Based on extant literature, we review the positive theory of GAAP. The theory predicts that GAAP's principal focus is on control (performance measurement and stewardship) and that verifiability and conservatism are critical features of a GAAP shaped by market forces. We recognize the advantage...

This paper examines the association between conservatism and the value relevance of accounting information over the 1975 through 2004 period. We measure conservatism using approaches developed in Penman and Zhang, The Accounting Review 77:237–264, (2002) and Beaver and Ryan, Journal of...

This study addresses conservatism in financial reporting. Firms seek financing for an investment. Investors have access to an imperfect accounting signal that may also have a conservative tendency. If the firms have no private information, conservatism is desirable only for negative ex ante...

We examine the economic consequences of the recent adoption of SFAS 123(R) in the United States. Consistent with the conjectures of prior research, our results show that the removal of favorable accounting treatment for stock options post SFAS 123(R) results in a switch from stock options to...

We conduct two experiments with experienced accountants to investigate how fair value accounting affects managers' real economic decisions. In Experiment 1, we find that participants are more likely to make sub-optimal decisions (e.g., forgo economically sound hedging opportunities) when...

This paper investigates whether the initiation of trading in credit default swaps (CDSs) on a borrowing firm's outstanding debt is associated with a decline in that firm's reporting conservatism. CDS investments can modify lenders' payoffs on their loan portfolios by providing insurance on...

This paper aims to investigate whether managers of Brazilian companies registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) which have made long-term financial borrowings (bonds and bank loans), voluntarily have changed their accounting practices in order to prevent the violation of their...

Lenders can transfer credit risk by purchasing credit default swaps (CDS), but holding swaps can diminish their incentives to monitor borrowers. Contracting theory predicts that lenders demand conservatism, in particular asymmetric timeliness of loss recognition, to effectively monitor...

The current study examines the voluntary disclosures (provided in the U.S.) by U.S.-listed Asian companies. Our findings indicate that significantly fewer [greater] voluntary disclosures are provided by U.S.-listed Asian companies from countries which have a strict [less strict] mandatory...

Regulators such as the SEC and standard setting bodies such as the FASB and the IASB argue the case for the conceptual desirability of fair value measurement, notably on the relevance dimension. Recent standards on financial instruments and certain non-financial items adopt the new measurement...