The effect of conservative financial reporting and tax aggressiveness on the market valuation of unrecognized tax benefits

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-172
Author(s):  
Carlos E. Jiménez-Angueira ◽  
Emeka Nwaeze ◽  
Sung-Jin Park
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Market Valuation ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Aggressiveness ◽  
Valuation Model ◽  
Contingent Liability ◽  
Tax Benefits

PurposePrior studies document a positive relation between stock prices and tax-related contingent liability, unrecognized tax benefits (UTBs) and interpret the finding as evidence that investors reward tax aggressiveness. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of this puzzle finding by considering a link between UTBs and financial reporting strategy and propose that financial reporting conservatism may explain the positive association between UTBs and stock prices.Design/methodology/approachTo estimate the incremental valuation weights on UTBs, the authors employ the Ohlson (1995) valuation model and regress stock prices on UTBs and its interactions with the proxies for financial reporting conservatism and tax aggressiveness. Further, the authors adopt a UTB estimation model to decompose its balance into the predicted and unpredicted components.FindingsThe authors find that the reporting conservatism has a positive effect on the market valuation of UTBs. The authors also find some evidence that tax aggressiveness increases the valuation weight of UTBs. When UTBs are decomposed into predicted and unpredicted components, the authors find that the effect of financial reporting conservatism is more pronounced for the market valuation of predicted UTBs. Collectively, the evidence suggests that conservative financial reporting is a major driver of the positive valuation of UTBs and that tax aggressiveness plays a less significant role in investors' valuation decisions.Originality/valueWhile prior studies focus on how UTBs are associated with stock prices, this paper is the first attempt to explain why UTBs are positively valued by investors.

Value relevance of accounting information during IFRS convergence period: comparative evidence between India and Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anubha Srivastava ◽  
Harjum Muharam
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Valuation Model ◽  
Book Values

Purpose This study aims to examine the financial reporting quality during the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) enforcement period in the emerging markets of India and Indonesia by using Ohlson’s (1995) valuation model. The study further endeavors to compare the quality of the reporting environment and its impact on stock prices for both these emerging economies by using a price model during the IFRS conversion period. Design/methodology/approach This paper aspires to obtain insights about the value relevance of accounting information during the IFRS enforcement period for India and its Southeast Asian neighbor, Indonesia which is identical in terms of inclusive growth and development. In that context, 3,325 Indian (National Stock Exchange indexed) and 815 Indonesian (Indonesian stock exchange indexed) firm-year observations were examined by using Ohlson’s price valuation model for five years, representing the IFRS adherence period. Findings The findings of the paper insinuated that the value relevance of book values and earnings, both, have increased throughout the IFRS enforcement period for both economies. However, the investigation revealed that the incremental interpretive power of earnings is more substantial and evident during the IFRS adherence phase than book values which indicates investor’s inclination toward earnings management over book values. Research limitations/implications The findings may assist the regulators, investors, firms and standard setters of both economies in examining the effectiveness of financial reporting curriculums as it brings forth informational improvement in the financial market. This study also outstretches the discussion on the subject in other emerging nations where the market is imperfect with insufficient information, poor enforcement and limited regulations. This investigation has few limitations such as limited data and period, only two emerging economies and two control variables, thus provide scope for future research. Social implications This paper endeavors to investigate and compare the value relevance of accounting information during IFRS convergence period between India and Indonesia with an aim to assist in improved decision making for both, regulatory bodies and market participants in both the countries. Originality/value The key contribution of the study is to examine whether the accounting information is value relevant during the IFRS convergence period for the two fastest-growing economies in Asia, India and Indonesia and it is the first such empirical research to the best of the author’s knowledge. The study is an extended contribution to the modest research administered in developing nations.

