An empirical study of the relationship between accounting conservatism and executive compensation-performance sensitivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Simon Gao ◽  
Yi Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Performance Sensitivity ◽  
Moral Risk ◽  
Measure Of Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between accounting conservatism and executive compensation-performance sensitivity with a view to identify the influence of accounting conservatism on the efficiency of executive compensation contracts. Design/methodology/approach This study uses multiple regression models based on the approach of Iyengar and Zampelli (2010), Clarkson et al. (2011) and Huang and Kisgen (2013) with the data from all of China’s listed non-financial firms over the period of 10 years to test the relationship between accounting conservatism and the sensitivity of executive compensation-performance. Findings This study finds a positive association between executive compensation and accounting-based measure of performance. More importantly, it reveals that conservatism has a positive relation with the executive compensation-performance sensitivity after controlling for a number of firm-specific factors and control variables. This study shows that the sensitivity of executive compensation to firm performance is higher for firms with higher accounting conservatism. Originality/value This is one of the few studies to examine the relationship between accounting conservatism and executive compensation-performance sensitivity. It provides supportive evidence to the argument that accounting conservatism, being an efficient governance mechanism, can help mitigate information risk and moral risk for agency problems.

Image, performance, attitudes, trust, and loyalty in financial services

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 744-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Akhgari ◽  
Edward R. Bruning ◽  
Jesse Finlay ◽  
Nealia S. Bruning
Keyword(s):  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to determine the extent to which hedonic and utilitarian attitudes and loyalty are influenced by perceived financial performance (PFP) and executive compensation plan image (ECPI) in financial services; second, the authors evaluate relationships among hedonic and utilitarian attitudes, trust, and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quasi-experimental design in Study 1 the authors test the relationship between antecedents (PFP and ECPI) and relational elements (attitudes, trust, and loyalty) to address the first objective. To accomplish the second objective, the authors employ structural equation modeling in Study 2 to test the relationship among hedonic and utilitarian attitudes, trust, and loyalty.FindingsStudy 1 confirms that PFP and ECPI positively impact both hedonic and utilitarian attitudes but do not directly affect loyalty. Study 2 demonstrates a positive association between utilitarian attitudes and trust, although the hedonic attitudes-trust relationship is negative. Hedonic attitudes are also significantly related to utilitarian attitudes. Finally, trust mediates the relationship between attitudes and loyalty.Practical implicationsBuilding customer trust is an important correlate of loyalty, and emphasizing an attribute-based aspect of perceived financial service generates greater trust compared to enhancing a non-attribute aspect (i.e. minimizing negative effects on image of executive compensation plans).Originality/valueThe authors link attitude research to service/relationship quality research and discover that attitudes are indirectly related to loyalty through increases in trust. The findings suggest that perceived image and performance of financial services are important to relationship quality when applied to financial services.

The pricing of information asymmetry based on environmental uncertainty and accounting conservatism

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Rashidi
Keyword(s):  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Capital Market ◽  
Environmental Uncertainty ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Research Information ◽  
Expected Return ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the information asymmetry pricing (relation between information asymmetry and expected return) based on environmental uncertainty and accounting conservatism.Design/methodology/approachThe current study applies panel regression method estimator to investigate the relationship between accounting conservatism, environmental uncertainty and information asymmetry pricing of 1,309 firm-year observations in Iran for the period 2008–2018.FindingsThe result indicated the negative relation between accounting conservation and information asymmetry pricing and documented a positive association between environmental uncertainty and information asymmetry pricing.Practical implicationsIn the present study, the weaknesses caused by the ambiguity of capital market efficiency in market performance-based statistical models are compensated and partially covered by quantifying the relationships and implementing models in each quintile. Results obtained from this study will aid policymakers to evaluate disclosure rules and firms to manage their information. The study is based on the corporate accounting and financial literature and examines behavioral changes in information and its effect on information asymmetry pricing that can be applied to investors, managers, standardization committees and legislators.Originality/valueThe risk of accounting information in the context of the capital market environment can be divided into two parts: a part that is ambiguous about the accuracy of this information and another part that is a distribution of information. Unlike other research, information asymmetry pricing has also been addressed with regard to the origin and distribution of information. This study also considers the effect of information asymmetry and market constraints by considering the ability of financial reports to transmit firm information.

