Search results
1 – 10 of 185Rania Pasha, Hayam Wahba and Hadia Y. Lasheen
This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the impact of market uncertainty on the degree of accuracy and bias of analysts' earnings forecasts versus four model-based…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the impact of market uncertainty on the degree of accuracy and bias of analysts' earnings forecasts versus four model-based earnings forecasts.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs panel regression analysis on a sample of Egyptian listed companies from 2005 to 2022 to examine the impact of market uncertainty on the accuracy and bias of each type of earnings forecast.
Findings
The empirical analysis reveals that market uncertainty significantly affects analysts’ earnings forecast accuracy and bias, while model-based earnings forecasts are less affected. Furthermore, the Earnings Persistence and Residual Income model-based earnings were found to be superior in terms of exhibiting the least susceptibility to the impact of market uncertainty on their forecast accuracy and biasness levels, respectively.
Practical implications
The findings have important implications for stakeholders within the financial realm, including investors, financial analysts, corporate executives and portfolio managers. They emphasize the importance of considering market uncertainty when formulating earnings forecasts, while concurrently highlighting the potential benefits of using alternative forecasting methods.
Originality/value
To our knowledge, the influence of market uncertainty on analysts' earnings forecast accuracy and bias in the MENA region, particularly in the Egyptian market, remains unexplored in existing research. Additionally, this paper contributes to the existing literature by pinpointing the forecasting method, specifically distinguishing between analysts-based and model-based approaches, whose predictive quality is less adversely impacted by market uncertainty in an emerging market.
Details
Keywords
Shiyang Hu, Chunyan Wei, Rui Xue, Liang Yin and Bo Zhu
This paper examines the effect of board reforms on managerial risk-taking incentive provision in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) whose managers are undue risk-averse.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the effect of board reforms on managerial risk-taking incentive provision in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) whose managers are undue risk-averse.
Design/methodology/approach
We use the staggered implementation of board reforms in Chinese central government-controlled state-owned enterprises (CSOEs) as an exogenous shock to board governance. We collect data on board reforms for a set of pilot CSOEs during the period 2005 to 2020 from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) website by hand. We use a generalized difference-in-difference (DID) design to test the effect of staggered board reform adoption on managerial risk-taking incentive provision.
Findings
We find a positive relationship between board reforms and risk-taking inventive provision, i.e. pay-performance sensitivity, promotion-performance sensitivity and performance target difficulty. The documented relationship is stronger when the value of risk-taking is higher. We also find that board reforms lead to greater risky but value-enhancing investments and that managerial risk-taking incentive provision acts as an important channel through which board reforms improve value-enhancing risk-taking.
Originality/value
Our findings suggest that board reforms that improve board governance are effective in addressing risk-related agency conflicts in emerging markets. The findings also highlight the importance of managerial risk-taking incentive provision in inducing risky but value-enhancing investments.
Details
Keywords
Magnus Jansson, Patrik Michaelsen, Doron Sonsino and Tommy Gärling
The paper aims to investigate differences in non-professional and professional stock investors’ trust in and tendency to follow financial analysts’ buy and sell recommendations.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate differences in non-professional and professional stock investors’ trust in and tendency to follow financial analysts’ buy and sell recommendations.
Design/methodology/approach
Online experiment conducted in Sweden in March 2022 comparing non-professional private investors (n = 80), professional investors (n = 33), and master students in finance (n = 28). Information was presented about four company stocks listed on the New York stock exchange. Two stocks were buy-recommended and two stocks sell-recommended by financial analysts. For one stock of each type, the recommendation was presented to participants. Dependent variables were predictions of the stock price after three months, ratings of confidence in the predictions and choices of holding, buying or selling the stock. Ratings were also made of the importance of presented stock-related information as well as trust in analysts’ skill and integrity.
Findings
More positive return predictions were made of buy-recommended than sell-recommended stocks. Non-professionals and to some degree finance students tended to trust financial analysts more than professional investors did and they were more influenced by the presentation of the buy recommendations. All groups made too optimistic return predictions, but the professionals were less confident in their predictions, more likely to sell the stocks and lost less on their investments.
Originality/value
A new finding is that non-professional stock investors are more likely than professional stock investors to trust financial analysts and follow their recommendations. It suggests that financial analysts’ recommendations influence non-professional investors to take unmotivated investment risks. Non-professionals in the stock market should hence be advised to exercise more caution in following analysts’ recommendations.