Firm-specific internal determinants of profitability performance: an exploratory study of selected life insurance firms in Asia

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozaimah Zainudin ◽  
Nurul Shahnaz Ahmad Mahdzan ◽  
Ee Shan Leong
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
Insurance Firms

Purpose This study is an exploratory study investigating firm-specific internal factors that influence the profitability performance of selected life insurance firms in eight Asian countries (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia) from 2008-2014. This paper aims to focus on internal rather than external factors based on the resource-based view suggesting that the internal resources of a firm are key to gaining competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach The authors used panel data estimation model to test our six hypotheses on these eight selected countries for the period between 2008 and 2014. Findings A random effect model reveals that size, volume of capital and underwriting risk are significantly related to the profitability of Asian life insurance firm, measured as return on assets. Premium growth, asset tangibility and liquidity are insignificant predictors of the profitability performance of these life insurance firms. Practical implications Three implications of this study are that life insurance firms need to proactively tap new business opportunities by attracting younger generation customers via e-marketing technologies; secure larger capital base to finance their market expansion strategies; and focus on intangible resources such as goodwill, brand equity and reputation. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by conducting an exploratory regional-based panel study of Asian life insurance firms to find common factors that contribute towards profitability. The study is conducted on a collective sample of Asian life insurance firms based on the premise that the firms included in the sample engage in cross-border activities and share the same international financial reporting standards. These commonalities allow us to treat the firms jointly in a somewhat similar Asian macroeconomic environment.

Fundamental Valuation in Seven Asian Countries: Role of Earnings, Book Value, and Dividends

2020 ◽  
pp. 0148558X2094690
Author(s):  
Kriengkrai Boonlert-U-Thai ◽  
Shahrokh M. Saudagaran ◽  
Pradyot K. Sen
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Book Value ◽  
International Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Valuation Model ◽  
Prior Use ◽  
Other Information

We examine the role of earnings, book value, and dividends in examining the valuation of firms in select Asian countries. Besides the usual variables of earnings and book value, inclusion of dividends is motivated by prior use of the variable in the literature, as well as an adaptation of the Ohlson 2001 empirical specification of the valuation model. In our specification, absent credible analysts’ forecasts, as is typical in these markets, dividends together with earnings play the role of “other information” in explaining stock prices. In a large sample of Asian firms from seven Asian countries that lack an active analyst community, we document two key results. First, the model with earnings, book value, and dividends outperforms the earnings capitalization, book value, and a model with earnings and book value together, the traditional benchmarks used in the literature. This is in contrast to Ashbaugh and Olsson, 2002 who find that earnings capitalization is the best model for the international firms. Second, the ability of the model to explain stock valuations does not vary materially over time, thus indicating reasonable consistency across different accounting regimes in these countries that may include International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adaptation at different paces. Our finding highlights the information role of earnings and dividends when other channels of information are blocked.

Corporate impact of carbon disclosures: a nonlinear empirical approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mora Rodríguez ◽  
Francisco Flores Muñoz ◽  
Diego Valentinetti
Keyword(s):  
Insider Trading ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Online Search ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of recent developments in corporate reporting, specifically from the carbon disclosure project (CDP) environment, in the evolution of European post-crisis financial markets. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical and instrumental advancements from nonlinear dynamics have been applied to the analysis of market behaviour and the online presence or reputation of major European listed banks. Findings The application of a nonlinear statistical methodology (i.e. the autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average [ARFIMA] estimation model) demonstrates the presence of a long history of collected data, thus indicating a certain degree of predictability in the time series. Also, this study confirms the existence of structural breakpoints, specifically the impact of the CDP reporting in both stock prices and online search trends of the sampled companies for certain periods. Research limitations/implications This study introduces new methodological perspectives in corporate reporting studies, as the application of nonlinear techniques can be more effective in capturing corporate transparency issues. A limitation to overcome is to explore whether the impact of reporting is different due to the specific reporting behaviour each company adopts. Practical implications The “breakpoint” concept should enlighten the importance to firms of providing more information in specific moments, which can impact on both traditional (i.e. stock prices) and modern (i.e. online popularity) performance metrics. Additionally, it should be taken into account by stakeholders, when analysing the accountability of firms to improve their decision-making processes and policymakers, for monitoring and contrasting speculative and insider trading activities. Social implications Online search trends represent a new public attitude to how society “measures” the effectiveness of firms’ disclosure behaviours. Originality/value Combining ARFIMA with structural break techniques can be regarded as a relevant and complementary addition to classic “market reaction” or “value relevance” techniques.

