In this paper we provide evidence that independent director turnover is influenced by a series of economic factors. Directors, both independent and insider, are less likely to leave if they are paid well or if the firm has a director pension plan. They are also more likely to leave when the firm...

The financial scandal surrounding the collapse of Enron caused erosion in the reputation of its auditor, Arthur Andersen, leading to concerns about Andersen’s ability to continue in existence and ultimately to the firm’s demise. In this paper we investigate the role of corporate governance...

Literature on S&P 500 index firms shows that there is significant improvement in the performance due to increased scrutiny of media and investors. Recently Platikonova (2008) documents improvement in the disclosure quality for firms following their inclusion in the index. Since, auditors are...

We investigate the change in the value-relevance of earnings and book value information in the financial industry compared to other industries from 1970 to 2005. Prior literature provides mixed evidence as to whether value-relevance reduces over time. Using Ohlson’s model, we find increasing...

This paper presents evidence of favorable management of qualified pension plans with large proportion of highly compensated employees. Defined-benefit pension plans that are dominated by highly compensated employees tend to contribute beyond the minimum amount required under Internal Revenue...

This study investigates the impact of job complexity and firm as well as CFO-specific performance on CFO compensation. We examine job complexity in terms of the intricacies of a firm’s operations and whether the CFO serves on the Board of Directors. Accounting and stock market rates of return...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the Enron scandal, Arthur Andersen's demise and the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act on audit fees. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses empirical methodology (univariate and multivariate). Findings – Audit fees and the Big‐4...