Details
Keywords
Ning Du, Jeffrey Byrne, Robert Knisley, Dwayne Powell and James Valentine
This study aims to examine how financial analysts evaluate other comprehensive income (OCI) information with a focus on the information content and economic substance of OCI gain…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how financial analysts evaluate other comprehensive income (OCI) information with a focus on the information content and economic substance of OCI gain and loss.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a 2 × 2 between-subject experiment by manipulating profitability (net profit or net loss) and OCI (OCI gain or loss). A total of 103 equity research analysts participated in the experiment.
Findings
The results show that when the company suffers a net loss, the presence of unrealized gain in OCI appears to cause concern for analysts, in that they assigned a lower valuation to the OCI gain company than the OCI loss company. However, in the cases where the company is profitable, analysts appeared to respond to the direction of OCI (i.e. gain or loss) and incorporated the directional information in their valuation judgment.
Originality/value
The experimental results complement prior archival research on OCI valuation. This study extends prior work on OCI’s decision usefulness, improves understanding of the impact of OCI on firm valuation and contributes to the ongoing debate about whether OCI is viewed as a performance measure. The findings indicate that the effect of OCI gains or losses is most pronounced when the company experiences a loss. During such instances, analysts may interpret a combination of net loss and OCI gain as a potential indicator of earnings management opportunities. Consequently, they may perceive it as a signal of deteriorating future financial performance.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to examine whether firms meeting or just beating an earnings benchmark engage in tone management in earnings conference calls to complement earnings management in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether firms meeting or just beating an earnings benchmark engage in tone management in earnings conference calls to complement earnings management in the UK context. It also investigates whether the audience tone in beating or just meeting earnings fails to predict future performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was performed using a sample of non-financial UK firms listed in the FTSE 350 index over the period 2010–2015.
Findings
The findings show that firms that exercise more earnings management to meet or just beat earnings are positively associated with the abnormal tone during earnings conference calls. The outcomes also reveal that the audience’s tone of firms meeting or just beating an earnings benchmark fails to predict future performance. This confirms the effectiveness of the tone management in managing the perception of audience.
Practical implications
This study highlights the need for increased accountability by firms on earnings conference call. It also supports academics and practitioners in understanding the management discretion used in reporting and communication during the earnings conference call. Overall, the results of this study are beneficial for regulators, policymakers and professionals, regarding confirming the need for the earnings conference calls to be regulated.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the association between earnings management and tone management in the UK earnings conference calls. It adds to the existing literature by examining the self-serving behaviour of managerial tone during earnings conference calls within a sitting in which meeting or just beating a benchmark is used. Unlike several studies that explain the behaviour of tone as a signalling strategy, this study reveals that the tendency of impression management behaviour can explain the tone management.
Details
Keywords
Giulia Zennaro, Giulio Corazza and Filippo Zanin
The effects of integrated reporting quality (IRQ) have been debated in increasing empirical studies. Several IRQ measures, different theoretical approaches and multiple contexts…
Abstract
Purpose
The effects of integrated reporting quality (IRQ) have been debated in increasing empirical studies. Several IRQ measures, different theoretical approaches and multiple contexts have been adopted and investigated, leading to mixed results. By using the meta-analytic technique, this study aims to contribute to the accounting literature, reconciling the conflicting results on the effects of IRQ and providing objective conclusions to complement narrative literature reviews.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 45 empirical papers from 2013 to 2022, with 653 effect sizes, was used to assess the effects associated with IRQ. The papers were clustered into five groups (market reaction, financial performance, cost of capital, financial analysts’ properties and managerial decisions) based on the different consequences of IRQ investigated in the primary studies. A random-effects meta-regression model was used to explore all sources of heterogeneity together.
Findings
The meta-regression results confirm that IRQ positively influences firms’ market valuation and financial performance and hampers opportunistic managerial behaviour by improving corporate transparency, mitigating information asymmetry and encouraging accountability. Moreover, differences in the study characteristics affect the strength of the relationship object of interest.
Originality/value
Through meta-analysis, this study provides a broader overview of the effects of IRQ by enhancing the generalisability of the findings. The results also pave the way for additional evidence on the outcome variables affected by the quality of integrated disclosure.