Aggressive tax planning and stock price synchronicity: evidence from China

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 829-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Feng ◽  
Ahsan Habib ◽  
Gao liang Tian
Keyword(s):  
Stock Prices ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Tax Planning ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Price Informativeness ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Stock Price Synchronicity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Aggressiveness ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between aggressive tax planning and stock price synchronicity. Design/methodology/approach Employing the special institutional background of China, this study constructs tax aggressiveness and stock price synchronicity measures for a large sample of Chinese stocks spanning the period 2003–2015. The authors employ OLS regression as the baseline methodology, and a fixed effect model, the Fama–Macbeth method and GMM as sensitivity checks. Matched samples and difference-in-difference analyses are used to control for endogeneity. Findings The authors find a significant and positive association between aggressive tax planning and stock price synchronicity. Because material information about risky tax transactions tends to be hidden in various tax accruals accounts, aggressive tax strategies make financial statements less transparent, thereby, increasing information asymmetry and decreasing stock price informativeness. The authors also find that the firms engaging in aggressive tax planning exhibit relatively high corporate opacity. In addition, the authors find that improvements in the tax enforcement regime, ownership status and high-quality auditors all constrain the adverse effects of tax aggressiveness. Practical implications This study has important practical implications for China’s regulators, who are striving to reduce the tax burden of enterprises. It also helps investors to consider investment decisions more appropriately from a taxation perspective. Originality/value First, this paper contributes to the stock price efficiency literature by identifying the effect of a hitherto unexamined factor, namely, firm-level aggressive tax planning, on the efficiency of stock prices. Second, this study provides further empirical evidence to support the agency view of tax aggressiveness, and the informational interpretation of stock price synchronicity. Third, this study helps us better understand the effects of firm-level tax policy on firm-specific information capitalization in an environment where overall country-level investor protection is relatively weak.

Stock option modification under SFAS 123(R)

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-195
Author(s):  
Steven Balsam ◽  
Il-woon Kim ◽  
David Ryan ◽  
Hakjoon Song
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Stock Option ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Determinants ◽  
Political Costs ◽  
Price Performance ◽  
Political Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations for and variations in terms of stock option modifications under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 123(R). Stock options are used to motivate and retain employees. Unfortunately, when stock prices decline, existing options lose their incentive value. In response, firms look for ways to re-incentivize their employees. Their choices include issuing additional options and/or modifying existing grants. Design/methodology/approach – We investigate the economic determinants of stock option modification post SFAS 123(R), such as financial reporting cost, shareholder/political cost and employee incentive and retention. Our analysis is based on 67 sample firms that modify their stock option plans from 2005 to 2008 and 67 control firms constructed based on size, industry, year and stock price performance for the prior five years. Findings – The results show that loss firms are more likely to modify their options, which supports the argument that financial reporting costs influence the decision to modify. We find support for the shareholder/political costs hypothesis, as the overhang ratio is positively associated with the decision to modify. However, we find no evidence that modifications substitute for additional option grants. We find that politically sensitive larger firms are more likely to incorporate more shareholder friendly measures such as excluding executives from modification or providing shareholders the opportunity to vote on modification. Originality/value – This is the first paper examining the economic determinants of stock option modification under SFAS 123(R). Our findings provide some insights regarding economic determinants of SFAS 123(R) for accounting policy-makers and investors.

CSR report assurance in the USA: an empirical investigation of determinants and effects

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Cho ◽  
Giovanna Michelon ◽  
Dennis M. Patten ◽  
Robin W. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Firm Value ◽  
Market Valuation ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Orientation ◽  
Valuation Model ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Industry Membership

Purpose – The authors aims to examine, first, what factors appear to lead those US companies that do obtain assurance on their CSR reports to do so, and second, whether this assurance appears to be valued by market participants. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use logistic regression analysis to determine what factors explain the choice to seek assurance. For the second stage of the analysis, the authors rely on Aboody et al.'s market valuation model to examine the association between CSR report assurance and firm value. Findings – The authors find that industry membership and disclosure extensiveness both appear to influence the choice to attain third-party assurance on CSR reports in the USA. However, the results also indicate that the assurance is not associated with higher market value for report-issuing companies. Research limitations/implications – The authors examine only large firms and limit the investigation to a single year. Further, the authors do not examine market valuation effects where a broader stakeholder orientation might influence these relations. Practical implications – The results suggest that improving the incidence of CSR report attestation in the USA may require efforts from the assurance community to better identify the potential benefits of the practice. Originality/value – This is the first study to focus on CSR report assurance in a setting where country-level influences appear to limit adoption of the practice. As such, the findings are potentially important for understanding both the low incidence of assurance and what might be necessary to increase its use.

