Tax avoidance and stock price crash risk: mitigating role of managerial ability

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukesh Garg ◽  
Mehdi Khedmati ◽  
Fanjie Meng ◽  
Prabanga Thoradeniya
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Managerial Ability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether the quality of management can mitigate the positive association between corporate tax avoidance and firm-specific stock price crash risk (SPCR).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on data from the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), Compustat and ExecuComp and focuses on US-listed firms from 1980 to 2016. The authors employ ordinary least squares (OLS) regression as the baseline methodology and use five measures of tax avoidance and three measures of SPCR. Propensity score matching (PSM) and two-stage least squares methodologies are employed to address endogeneity concerns.FindingsThe authors find that more able managers weaken the positive relationship between tax avoidance and SPCR. The results suggest that the benefits of efficient tax management are more likely in firms with a more able management team as the likelihood of SPCR due to tax avoidance practices is reduced in such firms.Practical implicationsThis study has important practical implications for investors who are concerned about firms that engage in tax planning activities that can reduce corporate taxes, but at the same time increase the SPCR. Considering the compelling arguments and the “dark” side of more able managers who may engage in opportunistic behaviour, the study provides useful evidence in support of more able managers.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the SPCR literature by examining the effect of managerial ability on the likelihood of tax avoidance causing SPCR. Able managers are likely to lower the risk faced by investors and are less likely to extract rent and manipulate information. Therefore, the findings of this study have implications for investors by informing them of the negative value implications of tax avoidance and how they can be mitigated by hiring more able managers.

Organized labor, corporate governance, and stock price crash risk

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qunfeng Liao ◽  
Bo Ouyang
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Labor Unions ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Labor Union ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Opportunism

Purpose The aim of the paper is to investigate the effect of labor strength on stock price crash risk and related moderating mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach To examine the relationship between labor unions and stock price crash risk and, more importantly, whether corporate governance moderates this relationship. Ordinary least squares (OLS), two-stage least squares, cross-sectional analyses, industry-level regressions and firm-level regressions are conducted. Findings The results suggest a negative impact of labor union strength on stock price crash risk. Further analysis suggests strong corporate governance mechanisms may mitigate the increased stock price crash risk in less-unionized firms. Originality/value Labor unions have a long-term horizon in the firm and have strong incentives to monitor managerial opportunism. However, labor unions may also increase financial reporting opacity and collude with managers to gain bargaining power in labor negotiations. The authors’ finding suggests that labor union strength is negatively associated with stock price crash risk. This finding is consistent with the notion that labor unions curb managerial opportunism in information disclosure, resulting in reduced crash risk. More importantly, the authors find corporate governance mitigates the negative impact of reduced unionization on crash risk, providing empirical support for recent regulatory efforts to strengthen corporate governance to prevent stock market crash.

Do females in audit firm governance affect firm performance? Findings from Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Ocak
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Audit Firm ◽  
Hierarchical Levels ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to contribute to the literature by offering a different sector and emphasising the importance of females in audit firm (AF) governance on audit firm performance (AFP). Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares (OLS) and instrument variables regression (IVREG) with two-stage least squares are used to test the paper’s hypotheses. Findings Both OLS and IVREG estimation results show that both the proportion of females and gender diversity at board and owner levels and the total number of shares of female owners seem to enhance the performance of AFs. Practical implications These results may be important for policymakers and regulators to set a quota for women’s representation on AF governance or decide arrangements for women in AFs as in the regulations for the high hierarchical levels of other corporate firms. Originality/value This paper extends the current literature in the context of AFs in Turkey, positing that females in AF governance might enhance performance to a great extent.

Auditors’ response to corporate fraud: evidence from audit fees and auditor turnover

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Yujin Lee ◽  
Wonsuk Ha
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Estimation ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Audit Pricing ◽  
Corporate Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine how auditors respond to the revelation of clients’ corporate fraud. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an ordinary least squares estimation to examine how audit fees and audit turnover change after the revelation of corporate fraud. Findings After a client discloses fraudulent activities, average audit fees significantly increase due to an increase in audit hours, rather than in audit premiums. Both new and continuing auditors increase audit hours for fraud firms, but only new auditors charge higher audit fees for the increased effort. In addition, when auditors are designated by regulators following the revelation of fraud, audit fees and premiums increase, but audit hours do not. Finally, auditor turnover becomes more frequent after the revelation of fraud. Overall, the findings suggest that auditors update their assessment of audit risks after fraud revelation and, thus, adjust their audit pricing and client acceptance decisions. Practical implications The study provides regulators and audit practitioners with insights into how to audit contract characteristics and regulatory intervention (auditor designations) affect auditors’ response to increased audit risks. Originality/value The study contributes to the auditing literature and practice by providing evidence on how auditors respond to the revelation of fraudulent activities and how their response depends on their ability to determine audit fees. Moreover, we provide novel evidence that audit contracting characteristics and regulatory requirements result in different responses of auditors toward changes in audit risks.

