This paper reports the results of experimental economic markets that examine whether accounting uncertainty impacts an auditor's objectivity in a setting where the auditor also has an incentive to build and maintain a reputation for objectivity. In particular, we explore if an auditor's...

The purpose of the current study is to examine the extent to which audit risk and litigation risk cause auditors to increase reliance on decision aids. These are particularly relevant issues in the era of Sarbanes-Oxley and abundant audit litigation, as decision aids hold the potential to...

Conventional wisdom suggests that audit risk disclosure improves the overall efficiency because investors are more informed of a client's financial performance. This view, while intuitive, ignores a potential externality of audit risk disclosure on auditor competence. We consider a two-period...

The majority of audit litigation research has focused on juror judgments. We examine how jurors' negligence judgments and attorneys' out-of-court settlements are differently impacted by two features of a materially misstated accounting estimate — the amount of estimate uncertainty and whether...

We examine whether companies voluntarily disclose additional information about tax loss carryforwards when the recoverability is more uncertain. With this study, we aim to explain part of the huge cross-sectional variation in the tax footnote. To assess disclosure behavior, we hand-collect data...

While tax avoidance strategies result in greater after-tax cash flows, they can involve uncertain future outcomes, which can impose significant costs on firms. Thus, the extent to which tax avoidance increases firm risk is unclear. This paper re-examines the relation between tax avoidance and...

The overall market for derivative securities is often estimated as more than ten times the World's GDP and many decry the complexity of derivatives as a main contributor to the subprime financial crisis. In this paper, we investigate whether and why complexity is used as a proxy for risk when...

Facing climate change, seasonal forecasts, and weather warnings are increasingly important to warn the public of the risk of extreme climate conditions. However, being confronted with inaccurate forecast systems may undermine individuals' responsiveness in the long run. Using an online...

We investigate the analysts timing decisions and the extent to which timing can be a proxy for their ability. We present a model in which forecast accuracy and timing are affected by information uncertainty stemming from (i) the presence of forecast bias and (ii) investors' limited capability to...

This study examines the effect of macroeconomic uncertainty on the accuracy of management earnings forecasts. Focusing on Japanese management earnings forecasts, which are effectively mandated, I find that during periods of high macroeconomic uncertainty, firms tend to report accurate earnings...