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This paper aims to examine the impact of the Australian Securities Exchange Corporate Governance recommendations on the breadth (amount of items covered) of (environmental and social) sustainability reporting by the firms in the Top 100, around the change from G3.1 to G4 disclosure regimes.

This paper undertakes comparisons of means and regression models to investigate the changes between disclosure scores of 98 listed entities from the 2013 G3.1 to the 2015 G4 disclosure regimes.

This paper finds that average disclosure levels did not change. Nonetheless, disclosure practices did vary by entity size and performance. Analysis of 2015 disclosures contingent on 2013 disclosure practice indicates that disclosure changes are consistent with a pattern of mean reversion.

Evidence that low disclosers increased disclosure and high disclosers reduced disclosers is consistent with the idea that sustainability disclosure is not so much driven by any ethical considerations, but rather by a desire to not be a disclosure outlier. Reliance on voluntary disclosure to achieve a socially desired level of disclosure is unlikely to bear fruit.

This paper contributes to the literature on sustainability by examining firm responses to change in disclosure regimes, and concluding that size and peer relativities drive the disclosure process.

Discusses the development of expert systems (ES) as an improvement on computer‐aided valuation techniques (CAV), due to its allowing the modelling of complex non‐linear and qualitative relationships and processes, such as those which exist within the field of valuation. Explores valuation as a set of processes and details current technology with reference to the impact of CAVs in Australia. Discusses expert systems as the latest stage in the evolution of computer methods which support humans in decision making, outlines ES procedure and gives examples of current applications. Considers the application of expert systems to rating valuation and reviews the theory of ′information chunking.

In this paper, we measure the impact of transactional leadership and transformational leadership styles on student learning outcomes. Leadership style was measured using a set of questions that were developed based on the conceptions of leadership style from Avolio, Waldman and Yammarino (1991). Student learning outcomes investigated included overall final mark achieved in the course, as well as communication skills, writing skills, critical thinking and analysis skills, study skills, reading skills and interpersonal skills.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of renewal undertaken in a large undergraduate financial reporting subject.

The approach taken in the subject is one in which student engagement is critical. Selected quantitative and qualitative data from university course and student feedback surveys were used to assess the effectiveness of the renewal process.

The renewal process led to increased student engagement, and influenced student learning by demonstrating the relevance of financial reporting regulation. Feedback was also positive in relation to the level of resources, especially technological, provided in the subject.

Engaging with students is a critical task in any subject, but especially in a technical accounting subject, as students may not necessarily see the value in the content. This article reveals possibilities for academics to engage with their students and for their students to engage with the subject material.

The purpose of this paper is to trace the behaviour of Chinese companies receiving a special treatment (ST) designation in order to determine the extent to which the application of this regulation may have led companies to engage in activities conducive to the removal of the ST designation. In particular, the paper examines evidence of opinion shopping or earnings manipulation by these companies.

Empirical analysis of annual report databases for Chinese‐listed companies, including statistical significance testing relating to ST companies.

Most ST companies have removed the ST status by the third year after the initial ST designation. Compared to non‐ST companies, ST companies losing the ST status are more likely to engage in practices indicating earnings manipulation. Also, compared to non‐ST companies, ST companies are more likely to change auditors after an initial or second year of ST designation. However, while this behaviour suggests opinion shopping, auditor switching for the ST companies is not associated with losses becoming profits nor with improved audit opinions.

The results reported in this paper must be considered in light of the limitations inherent in empirical analyses. That is, the relationships identified in this paper are indicative of potential earnings management or audit opinion shopping; however, the study cannot provide the actual reasons for these empirical results.

The results suggest the ST regulation did not lead to unintended consequences in terms of auditor switching by ST companies to improve either their reported earnings or their audit opinion.

The ST status is unique to China and this paper is the first to report on potential reporting and audit quality implications of this regulation.

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether audit opinions matter in China after the introduction of several key regulatory changes, specifically aimed at strengthening the confidence of investors in the audit function.

The question is addressed by examining the market response to modified audit opinions of companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

In contrast to earlier research, this paper does not find evidence that modified audit opinions have significant information value to Chinese investors, despite the regulatory changes. However, when partitioning the sample by year, there is weak evidence of a stock price response to modified audit opinions in 2003. Examination of the impact of different types of audit opinions shows no consistent results.

The results reported in this paper must be considered in light of the limitations inherent in empirical analyses. That is, the relationships identified in this paper are indicative of potential earnings management or audit opinion shopping, however, the paper cannot provide the actual reasons for these empirical results.

The results suggest the Chinese market is beginning to value audit opinions in the same fashion way as more developed markets.

The paper refines market reaction models used in earlier studies through the introduction of additional explanatory variables, together with an improved methodology.

This study aims to provide insights into US and Australian analysts' views regarding the relative importance of disclosing the direct method (DM) or indirect method (IM) statement of cash flows and forecasting firm performance.

Evidence is collected from responses to 104 surveys and 52 interviews completed by US and Australian analysts from 2017 to 2022. The survey and interview questions are developed with reference to the literature.

US and Australian analysts believe that the DM format provides incremental benefits compared to the IM for (1) confirming the reliability of earnings; (2) improving earnings confidence; (3) more accurate ex ante forecasts of operating cash flow and earnings; and (4) identifying opportunistic accruals manipulation. Analysts view that DM disclosure can lower firm-level cost of equity, although US interviewees more uniformly expect lower costs of equity under DM disclosure when firms yield low earnings quality. DM disclosure is also more important during unstable economic periods, as proxied by COVID-19.

Limited research currently exists regarding disclosure of the DM or IM and its impact on analysts' forecasting accuracy, earnings quality, economic uncertainty and cost of equity. Previous research has relied on archival research to examine differences between the DM and IM methods and are limited by data availability. Our findings are particularly relevant to the US market with few US firms reporting the DM format.

This paper aims to examine whether firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information under a continuous disclosure regime, and, second, the paper examines whether continuous disclosures reduce information asymmetry.

The study models relations between continuous disclosures and information asymmetry using ordinary least squares regression and two-stage least squares regression.

The study finds firms with high information asymmetry disclose more information. Further, the study finds that disclosure in the presence of high information asymmetry increases asymmetry. Finally, while bad news increases information asymmetry, the disclosure of firm-specific good and bad news is associated with reduced information asymmetry.

The paper identifies conditions under which Continuous Disclosure Regime increases information in markets and influences information asymmetry.