Executive pay bandwagon and stock price crash risk

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Luo ◽  
Junfeng Wu ◽  
Wan Huang ◽  
Yongliang Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Executive Pay ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of executives’ self-interested behaviors induced by the pay bandwagon on stock price crash risk in Chinese listed firms and attempt to shed light on the influencing channels of this effect. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis is based on the panel data set which contains information on the executives and stock price of 11,710 firm-year observations over the period 2007–2015. The multiple linear regression models are implemented to examine whether the executive pay bandwagon affects corporate future stock price crash risk. Then, earnings management, tax avoidance and overinvestment are applied as the behavior choice of executive pay bandwagon to analyze the potential influencing channels. Findings Results indicate that the lower the executives’ pay is than the median pay level of executives in firms of similar size and industry, incentives of pay bandwagon are stronger, leading to a higher future stock price crash risk. Moreover, evidence shows that the positive relationship between executive pay bandwagon and crash risk is attenuated when firms have strong external monitoring mechanisms such as Big Four auditors, cross-listing in the Hong Kong stock exchange, high marketization process and high institutional ownership. Then, some weak evidence supports that internal governance such as internal control plays the same moderating role. In addition, based on the path test, the stock price crash effect of the executive pay bandwagon has a complete tax avoidance intermediary effect and a partial earnings management intermediary effect. Originality/value This study contributes to the executive compensation literature from a psychological perspective on the economic consequences research brought about by the pay bandwagon for China’s listed firms. Moreover, this paper provides a supplement to the literature on factors which is completely different from previous studies that affect the future stock price crash risk.

Crash risk and debt maturity: evidence from Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Hasan ◽  
Dewan Rahman ◽  
Grantley Taylor ◽  
Barry Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Panel Data Estimation ◽  
Debt Maturity Structure ◽  
Maturity Structure ◽  
Data Estimation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the association between debt maturity structure and stock price crash risk in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ panel data estimation with industry and year fixed effects. The paper uses a sample of 1,548 publicly listed Australian firms (8,661 firm-year observations) covering the 2000–2015 period.FindingsStock price crash risk is positively and significantly associated with the long-term debt maturity structure of firms. In addition, this positive association is more pronounced for firms with a more opaque information environment.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine stock price crash risk in Australia. The findings are value relevant as it uncovers how debt maturity structure affects shareholders' wealth protection.

Analysts’ optimism and stock crash risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-343
Author(s):  
Hyunkwon Cho ◽  
Robert Kim
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Stock Return ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Shed Light

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether analysts’ optimism affects the stock crash risk. Design/methodology/approach The sample covers 49,246 firm-year observations for the period between 1995 and 2015. The authors use OLS regressions with firm and year fixed effects for analyses. Findings The study finds that there is a positive association between analysts’ optimism and stock crash risk. Such a positive impact is more pronounced for firms with opaque information environment and for analysts who are considered ex ante credible. Research limitations/implications The results indicate that analysts’ optimism can be an important source of stock crash risk. Practical implications The findings can be useful for informational users of analyst reports. Given that information provided by analysts might have negative consequences, the empirical results can be useful in assessing future stock return behaviors. Originality/value This paper has the potential to shed light on the large literature of crash risk. Prior studies suggest that crash is driven by the agency tension between shareholders and managers. It remains possible that crashes could be caused by overpriced stocks in the absence of bad news hoarding. The paper investigates crash from a perspective, financial analysts, that is underexplored.

Managerial ability and stock price crash risk – the role of managerial overconfidence

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxin Liu ◽  
Dongliang Lei
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
Joint Effect ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Managerial Ability ◽  
Material Weakness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Belief Heterogeneity ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Managerial Overconfidence

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relation between managerial ability and stock price crash risk, conditional on managerial overconfidence. In addition, conditional on managerial overconfidence, the authors investigate the effect of managerial ability on firms’ choice of bad news hoarding channels, which result in a stock price crash. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 24,289 firm-years from companies listed on Compustat and CRSP from 1994 to 2018, the authors conduct panel regression analysis. Findings The authors find that managerial ability is positively associated with stock price crash risk only when managerial overconfidence is high. Furthermore, the authors find that managerial ability seems to exacerbate (attenuate) the bad news withholding by the overconfident managers using the earnings guidance (earnings management) channel. The authors find limited evidence that high-ability managers are likely to withhold bad news through the overinvestment channel and “other channels” when managers are overconfident. Finally, the authors find that the joint effect of managerial overconfidence and managerial ability on firms’ crash risk is more pronounced when there is a material weakness in firms’ internal controls, high investor belief heterogeneity and high information asymmetry. However, this effect appears to dissipate during the recent financial crisis in 2008. Originality/value This research reveals that managerial ability is costly to firms by engendering bad news hoardings and stock price crash risk when managers are overconfident. It also sheds light on how managerial overconfidence and managerial ability affect managers’ choice of bad news withholding channels and stock price crash risk. Finally, the paper is of practical value to the board of directors in selecting the prospective executives.

