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Determinants of Revenue†Reporting Practices for Internet Firms

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  • Robert M. Bowen
  • Angela K. Davis
  • Shivaram Rajgopal

Abstract

The financial press and accounting regulators (e.g., the Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Accounting Standards Board) have expressed concern about pressures on Internet firms to report high levels of revenue. This study verifies the association between market capitalization and revenue, and examines economic factors that potentially influence Internet company managers' decisions to adopt allegedly aggressive revenue†recognition policies. Specifically, we examine factors hypothesized to influence the reporting of advertising barter revenue and grossed†up sales levels. We begin by providing descriptive evidence on the use of barter and grossed†up revenue across Internet sectors. Although common in some sectors, we find that the use of these accounting policies is not pervasive overall. We limit our empirical analyses to Internet companies that have the opportunity to report grossed†up or advertising barter revenue. Our cross†sectional predictions are based on both external and internal incentives to maximize revenues as well as constraints that may limit management's discretion. We predict that the following factors increase the likelihood that a firm will report grossed†up and/or barter revenue: shorter time before needing additional external financing, more active individual investor interest in the firm's stock, more active pursuit of growth via acquisitions, and greater use of stock options in employee compensation. We also posit that barter transactions might be an inexpensive way for firms to evaluate the viability of future marketing or content alliances with potential partners. Finally, we predict that constraints on management discretion are related to the reputation/quality of the firm's auditor and underwriter and the extent of management ownership. We find that firms with greater cash burn rates and higher levels of activity on Motley Fool message boards are consistently associated with barter and grossed†up revenue reporting.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert M. Bowen & Angela K. Davis & Shivaram Rajgopal, 2002. "Determinants of Revenue†Reporting Practices for Internet Firms," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 523-562, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:coacre:v:19:y:2002:i:4:p:523-562
    DOI: 10.1506/9728-4YG8-GC3L-FPFA
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    Cited by:

    1. Christopher S Armstrong & Antonio Davila & George Foster & John RM Hand, 2011. "Market-to-revenue multiples in public and private capital markets," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 36(1), pages 15-57, April.
    2. Serdarevic Nino & Muratovic-Dedic Ajla, 2021. "Revenue Recognition and Real Earnings Management in Bosnian Construction Industry," Journal of Forensic Accounting Profession, Sciendo, vol. 1(1), pages 21-34, June.
    3. Brian M. Burnett & Gregory W. Martin & David A. Reppenhagen, 2021. "Managerial discretion in revenue recognition amidst financial restatements and implications for GAAP compliance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(5-6), pages 869-894, May.
    4. Nilabhra Bhattacharya & Elizabeth Demers & Philip Joos, 2010. "The Relevance of Accounting Information in a Stock Market Bubble: Evidence from Internet IPOs," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(3‐4), pages 291-321, April.
    5. Andrzej Piosik, 2021. "Revenue Identification in Attaining Consensus Estimates on Income Predictions: The Function of Ownership Concentration and Managerial Ownership Confirmation from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, December.
    6. Hyung Il Oh & Hyunpyo Kim & Jeong‐Bon Kim & Yong Gyu Lee, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and operating cash flows management: An examination of credit market incentives," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(7-8), pages 1494-1522, July.
    7. Anup Srivastava, 2023. "Trivialization of the bottom line and losing relevance of losses," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 1190-1208, September.
    8. Vinay Goyal & Subrata K. Mitra, 2022. "Is the asymmetric impact of aggregate revenue and aggregate earnings on the stock index in accordance with the prospect theory?," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 200-222, March.
    9. Andreas Charitou & Irene Karamanou & Anastasia Kopita, 2018. "The determinants and valuation effects of classification choice on the statement of cash flows," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(6), pages 613-650, September.
    10. Michael Lacina & B. Brian Lee & Dong Wuk Kim, 2018. "Management of Revenue and Earnings in Korean Firms Influenced by Cognitive Reference Points," Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies (RPBFMP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(02), pages 1-36, June.

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