Accounting

The accounting area is preeminent in research and teaching related to the dissemination and use of information in markets and within firms.

Faculty affiliated with the area are worldwide leaders in scholarship and in their contributions to accounting pedagogy. They also help shape accounting practices in the United States and elsewhere as a result of their influence in the standard-setting process.

Research by the accounting faculty draws on economics, finance, and statistics and employs analytical and empirical methodologies to study issues such as:

• The pricing of securities in capital markets, with a focus on the role of financial reporting and information intermediaries.
• The design of performance measurement and incentive systems.
• Best practices in corporate governance and executive compensation.

Faculty in the area teach in the Stanford MBA Program, Stanford MSx Program, Stanford GSB Executive Education, and Stanford GSB PhD Program, with courses focusing on two broad areas: financial reporting and management control. Beyond the core MBA classes, a wide variety of electives cover topics in global financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and accounting-based valuation techniques.