Association between restrictive covenants and accounting conservatism: evidence from US public debt

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Houaneb ◽  
amira Houaneb ◽  
Rim Ben Hassen ◽  
Dorra Talbi
Keyword(s):  
Public Debt ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Restrictive Covenants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Debt Contract ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Timely Loss Recognition

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between restrictive covenants and accounting conservatism. More specially, the authors try to explain how the use of restrictive covenants of public debt may affect accounting conservatism. Design/methodology/approach The sample is composed of non-financial firms and for each firm one debt contract is considered. The authors have used the Ball and Shivakumar (2005) models to test the relationships. All variables were retrieved from Mergent Fixed Investment Securities and COMPUSTAT Databases. Findings The findings of this study show that the more the firm relies on bond covenants, the higher is the degree of conservatism. The authors found also that these firms also exhibited a widely significantly increased level of conservatism in the years following the issuance of debt. Research limitations/implications The results should be interpreted with caution because the use of covenants does not take into consideration the tightness of their inclusion in the public debt contract. Originality/value This paper makes a timely contribution to the debate of timely loss recognition by confirming the complementarity between the inclusion of restrictive covenants in the debt agreement and the accounting conservatism before and after the emission of public debt.

The moderating effect of profitability and leverage on the relationship between eco-efficiency and firm value in publicly traded Malaysian firms

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nosakhare Peter Osazuwa ◽  
Ayoib Che-Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Firm Value ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of profitability and leverage on the relationship between eco-efficiency and firm value. Design/methodology/approach The study extends the Ohlson’s model on value relevance using the hierarchical regression analysis to establish the moderating effects of the firm-specific variables. The sample includes 667 non-financial firms from the Bursa Malaysia, as of 2013. The data for eco-efficiency were extracted from content analysis of the annual report, whereas the financial data were retrieved from the data stream. Findings The study provides support for the stakeholder theory that purports that managers must develop a relationship with stakeholders by embarking on environmental friendly practices to maintain a positive firm value. The study shows a positive association between eco-efficiency and the value of the firm and provides support for a positive moderating relationship for profitability in the relationship between eco-efficiency and firm value, whereas there was no significant effect for leverage in the relationship. Research limitations/implications It should be noted that, first, the data comprised exclusively Malaysian companies. Including firms from similar developing countries with varying institutional make-up and culture would enhance the understanding of the subject. Second, considering that the data for this study is cross-sectional, it may not be sufficient to draw strong causal influences. The study is the first to the best of the researcher’s knowledge to provide evidence that profitability positively moderates the relationship between eco-efficiency and firm value. Practical implications The result shows the management and potential investors that an investment in eco-efficiency will lead to a higher firm value, irrespective of the debt profile of the firm and that profitable firms are more likely to embark on an eco-efficient policy. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by providing evidence from a developing country’s perspective, as well as extending prior studies that merely examined the direct relationship, to now explore the moderating relationship of profitability and leverage in the relationship between eco-efficiency and firm value using a large sample.

Simultaneous relationship between performance and executive compensation of Thai non-financial firms

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonlop Buachoom
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Stock Market ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Pay For Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Performance System ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the two-direction relationship between financial firm performance and executive compensation in Thai listed companies; that is, effect of firm performance on executive compensation and the effect of executive compensation on subsequent firm performance. In investigating the relationship, governance, firm-specific and human capital characteristics, which should influence on the pay-performance system, are also considered. This study helps to shape an understanding of the effectiveness of the incentive system in the Thai context. Design/methodology/approach The System GMM, with concern about the endogeneity problem of the simultaneous relationship, is applied to examine the relationship between firm performance and executive compensation. The samples to investigate this relationship composed of 5,139 firm-years observations for 15 years from the years 2000 to 2014 of 432 non-financial firms in the Thai stock market. Findings The empirical evidence reveals simultaneous relationship between performance and executive compensation in Thai stock market. It shows that compensation of executives in Thai firms corresponds to firm performance, and compensation of executives leads to an improvement in subsequent performance of Thai listed firms. Moreover, some corporate governance mechanisms and human capital of executives also revealed their particular effects on setting of the pay for performance system in Thailand. Originality/value This study confirms that the pay for performance system is applicable in Thailand. Furthermore, the empirical results of this study highlight effects of some governance and human capital characteristics on setting of the pay-performance system. Thus, this study should be a part of the growing body of literature in this area.

