Internal audit (IA) is theoretically considered a key element of modern corporate governance. Surprisingly, the existing knowledge on IA and its relation to the internal corporate governance structure is miscellaneous and rare. Consequently, empirical findings on the internal audit function...

We examine whether short sellers are interested in, and capable of, identifying firms with an upcoming revelation of Internal Control Material Weaknesses (ICMW). We show that short sellers accumulate positions in firms that are about to disclose ICMW under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act...

In the current business environment organizations are under increased pressure to ensure that they are taking appropriate measures not only in creating value, but also in preserving value. This is required in order to adequately safeguard and defend the interests of their multiple stakeholders....

This study investigates the monitoring role of high-quality auditors defined as office-level industry specialists in the stock market valuation of cash assets. We find that the market value of cash holdings is significantly higher for the client of an industry specialist auditor. The marginal...

Accountants examine multiple indicators when assessing whether individual assets are impaired. Different indicators predict cash flows over varying time horizons, and their importance varies with how far into the future individual assets are expected to generate cash flows. We predict that...

The report looks at the costs and benefits of regulating SMEs' financial reporting, at why SMEs may require a different regime from other businesses, and at what research can tell us about these questions. It concludes that the evidence available to date is insufficient to develop policies that...

This paper examines banks' disclosures and loss recognition in the financial crisis and identifies several core issues for the link between accounting and financial stability. Our analysis suggests that, going into the financial crisis, banks' disclosures about relevant risk exposures were...

This paper examines whether there is information sharing between mutual funds and their auditors about the auditors' other listed firm clients. Using data from the Chinese market, we find that mutual funds earn higher profits from trading in firms that share the same auditors. The effects are...

We study the role of internal control in tax avoidance by evaluating the efficacy of the COSO framework in tax risk management. First, we use a comprehensive COSO-based index in China that covers a firm's internal control over not only financial reporting, but also operations and compliance....

We examine how executive equity risk-taking incentives affect firms' choice of debt structure. Using a longitudinal sample of U.S. firms, we document that when executive compensation is more sensitive to stock volatility (i.e., has higher vega), firms reduce their reliance on bank debt...