Research on the credit rating process has primarily focused on how rating agencies incorporate firm characteristics into their rating opinions. We contribute to this literature by examining the impact of managerial ability on the credit rating process. Given debt market participants' interest in...

This study examines the extent to which managerial talent plays a role in shaping the clarity of regulated financial disclosures and a firm's information environment. Consistent with the notion that clear thinking leads to clear writing, we find more able management teams produce clearer and...

We examine a comprehensive set of investigations by SEC Division of Enforcement offices to provide evidence on the consequences of busyness on the formal investigation process. Our evidence suggests that higher office case backlog decreases the likelihood of investigation initiation. Consistent...

We examine a comprehensive set of investigations by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement offices to provide evidence on the consequences of these office’s busyness on the formal investigation process. We find that higher office case backlog decreases the likelihood of an investigation into a...

This study documents a spillover effect of accounting fraud by showing that after the revelation of accounting misconduct there is an increase in financially motivated neighborhood crime (robberies, thefts, etc.) in the cities where these misconduct firms are located. We find that more visible...

We exploit survey data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics to investigate the roleof accounting in the likelihood that a small business more quickly achieves and maintains positiveoperating cash flow (profitability). We examine several potential aspects of accounting includingthe...

This study documents a spillover effect of accounting fraud by showing that after the revelation of accounting misconduct, there is an increase in financially motivated neighborhood crime (robberies, thefts, etc.) in the cities where these misconduct firms are located. We find that more visible...

A longstanding literature suggests that earnings provide the market with relevant information about firm performance, but one often overlooked benefit is their role in disciplining market expectations. This study examines the role of earnings announcements in constraining potential mispricing...

We propose a new measure of readability, the Bog Index, which captures the plain English attributes of disclosure (e.g., active voice, fewer hidden verbs, etc.). We validate this measure using a series of controlled experiments and an archival-based regulatory intervention to prospectus filing...

Prior research on the determinants of credit ratings has focused primarily on rating agencies' use of quantitative accounting information, but the impact of financial disclosures, particularly textual attributes, on the bond rating process has gone relatively unexplored. This study examines the...