Value relevance and market valuation of assets measured using IFRS and US GAAP in the US equity market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Cipriano ◽  
Elizabeth T. Cole ◽  
John Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Market Valuation ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Book Value ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Us Gaap

Purpose Studies show firms reporting using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (US GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are similarly valued in the market, however, these studies are limited due to the noise present in international studies from regulatory differences. This study aims to eliminate much of this noise by using a cleaner sample of all listings with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). This paper also looks at more detailed book value figures. Design/methodology/approach There have been previous studies on the differences in market valuation of firms reporting using IFRS vs US GAAP. Most of this research is confounded with difficulties due to different regulatory environments and volatile time periods. The study uses cleaner data following the SEC’s acceptance of IFRS financials without a 20-F Reconciliation. The authors use a large sample of non-US firms trading on US exchanges choosing to use either US GAAP or IFRS for SEC reporting purposes. The sample period starts two years after the SEC’s acceptance of IFRS financials without a 20-F reconciliation and is larger than earlier samples. Findings The authors show that there is no difference between IFRS and US GAAP firms’ overall value relevance, however, earnings are more value relevant when measured using IFRS and book value is more value relevant when measured using US GAAP. The authors find that the difference between US GAAP and IFRS can be explained, at least in part, by greater market multiples being placed on inventories and goodwill using US GAAP. This is offset in part by greater multiples being placed on other assets under IFRS. Originality/value The authors replicate earlier studies but also extend with a better sample and more detailed finings.

Auditor's report, auditor's size and value relevance of accounting information

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-739
Author(s):  
Ahmad Abdollahi ◽  
Yasser Rezaei Pitenoei ◽  
Mehdi Safari Gerayli
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Alternative Measure ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Audit Firms

PurposeThe present study sets out to examine the effect of auditor's report and audit firm size on the value relevance of accounting information of the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 2008–2017.Design/methodology/approachThe study includes a sample of 1,530 firm-year observations drawn from the listed companies, and the research hypotheses were analyzed using multivariate regression model based on panel data.FindingsThe findings reveal that auditor's report and audit firm size are positively and significantly correlated with two indicators of the value relevance of accounting information including value relevance of earnings and book value per share. Also our results exhibit robustness to the alternative measure of auditor's attributes.Research limitations/implicationsAs far as we know, this is the first study to analyze the association between auditor's attributes and value relevance of accounting information in emerging capital markets, thereby generating certain implications for investors, managers, capital market policy makers and audit profession regulators in general and those in emerging markets in particular.Practical implicationsOur findings have implications for policy makers, regulators, managers and investors. Our evidence on the positive association between auditor's size and value relevance of accounting information should help policy makers and regulators which they improve value relevance of accounting information and financial reporting by integrating small audit firms and setting up larger audit firms.Originality/valueA rise in the value relevance of accounting information deserves further attention while drawing investment, selling the stocks of existing firms and increasing investor's decision-making ability. The way how auditor's attributes can promote the value relevance of accounting information is still open to new research.

scholarly journals Tone disclosure and financial performance: evidence from Egypt

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doaa Aly ◽  
Sherif El-Halaby ◽  
Khaled Hussainey
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Good News ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to examine the extent to which financial performance (FP) represents one of the main determinants for tone disclosure (TD) in Egyptian annual reports. The authors also measure the bidirectional relationship between TD and FP. Design/methodology/approach The manual content analysis is used to measure the levels of TD in annual reports for a sample of 105 firms listed on the Egyptian stock market. The sample covers a three-year period (2011-2013). Findings The descriptive analysis in this paper shows that Egyptian firms disclose more good news than bad news. Therefore, the net news disclosure, or net variances, between good/bad is positive. The empirical analysis shows a positive association between the narrative disclosure of good/bad news and FP based on return on assets. The authors also find a highly significant association between the auditor, profitability, leverage, firm growth and financial reporting of good/bad news information. Finally, the results of the ordinary least squares regression show that the causality between the two endogenous variables runs from FP to TD. Thus, TD is determined by FP. Originality/value This study offers a novel contribution to disclosure studies by being the first study to examine TD in one of the developing countries.

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