We examine the contemporaneous and delayed market reaction to earnings announcements in a market setting characterised by strong disclosure regulation and enforcement. We evaluate the information content of four benchmarks of earnings announcement news: earnings in the previous year, analysts’...

In this paper, we assess the existing archival research on audit partners and provide recommendations for future research. Our empirical analyses suggest that the audit partner characteristics with the biggest impact are industry specialization and client importance. We demonstrate that audit...

This paper examines the relation between gender diversity on the board of directors and the likelihood that a company receives an emphasis of matter going concern audit opinion. Gender diversity on the board and the audit committee is examined. We find that, after controlling for the strength of...

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the role including the formal and informal activities of company secretaries on contemporary Australian boards, which has expanded with the increased liability of company secretaries. Design/methodology/approach - This study utilizes eleven...

Prior experimental research has documented a potential impact of auditor gender on audit judgement, auditor behavior and decision making. Using a unique data set of 10 286 firm-year observations of auditor gender, this study examines whether a particular characteristic of the auditor- the...

In March 2008, the Australian Government announced its intention to introduce a national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), now expected to start in 2015. This impending development provides an ideal setting to investigate the impact an ETS in Australia will have on the market valuation of...

The extensive literature on target characteristics predominantly focuses on takeover likelihood; or, given the event of a bid, the likelihood of the success of a bid. This study endeavours to shed light on the role of the CEO around takeover activity, and the influences on the target board's...

This study examines how both the level and the nature of environmental information voluntarily disclosed by Australian firms relate to their underlying environmental performance. Disclosure is scored using an index developed by Clarkson et al. (2008) based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)...

A key part of the auditor independence reforms in Australia, as represented by Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004 (Cth) (CLERP 9), mandates audit partner rotation. The change was criticised predominantly due to the costs imposed on both the...

This study investigates the governance attributes of firms that have been subject to securities class actions (SCAs). There has been a recent sizable increase in the number of firms subject to SCAs in Australia. We examine a sample of firms that have been subject to SCAs due to disclosure...