We revisit evidence whether incentives or IFRS drive earnings quality changes, analyzing a large sample of German firms in the period from 1998 to 2008. Consistent with previous studies we find that voluntary and mandatory adopters differ distinctively in terms of essential firm characteristics...

This study examines the predictive power of comprehensive income and its individual components within the homogenous institutional setting of German IFRS firms. The results could be relevant for the standard setters IASB and FASB and their joint project “Financial Statement Presentation”. We...

This paper examines the role of certain fair value accounting (FVA) outcomes in compensation of US bank CEOs. The use of FVA in compensation invites an agency cost - the clawback problem - if cash compensation is based on unrealized profits that may reverse in the future. At the same time FVA...

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 examines how the characteristics of accounting systems and management incentives interact and collectively determine financial reporting quality. We develop a rational expectations equilibrium model that features a steady-state firm with investments, financial and non-financial...

We revisit evidence whether incentives or IFRS drive earnings quality changes, analyzing a large sample of German firms in the period from 1998 to 2008. Consistent with previous studies we find that voluntary and mandatory adopters differ distinctively in terms of essential firm characteristics...

A premise of standard setters and of much empirical research is that improving the quality of accounting standards and their implementation increases information in capital markets. This paper challenges this premise and shows that there are situations in which “better”, i.e., more...

IFRS 7 and 9 have requirement, for recognition, measurement and disclosure of derivatives. Derivatives include futures and options for hedging foreign currency risks, interest rate risk, price risk etc. Derivatives include financial and commodity derivatives, commodity derivatives are of recent...

Balance sheet figures must be reliable and need not necessarily be value relevant. In order to protect the company's creditors, and to safeguard the investing public against the possibility of earnings management, intangible assets should only be recognized when the most stringent of standards...

I find that goodwill write-offs under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 (SFAS 142) are associated with future expected cash flows as mandated by the standard. However, there are indications that goodwill write-offs lag behind the economic impairment of goodwill. Additional...