Jia Guo , Jeffrey Ng , Andy C.L. Yeung , Janus Jian Zhang
{"title":"How does mandated sustainability disclosure about conflict minerals affect supply chain finance?","authors":"Jia Guo , Jeffrey Ng , Andy C.L. Yeung , Janus Jian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We use the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which mandated that firms disclose the use of conflict minerals in their supply chain, to investigate whether and how conflict minerals disclosure (CMD) impacts the trade credit that a firm receives from its suppliers. Using a large sample of U.S. firms from 2014 to 2016, we find that firms that provide more-specific, rather than less-specific, CMD receive 6.45% more trade credit. This finding is consistent with more-specific CMD enhancing firms’ supply chain visibility, as well as reducing suppliers’ adverse selection concerns about lending to socially irresponsible firms. Consistent with the enhanced supply chain visibility channel, we find that the positive association is more pronounced for firms with more product market competition or financial constraints. In keeping with the reduced adverse selection channel, we find a more pronounced positive association for firms with weaker monitoring by non-supplier stakeholders. Finally, we find that firms with more-specific CMD provide less downstream trade credit, suggesting that the reputational benefit gained from disclosing socially responsible sourcing enables these firms to rely less on trade credit to attract or capture customers. Overall, our paper offers novel insight into how mandated sustainability disclosures, specifically CMD, affect supply chain finance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107275"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jie (Jay) Cao , Michael Hertzel , Jie (Jessica) Xu , Xintong (Eunice) Zhan
{"title":"Options trading and corporate debt structure","authors":"Jie (Jay) Cao , Michael Hertzel , Jie (Jessica) Xu , Xintong (Eunice) Zhan","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Options trading activity can affect firm debt structure decisions by stimulating informed trading that improves the informational environment in which firms raise debt capital. We find supporting evidence, at both the extensive and intensive margin, that firms with actively traded options are able to shift from bank to public debt financing. We provide corroborating evidence that the shift from bank financing reflects reduced demand for the special role that banks play in <em>ex ante</em> information collection and <em>ex post</em> monitoring for firms with greater information asymmetry. Three quasi-natural experiments and instrumental variable analysis support a causal interpretation of our findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107274"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephan Leixnering , Markus A. Höllerer , Tobias Polzer , Michael Schiffinger
{"title":"The role of public auditing in delegated governance","authors":"Stephan Leixnering , Markus A. Höllerer , Tobias Polzer , Michael Schiffinger","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Delegated governance is a defining feature of modern public sectors around the globe. In such settings, a variety of decentralized providers delivers public services while the accountability for service delivery remains with the administration. The management of relationships with providers has thus become a critical administrative task. The central position occupied by public audit institutions in these relationships has so far been poorly understood and largely under-researched. Our work unpacks how administrative units react to audits that identify performance and coordination issues in service delivery. Investigating delegated governance in the City of Vienna, our findings demonstrate that administrative units respond in two ways: by undertaking authoritative measures, and, to a lesser extent, by reaching out for dialogue with providers. We therefore suggest that audits not only strengthen administrative accountability but also improve relationship management in settings of delegated governance, filling the vacuum of control and communication between administrative units and service providers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107281"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143099686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leonidas Enrique de la Rosa, Nikolaj Niebuhr Lambertsen
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Loss aversion and financial reporting: A possible explanation for the prevalence of discontinuities in reported earnings” [J. Account. Public Policy 41(6) (2022) 106992]","authors":"Leonidas Enrique de la Rosa, Nikolaj Niebuhr Lambertsen","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107276","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107276"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143099685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corporate sustainability reporting","authors":"Richard Barker","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This is a conceptual paper that addresses fundamental questions about the emerging field of corporate sustainability reporting, including the following: What is sustainability? Why does sustainability matter to corporations and to those affected by corporate activity? What comprises sustainability reporting and how does it relate to conventional financial reporting? What is the role of reporting standards? What is a ‘theory of change’ by which sustainability reporting makes a difference? In addressing these questions, the paper draws from the academic literature yet is focused on policy implications and practical application, with the ambition of bringing together critical issues that call for understanding and development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107280"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blockchain adoption and corporate financial reporting quality","authors":"Ke Liao , Le Lin , Yukun Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study the impact of blockchain technology on corporate financial reporting quality based on the staggered implementation of blockchain-based e-invoice systems by provincial and municipal governments in China since 2018. Using a difference-in-differences approach with a sample of listed firms in China from 2016 to 2022, we find that the accrual quality and earnings informativeness improve post-adoption. This treatment effect is more pronounced for firms with more complex operations and those located in technologically advanced and market-oriented environments, but is similar across firms with varying earnings management incentives. Blockchain adoption is associated with fewer error-related accounting restatements, but not with non-error-related restatements or corporate tax avoidance. Furthermore, blockchain adoption is associated with increased stock liquidity, improved analyst forecast