<heading id="h1" level="1" implicit="yes" format="display">ABSTRACT</heading>This study shows that firms collectively incur a cost for managing earnings and analyst expectations to meet earnings forecasts. We compare the coefficient in the regression of abnormal stock returns on earnings surprise (the earnings response coefficient [ERC]) across ranges of earnings...

The 1997-1998 Asian economic crisis threatened the survival of banks in many Asian countries. Local bank regulators encouraged or even forced ailing banks to merge as a way to reduce bank failure risk. Casting doubt on the wisdom of such policies, the paper shows that whether merging two banks...

This study examines how firms' tendency to manipulate accruals to meet quarterly earnings targets, as measured by abnormal accruals volatility, relates to transient and non-transient institutional shareholdings. Abnormal accruals volatility is found to increase with transient (short-term)...

Manipulation of earnings or analyst earnings expectations is costly to firms. Manipulators of earnings and/or analyst earnings expectations therefore are likely to report earnings that precisely meet or narrowly beat analyst earnings forecasts, resulting in a zero or small positive earnings...

The study examines the effect of bank mergers on bankruptcy risk in an environment characterized by a plunging local currency and sinking asset prices. The 1997-1998 Asian economic crisis saw the creation of such an environment and threatened the survival of banks in many Asian countries. Local...

The study examines how the risk of exhausting corporate tax liabilities before deducting interest expense affects corporate leverage. It differs from prior studies in three ways: (1) it uses data compiled by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from corporate tax returns rather than accounting...

The performance goal for a unit is commonly created by consolidating the goals of its subunits. This paper shows that if it is difficult (easy) for the subunits to achieve their goals, it is almost always even more difficult (easier) for the unit to achieve the consolidated goal. This means, for...