Motivated by institutional theory, we investigate and find results consistent with firms imitating the accounting of peers headquartered in the same location. Using a large sample of observations from 1993 to 2017, we find both statistically and economically significant evidence that firms have...

Using an extensive database of 356,463 sell-side equity analysts' reports from 2002 to 2009, this study is one of the first to analyze the readability of analysts' reports. We first examine the determinants of variations in analyst report readability. Using several proxies for ability, we show...

This paper examines the impact of borrowers' managerial ability on lenders' bank-loan pricing and the channels through which managerial ability affects bank-loan pricing. Using a large sample of U.S. bank loans, we provide evidence that higher managerial ability is associated with lower...

We examine whether greater transparency leads to improved evaluation and rewarding of management. We posit that disclosure improves board effectiveness at monitoring executives and in strengthening the link between pay and performance. We use management guidance as our empirical proxy for...

This paper systematically studies analysts' notes, an important form of analyst disclosure not previously studied in the literature. Analyst notes are written disclosures that represent a product of sell-side analysts' daily effort and provide a vehicle for analysts to communicate their...