Using a unique, manually-collected dataset, we are the first to analyze the role that management guidance at the segment level plays for the financial analyst earnings forecasts of diversified firms. About half of the diversified European firms in the sample provide segment-level guidance (SLG),...

Focusing on segment disclosures under the management approach, we investigate managers' choices with respect to both segment reporting quantity and quality and the usefulness of these two characteristics for financial analysts. We measure quantity as the number of segment-level line items and...