Estimates and projections are embedded in most financial statement items. These estimates potentially improve the relevance of financial information by providing managers the means to convey to investors forward-looking, inside information (e.g., on future collections from customers via the bad...

We examine whether the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has changed the usefulness of accounting information in predicting future earnings and cash flows out-of-sample. Using a sample of firms from European Union countries that mandatorily adopted IFRS in...

It is widely agreed that corporate financial reports provide deficient information about intangible assets. However, investors are exposed to substantial information beyond financial reports, such as managers' direct communications to capital markets and analysts' reports. We ask: To what extent...

The immediate expensing of Ramp;D expenditures is often justified by the conservatism principle. However, no accounting procedure consistently applied can be conservative throughout the firm' life. We ask the following questions: (a) When is the expensing of Ramp;D conservative and when is it...