Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7239442 | Accounting, Organizations and Society | 2018 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
In this commentary on “Do features that associate managers with a message magnify investor's reactions to narrative disclosures?” by Asay, Libby, and Rennekamp (2018), I discuss issues regarding the experimental methods commonly used to study the effects of narrative financial disclosures. First, I suggest a broader view of the complementarity of experimental and archival research. Second, experimental methods provide an opportunity to design materials that use minimal representations of phenomena of interest or to use a broader, 360°, approach in depicting the phenomena; I argue the latter approach is a valid option. Third, I note concerns about the ubiquitous “process” or mediation testing in many financial accounting experiments. Fourth, I argue that the use of online participant population can be improved through better screening, to parallel the screening we use with student participant groups. Fifth, I summarize comments by conference participants that questioned the source of corporate disclosure style choices and investor style expectations. The paper concludes with a call for a framework to organize and understand the myriad of financial disclosure style choices made by firm management.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Business, Management and Accounting
Accounting
Authors
Marlys Gascho Lipe,