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Do auditing standards improve the accounting disclosure and information environment of public companies? Evidence from the emerging markets in China

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  • Sami, Heibatollah
  • Zhou, Haiyan

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the impact of the implementation of a set of new auditing standards in 1996 on the information environment in the emerging markets in China. Because the implementation of such standards can increase the quality and/or quantity of accounting disclosures, it can be conceptualized as an improvement in the information environment of public companies. We investigate the improvement in accounting disclosure and information environment from both the market perspective and the accounting perspective. First, consistent with the information economics literature (e.g., [Holthausen, R., & Verrecchia, R., (1990). The effect of informedness and consensus on price and volume behavior. The Accounting Review, 65, 191-208]), we find that companies experience a significant increase in trading volume and price volatility subsequent to the implementation of the standards. Second, consistent with the literature on earnings management (e.g., [Chen, C. W. K., & Yuan, H. Q., (2004). Earnings management and capital resource allocation: evidence from China's accounting-based regulation of right issue. The Accounting Review, 79, 645-665, Jian, M., & Wong, T. J., (2004). Earnings management and tunneling through related party transactions: evidence from Chinese corporate groups. Working Paper, Nanyang Technological University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology]), we find a decrease in earnings management and, hence, an increase in quality of earnings. Finally, we find a decrease in the synchronicity of stock prices and, hence, an increase in the quality of firm-specific information available to investors, which is consistent with the literature on price synchronicity (e.g., [Morck, R., Yeung, B., & Yu, W., (2000). The information content of stock markets: why do emerging markets have synchronous stock price movements? Journal of Financial Economics, 58, 215-260]). Our results have significant implications for standard setters, regulators, researchers, managers, and investors in general and those in the emerging markets in particular.

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  • Sami, Heibatollah & Zhou, Haiyan, 2008. "Do auditing standards improve the accounting disclosure and information environment of public companies? Evidence from the emerging markets in China," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 139-169.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:43:y:2008:i:2:p:139-169
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    3. Haiyan Zhou & Stephen Owusu-Ansah, 2014. "Cross listing, disclosure regimes, and trading volume sensitivity to stock returns," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 38(3), pages 383-406, July.
    4. Jiang, Haiyan & Habib, Ahsan & Zhou, Donghua, 2015. "Accounting restatements and audit quality in China," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 125-135.
    5. Jonnergård, Karin & von Koch, Christopher & Nilsson, Ola, 2020. "Information environment – An exploration and clarification of the concept based on prior literature," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    6. Habib, Ahsan & Jiang, Haiyan, 2015. "Corporate governance and financial reporting quality in China: A survey of recent evidence," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 29-45.
    7. Esmail Tavakolnia & Seyed Vali Mostafavi Makrani, 2015. "Auditor Industry Specialization and Market Valuation of Earnings and Earnings Components: Empirical Evidence from Firms Listed in Tehran Stock Exchange," Accounting and Finance Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 4(4), pages 187-187, November.
    8. Trien Le & Trevor Buck, 2011. "State ownership and listed firm performance: a universally negative governance relationship?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 15(2), pages 227-248, May.

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