Working Papers

These papers are working drafts of research which often appear in final form in academic journals. The published versions may differ from the working versions provided here.

SSRN Research Paper Series

The Social Science Research Network’s Research Paper Series includes working papers produced by Stanford GSB the Rock Center.

You may search for authors and topics and download copies of the work there.

Academic Area
Centers & Initiatives
Results for

Share Repurchases and Intangible Assets

Mary E. Barth, Ron Kasznik
1999

As predicted, firms with more intangible assets are more likely to announce open-market share repurchases and experience more positive announcement returns. Also as predicted, idle cash is positively related to repurchase announcement likelihood…

Shareholder Wealth Effects of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Ron Kasznik, Marilyn Johnson, Karen Nelson
1999

The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of the Act on firm value by investigating the reaction of common equity prices to the Act’s passage. Because key events late in the legislative process (i.e., a Presidential veto and subsequent…

The Discretionary Use of Present Value-Based Measurements by Property-Casualty Insurers

Karen K. Nelson, Constance E. Bagley, David A. Aaker, V. Padmanabhan
1999

This study examines whether the reported loss reserves of property-casualty insurers contain a discretionary discount for the time value of money. The results indicate that there is a positive and significant discount rate implicit in the…

The Impact of Securities Litigation Reform on the Disclosure of Forward-Looking Information by High Technology Firms

Ron Kasznik, Marilyn Johnson, Karen Nelson
1999

This study evaluates corporate voluntary disclosure of forward-looking information under the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Using data on earnings and sales forecasts issued by 547 computer,…

Differential Pricing of the Discretionary and Nondiscretionary Components of Loan Fair Values

William H. Beaver (1940–2024), Mohan Venkatachalam
1998

Using a sample of banks, this study examines the capital market pricing implications of discretionary and nondiscretionary components of loan fair value estimates. We conduct our analysis in two stages. First, we determine the discretionary…

The Association Between Earnings Sensitivity Measures and Market Determined Risk Exposures: The Case of Oil Price Risk for Petroleum Refiners

Shivaram Rajgopal, Mohan Venkatachalam
1998

Using a sample of petroleum refining firms, this paper provides evidence that earnings sensitivity measures analogous to those mandated by the SEC’s (1997) new market risk disclosure rules are positively associated with stock market determined…

The Characteristics and Valuation of Loss Reserves of Property Casualty Insurers

Maureen McNichols, William H. Beaver (1940–2024)
1998

The extent to which management influences accounting recognized in financial statements and the extent to which investors are able to identify such influence are fundamental questions in financial reporting research. This study contributes to…

The Role of Book Value in Equity Valuation: Does the Stock Variable Merely Proxy for Relevant Past Flows?

Mohan Venkatachalam
1998

We propose an alternative explanation for the value-relevance of book value. Specifically, we suggest that book value can have an indirect role in valuation even under an earnings capitalization framework. We first show that past earnings are…

Alternative Valuation Models and the Valuation Parameters of Property-Casualty Insurers' Share Prices

Elizabeth A. Demers
1997

This paper examines the value-relevance of various balance sheet items and earnings streams to the share prices of property-casualty (“P&C”) insurance companies under several alternative valuation model specifications. This study extends…

Institutional Trading and Corporate Performance

Maureen McNichols, Mark Lang
1997

Abstract not available.

Measuring the Success of Activity-Based Cost Management and Its Determinants

George Foster, Dan Swenson
1997

This paper compares and contrasts alternative measures of activity-based cost management (ABCM) success in models testing ABCM success determinants. Both a priori and factor-analysis approaches are examined. The a priori measures examined are: (1…

On the Association Between Voluntary Disclosure and Earnings Management

Ron Kasznik
1997

This paper investigates the extent to which managers use their accounting discretion to reduce the costs associated with voluntary disclosure in general, and with management forecast errors in particular. The empirical findings are consistent…

The Role of Institutional Investors in Corporate Governance: An Empirical Investigation

Shivram Rajgopal, Mohan Venkatachalam
1997

Institutional investors, who now own a significant protion of equity in U.S. firms, are often described as transient and myopic owners with no incentives to involve themselves in governance. We examine the validity of this assertion by examining…

Reputation and Performance Fee Effects on Portfolio Choice by Investment Advisers

Steven Huddart
1994

This paper considers a two-period model of investment management. Investors decide how to reallocate their wealth between two mutual funds managed by different investment advisers after observing the performance of each adviser in the first…

Inventory Rules, Taxation and Institutions' Trading Decisions

Sridhar Narayanan, Steven Huddart, V. Narayanan
1993

This paper examines whether the trading decisions of institutional investors can be explained in part by the effects of taxation on portfolio returns. The trading strategy that maximizes benefits to owners in the absence of taxes on capital gains…

An Empirical Assessment of Voluntary Disclosure Theory

Mark Lang, Russell Lundholm
1992

In this paper we examine the determinants of a firm’s level of voluntary disclosure. As a comprehensive measure of a firm’s disclosure level, we use analysts’ evaluations of firms’ disclosures as reported in the Financial Analysts Federation…

Institutional Investment, Corporate Earnings and Managerial Incentives

Maureen McNichols, Mark Lang
1992

Abstract not available.

Report Management and the Independent Auditor's Reliance on Management's Report

Stephen C. Hansen, John S. Watts
1992

Abstract not available.

Ownership and Information as Substitutes

Steven Huddart
1991

This paper analyzes the combination of ownership and signal-based bonus offered by investors to the firm’s manager. As an incentive, stock ownership differs from signal-based bonuses. The risk inherent in ownership is unavoidable, while the risk…

Public Signals and the Equilibrium Allocation of Private Information

Russell Lundholm
1989

Abstract not available.