{"title":"Auditor Distraction: An Unintended Consequence of M&As*","authors":"Ying Dou, Emma Jincheng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101703","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101703","url":null,"abstract":"We find that Mergers and Acquisitions (hereafter M&As) can cause severe distractions for audit teams of the acquirers. Distracted audit teams cause delays in the filings of annual financial reports by their other clients and are 4% more likely to lose those clients. Clients of distracted auditors exhibit lower audit quality, evidenced by higher chances of financial misstatements and shareholder class action lawsuits due to misstatement or misrepresentation of material information. The market reacts negatively to auditor distractions, suggesting a significant shareholder wealth impact. Our paper identifies a channel for M&As to create an adverse impact on firms that merely share the same auditor with the acquirer firms.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621798","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}
Xiaoqi Chen, Zhifang Chen, Wouter Torsin, Albert Tsang, Xiao Zeng
{"title":"Mandatory ESG Reporting and Cross-Listing Activities: Worldwide Evidence","authors":"Xiaoqi Chen, Zhifang Chen, Wouter Torsin, Albert Tsang, Xiao Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101706","url":null,"abstract":"Using a large international dataset, this study documents that the country-level adoption of mandatory ESG reporting requirement facilitates domestic firms’ cross-listing activities. Cross-sectional analyses reveal that this effect is more pronounced for opaque firms, those with a higher dependence on external financing, those with higher ex-ante agency costs, and for firms headquartered in home countries with a weak legal environment. Results of additional analyses reveal that firms are more likely to cross-list to countries that also have an active ESG mandate in place, countries where domestic firms have a higher ESG performance, and in developed capital markets. We further find that cross-listing firms are likely to attract a greater number of institutional investors and reduce their cost of debt after post-ESG mandate cross-listing. Finally, we document a heightened response for firms with pre-mandate voluntary ESG disclosures and a weaker response when the mandate is non-government issued.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"83 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621772","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}
Isabel-María García-Sánchez, Nazim Hussain, Cristina Aibar-Guzmán, Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán
{"title":"ESG CONTROVERSIES AND EXTERNAL ASSURANCE: EXAMINING THEIR IMPACT ON FIRM VALUE AND IMAGE","authors":"Isabel-María García-Sánchez, Nazim Hussain, Cristina Aibar-Guzmán, Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101704","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101704","url":null,"abstract":"Controversies, news about inappropriate corporate behaviour from an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) perspective, published in the media, put companies in a delicate situation and represent a reputational risk that can have a negative impact on firm value. In this paper, we analyse whether and under what conditions this type of negative news leads to business decisions aimed at ensuring stakeholder confidence, such as engaging assurance services for ESG information, and we determine the impact that this decision may have on the image and value of publicly questioned companies. The results obtained for a sample of 1,149 multinational companies, of which 888 have engaged external assurance, show that controversies have favoured this decision, which improves the reputation, stakeholder engagement and market value of companies, being slightly affected by negative news about corporate actions related to customers, shareholders and investors, and employees.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621784","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":"The Interconnection between Net Buying Pressures in Derivatives and Spot Markets","authors":"Bao Doan, Duc Hong Vo","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101702","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate the interconnection between net buying pressure, proxied by the order imbalance, in derivatives, including futures and options, and spot markets. This study focuses on two main types of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum, using the hourly data from January 2019 to December 2022. We find that the order imbalance in the spot or futures market improves the return and volatility predictive powers of order imbalance in the options market and vice versa, depending on option moneyness and cryptocurrency. The cross-market impact results are consistent with the intraday pattern of high liquidity-more informative price in underlying market and driven by the market sentiments.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621832","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}
Lingxia Sun, Yanlin Bao, Jongmoo Jay Choi, Hoje Jo
{"title":"Firm Internationalization and Emissions Reduction: International Evidence","authors":"Lingxia Sun, Yanlin Bao, Jongmoo Jay Choi, Hoje Jo","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101697","url":null,"abstract":"Since climate change and environmental challenges are global in nature, one would expect MNCs to exhibit greater alignment with global environmental sustainability than domestic firms, given their exposure to international norms and stakeholder concerns. A counterargument is that MNCs might instead behave opportunistically, engaging in regulatory arbitrage related to emissions reduction by leveraging their global networks. Using a sample of 11,477 unique firms from 63 countries over the period of 2002–2022, we find that both the magnitude of carbon emissions and the quality of emissions disclosure are positively associated with firm internationalization. Additionally, U.S.-based MNCs that generate sales in civil law countries and regions tend to disclose more emissions information. Furthermore, the relationship between firm internationalization and emissions reduction is moderated by international environmental institutions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Finally, we find that MNCs are rewarded by a broader stakeholder community for their efforts in reducing emissions. Overall, the results support the new institutionalism theory, suggesting that MNCs’ emissions reduction is perceived as alignment with global environmental norms.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621791","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":"The Economic and Cultural Motives of Green Price Premium","authors":"Zinat Alam, Miran Hossain, Lingling Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101698","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101698","url":null,"abstract":"We use the house transaction data to analyze why houses with energy-saving (green) features are sold for higher prices. We estimate <ce:italic>house-specific</ce:italic> economic values of green features and show that these values account for about 20-53% of the green price premium, depending on how economic values are measured. Individual homebuyers’ cultural origins and environmental attitudes also play a significant role in explaining the green price premium, with a weaker premium observed among less individualistic and indulgent buyers, and a stronger premium among those who are more uncertainty-avoidant and pro-environment. These results are robust to various strategies to address selection bias and cannot be explained by buyers’ income levels or political orientations. Our findings point to both the economic and social value of green homes and highlight the role of investors’ behavioral preferences in evaluating green investments.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621789","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}
