The value relevance of financial statements is of great significance to investors and standard setters. The present research examines whether accounting comparability among industry peers enhances the value relevance of earnings and book value. This is an important question because both the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Securities Exchange Commission seek greater comparability in financial reporting. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how comparability affects the value relevance of accounting information in the United States. Our results show that accounting comparability increases the value relevance of earnings, but not book value. That is, when firms exhibit greater accounting comparability vis-à-vis industry peers, investors attach higher value to reported earnings. In terms of economic significance, the value relevance of earnings is 25.2% higher when accounting comparability is higher by one standard deviation. However, the incremental benefits of accounting comparability are attenuated when financial reporting opacity is high or when there exists an internal control material weakness over financial reporting. In contrast, comparability benefits are enhanced when an industry specialist auditor is employed. Our results are robust to using different model specifications.
Investors overprice goodwill value acquired from a private target during a merger and acquisition (M&A) announcement. However, the overpricing of goodwill is corrected in the years following the deal's completion. Our results show that investors predict the decreasing value of goodwill and promptly adjust their pricing regardless of goodwill impairment. The differential market reactions to goodwill between private and public targets are economically significant. The pricing on goodwill obtained from a private target is 47% higher around the announcements and 44% (33%) lower one (two) year(s) after the M&A completion than that from the public target.
Course evaluation instruments (CEIs) are widespread, influential components of faculty professional development and evaluation processes. Given their importance to continuous instructional improvement and their weight in promotion, tenure, and other evaluation processes, it is critical that business schools and higher education institutions more broadly ensure a well-designed instrument. While the literature covering course evaluation instruments is extensive, coverage of the CEI revision process is virtually nonexistent. This article seeks to fill that gap, providing a case study of a successful CEI change process at an AACSB accredited business school. We offer practical recommendations for a revision process, including a sample timeline, revised instrument, and lessons learned from experience.
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