An important aim of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was to reduce the cost of capital by enhancing auditor independence. However, prior literature has argued that SOX has been ineffective in meeting this objective. We contribute to this debate by first providing evidence suggesting that auditor...

We estimate the association of investments in R&D and in physical assets (CAPEX) with subsequent earnings variability. We estimate these relations in different time periods and across industries. We find that R&D contributes to subsequent earnings variability more than CAPEX only in relative...

Since 1974, Ramp;D expenditures have been fully expensed when incurred partly because Ramp;D activities are claimed to be associated with a high degree of uncertainty in future economic benefits. In this study, we estimate the association between Ramp;D expenditures and capital expenditures...