Related party transactions, corporate governance and earnings management

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1124-1146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pier Luigi Marchini ◽  
Tatiana Mazza ◽  
Alice Medioli
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Related Party Transactions ◽  
Governance Indicator ◽  
Contingency Perspective ◽  
Good Corporate Governance

Purpose Following the contingency perspective, this paper aims to examine if a good corporate governance structure is able to reduce earnings management made through related party transactions. The authors expect that a high-quality corporate governance influences private benefit acquisition and reduces the positive association between related party transactions and earnings management. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage least squares instrumental variable approach is used to further address endogeneity concerns in this study. The model is organized into three parts: the construction of the corporate governance indicator, the first stage regression to compute the predicted corporate governance indicator and the second stage regression (ordinary least squares multivariate regressions) to analyze the relationship between related party transactions and earnings management. The analysis focuses on a sample of Italian listed companies over the period 2007-2012. Findings The study finds that the interaction between sales-related party transactions and corporate governance is negatively associated with abnormal accruals, signaling that corporate governance quality reduces the positive association between sales-related party transactions and earnings management, consistently with the contingency perspective. Originality/value The research contributes to literature by empirically testing the assumption of contingency perspective. In particular, the results provide new insights to the academic community, underlying that good corporate governance mechanism helps to reduce earnings management behavior through related party transactions.

Non-GAAP measure disclosure and insider trading incentives in high-tech IPO firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishal BC ◽  
Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Initial Public Offering ◽  
Insider Trading ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Offering

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether the non-generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) performance measures (NGMs) disclosure by high-tech initial public offering (IPO) firms signal firms’ efforts to maintain relatively high stock price levels before the expiration of the lock-up period to benefit insider selling. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform ordinary least squares and logit regressions using financial statement data and hand collected data on NGM disclosures for high-tech firms during the IPO process. Findings The authors find that the top executives of high-tech IPO firms with NGM disclosures are significantly more likely to sell and sell significantly more insider shares at the lock-up expiration than those of high-tech IPO firms without NGM disclosures. At the same time, while high-tech NGM firms have stock returns similar to their counterparts without NGMs for the period before the lock-up expiration, their stock returns are substantially lower after insider selling following the lock-up expiration. Practical implications By documenting the negative association between NGM disclosures and post-lockup expiration stock performance, the study highlights managerial deliberate optimism about the firm’s prospects which may not materialize. Hence, investors should take the NGM disclosures with a grain of salt. Originality/value This paper fills a notable void in the non-GAAP reporting literature by documenting a statistically and economically significant positive association between managerial equity trading incentives and NGM disclosures by high-tech IPO firms.

Estimating defaults in organized security lending markets

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-362
Author(s):  
Latif Cem Osken ◽  
Ceylan Onay ◽  
Gözde Unal
Keyword(s):  
Credit Risk ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Price Volatility ◽  
Equity Market ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Central Counterparties ◽  
Risk Determinants

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the dynamics of the security lending process and lending markets to identify the market-wide variables reflecting the characteristics of the stock borrowed and to measure the credit risk arising from lending contracts. Design/methodology/approach Using the data provided by Istanbul Settlement and Custody Bank on the equity lending contracts of Securities Lending and Borrowing Market between 2010 and 2012 and the data provided by Borsa Istanbul on Equity Market transactions for the same timeframe, this paper analyzes whether stock price volatility, stock returns, return per unit amount of risk and relative liquidity of lending market and equity market affect the defaults of lending contracts by using both linear regression and ordinary least squares regression for robustness and proxying the concepts of relative liquidity, volatility and return constructs by more than variable to correlate findings. Findings The results illustrate a statistically significant relationship between volatility and the default state of the lending contracts but fail to establish a connection between default states and stock returns or relative liquidity of markets. Research limitations/implications With the increasing pressure for clearing security lending contracts in central counterparties, it is imperative for both central counterparties and regulators to be able to precisely measure the risk exposure due to security lending transactions. The results gained from a limited set of lending transactions merit further studies to identify non-borrower and non-systemic credit risk determinants. Originality/value This is the first study to analyze the non-borrower and non-systemic credit risk determinants in security lending markets.

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