Presents further information about the relative distributional properties of Z-statistics derived from squared residuals and squared forecast errors. Advantages of using squared residuals; Characteristics of the distribution of Z-statistics based on squared forecast errors; Author's comments on the reactions of William M. Cready.
The article focuses on accounting systems disclosing income information. Income measurement entails reporting in each time period: present-period cash flows; and an accrual measure based on these cash flows and the change in the expected present values of future cash flows. Information disclosure is ensured if one can always identify which of the possible events in a given event structure has occurred in each time period. D. Vickrey introduces the concept of "weak transparency," referring to the special case of a null information structure. Under the null information structure, there is a constant mapping from underlying states of nature to the set of reported events (or the possible messages to be conveyed). There is essentially no information to be conveyed by income measurement when the information structure is null, so the invertibility condition is satisfied trivially. The main implication of the "possibility result" is that the ability of an accounting system to convey information is not constrained by a requirement that it value assets or measure income.
Presents a study on the use of the methods of experimental economics to address the role of experimental economics research in auditing and discusses the features of a good economic experiment. Method of study; New insights that can be offered by the methods of experimental economics into the demand and supply of auditing; Implications for further research.
Demski and Sappington (1990) treat income disclosure as a process that conveys fully revealing information, and they establish two results related to this commentary: (1) an income-disclosure procedure is fully revealing if, and only if, the related end-of-period, present-value measures always are invertible in the realized information-structure signals, and (2) strict favorableness is sufficient for fully revealing income disclosure under the true probability measure. This commentary shows that the first result follows from a more interesting necessary and sufficient condition than invertibility. Essentially it shows that an income-disclosure procedure is fully revealing if, and only if, differences in perceptions about the discounted expected values of future cash flows or differences in current cash flows are possible in all periods for all cash flow/signal pairs. In the context of the second result, an alternative, more general, sufficient condition for fully revealing income disclosure under the true probability measure is identified. This outcome is assured if differences in perceptions about the discounted expected values of future-periods cash flows are possible in all periods for all cash flow/signal pairs.
This study provides evidence that market segmentation affects the strength of the association between financial disclosure and net interest cost for new issues of municipal bonds. Previous studies (see, e.g., Amershi and Ramamurtie 1990; Cook 1982; Hendershott and Kidwell 1978; Kidwell et al. 1983) show that the geographic segmentation of primary markets for municipal bonds along regional and national lines is characterized by different sources and costs of information. Because little information is available from alternative sources for the less marketable bonds of smaller issuers which use regional markets, financial reporting variables are hypothesized to be associated more strongly with interest costs for these issues than for those of larger municipalities, whose bonds are typically issued in the national bond market. Cook (1982) argues that the costs of obtaining information about small issuers from alternative sources are relatively high. For these issuers, who also do not issue bonds frequently, regional underwriters may be the only informational intermediaries (other than rating agencies if the bonds are rated) between the issuers and investors (Kidwell et al. 1983). Thus, financial and other entity-specific information contained in the offering statement are expected to be weighted more heavily in pricing these bonds than for bonds of larger issuers. Although this differential-information hypothesis is analogous to Atiase's (1985) argument regarding differential predisclosure of information, our study assumes differential availability of information across market segments, and size alone is not likely to be an adequate proxy for segmentation. Our main analysis uses the nature of the underwriting syndicate, whether it is managed by a national or regional underwriter, to proxy for the relevant market segment. Previous studies of municipal accounting (see, e.g., Ingram and Cope- land 1982; Wallace 1981; Wilson and Howard 1984) have provided evidence of an association between bond measures and accounting and auditing variables. However, the results were mixed and inconsistent, which may be attributable to differences in the entities examined (cities, counties, and school districts), the time periods examined, or definitions of variables. Also, differences in the mix of bonds issued in each segment may have contributed to the inconsistent results. By examining the relationship between accounting and auditing variables and bond interest costs separately for each segment of the primary bond market, our study provides useful evidence on the potential effect of different information environments on this relationship. Regression results based on a sample of 119 new municipal bond issues, partitioned on a measure of segmentation (regional vs. national underwriter), are consistent, with the hypothesis that the association between the quality and quantity of financial disclosure and interest costs is stronger for municipalities that issue bonds in local or regional markets than for those that issue bonds in the national market. Our results suggest that future research in this area should consider the potential effects of market segmentation when testing the association between accounting or auditing variables and bond interest costs.
Presents an overview on accounting for defense contracts. Opportunities for accounting scholarship in the defense industry; Regulation in the industry; Possibility of efficient behavior in the industry; Contracting frictions; Product costing's impact on factor choice incentives.
Comments on the failure of Earl K. Stice (1991) to distinguish between residuals and forecast errors in computing Z-statistics derived from squared unexpected returns. Meaning of residual; Distinction of residual from forecast error; Importance of the distinction between residuals and forecast errors.