{"title":"Effects of Critical Audit Matter (CAM) Industry Norm and Auditor—CEO Social Tie on Nonprofessional Investors’ Financial Reporting Risk Assessments","authors":"Li Huang, Fangjun Xiao","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this study, we experimentally examine the effects of the critical audit matter (CAM) industry norm and auditor-CEO social tie on investors’ financial reporting risk (FRR) assessments. Using online participants, we find that non-professional investors assess the lowest FRR when the CAM is consistent with the industry norm <i>and</i> the auditor-CEO social tie is absent than when the CAM is inconsistent with the industry norm <i>or</i> when the auditor-CEO social tie is present. Our findings also suggest that the presence of social tie negatively affects investors’ investment interests, lowers their perceptions toward audit quality and the auditor, and increases auditor liability for a CAM-related misstatement. Moreover, we find that a norm-consistent CAM leads to better investment decisions, higher reliance on audit reports, but also higher perceived management liability for a CAM-related misstatement. The findings of our study can be informative to management and auditors, as well as regulators.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"101-112"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145993970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Extending Risk Horizons: Impact of Carbon Emissions on Firm Default Risk Based on Global Panel Data","authors":"Masayasu Kanno","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22808","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22808","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study assesses the impact of carbon emissions on firms' default risk in 44 major countries for overcoming the “tragedy of the horizon.” Carbon emissions affect firms' risk profiles at risk horizons through physical and transitional climate risks. A critical management issue is the likelihood and magnitude of climate change's impacts affecting firms' credit risk. We propose a random-effects logistic generalized least squares regression model for panel data to examine the impacts and the firm heterogeneity by country and sector. The global and country-wise panel data analyses show that carbon emissions increase firms' PDs in the global and four-country markets for all risk horizons, whereas the sector-wise analyses show that high carbon emissions reduce firms' PDs only in the industrials sector out of four sectors. In addition, for three countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan) and four sectors, the longer the risk horizon, the more the heterogeneity represented by the between-firm residual variance decreases, whereas for China, the heterogeneity with Scope 3 fluctuates. Overall, this study provides an effective credit risk analysis methodology that considers carbon emissions for related entities, such as firms, lenders, investors, regulators, and policymakers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"81-100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Informativeness of Critical Audit Matter (CAM) Disclosures: Investor Perceptions and Market Reactions","authors":"Joo Ha","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22810","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22810","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study analyzes how Critical Audit Matter (CAM) disclosures affect investor perceptions and market responses to discretionary reporting, by examining market reactions to the interaction between the textual characteristics of CAM disclosures and both discretionary (DLLP) and non-discretionary (NDLLP) loan loss provisions in the banking sector. The results show that discretionary loan loss provisions are generally associated with a positive market reaction, as they may signal managerial confidence or financial strength. However, this reaction is reduced when CAM disclosures indicate audit complexity, contain a negative tone, or include uncertain language—leading to increased return volatility around the 10-K filing date. These findings highlight the role CAM disclosures play in shaping how investors interpret managerial judgment in financial reporting. More broadly, the results carry regulatory implications by offering evidence on the informational value of CAM disclosures and their effectiveness in supporting investor decision-making in complex reporting environments.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"64-80"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145993955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are Most Admired Companies More Responsible?","authors":"Kelly Huang, Yanglin Li","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22809","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study examines whether companies listed in <i>Fortune</i>’s ranking of the Most Admired (MA) Companies behave more responsibly compared to companies that are not on the list. Specifically, we investigate tax avoidance, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, and financial reporting quality among the MA companies and a matched set of non-listed companies. We find that, compared to their counterparts, MA companies (1) exhibit higher cash and GAAP effective tax rates and smaller book-tax differences; (2) are more likely to be included in the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list, which recognizes firms for their superior ESG disclosure and performance; and (3) demonstrate more effective internal control and pay higher audit fees. Our study offers both research and practical implications by contributing to the literature on corporate reputation and social responsibility, and by guiding stakeholders who rely on the MA list to assess firms’ performance across a broad spectrum of socially responsible activities.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"48-63"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Accounting Standard Choice on Analyst Forecast Behavior Evidence From Cross-Listed Firms in the United States","authors":"Li-Chin Jennifer Ho, Xiaoxiao Song","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22803","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this study, we examine whether the choice between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) affects financial analysts’ forecast behavior as reflected in the coverage, accuracy, and dispersion of earnings forecasts. Based on a hand-collected dataset from SEC filings (Form 20-F or 40-F) and a sample of 408 unique cross-listed firms (1,699 firm-year observations) from 2005 to 2015, our findings indicate that both analyst location and home-country institutional characteristics are important factors in affecting the association between the choice of IFRS versus US GAAP and analyst behavior in the US market. Specifically, for the US-based analysts, we have no evidence of significant differences in analyst coverage, forecast accuracy, or forecast dispersion between IFRS and US GAAP users. Within the group of non-US analysts, however, IFRS users tend to attract fewer analysts and have more accurate earnings forecasts. Additionally, for firms from countries with strong enforcement regimes, IFRS users are associated with lower analyst coverage and greater forecast accuracy. These effects, however, do not exist for firms from weak enforcement countries. This study contributes to the literature on IFRS and cross-listing by offering insights into the role of accounting standards in shaping analyst forecast behavior. Our findings are relevant to policymakers, standard setters, and financial analysts, highlighting the broader implications of accounting standard choices on market participants.