William N. Lanen, Robert E. Verrecchia, Operating Decisions and the Disclosure of Management Accounting Information, Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 25, Studies on Stewardship Uses of Accounting Information (1987), pp. 165-189

Accounting Research, Causality, Research methods, Cross-lagged technique

Auditing, Non-Audit services, Auditor independence, Audit quality

A mail questionnaire was sent to random samples of members of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the American Accounting Association. The questionnaire asked the respondent to rank the three alternatives in their order of preference. The results of the study show that a majority of the respondents in each group preferred the Arthur Andersen & Co. proposal3

In recent years, several studies have appeared which provide some support for an inverse relationship between earnings variability and share price.' That is, increased variability in reported earnings, other things equal, appears to reduce the price of a firm's shares. A rationale for this behavioral phenomenon has been suggested by several accounting writers. Almost two decades ago Hepworth contended that :2

Stallman investigated the effect of allocating or not allocating common costs as these allocations are reflected in divisional income calculations. Questionnaire packets, containing two sets of corporate data and a request for numerous judgments, were sent to a random sample of members on the rosters of the Financial Analysts Federation and the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts. A total of 121 respondents provided analytically usable data (for a response rate of 11.33 percent). With regards to the sample, McDonald suggested that, if the experiment is repeated, some less sophisticated inventors should be included. 2 The reported results were based on the respondents' judgments of an estimated long-run investment value for a share of stock. Analysis revealed that statistically significant differences in stock valuation esti-

Disclosures, Contingent liabilities, SFAS No. 52, Environmental liability

Mark E. Peecher, The Influence of Auditors' Justification Processes on Their Decisions: A Cognitive Model and Experimental Evidence, Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Spring, 1996), pp. 125-140

Financial reporting, Hybrid financial instruments, Balance sheet classification, Accounting classification

Voluntary Disclosure, Interim reporting, Earnings volatility, Semiannual earnings disclosures