Over the past few decades, corporate law scholarship has largely relied on insights from the nexus-of-contracts theory of the firm, agency-theoretic reasoning in corporate finance, and the economic analysis of law more generally. These insights have led to substantial theoretical …

Following a lengthy and contentious standard setting process, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the U.S. regulator overseeing the auditors of publicly traded companies, implemented Rule 3211 in 2017. This rule requires audit firms to disclose the name of …

Controversy has persisted in recent decades over the accounting treatment of the vast sums expended on purchased goodwill – variously described as a “present-value estimate of future rents” from an acquisition or “the difference between what you pay [for an …

Loan accounting in a bank should be straightforward, delivering predictable and transparent results.

While judgment is involved when loan performance deteriorates, the goal of management and outside accountants should be a presentation that maximizes comparability between banks and minimizes idiosyncratic …

Financial statement fraud has many negative effects, including a reduction in people’s willingness to participate in the stock market. It may also cast accountants in a negative light because they prepare and audit financial statements – sometimes even fraudulent ones. …

In recent years, integrity oaths have gained popularity as a tool to reinforce ethical behavior among executives and professionals. However, little is known about the impact of these oaths on firms’ financial reporting quality. We answer this question using data …

High-quality accounting standards are critical for efficient global markets. The most widespread – used in more than 150 countries – are International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) creates and maintains IFRS, which is challenging because …

In business schools, managers are taught to maximize the net present value (NPV) of future cash flows. In the real world, managers consistently ignore this advice. When asked, they repeatedly say they maximize earnings per share (EPS). “Firms view earnings, …

How comparable are the financial statements of M&A bidders and acquirers in the same industry? And does financial statement comparability affect the outcome of a deal? In a recent paper, available here, we investigate these questions, using a sample …

In March 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a rule that would require publicly traded companies to provide investors with various climate-related disclosures (the Proposal).[1]The rule has generated extensive debate and the SEC has received more …

As the regulation of public company audits evolves, questions persist over whether there is still a gap between the public and auditors over expectations for the responsibilities of auditors – what we call the expectations gap. In a recent study, …

Corporate culture is an important determinant of companies’ behavior and success and, as a result, has drawn much attention, particularly from the business press. While some companies have received praise for their corporate cultures, others such as Wells Fargo, Valeant …

Among the many goals of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation was to increase CEOs’ accountability for the veracity of financial statements by requiring that they personally certify financial disclosures. Although that provision has not led to  successful prosecutions of offending executives, our …