Details
Keywords
Qiao Xu, Lele Chen and Rachana Kalelkar
Extant studies propose music sentiment as a novel measure of individuals’ sentiment. These studies argue that individuals’ choice of music reflects their emotional condition in…
Abstract
Purpose
Extant studies propose music sentiment as a novel measure of individuals’ sentiment. These studies argue that individuals’ choice of music reflects their emotional condition in real time and influences their cognitive ability, making it a powerful tool for assessing their mood. This study aims to use music sentiment as a proxy for auditors’ mood and explore its impact on audit quality.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of the US firms from 2017 to 2020 is used in the study. The authors apply the ordinary least squares regressions and the logit regressions to the audit quality models. The authors use absolute discretionary accruals and the propensity to meet or beat earnings forecasts as proxies for audit quality and calculate a stream-weighted average sentiment measure for Spotify’s Top-200 songs of each day during the audit period of a client firm to capture the sentiment of auditors.
Findings
The authors find that music sentiment is positively associated with audit quality. The result is consistent with the mood maintenance hypothesis, which suggests that a positive mood can induce auditors to be more careful in risky situations. Furthermore, the result is robust to various sensitivity analyses.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the scarce literature that focuses on auditors’ emotional state and highlights the importance of monitoring auditor mindset during the audit period.
Details
Keywords
Yu Hu, Xiaoquan Jiang and Wenjun Xue
This paper investigates the relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in Chinese and the USA stock markets and explores the potential explanations.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in Chinese and the USA stock markets and explores the potential explanations.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors use the panel data regressions and the dynamic tests of two-way Granger causality in the panel VAR model to examine the relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in Chinese and the USA stock markets.
Findings
The authors find that the institutional ownership in the Chinese (the USA) stock market is significantly and positively (negatively) related to idiosyncratic volatility through various tests. This paper indicates that institutional investors in the USA are more prudent and risk-averse, while the Chinese institutional investors are not because of high risk-bearing capacity.
Originality/value
This paper deepens the authors’ understanding on the relationship between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility and in the USA and the Chinese stock markets. This paper explains the opposite relationships between institutional ownership and idiosyncratic volatility in the stock markets in China and USA.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of cross-ownership on corporate digital innovation and their specific mechanisms. Cross-ownership, who hold equity in two or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of cross-ownership on corporate digital innovation and their specific mechanisms. Cross-ownership, who hold equity in two or more companies simultaneously, have two different types of governance effects in the capital market: governance synergistic effects and competitive collusion effects.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a panel model, selecting A-share company data from 2011 to 2021 in China. In total, 23,853 valid data were obtained, which came from the CSMAR database and Wind database. For some missing data, they were manually supplemented by consulting the company's annual report and Sina Finance. Data processing was conducted using EXCEL and Stata16.0 software.
Findings
The results show that cross-ownership promote corporate digital innovation by leveraging governance synergies. Further grouping tests show that the synergistic effects of cross-ownership are significant in non-state-owned, high-tech, weakly competitive and higher analyst attention enterprises. Mechanism testing shows that cross-ownership can empower corporate digital innovation in three ways: reducing information asymmetry, alleviating financing constraints and improving corporate governance.
Originality/value
The conclusion of this paper provides new empirical evidence for a comprehensive understanding of the role of cross-ownership in corporate development, enriches the economic consequences research of chain institutional investors in China and broadens the research perspective of corporate digital innovation. It also provides important references for the digital transformation of enterprises and the healthy development of the capital market.
Details
Keywords
Yuri Gomes Paiva Azevedo, Mariana Câmara Gomes e Silva and Silvio Hiroshi Nakao
The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of an exogenous corporate governance shock that curbs Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) power on the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of an exogenous corporate governance shock that curbs Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) power on the relationship between CEO narcissism and earnings management practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors performed a quasi-experiment using a differences-in-differences approach to examine Brazil’s duality split regulatory change on 101 Brazilian public firms during the period 2010–2022.
Findings
The main findings indicate that the introduction of duality split curtails the positive influence of CEO narcissism on earnings management, suggesting that this corporate governance regulation may act as a complementary corporate governance mechanism in mitigating the negative consequences of powerful narcissistic CEOs. Further robustness checks indicate that the results remain consistent after using entropy balancing and alternative measures of CEO narcissism.
Practical implications
In emerging markets, where governance systems are frequently perceived as less than optimal, policymakers and regulatory authorities can draw insights from this enforcement to shape governance systems, reducing CEO power and, consequently, improving the quality of financial reporting.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine whether a duality split mitigates the influence of CEO narcissism on earnings management. Thus, this study contributes to the corporate governance literature that calls for research on the effectiveness of external corporate governance mechanisms in emerging markets as well as the CEO narcissism literature that calls for research on moderating factors that could curtail negative consequences of narcissistic CEO behavior.
Details