Danielle R. Lombardi, Janice C. Sipior, Deniz A. Appelbaum
{"title":"Audit partners' and associates’ insights and experiences of remote work in response to a global crisis Event: Implications for the profession and future directions","authors":"Danielle R. Lombardi, Janice C. Sipior, Deniz A. Appelbaum","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101701","url":null,"abstract":"Remote work was forced upon employees due to a worldwide crisis event. As some form of remote work continues, we draw upon psychology research which identifies four areas of concern: unemployment and job insecurity, employment disparities, work-family interface, and employee mental health issues. We adapt a conceptual framework to evaluate the negative effects caused by disruptive events and respective problem-focused mitigation strategies implemented by audit firms. The results of semi-structured interviews with audit partners and associates reveal the greatest overall concern for audit partners is employee mental health issues, with associates reporting inconsistent effectiveness of improvement tactics. Work-family interface remains a challenge, and even more so during a crisis event. Regarding employment disparities and development, all agree the apprenticeship model suffers in a remote environment. The area of least overall concern is unemployment and job insecurity. However, for audit partners, the greatest employment issue is hiring and retention. The findings emphasize the need for audit firms to invest in strategies to mitigate these effects of remote work and for additional research that evaluates and supports these efforts.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"680 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621785","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":"Environmental externalities of corporate culture: Evidence from firm pollution","authors":"Wenquan Li, Suman Neupane, Kelvin Jui Keng Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101699","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101699","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the relationship between corporate culture and firms’ environmental policies. We find that a strong corporate culture is associated with lower toxic emission levels and reduced pollution intensity. These reductions are genuine and not the result of “greenwashing,” as these firms mitigate harmful toxic releases without selectively targeting specific environmental regulations. The primary cultural values associated with the reduction in toxic emissions include teamwork, innovation, respect, and integrity. To alleviate potential endogeneity concerns, we exploit a quasi-natural experiment based on the forced departures of CEOs due to the sudden public exposure of legal violations or concerns. We also employ a propensity score matching approach and use alternative measures of firms’ environmental externalities. Furthermore, we find that diversity and research and development (R&D) expenses are among the potential channels through which this effect occurs. Importantly, the reduction in firms’ toxic releases does not come at the expense of production. Finally, the negative relationship between corporate culture and firm pollution is concentrated in plants located outside the headquarters’ state and in counties with nonattainment status.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621786","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":"Locked In, Levered Up: Risk, Return, and Ruin in DeFi Lending","authors":"Angelo Aspris, Jiri Svec","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101691","url":null,"abstract":"Using comprehensive transaction level loan data for the MakerDAO protocol (2019–2023), this study investigates decentralized finance (DeFi) lending dynamics, focusing on the deter- minants of loan demand and the interplay between leverage, skill, and user performance. We document a counterintuitive positive relationship between the cost of borrowing and loan demand, consistent with yield seeking behavior. Moreover, blockchain- and protocol-specific frictions, such as gas fees shape borrowing activity. At the vault level, leverage universally reduces returns and amplifies liquidation risk, with unskilled users incurring significantly greater losses than skilled counterparts under extreme leverage. While skilled users mitigate moderate leverage risks through active management, excessive leverage erodes performance across all skill levels, with forced liquidations accounting for a significant proportion of this decline. The findings reveal critical trade-offs in DeFi permissionless architecture. While skilled participants exploit leverage strategically, systemic design features disproportionately penalize less sophisticated users.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"18 1","pages":"101691"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144513217","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":"The Impact of Green Regulation on Cost Stickiness","authors":"Neophytos Lambertides, Vasilios Christos Naoum, Dimitris Tsouknidis","doi":"10.1016/j.bar.2025.101693","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2025.101693","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the impact of green regulation on cost stickiness at the firm level. We exploit the introduction of the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) in 2005 as a unique setting to show that regulated firms experienced a significant shift in cost stickiness in the EU-ETS period (compared to control firms). This result can be attributed to firms pursuing green investments incentivized by the EU-ETS. Furthermore, cost stickiness is stronger for regulated firms in the EU-ETS period that exhibit higher levels of capital expenses (over total assets) and financial constraints, corroborating our interpretation that green investments triggered by the EU-ETS cause sticky cost behavior. Our findings are robust to using (i) an alternative variable of expenses associated with cost stickiness, (ii) a battery of control variables, (iii) an entropy balancing matching method, and (iv) a variety of econometric specifications taking into account potential asymmetric cost behavior.","PeriodicalId":501001,"journal":{"name":"The British Accounting Review","volume":"27 1","pages":"101693"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144513193","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}