Effects of suppliers’ trust and commitment on customer involvement

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
pp. 1041-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Taiwen Feng
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Exchange Theory ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Relational Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Involvement ◽  
Specific Investment ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among suppliers’ trust and commitment, transaction-specific investment, switching cost, and customer involvement within the context of relational governance mechanism and the social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use survey data from 214 Chinese manufacturing firms and employ the structural equation model to verify the conceptual model. Findings – Relational governance benefits customer involvement. Transaction-specific investment mediates the relationship between trust and commitment of suppliers. Switching costs negatively moderate the relationship between suppliers’ trust and customer involvement, but positively moderate the relationship between suppliers’ commitment and customer involvement. Research limitations/implications – The authors focus on two key elements of relationship, namely, trust and commitment of suppliers, but neglect other relational factors, such as relational norms and interdependence. Originality/value – These findings broaden the understanding and present new directions for the implementation of customer involvement from the perspective of relational governance and social exchange theory.

Are federal single audit reports of internal control weaknesses a useful tool for evaluating management? The case of charter schools

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Ryberg Bradley ◽  
Dana A. Forgione ◽  
Joel E. Michalek
Keyword(s):  
Charter Schools ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Stakeholder ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Internal Control Weaknesses ◽  
Single Audit ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe authors examine whether reports of internal control weaknesses (ICWs) under federal single audit (FSA) guidelines are a useful tool for evaluating non-profit (NP) management, using a unique nationwide sample of NP charter schools. While prior research focuses on external stakeholder reactions to reported ICWs, little if any research addresses the utility of these reports for internal users. The authors fill this gap in the literature, finding evidence suggesting that NP charter school decision-makers use internal control (IC) reports when setting executive compensation – awarding lower pay increases when deficiencies are reported.Design/methodology/approachThe authors regress executive compensation changes on reported ICWs and likely determinants of NP compensation, including organization size, growth, liquidity and management performance, using a sample of 173 school/year observations representing 113 unique schools for the years 2012–2015.FindingsThe authors find a negative relationship with executive pay increases subsequent to reports of initial and repeated IC deficiencies, indicating that lower than average pay increases are awarded subsequent to reports of ICWs.Research limitations/implicationsInterpretation of the authors' results is subject to several limitations, including the possibility of omitted variable bias and the authors' sample, though it comprises all available data for the sample period, and is relatively small and may be considered exploratory in nature. Further, charter schools represent a unique public/private partnership in the educational sector, and the results may not be generalizable to other NPs. Future research could explore the relationship between reported IC deficiencies and governance in other, broader NP sectors.Practical implicationsThe authors' findings are useful to NP organization boards of directors as they consider what factors to evaluate in their chief executive officer (CEO) compensation decisions. In addition to other criteria, inclusion of IC effectiveness in the CEO reward system is prudent, especially in today's environment of increasingly important information security and IC matters. The results suggest such information is being included. This previously undocumented use is also of particular value to regulators when weighing the costs and benefits of mandating single audits for smaller NPs, who are otherwise unlikely to obtain information on the organization's IC environment.Social implicationsThese findings may help inform the debate regarding NP charter schools, a fast-growing, economically significant and highly controversial sector in public education. Charters are predominantly funded by state and local taxes. As such, the quality of governance in NP charter schools is of interest to a wide range of stakeholders including parents, regulators and the public at large.Originality/valueWhile prior research on ICWs and NPs focuses on external stakeholder reactions to reported ICWs, little if any research addresses the utility of these reports for internal users, especially in relatively smaller organizations. The research leverages the existence of charter schools, which are independent but present nationwide, providing a suitable sample of like organizations. Further, no extant research to the authors' knowledge examines the relationship of NP executive compensation and reported ICWs – a topic previously addressed in the for-profit (FP) literature.

Accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connections

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Farizal Mohammed ◽  
Kamran Ahmed ◽  
Xu-Dong Ji
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Political Connection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connection in listed firms in Malaysia where political influence plays a significant role in the capital market and in many business dealings. Design/methodology/approach By utilizing 824 firm-year observations comprising large listed companies over a period of four years from 2004, this study uses ordinary least squares regression models to investigate the relationship between accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connections in Malaysia. Multiple measures of conservatism developed by Basu (1997) and Khan and Watts (2009) are employed. Findings The results show evidence of accounting conservatism (bad news being recognized earlier than good news) in Malaysia. Further, the results reveal that better corporate governance structure in terms of board independence is positively associated with accounting conservatism while management ownership is negatively associated with it. However, political connection has a negative moderating effect on the positive relationship between accounting conservatism and board independence. The results also suggest political connections have a positive association with firm’s future performance. Originality/value This study is the first in investigating the effect of political connections on accounting conservatism in Malaysian context and how political connections negatively affect the monitoring role of the corporate boards. By directly measuring political connection and controlling for various corporate governance mechanisms and firm-specific attributes, this study contributes to enhance the authors’ understanding of the political influence in financial reporting quality and firm performance in an emerging market setting.

The effect of equity ownership structure on non-conditional conservatism: an empirical study based on listed companies in Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila Mohamed Alshawadfy Aladwey
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conditional Conservatism ◽  
Equity Ownership ◽  
Equity Ownership Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of different modes of equity ownership structure in unconditional conservatism of financial reporting for non-financial listed companies in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach Using a large sample of Egyptian non-financial listed companies for the period from 2011–2018, this paper used the ordinary least square regression model to test the impact of equity ownership equity on accounting conservatism based on an accrual-based measure developed by Givoly and Hayn (2000) and Ahmed and Duellman (2007). Findings The paper finds that, on average, Egyptian listed companies tend to demonstrate lower levels of unconditional conservatism during the period from 2011–2018. Regarding the different patterns of equity shareholding, a negative association between unconditional conservatism and managerial ownership is found. Briefly, the mild equity shareholding of managers in Egyptian listed companies is accompanied by higher demand for conservative reporting. Besides, a negative association is also reported for the relationship between concentrated ownership and unconditional conservatism in which the concentration of shareholding by a few numbers of individual investors lessen the demand for conservatism. By contrast, a non-significance relationship is reported neither for institutional shareholders nor for governmental ownership in their relationship with unconditional conservatism. Research limitations/implications The paper does not take into account the modifications conducted on the Egyptian accounting standards according to decree number 69 for the year of 2019 because they were not valid until the publishing of this paper. It considers only non-conditional conservatism. Practical implications First, the paper provides clear empirical evidence that Egyptian listed companies are adopting less-conservative accounting policies in their financial reporting during a high-tension period that witnessed several radical political and economic events. This evidence should stimulate regulators and policymakers to revisit the reporting standards to improve the quality of financial information and should also guide investors’ decisions because it helps in clarifying their interpretation of figures and trends reported in financial statements. Second, the paper would direct the attention of the Egyptian government to the importance of increasing their investment in the stock market to enhance its regulatory role. Third, it gives some implications to investors and policymakers toward the shape of the relationship between accounting conservatism and each pattern of equity shareholding in Egypt. Originality/value This paper visualizes an image toward the current state of equity ownership structure for listed companies in Egypt within a period that witnessed critical vulnerabilities and irregularities. In addition, it addresses how the accounting conservatism would be shaped according to the different types of equity shareholdings in Egypt.

Ethical values and bank performance: evidence from financial institutions in Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-256
Author(s):  
Tuan Azma Fatiema Tuan Ibrahim ◽  
Hafiza Aishah Hashim ◽  
Akmalia Mohamad Ariff
Keyword(s):  
Banking Sector ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Bank Performance ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between ethical values and performance in the context of the banking sector in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Based on the philanthropic model, this study posits that firms undertaking zakat and charity are ethical firms. Zakat disclosure index (ZDI) and charity disclosure index (CDI) were constructed to measure ethical values. This study hypothesises that ethical values are positively associated with bank performance. Ethical values (i.e. CDI and ZDI) and financial performance data (i.e. return on assets) were collected from the disclosures made in the annual reports of 50 banks for a period of five years (2010-2014). Findings A positive association was found between zakat disclosure and bank performance. The results indicate that higher zakat disclosure is associated with greater bank performance. However, no relationship was found between charity disclosure and bank performance. Research limitations/implications Considering the limitation of the index used in this study, other dimensions such as corporate governance, sustainability, products and environment can be considered in the development of index to measure ethical values in future studies. Originality/value This study offers additional explanation on the relationship between ethical values and performance by examining the role of zakat disclosures that characterize the unique aspects of Malaysian companies.

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