Accounting - Research Publications
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ItemAustralian Listed Entities: Recognised intangible assets and key audit matters(Australian Accounting Standards Board and Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, 2023)The AASB-AUASB published a joint research report (with Professor Matthew Pinnuck and Dr Mark Willis) that aims to understand the significance of recognised intangible assets on the balance sheets of Australian listed entities. This Report explores the frequency, magnitude and nature of intangible assets recognised by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed entities on their balance sheets. This Report also identifies the frequency of key audit matters (KAMs) related to intangible assets in auditor’s reports to provide insights into the areas that auditors are focusing on, possibly due to the complexity of the accounting requirements. Through a review of the financial statements from 2010 to 2021, this Report finds that: • with the exception of micro-mining entities, the majority of Australian entities recognised some intangible assets on their balance sheets; • the level of investment in intangibles for the majority of entities, as a percentage of total assets, is relatively low. However, there are some entities that recognised a significant level of intangibles as a percentage of total assets; • there is a wide variety of category descriptions used to present intangible assets, possibly impeding both comparability and a precise understanding of the nature of the intangible asset; • intangibles are the most frequent KAM subject matter, suggesting a substantial fraction of auditors' resources to assure such information, despite the relatively low level of recognised intangibles.
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ItemInsights into Key Audit Matters 31 December 2022 to 30 September 2023 reporting in Australia(CAANZ Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, 2024)A report on the frequency and nature of the reporting of key audit matters (KAM) in auditors’ reports of Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed entities that issued financial statements in 2023
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ItemSubmission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Supermarkets Inquiry 2024-25( 2024)The ACCC supermarkets inquiry has an interest in whether there is effective competition between supermarkets and the broader competitive dynamics. If competition is effective then supermarkets should be making ‘normal’ profits. However, very little evidence has been provided as to what normal profits should be. To provide a benchmark we analyse the profitability of Australian supermarkets against the largest supermarkets in OECD countries across the 3-year period 2021 to 2023.
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ItemIs Financial Reporting Still Useful? Australian Evidence(Wiley, 2019-03-01)There has been recent and growing criticism of the usefulness of financial reporting for investors, particularly the annual financial statements. In response, the IASB is pursuing several projects aimed at improving the relevance of financial information. To inform the IASB’s work, we investigate, using a mixed‐method approach, the extent and nature of the use of annual financial statements by equity investors. We examine the relevance of financial reporting for equity valuation in Australia across time. We find that financial reporting (specifically, reported net income, shareholders’ equity, and operating cash flows) remains relevant for investment decisions. We further support this finding with evidence from field interviews that provide insight into how and why financial statements are used by equity investors. The field evidence also demonstrates that no one financial statement dominates in investor decision making. Given the increasing availability of more timely, forward‐looking information from alternative sources, we examine the relevance of non‐GAAP financial information and other non‐financial information for investor decision making. We find that non‐GAAP financial information (as proxied by EBIT and EBITDA) is more value relevant than statutory measures. We further find a broad range of non‐financial information is utilized by investors in making investment decisions both as a ‘screen’ and for valuation purposes. Our findings inform regulators and other stakeholders as we provide evidence of the continuing relevance of financial statements and the complementary role of non‐GAAP financial and other information. Our evidence provides a rebuttal to the recent criticism.
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ItemKeeping it private: financial reporting by large proprietary companies in Australia(WILEY, 2019-03-01)Since 2010, proprietary companies have had a choice of preparing three types of financial reports that vary in scope. We find that between 2010 and 2015, most proprietary companies in our random sample chose the lowest scope option, with very low quality financial reports. Few adoptedthenewoptionprovidedbyAASB1053Application of Tiers of AustralianAccounting Standards. The characteristics of the firms that adopted each type of report are consistent with the regulator’s intention. Our findings should provide a better understanding of how accounting standards impact practice, and should assist regulators to reform private company financial reporting.
