Anisur Rahman , Bakhtear Talukdar , Zaifeng Steve Fan
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Abstract
Research and development (R&D) activities are essential for firm growth and profitability. However, R&D activities also exacerbate information complexity in the financial markets. Therefore, the accuracy of earnings forecasts suffers when R&D expenses are high. This study aims to examine whether board independence can mitigate the adverse effect of high R&D expenditure on analysts' forecasts. Using a sample of 11,645 annual observations from 1997 to 2016, we find that board independence improves analysts' forecast accuracy for R&D-intensive firms. The improvement is more pronounced in firms with low analyst coverage and powerful CEOs. These results are robust with an alternative measure of information asymmetry, a dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) model and a quasi-natural experiment based on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to address endogeneity concerns.
期刊介绍：
Journal of Economics and Business: Studies in Corporate and Financial Behavior. The Journal publishes high quality research papers in all fields of finance and in closely related fields of economics. The Journal is interested in both theoretical and applied research with an emphasis on topics in corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, and investments. Research in real estate, insurance, monetary theory and policy, and industrial organization is also welcomed. Papers that deal with the relation between the financial structure of firms and the industrial structure of the product market are especially encouraged.
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