The reported cost of a product frequently contains historical cost components that reflect past investments in productive capacity. We examine a setting wherein a firm makes a sequence of overlapping capacity investments. Earlier research has identified particular accrual accounting...

We examine whether the local press is an effective monitor of corporate misconduct. Specifically, we study the effects of local newspaper closures on violations by local facilities of publicly listed firms. After a local newspaper closure, local facilities increase violations by 1.1% and...

In the empirical estimation of the relation between CEO pay and both firm and peer performance, researchers typically include conventional accounting-based measures that reflect firm performance net of executive pay expense. We analytically show that when firms evaluate CEO performance relative...

European clearing houses are facing competition on their home markets for the first time. In order to meet this new challenge, the management of a clearing house needs to identify its stakeholders and their interests and must define a strategy including financial and non-financial aims. We...

This study investigates the association between the accuracy of revenue forecasts and the accounting activities of budget preparation and internal accounting report preparation. While both budgets and internal reports are widely used, empirical evidence concerning their influence on the...

Vertical integration is often proposed as a way to resolve hold-up problems, ignoring the empirical fact that division managers tend to maximize divisional (not firmwide) profit when investing. This paper develops a model with asymmetric information at the bargaining stage and investment returns...

In this short teaching note I explain why we subtract the change in working capital from the proper item (Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) or Net income) in the Income Statement. I show in detail how departing from the sales revenues and the cost of goods sold we have to subtract the...

Value based performance measures are intended to capture increases in shareholder wealth. At the same time they have to measure the realization of the returns initially planned for. To provide incentives for management to act in the interest of owners, bonus payments are often based on these...

The performance appraisal measures developed and applied at companies allow them to carry out self-assessments and to seek improvement plans, among others. One of the ways of seeking refinement is through the use of benchmarking, in which companies become involved in a learning system, comparing...