Financial Reporting

Author(s):  
John Holland
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Gaio ◽  
Inês Pinto

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of state ownership on financial reporting quality regarding the characteristics of conservatism and earnings management. Design/methodology/approach Using a large sample of public and private European firms during the period 2003-2010, the authors test the hypotheses following Ball and Shivakumar’s (2005) model for conservatism and the modified Jones (1991) model proposed by Dechow and Sloan (1995) for earnings management. To ensure that the results are robust, the authors conduct sensitivity analysis with regard to potential endogeneity and selection bias. Findings The authors find that state-owned firms are less conservative than non-state-owned firms, which is consistent with the idea that there is less need for accounting conservatism due to government protection. The authors also show that capital markets play an important role in shaping the relation between state ownership and earnings management. Among public firms, the authors find that state-owned firms have higher abnormal accruals and worse accruals quality than non-state-owned firms, which suggests that state-owned firms are not immune to capital market pressures. Research limitations/implications The study has two limitations. First, as state-owned and non-state-owned firms face quite different incentive structures, management behavior might be determined by factors that have yet to be identified. Second, prior research results suggest an inverted U-shape relation between ownership concentration and earnings management (Ding et al., 2007). It would be interesting to investigate the impact of different levels of state ownership on earnings quality. Practical implications As the paper investigates the role of state ownership on earnings quality using a sample of European firms, it brings new insights regarding the role of state ownership in accounting quality and firm performance. In addition, it considers the role of capital markets in the relation between the quality of financial reporting and ownership by considering a sample with both public and private firms. Originality/value The study contributes to the debate about state intervention in the corporate sector, by extending the knowledge of the effects of government ownership on earnings quality by using a large sample of European firms. Furthermore, the authors also introduce the effect of capital market forces on managers’ behavior in state-owned and non-state-owned companies by analyzing private and publicly listed firms.


2014 ◽  
pp. 79-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ales Novak

The term ?business model' has recently attracted increased attention in the context of financial reporting and was formally introduced into the IFRS literature when IFRS 9 Financial Instruments was published in November 2009. However, IFRS 9 did not fully define the term ‘business model'. Furthermore, the literature on business models is quite diverse. It has been conducted in largely isolated fashion; therefore, no generally accepted definition of ?business model' has emerged. Therefore, a better understanding of the notion itself should be developed before further investigating its potential role within financial reporting. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the perceived key themes and to identify other bases for grouping/organizing the literature based on business models. The contributions this paper makes to the literature are twofold: first, it complements previous review papers on business models; second, it contains a clear position on the distinction between the notions of the business model and strategy, which many authors identify as a key element in better explaining and communicating the notion of the business model. In this author's opinion, the term ‘strategy' is a dynamic and forward-looking notion, a sort of directional roadmap for future courses of action, whereas, ‘business model' is a more static notion, reflecting the conceptualisation of the company's underlying core business logic. The conclusion contains the author's thoughts on the role of the business model in financial reporting.


1992 ◽  
Vol 31 (4I) ◽  
pp. 431-447
Author(s):  
Peter A. Cornelisse ◽  
Elma Van De Mortel

The severe shocks that rocked the world economy in the 1970s and the ensuing efforts to adjust and to renew economic growth have had a profound effect on the economic literature. Especially the external and public debt problems which reached critical dimensions in many countries attracted much attention. Thus, in the field of macroeconomics financial issues have gained more prominence over the last two decades. Studies relating to the fiscal deficit have been particularly numerous. The critical size of national public debts, the contribution of the public debt to external debt, the reduced confidence in the state as the guide in socioeconomic development and the role of fiscal policy in adjustment processes are among the main reasons for this increased interest.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Tariq Jassim

In a market economy, the role of International Financial Reporting Standards is increasing. In order to understand their significance in modern conditions it seems necessary to consider the peculiarities of evolution of IFRS formation. The article reflects actual issues concerning the role and significance of International Accounting and Reporting Standards in modern conditions. The author has defined the necessity of applying International Accounting and Reporting Standards by Russian companies. The article highlights the main elements and users of financial statements prepared on the basis of IFRS, and analyzes the similarities and differences that exist in the formation of financial statements, based on the requirements of IFRS and RAS. The main qualitative characteristics of financial statements are considered in detail. Based on the results of the research, the author has identified current trends in the transition to international financial reporting standards.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boochun Jung ◽  
Woo-Jong Lee ◽  
David P. Weber ◽  
Daniel Yang

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-46
Author(s):  
Michael Braswell ◽  
Roger B. Daniels

ABSTRACT Our study examines assurance and attestation practices of the Charleston Orphan House from 1790 to 1825 and represents a response to Alchian and Demsetz's (1972) call for research into the nature of stewardship and agency costs among nonprofits by providing evidence of the largely unexplored early American practices (Moussalli 2008; Sargiacomo and Gomes 2011). We document the origins of the assurance and attestation techniques used to legitimize the Charleston Orphan House and to minimize the agency costs faced by its public and private funders. We find that assurance and attestation practices were reflected in the routine publication of the Committee on Accounts reports that served as vital elements of a governance structure that enabled the municipality and philanthropists to monitor the financial condition of the institution. These oversight efforts helped minimize agency costs that naturally arose between the Orphan House and resource providers, making it possible for the City of Charleston and private funders to efficiently allocate limited resources to mitigate social costs of managing the post-revolutionary orphan problem. Our findings provide new insights into early assurance and attestation practices and support Alchian and Demsetz's (1972) conjecture that nonprofits face similar economic motivations for utilizing financial reporting, auditing, and attestation as monitoring mechanisms as do their profit-seeking counterparts.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-93
Author(s):  
Joel E. Thompson

ABSTRACT The purpose of financial reporting is to provide information to investors and creditors to help them make rational decisions (Financial Accounting Standards Board [FASB] 2010). Tracing the development of investors' methods should help with understanding the role of financial accounting. This study examines investment practices involving railways in 1890s America. As such, it furthers our knowledge about the development of investment methods and their necessary information. Moreover, it shows that as investment methods grew in sophistication, there was an enhanced demand for greater comparability in accounting data to make meaningful analyses. Competing investment strategies, largely devoid of accounting information, are also discussed.


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