This paper examines both the materiality of intangibles and the related disclosure quality under IFRS in the notes of firms on the German benchmark stock index DAX during the four-year period 2008-2011. As proxies, we use the relation of intangibles-to-equity (materiality) and a disclosure index...

Based on the ongoing disclosure overload debate, this paper investigates how deregulation-driven decreases in quarterly disclosure affect information asymmetry. We exploit a German setting in which the minimum content requirements for quarterly reporting have been reduced for firms listed in the...

We examine the effects of financial reporting regulation on firms' banking. Exploiting discontinuous public disclosure and auditing requirements assigned to otherwise similar small and medium-sized private firms, we document that financial reporting regulation reduces firms' reliance on...

In this study, we examine the market reaction to ad hoc disclosures, a form of early disclosure unique to Germany, associated with periodic financial reports using data from the German stock market for the period 2003--2009. Although the immediate release of ad hoc disclosures is mandatory if...

This paper takes advantage of a regulation in Europe that allows member states to prescribe lighter reporting requirements for smaller unlisted firms. Under this framework firm size is measured using three variables – total assets, revenues, and number of employees – over which firms have...

The paper shows the ways of disclosing financial risks by IFRS 7 and certain types of sensitivity analysis. The different possibilities of preparing a sensitivity analysis, such as value at risk are illustrated and their suitability for reporting are faced critically. Following, the manner of...

The paper analyses the timing of disclosing financial statements for small and medium enterprises (SME) in Germany in 2007 and 2008. Comparisons of different regional areas and different company sizes are made and possible explanations for the results discussed. -- Rechnungslegungspolitik ;...

In today's uncertain financial climate it is particularly important for entities to explain their financial performance relative to their expectations. Therefore, the paper analyzes the quality and quantity of management reporting in Germany's publicly traded MDAX and SDAX companies using a...

Why are some people more optimistic about their life than others? Literature on locus of control suggests that optimism is associated with the belief that one’s life outcomes are controlled by internal factors, such as ability, instead of external factors, such as powerful others or chance....

This paper develops a theoretical model for the formation of subjective beliefs on individual survival expectations. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) indicate that, on average, young respondents underestimate their true survival probability whereas old respondents overestimate...