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The Effect of Financial Statement Transparency on the Likelihood of Restatement and the Effect of Restatement Announcements on Future Levels of Transparency

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Date Issued:
2018
Abstract/Description:
I explore the impact financial statement transparency has on the probability of restatement and the effect a restatement announcement has on the levels of future financial statement transparency. Information theory suggests that a strong information environment increases accounting quality. Using financial statement transparency as a proxy for the information environment, I find that transparency is associated with a lower probability of financial statement restatement. There are competing theories to predict how restatement announcements affect future levels of transparency. Skinner’s (1953) theory of operant conditioning, which states that behavior is modified based on positive or negative conditioning suggests that the level of transparency increases after a restatement announcement. However, expectancy theory suggests that firms engage in certain behaviors in order to derive expected rewards or incentives. Motivation is eliminated if the rewards are deemed unobtainable thereby eliminating managers’ incentive to improve their reporting strategy suggesting that the level of transparency decreases after a restatement announcement. I find that restatement announcement has a negative association with the transparency measure and the magnitude of this effect decreases over time compared to non-restatement firms. These results are magnified if the restatement is due to fraud. However, the changes are not significant. Further, the transparency associations are mitigated if there is a change in CEO after the restatement announcement. In addition, using a sample of firms that made a restatement announcement matched with a sample of firms that did not make a restatement announcement, the difference in the transparency measure before and after the restatement announcement is statistically insignificant.
Title: The Effect of Financial Statement Transparency on the Likelihood of Restatement and the Effect of Restatement Announcements on Future Levels of Transparency.
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Name(s): Bressler, Paige D., author
Kohlbeck, Mark, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
College of Business
School of Accounting
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2018
Date Issued: 2018
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 86 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: I explore the impact financial statement transparency has on the probability of restatement and the effect a restatement announcement has on the levels of future financial statement transparency. Information theory suggests that a strong information environment increases accounting quality. Using financial statement transparency as a proxy for the information environment, I find that transparency is associated with a lower probability of financial statement restatement. There are competing theories to predict how restatement announcements affect future levels of transparency. Skinner’s (1953) theory of operant conditioning, which states that behavior is modified based on positive or negative conditioning suggests that the level of transparency increases after a restatement announcement. However, expectancy theory suggests that firms engage in certain behaviors in order to derive expected rewards or incentives. Motivation is eliminated if the rewards are deemed unobtainable thereby eliminating managers’ incentive to improve their reporting strategy suggesting that the level of transparency decreases after a restatement announcement. I find that restatement announcement has a negative association with the transparency measure and the magnitude of this effect decreases over time compared to non-restatement firms. These results are magnified if the restatement is due to fraud. However, the changes are not significant. Further, the transparency associations are mitigated if there is a change in CEO after the restatement announcement. In addition, using a sample of firms that made a restatement announcement matched with a sample of firms that did not make a restatement announcement, the difference in the transparency measure before and after the restatement announcement is statistically insignificant.
Identifier: FA00013008 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Financial statements
Transparency
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013008
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.