We hypothesize that the choice to obtain a financial statement audit provides external financiers with incremental information about the firm, which helps reduce information asymmetry and financing frictions. Using a natural experiment, we show that when external financiers observe a firm's...

Research has shown the importance of corporate disclosure and dissemination in reducing information asymmetry and improving market efficiency. However, while investors and analysts might receive corporate disclosures, they often need help with assimilating the information to better understand...

This paper discusses the implications of using a change in working capital approach to measure accruals and the importance of the distinction between accruals and deferrals in the context of evaluating extant earnings management models. From this discussion, I develop a cash flow mapping model...

Corporate investment decisions require managers to forecast expected future cash flows from potential investments. Although these forecasts are a critical component of successful investing, they are not directly observable by external stakeholders. In this study, we investigate whether the...

This paper examines whether portfolio disclosure requirements for actively managed investment funds affect the investment decisions of firms owned by those funds. We argue that mandatory portfolio disclosures reduce fund managers’ incentive to collect and trade on private information, which...

A dedicated investor relations (IR) function facilitates direct and ongoing dialogue between management and shareholders. This paper examines whether this form of engagement mitigates activism that relies upon support from other shareholders. We find that IR engagement is associated with...

Firm disclosures often reach only a portion of investors, which results in information asymmetry among investors, and therefore lower market liquidity. This issue is particularly salient for firms that are not highly visible, as they tend not to receive broad news dissemination via traditional...