consensus, and lower cost of equity. Overall, our results suggest that the blockchain adoption improves corporate financial reporting quality by enhancing accounting function efficiency rather than deterring potential manipulations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107265"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142744392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Crowding-out or Calling-out? The influence of mandatory industry-related firm-specific information disclosure on analyst reports","authors":"Hui Liu , Yaxin Song , Long Zhang , Yuhuan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To improve the information environment, the Chinese stock exchanges issued mandatory industry-related firm-specific information disclosure (<em>IFID</em>) guidelines for various industries in batches from 2013 to 2021. Utilizing the staggered implementation of <em>IFID</em> guidelines, we apply a staggered difference-in-difference method to assess analysts’ reactions to mandatory <em>IFID</em>. Our analysis, which employs text analysis and machine learning techniques, reveals that mandatory <em>IFID</em> stimulates more industry-related firm-specific information in analyst reports, supporting the calling-out effect of <em>IFID</em> on analyst reports. Furthermore, we document that <em>IFID</em> significantly reduces the text similarity of industry-related information across different analyst reports for the same firm, suggesting that analysts engage in more personalized, in-depth industry-related analyses rather than simply replicating the firm’s disclosed information post-<em>IFID</em>. Additionally, <em>IFID</em> prompts analysts to conduct more on-site visits to gather private information and produce more comprehensive industry-related insights. We also explore various factors that may influence the effectiveness of <em>IFID</em> at the industry, firm, and analyst levels. The heterogeneity test results show that the calling-out effect of <em>IFID</em> on analyst reports is strengthened by lower industry competition, better firm transparency, and higher analyst specialization. Overall, our study demonstrates that mandatory <em>IFID</em> in China improves the information environment by directly compelling listed firms to disclose more industry-related operating information and indirectly encouraging analysts to produce more differentiated and insightful analyses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 107266"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142704221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christina Dargenidou , Marta De Vicente-Lama , Beatriz García Osma
{"title":"Consolidation in national accounts: Implications for municipal enterprises","authors":"Christina Dargenidou , Marta De Vicente-Lama , Beatriz García Osma","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We argue and find evidence that the spending of consolidated municipal enterprises is influenced by elected officials’ incentives to meet fiscal policy targets. Our evidence indicates that municipalities have control over the operating decisions of consolidated municipal enterprises, despite their autonomous legal status. Importantly, we find that the implications of elected officials’ attempts to avoid a fiscal deficit for consolidated subsidiaries’ spending do not extend to the counterfactual case of non-consolidated entities also owned by the municipality. Therefore, while consolidation promotes fiscal monitoring, it also plausibly enables politicians’ agenda to permeate areas designated to be kept at arm’s length.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 107257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142657435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Attention to corporate disclosure and earnings Management: Evidence from downloads of SEC filings","authors":"Jiao Jing , Jeffrey Ng","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using stakeholders’ downloads of SEC filings as a proxy for their attention to corporate disclosure, we find that a higher number of downloads of a firm’s filings is associated with less accruals-based upward earnings management at the firm. This result suggests that this attention from stakeholders constrains corporate reporting bias. We also find that the negative association between downloads of SEC filings and earnings management is more pronounced when there are more stakeholders also download filings of the firm’s peers or customers or its previous year’s filings and when the firm’s managers have greater incentives to manage earnings. In supplementary analyses, we find some evidence of substitution in earnings management methods. Specifically, a higher number of downloads of a firm’s filings is associated with upward earnings management via overproduction (a form of real earnings management) and income classification shifting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 107264"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xuejun Jiang , Jeong-Bon Kim , Louise Yi Lu , Yangxin Yu
{"title":"Government spending and CEO equity incentives: Evidence from changes in U.S. Senate committee chairs","authors":"Xuejun Jiang , Jeong-Bon Kim , Louise Yi Lu , Yangxin Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2024.107263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the impact of government spending on CEO equity incentives. Using changes in U.S. Senate committee chairs as a source of exogenous variation in state-level federal government spending, we find that firms headquartered in a state whose senator becomes a committee chair significantly reduce the convexity of their CEOs’ option-based pay, as captured by portfolio vega. This effect is more pronounced for firms with greater reliance on the government, more geographically concentrated operations, and in states with tighter local labor markets. We further find that in response to a government spending shock, firms actively adjust CEOs’ risk-taking incentives by decreasing CEO vega from annual option grants and decreasing both the number and value of CEOs’ option grants. Additionally, we document a shift in the compensation structure towards increased fixed salary and higher bonus compensation, accompanied by a shorter pay duration. Finally, we show that following the increase in government spending, firms receive more procurement contracts, experience reduced performance volatility, and those providing CEOs with less convex payoffs show lower R&D investment. Overall, our findings suggest that the positive shock to government spending due to a new committee chair reduces a firm’s desired level of risk-taking, which discourages offering risk-taking equity incentives to the CEO.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Accounting and Public Policy","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 107263"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142527591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}