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Latest Stories in Accounting

August 29, 2023
Written
Retail Investors Are Making Simple — Yet Costly — Mistakes When Trading Corporate Bonds
Not all AAA-rated debt is the same. And credit ratings are not comprehensive indicators of risk.
Accounting
Illustration of a businessman riding a crashing stock line.
July 13, 2023
Written
Does It Pay to Link Executive Compensation to ESG Goals?
More CEOs are getting “ESG pay.” Does it improve their companies’ sustainability and financial performance?
Climate & Sustainability
llustration of a handshake with money coming from the left hand and a lightbulb with a tree inside and leaves coming from the right hand.
July 06, 2023
Written
Another Price of Sloppy Bookkeeping: Employees Want a Wage Premium.
Employees may not understand complex financial reports. But they know when their jobs could be at risk.
Accounting
Two people sitting at a conference table in a backlit room, one of them is holding up a piece of paper in front of the other.
June 06, 2023
Written
Investigating the Unsolved Mysteries of Boardrooms and C-Suites
More than a decade and 100 papers later, Closer Look finds that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to questions about corporate governance.
Corporate Governance
A blurry photo of a boardroom with figures standing and sitting illuminated by a bright window.
March 23, 2023
Written
Why Do Companies Cook the Books? Look to the Bean Counters.
Paying corporate accountants more removes incentives for financial misreporting.
Accounting
Close up of someone's desk as they are doing bills/accounting. iStock/AndreyPopov
March 15, 2023
Written
When It Comes to Half-Truths, No News Is Bad News
Does prohibiting managers from issuing incomplete disclosures lead them to reveal more information?
Accounting
An out of focus image of two business people shaking hands in a corporate office. iStock/PeopleImages
December 15, 2022
Written
By Revealing More, Private Firms May Lure Investors Away From Public Equity
Investments in publicly traded companies shift when their private competitors share information, a new study finds.
Accounting
llustration of an outstretched arm holding a magnifying glass, and a man walking up the arm toward it. iStock/SvetaZi
December 12, 2022
Written
A Dozen of Our Favorite Research Stories of 2022
A sampling of the big ideas and timely research produced by Stanford GSB faculty this year.
Leadership
Illustration of young woman balancing on a tightrope with a coin in one hand and a globe in the other hand. Credit: iStock/treety
December 08, 2022
Written
Tax Avoidance Has Become a Key Part of IPO Planning
Many soon-to-be public companies are already one step ahead of the tax collector.
Accounting
A person made of money wearing a hat and sunglasses holding a tropical drink.
November 10, 2022
Written
The ESG Generation Gap: Millennials and Boomers Split on Their Investing Goals
Younger investors are more willing to put money behind environmental and social goals — even if it’s costlier.
Climate & Sustainability
Illustration of a dollar bill showing half of George Washington's face and half of an illustration of a cartoon version of George Washington wearing a green hat and brown tee shirt.
October 27, 2022
Written
Digital Assets and Climate Change Pose New Challenges for Accountants
Mary Barth explains why investors need better information on new and hard-to-quantify risks.
Accounting
Two men standing on either side of a wide open gap on white platforms in front of a blue sky, looking down in puzzlement. iStock/Martin Barraud
September 21, 2022
Written
China’s Steep Barriers for IPOs Come with Serious Economic Costs
By making it harder for companies to go public, Beijing is stifling innovation and growth, Charles Lee finds.
Accounting
Illustration of the Beijing stock exchange logo next to a declining graph. Reuters/Florence Lo
June 03, 2022
Written
The Marketplace of Ideas: Information About Innovation Boosts Patent Trading
Corporate disclosure can bring more efficiency to a busy yet often-overlooked market.
Innovation
Illustration of three floating heads, with arrows and dollar bills coming out of their heads and mouths to indicate the exchange of ideas and money. Illustration by Cory Hall
June 03, 2022
Written
When Corporate Earnings Reports Talk, Consumers Listen
It’s not just investors paying attention. Plus: Why not to announce good news on a Friday.
Accounting
Shoppers walk through an indoor shopping mall carrying shopping bags and coffee and talking. Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters
May 04, 2022
Written
How Partisanship Crept into a Program to Boost Investment in Low-Income Areas
Political bias has influenced the rollout of the federal Opportunity Zone program, according to a new study.
Government & Politics
A photo illustration of a row of small wooden houses overlaid with blue and red blocks, and blueprint line art. Credit: iStock/sommart
April 19, 2022
Written
The Promise and Pitfalls of Investing for Change
Navigating the line between opportunity and uncertainty in the ESG boom
Finance
Illustration of various cuttings of a map, pieced together to form a larger map that shows a road curving along it. Illustration by Tyler Comrie
April 08, 2022
Written
Are Big Companies’ Net-Zero Pledges a Well-Intentioned Shell Game?
The world of climate promises and carbon offsets is “like the Wild West, where anything goes,” says Stefan Reichelstein.
Climate & Sustainability
Small green stickers that say "eco friendly" posted on top of an engraving of a factory belching smoke. | Credit: Tyler Comrie.
December 13, 2021
Written
A Dozen of Our Favorite Insights Stories of 2021
Just some of the original ideas and fascinating research coming from Stanford GSB faculty this year.
Career & Success
A person working on a computer, reading the Insights articles page on the Stanford GSB web page. | Credit: iStock/BrianAJackson.
December 02, 2021
Written
Want to Kick-Start Climate Action? Make Companies Report Their Carbon Footprints.
A “modest proposal” to give corporations a real incentive to cut emissions.
Climate & Sustainability
A photo illustration of a name tag. Instead of “Hello my name is,” the tag reads “Hello my footprint is,” and doodles of smoke stacks are drawn where the name would be.
August 20, 2021
Written
The Fast and the Incurious: How High-Speed Stock Trading Pushes Out Smart Money
Automated trades are tactically brilliant, but these “speed demons” can discourage serious market research.
Finance
A trader reacts as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Photo by: Reuters/Andrew Kelly