This paper argues that the observed misconduct of managers and gatekeepers in the recent corporate scandals is better explained if one accounts for the time-inconsistent preferences of corporate actors. It builds on of my model of time-inconsistent misconduct, which I develop more fully...

Corporate law and corporate governance are often called upon to address problems in international and transnational contexts. Financial markets are global and the problems in those markets are often similar, if not identical, even though the capital market structure across jurisdictions differs...

Berkshire Hathaway, among history's largest and most successful corporations, shuns middlemen; its chairman, the legendary investor Warren Buffett, excoriates financial intermediaries. The acquisitive conglomerate rarely borrows money, retains brokers, or hires consultants. Its governance is...

We consider how corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance relates to the strength of the internal control environment. The transparent reporting hypothesis predicts that high ESG performance signals ethical decision making and/or strong financial performance, both of...

Durch vermehrt aufgetretene Finanzskandale und Zusammenbrüche namhafter Unternehmen wurde in den letzten Jahren das Vertrauen der Anleger nachhaltig gestört. Um die Glaubwürdigkeit in die veröffentlichten Finanzinformationen und in die Sicherheit der unternehmerischen Überwachungsprozesse...

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) is an exogenous shock to the information environment of firms listed in the U.S. Thus, firms might adjust their capital structures to reflect the new information environment. I examine SOX's effect on capital structure. Since SOX applies only to firms listed in the...

We examine whether the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has a major role in reducing the diversification discount and enhancing internal capital markets efficiency. The act proposes new rules and regulations on financial practice and reshapes corporate governance to insure alignment of incentives between...

The ultimate objective of financial reporting is to provide transparent financial statements and disclosures that meet the informational needs of investors and other users of financial statements. One of the primary goals of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (USHR 2002) is to provide more reliable...

This paper considers the economic consequences of Pub.L. 107-204, more commonly known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). SOX is an act passed by U.S. Congress in 2002 to protect investors from the possibility of fraudulent accounting activities by corporations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)...