We investigate two potential deterrents of aggressive pro forma reporting. First, the design of compensation contracts can encourage managers to adopt either a short- or a long-term focus. While it is difficult to observe whether compensation contracts are tied directly to pro forma earnings...

We analyze a sample of 330 firms making unaudited disclosures required by Section 302 and 383 firms making audited disclosures required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We find that Section 302 disclosures are associated with negative announcement abnormal returns of -1.8 percent, and...

Revenue is one of the largest and most value-relevant items in firms' financial statements. Based on the ldquo;realizablerdquo; and the ldquo;earnedrdquo; criteria of SFAC No. 5 (FASB 1984), revenues should reflect both selling price and timing of delivery. Of those two aspects, selling-price...

Recent studies on whether the provision of non-audit services impairs audit quality document mixed results, depending on the proxy for auditor quality used. We posit that the effect of non-audit fees on audit quality is conditional on auditor industry specialization in that audit quality is less...

This study evaluates the impact of earnings on firm credit risk as captured by Credit Default Swaps (CDS). We find that earnings (changes) are negatively correlated with one-year swap premia (changes) after controlling for equity returns but not with longer term premia (changes). We also find...

In this paper we study the effect of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on earnings quality. Using a difference-in-differences method we find that firms that were required to comply with Section 404 during the first two years of its implementation improved the quality of their financial...

We study the effects of SEC oversight, proxied by a firm’s geographic proximity to the nearest SEC regional office, on the firm’s management earnings forecasts. Using exogenous changes in proximity caused by SEC district office elevations to regional status, we find that firms located in...

This monograph provides a thorough review of earnings quality issues and analysis. Its primary objectives are to help gain a deep understanding of earnings quality and facilitate the development of comprehensive, granular, and contextual earnings quality indicators and analyses. While there are...

The Securities and Exchange Commission encourages the presentation of information or data in graphical form to improve users’ ability to understand financial disclosures. We observe a dramatic increase in the disclosure of both qualitative and quantitative infographics in 10-Ks from 2003-2020....

I examine how mandatory extraction payment disclosures (EPD)—a policy solution intended to discourage corporate payment avoidance in the oil, gas, and mining industries—affect fiscal revenue contributions and investments by multinational firms in foreign host countries. Using the staggered...