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"9-30"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145993885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foreign Ownership, Economic Policy Uncertainty, and Accounting Conservatism: New Evidence From Korea","authors":"Sang Ho Kim, Yohan An","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22805","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22805","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We investigate the moderating effect of foreign ownership on the relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and accounting conservatism. It is known that an increase in EPU is likely to deteriorate Korean firms’ conservatism largely due to the weak corporate governance and inefficient information environment. In contrast, the presence of foreign ownership would improve the financial reporting quality of Korean firms because foreign shareholders are expected to actively monitor and restrict managers’ opportunistic behaviors. Therefore, we posit that foreign investors are likely to demand more conservatism when EPU increases in Korean capital market. This study adopts <i>C-score</i> as suggested by Khan, Watt, and Basu (1997) based on Basu (1997)’s asymmetric timeliness test model to measure Korean firms’ accounting conservatism. This study uses panel dataset with a total of 22,882 firm-year observations during the sample period from 2000 to 2018. Consistent with our reasoning, we find that foreign ownership positively moderate on the relationship between EPU and conservatism in Korean firms. But this positive moderating effect is not found in business group-affiliated firms, in which a small number of controlling shareholders exert huge influence, exceeding their voting power. Also, this positive moderating effect becomes more pronounced when the foreign shareholders are the largest shareholders. The results are robust with alternative conservatism measures, alternative economic uncertainty measures, and more control variables.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"37 1","pages":"31-47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145969653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Momentum and Capital Structure in the Australian Stock Market","authors":"Quy Duong Le","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22806","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although there is broad consensus on a robust momentum effect in Australia, the interaction between momentum and capital structure has been underexplored in the literature. This paper explicitly examines whether capital structure promotes momentum trading in the Australian stock market. The data sample includes over 1800 stocks listed on the Australian Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2023. We construct momentum portfolios using the monthly rolling and overlapping techniques. Two ratios are calculated to measure the firms’ capital structure: the book-value and market-value financial leverages. Irrespective of the capital structure measure, the superior returns of the Winner quintile are concentrated in highly leveraged stocks. In contrast, the high-leverage Loser performs worst among the Loser quintile. The return of momentum strategy enhanced with capital structure is more than 1.5 times the original momentum profit. The risk-adjusted analysis paints a similar return pattern. Additionally, we observe high volatility in earnings and cash flows for highly leveraged stocks, leading to significant mispricing. Thus, the interaction between momentum and capital structure may stem from increased misvaluation, consistent with a behavioral explanation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"36 4","pages":"265-276"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145243147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ting-Tsen Yeh, Yuanzhang Xiao, Shirley J. Daniel, Minh Nguyen
{"title":"An Empirical Analysis of External and Internal Factors Affecting Manufacturing Firm Failure and Resilience","authors":"Ting-Tsen Yeh, Yuanzhang Xiao, Shirley J. Daniel, Minh Nguyen","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22797","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22797","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We develop machine learning models that incorporate both external (deterministic) and internal (voluntaristic) factors affecting firm failure and survival. Using structured and unstructured data, we empirically investigate the external and internal factors that affect the US manufacturing firms’ business failure. We also examine how the interactions between external shocks and firm responses impact business failure. Our findings indicate that while external factors can significantly impact the likelihood that firms fail, specific management responses to these challenges can effectively mitigate the negative effects and contribute to firm survival.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"36 3","pages":"349-377"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does Banking Deregulation Promote Corporate Investment Efficiency? Evidences From the Entry of City Commercial Banks in China","authors":"Yunhui Shi, Peng Wu","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22798","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22798","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study empirically analyzes the effects of banking deregulation on corporate investment efficiency in China. By introducing the first deregulation on city commercial bank entry and exploiting a staggered difference-in-difference regression model, we find that the entry of city commercial banks significantly promoted the overall investment efficiency of firms located in cities that implemented this deregulation. It mainly alleviated the underinvestment problem and, however, had little impact on the overinvesting firms. The cross-sectional analysis indicates that the effects were more pronounced for financially constrained firms, including non-SOEs, SMEs, and firms with strong dependence on external finance. We explain these findings by investigating whether the entry of city commercial banks alleviated the financing constraints of firms and find that following the deregulation, the financially constrained firms experienced a substantial increase in their access to long-term bank loans, as well as a drop in the investment-cash flow sensitivity.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"36 4","pages":"247-264"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145243191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can Trade-Off Theory Explain Net Working Capital Management Decisions?","authors":"Haowen Luo","doi":"10.1002/jcaf.22802","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22802","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study applies a partial-adjustment model to test how well trade-off theory explains net working capital management decisions and examines working capital management dynamics. The results indicate that firms have long-run NWC targets and tend to gradually converge to the target from the firm's initial net working capital level within each period. We estimate that typical firms close approximately 50% of the gap between their actual and target net working capital each year. Such high adjustment speed implies that a typical firm closes half of a deviation from the target in about 13 months. Our results show that the trade-off theory can explain the management decisions regarding working capital holdings.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":44561,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance","volume":"36 4","pages":"218-231"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145243044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}