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ItemEnhancing the Interface between Standard-setters and Academic Research(WILEY, 2021-09)Abstract This article points to gaps between academic research and the needs of accounting standard‐setters. In part it attributes those gaps to the academic literature seeming to be inaccessible and oriented to ideas apparently unrelated to the policy‐making issues facing standard‐setters. As a means of partially reducing that perceived inaccessibility, the paper provides a way for standard‐setters to identify and classify the various forms of academic accounting research so that they can evaluate their usefulness. Two prominent strands of research (agency theory/costly contracting and value relevance) are, as illustrations, analysed so that standard‐setters can see how they might approach those strands. The paper suggests a users’ needs/demand driven approach to improving understanding, rather than a supply (by academics) driven approach. Finally, the paper explains how the performance metrics faced by academics can be inconsistent with the readiness expressed by standard‐setters to have academics assist them. The paper provides a suggestion as to how there could be some alignment of academic performance metrics and standard‐setters’ needs.
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ItemRestatement of CSR Reports: Frequency, Magnitude, and Determinants*(WILEY, 2021-09)ABSTRACT We provide the first direct analysis of the magnitude of unreliable quantitative information disclosed in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. CSR report reliability is of particular interest to fund managers for investment decisions as well as to policymakers for regulating and monitoring purposes. However, surprisingly little is known about CSR reporting reliability despite concerns raised in the prior literature. We examine how often CSR reports for the Global Fortune 250 (G250) are restated, the magnitude of restatements, and factors associated with restatements during the period 2006 to 2013. During this sample period, the occurrence of restatements increased monotonically, with 39% of G250 CSR reports including one or more line‐item restatements. The magnitude of the line‐item restatements is quite high, with a median restatement of about 10%. We also find evidence of bias in the revised items toward overstatement. We find that restatements occur more frequently in firms that have reported a high level of social performance and that have environmental targets. The occurrence of restatement is also positively associated with firms residing in strong law countries and having their CSR reports audited. Our analysis of reporting bias indicates a negative association between use of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting guidelines and the likelihood of an overstatement. We also find a positive association between having the CSR report audited and the likelihood of revisions associated with overstatements. Together, our exploratory results indicate that CSR information may be unreliable and firms that face pressure to perform well have more restatements. However, our evidence is consistent with the restatements resulting from improvements in information systems over time rather than intentional bias. Our findings will help investors and fund managers better judge the reliability of CSR disclosures, and inform regulators and standard setters on ways to enhance the reliability of CSR reporting. Finally, we contribute to the audit literature examining sustainability assurance.
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ItemSpeculation and e-commerce: The long and the short of IT(Elsevier BV, 2010-06-01)
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ItemTop Management Turnover: An Examination of Portfolio Holdings and Fund Performance(SAGE Publications, 2006-01-01)We examine the performance and portfolio characteristics of actively managed equity funds impacted by top management turnover. Utilizing a unique database of monthly portfolio holdings, our study finds that, post-replacement, previously poor performing funds experience improved returns. However, this improved performance is not attributable to superior stock selection skill. We also find these new managers decrease the fund's reliance on momentum strategies and decrease the portfolio's concentration, which then leads to a reduced tracking-error volatility. Prior to the replacement event, underperforming investment managers exhibit preferences for larger, growth-oriented stocks, as well as riding momentum strategies and increasing portfolio turnover.
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ItemSeasonality in fund performance: An examination of the portfolio holdings and trades of investment managers(WILEY, 2006-09-01)Abstract: This study examines the extent to which seasonal variation arises across calendar months in the performance of active Australian equity managers. While it is well documented that there is seasonality in equity market returns, it is unknown whether calendar month variation in managed fund performance exists. Employing a unique database of monthly stock holdings, we find evidence consistent with systematic variation in the risk‐adjusted performance of active investment managers over the calendar year. Specifically, we find fund performance is higher in the months when corporate earnings are announced. We also document that the performance of fund managers is lower in the months preceding the tax year‐end. Finally, we report evidence that investment manager performance is greater than normal in December, possibly due to both window dressing and the Christmas holiday effect. These findings have important implications for investors attempting to exploit anomalies in fund returns by timing their entry and exit points from active equity funds.