Testing versus building accounting theory with experimental research

Contains fulltext : 167434.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)With this conceptual paper, we want to raise scholars’ awareness of the underused potential of experiments in accounting research. We refer to research taxonomies from the management discipline to explore the role of experimental research in testing and building accounting theory. Although the contribution of laboratory research to testing theory is well acknowledged, we argue that exploratory experimental research efforts also have the potential to build new theory, pointing at the underused potential of experiments in current accounting research. In doing so, we (i) provide a clear understanding of theory building and theory testing in accounting research; (ii) present a guideline for assessing the degree of theory building and theory testing inherent in any (experimental) study. Furthermore, we argue that an inter-study triangulation aligning experimental and archival methodologies will have the potential to produce results that are robust to internal and external validity concerns, thus advancing accounting theory.17 p

Pro forma earnings disclosure: the effects of non-GAAP earnings and earnings-before on investors’ information processing

Contains fulltext : 167437.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Research on pro forma earnings disclosure usually does not distinguish between different types of pro forma earnings. However, non-GAAP earnings and earnings-before (EB) metrics such as the EBIT fit the conventional perception of pro forma earnings but offer varying degrees of flexibility to management in pursuing strategic reporting motives. This study presents the results of an experiment that builds upon Maines and McDaniel’s (Account Rev 75(2):179–207, 2000) framework and analyzes if variations in the use and combination of pro forma earnings information affect whether nonprofessional investors acquire (pro forma) earnings information, and how this information is evaluated, and weighted when making investment-related judgments. Our results indicate that a “pure” non-GAAP disclosure increases investors’ evaluation of a company’s earnings performance compared to all other reporting strategies. However, we also find that nonprofessional investors consider non-GAAP information strategically motivated and thus weight it less heavily in arriving at investment-related judgments. Overall, we find that investors’ judgments (i.e., the overall favorability of the earnings announcement and the company’s attractiveness as an investment) are highest when the earnings press release contains the non-GAAP earnings and the EB measure. This has important implications for behavioral accounting theory as well as corporate practice and policy-making

Organizations, Climate Change, and Transparency: Reviewing the Literature on Carbon Disclosure

Contains fulltext : 160304.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access) Contains fulltext : 160304pre.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access)The debate surrounding climate change often centers on companies’ contributions to global warming, which has led to an increase in the importance of carbon disclosure. We evaluate the current state of related research and identify its trends, coherences, and caveats via a systematic literature review. Sociopolitical theories of disclosure, economic theories of disclosure, and institutional theory serve as the main theoretical anchors for our exploration. The existing research emphasizes the determinants and, to a lesser extent, effects of carbon disclosure, as well as the associated regulatory issues such as voluntary versus mandatory disclosure. Additionally, we discuss related topics, such as assurance and risks. We find that a large portion of scholarly work provides no link to theory, despite the fact that such links can be identified, for example, from the financial disclosure literature. Finally, we report on the established knowledge and examine the need for additional research

Bringing Signaling Theory to Intermediated Voluntary Disclosure. Commentary on “Detecting False Accounts in Intermediated Voluntary Disclosure” by Patrick Callery and Jessica Perkins

Contains fulltext : 231200pub.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)28 februari 20203 p

Creating social and environmental value through integrated thinking: International evidence

Integrated thinking (IT) is a managerial mindset increasingly discussed in the context of value creation. Through the lens of systems theory, this study examines how the degree to which IT is embedded in a firm's strategy and day-to-day business processes is associated with the firm's social and environmental value creation. Using a broad international dataset, we find strong evidence that our measure of IT is positively related to a firm's sustainability performance (SP), which we use to operationalize social and environmental value creation (or erosion). Our results also reveal that the increase in a firm's SP might come at the cost of a short-term decrease in financial performance (FP). We find no indication, however, that IT induces a trade-off between SP and long-term FP. Integrated thinking appears to stipulate long-term financial value creation instead. We further explore moderating factors within the organizational and institutional context of our sample firms and highlight implications for society, corporate practice, and policymaking

Political embeddedness and the diffusion of corporate social responsibility practices in China: A trade-off between financial and CSR performance?

Contains fulltext : 195189pub.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)11 juli 201813 p

Integrated Reporting and Assurance of Sustainability Information: An Experimental Study on Professional Investors’ Information Processing

Sustainability-related non-financial information is increasingly deemed value relevant. Against this background, two recent trends in non-financial reporting are frequently discussed: integrated reporting and assurance of sustainability information. Using an established framework of information acquisition, evaluation, and weighting, this experimental study investigated how the choice of reporting format interacts with the voluntary assurance of sustainability information. The results from a sample of professional investors underline the important role of assurance in the context of voluntary disclosure and illustrate the relevant interaction with the reporting format. Assurance of sustainability information positively affected professional investors’ evaluation of a firm’s sustainability performance, resulted in a higher weighting of this information, and led to higher investment-related judgments. However, this assurance effect was weaker in the case of integrated reporting compared to separate reporting. We attribute this effect to a cognitive bias in decision-making when assured financial performance and non-assured sustainability performance are presented in the same report

Corporate governance and sustainable business conduct - Effects of board monitoring effectiveness and stakeholder engagement on corporate sustainability performance and disclosure choices

Item does not contain fulltext15 oktober 201

Tackling Complexity in Business and Society Research: The Methodological and Thematic Potential of Factorial Surveys

Item does not contain fulltext22 april 201