We test whether investors react more strongly to narrative disclosures when the CEO's presence or association with the message is more salient in the disclosure, holding all other information constant. In our first experiment, we manipulate whether a CEO uses more personal pronouns (e.g.,...

We use an experiment with experienced managers to provide more-direct evidence on how reporting goals and firm performance influence language choices. We find that bad news disclosures are less readable than good news, but only when managers have a stronger self-enhancement motive. Our results...

We conduct two experiments to examine whether artificial intelligence can reduce the effects of independence conflicts on audit firm liability. Our experiments manipulate (1) whether procedures are performed by an auditor or an artificial intelligence and (2) whether the audit firm was careful...

We survey recent (mainly US) research on the effects of earnings presentation attributes on manager and user behaviour. The literature we discuss relates to three primary earnings presentation attributes: (1) disaggregation (vertical and horizontal), (2) location (recognition vs. disclosure,...

Current IFRS requires significant disaggregation of income statement numbers while such disaggregation is voluntary and much less common under U.S. GAAP. We examine whether voluntary disaggregation of income statement numbers increases the reliability of income statement subtotals because...

Prior studies document that managers consider a variety of costs and benefits in their decisions to initiate earnings guidance. Using both an abstract experiment and a survey of experienced financial managers, we provide evidence that managerial overconfidence may also contribute to the decision...

In this paper, we examine the growing number of behavioral studies of how financial reporting, auditing, and other corporate governance regulations affect earnings management and accounting choice-related decisions of managers, auditors, and directors. We first describe how experimental and...

Investments that are classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy account for approximately 92% of US banks' fair value assets. We report an experiment that examines how experienced auditors apply current PCAOB guidance when auditing portfolios of these assets. We hypothesize and find...

Accounting involves assigning numbers to events-quantifying them. Conventional wisdom holds that putting numbers to an argument enhances its persuasive power. However, little scholarly evidence exists to support or refute this claim, in accounting or elsewhere. In this paper, we develop an...

Relevance and reliability (now referred to as “representational faithfulness”) are qualities of financial information that both the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board use in setting standards for financial reporting. Despite their...