Audited financial reporting and voluntary disclosure as compliments: A test of the confirmation hypothesis
Journal
Journal of Accounting and Economics
Subject
Accounting
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Ball R;Jayaraman S;Shivakumar L
Biographies
Publication Year
2012
Abstract
We examine the “confirmation” hypothesis that audited financial reporting and disclosure of managers' private information are complements, because independent verification of outcomes disciplines and hence enhances disclosure credibility. Committing to higher audit fees (a measure of financial statement verification) is associated with management forecasts that are more frequent, specific, timely, accurate and informative to investors. Because private information disclosure and audited financial reporting are complements, their economic roles cannot be evaluated separately. Our evidence cautions against drawing inferences exclusively from market reactions around “announcement periods” because audited financial reporting indirectly affects information released at other times and through other channels.
Keywords
Confirmatory role of financial reporting; Private information; Credible commitment; Voluntary disclosure; Management forecasts; Audit verification
Available on ECCH
No