We examine the impact of a specific facet of the Global Research Analyst Settlement (Global Settlement) - the $460 million spent to procure independent analyst research. We compare independent research funded by the Global Settlement to that of the sanctioned investment banks as well as that of...

On Sunday, February 26, 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) erred on live television when Brian Cullinan, PwC's U.S. Board Chairman and Managing Partner of PwC's Southwest region, handed to the announcers the wrong envelope for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

After a lengthy and protracted debate, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) adopted new rules and related amendments to its auditing standards regarding the engagement partner and other accounting firms that took part in the audit (PCAOB 2015). The rules require disclosure of...

In response to Section 102(d) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, PCAOB Rule 2200 required annual reporting from all registered accounting firms via PCAOB Form 2. Filed for the first time during the second quarter of 2010, PCAOB Form 2 provides information about (1) each accounting firm's available human...

The SEC Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies recommends paid-for research to fill the void created by declining sell-side coverage. Potential conflicts of interest inherent in paid-for research challenge this recommendation. We evaluate whether paid-for research provides value to...

We assess whether managers engage in ex ante strategic behavior when issuing earnings forecasts in a novel context. We posit that some managers provide inaccurate downward guidance to increase the positive surprise and pricing premium at the earnings announcement, thereby maximizing profits from...

After a lengthy and protracted debate, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) adopted Rule 3211 (commonly referred to as “Form AP”) and related amendments to its auditing standards regarding the identification of audit engagement partner and other accounting firms who take...

PCAOB AS 3101 requires the auditor to communicate any critical audit matters (CAMs), identified during the planning or performance of the audit, in the audit report. Prior research has investigated the informativeness of CAM disclosures using short window, event study methodologies centered...

PCAOB AS 3101 requires the auditor to communicate in the audit report any critical audit matters (CAMs) identified during the planning or performance of the audit. One of the most common type of CAMs (revenue CAMs) relates to core earnings, which is fundamental to valuing a corporation (Penman 2001;...