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Customer Concentration and Public Disclosure: Evidence from Management Earnings and Sales Forecasts†

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  • Steven Crawford
  • Ying Huang
  • Ningzhong Li
  • Ziyun Yang

Abstract

This study examines the association between customer base concentration and corporate public disclosure policy. When the customer base is more concentrated, large customers face lower costs of accessing the supplier firm's private information, reducing customers' overall demand for the supplier's public information, suggesting a negative association between customer concentration and the amount of public disclosure. Alternatively, large customers have greater bargaining power and may demand that the supplier firm provide more public disclosures. Consistent with customer concentration facilitating private information flow from the supplier to customers, we find that the frequencies of management earnings and sales forecasts are negatively associated with customer concentration among firms with major corporate customers. These associations are stronger when the supplier and customers are engaged in more relationship‐specific investments, when customers' private information acquisition costs are lower, and when it is less costly for customers to find another supplier. Concentration de la clientèle et publication d’information : données tirées des prévisions de résultats et de ventes de la direction Les auteurs étudient le lien entre la concentration de la clientèle et la politique de l’entreprise en matière de publication d’information. Lorsque la clientèle est plus concentrée, les clients importants sont en mesure d’accéder à l’information privilégiée du fournisseur à moindre coût, ce qui réduit la demande globale des clients quant à la publication d’information par le fournisseur. Ainsi peut‐on supposer l’existence d’un lien négatif entre la concentration de la clientèle et le volume d’information publiée. En revanche, les clients importants jouissent d’un plus grand pouvoir de négociation et peuvent exiger du fournisseur qu’il publie davantage d’information. Conformément à l’hypothèse selon laquelle la concentration de la clientèle facilite le flux d’information privilégiée du fournisseur vers les clients, les auteurs constatent l’existence d’un lien négatif entre la fréquence des prévisions de résultats et de ventes de la direction et la concentration de clientèle chez les sociétés ayant une clientèle de grandes entreprises. Ce lien est plus fort lorsque le fournisseur et les clients sont engagés dans des investissements plus étroitement liés à la relation qu’ils entretiennent, lorsque les coûts d’acquisition d’information privilégiée pour les clients sont plus faibles, et lorsqu’il est moins onéreux pour les clients de trouver un autre fournisseur.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Crawford & Ying Huang & Ningzhong Li & Ziyun Yang, 2020. "Customer Concentration and Public Disclosure: Evidence from Management Earnings and Sales Forecasts†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 131-159, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:coacre:v:37:y:2020:i:1:p:131-159
    DOI: 10.1111/1911-3846.12526
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    2. Kim, Taeyeon & Kim, Hyun-Dong & Park, Kwangwoo, 2023. "Agency costs of customer concentration," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 533-558.
    3. Agnes C. S. Cheng & Wenli Huang & Shaojun Zhang, 2020. "Major government customer and management earnings forecasts," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Wang, Yong & Song, Chunyang & Wang, Wenhao, 2023. "Suppliers’ decision on green innovation: A response to customers’ environmental regulation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    5. Hsihui Chang & Sheng Liu & Raj Mashruwala, 2022. "Customer Bargaining Power, Strategic Fit, and Supplier Performance," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(4), pages 1492-1509, April.
    6. Duan, Zhixin & Hu, Mingsheng, 2024. "Dig the treasure nearby: The impact of local supplier preference on trade credit financing," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 629-650.
    7. Cao, Feng & Zhang, Xueyan & Yuan, Rongli, 2022. "Do geographically nearby major customers mitigate suppliers’ stock price crash risk?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(6).
    8. Jung Min Kim & Daniel J. Taylor & Robert E. Verrecchia, 2021. "Voluntary disclosure when private information and disclosure costs are jointly determined," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 971-1001, September.
    9. Dong, Yizhe & Li, Chang & Li, Haoyu, 2021. "Customer concentration and M&A performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    10. Zhang, Jiping & Mo, Haimiao & Hu, Zhijian & Zhang, Tianjiao, 2024. "The effect of stability and concentration of upstream and downstream relationships of focal firms on two-level trade credit," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    11. Darendeli, Alper & Fiechter, Peter & Hitz, Jörg-Markus & Lehmann, Nico, 2022. "The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information in supply-chain contracting: Evidence from the expansion of CSR rating coverage," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(2).
    12. Obaid Ur Rehman & Xiaoxing Liu & Kai Wu & Junfeng Li, 2023. "Customer concentration, leverage adjustments, and firm value," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(2), pages 2035-2079, June.
    13. Kim, Taeyeon & Kim, Hyun-Dong & Park, Kwangwoo, 2023. "Customer concentration and firm risk: The role of outside directors from a major customer," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    14. Su, Kun & Zhao, Yan & Wang, Yinghui, 2024. "Customer concentration and corporate financialization: Evidence from non-financial firms in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    15. Weiqi Zhang & Huong Ha & Hui Ting Evelyn Gay, 2020. "Analysts’ forecasts between last consensus and earning announcement date," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(4), pages 779-793, November.
    16. Cao, Xiyang & Ni, Jian & Wang, Fei & Xu, Yue, 2023. "Does customer concentration affect corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    17. Daniel Cohen & Bin Li & Ningzhong Li & Yun Lou, 2022. "Major government customers and loan contract terms," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 275-312, March.
    18. Jun Chen & Ningzhong Li & Xiaolu Zhou, 2023. "Equity financing incentive and corporate disclosure: new causal evidence from SEO deregulation," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 1003-1034, June.
    19. Chen, Kai, 2022. "Suppliers' relationship-specific investments and customers' management forecasts," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    20. Chen, Gary & Tian, Xiaoli (Shaolee) & Yu, Miaomiao, 2022. "Redact to protect? Customers' incentive to protect information and suppliers’ disclosure strategies," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1).
    21. Huang, Ying, 2022. "Government subsidies and corporate disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1).
    22. Jiangming Ma & Di Gao, 2023. "The Impact of Sustainable Supply-Chain Partnership on Bank Loans: Evidence from Chinese-Listed Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    23. Di Gao & Yuan Zhao & Jiangming Ma, 2023. "How Does Supply Chain Information Disclosure Relate to Corporate Investment Efficiency? Evidence from Chinese-Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-22, April.
    24. Mu-Shu Yun & Lee-Young Cheng & Yan Zhao, 2023. "Customer concentration and target price accuracy," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 995-1028, October.
    25. Li, Wanli & Lai, Yin & Zhong, Yufen, 2024. "The closer the better: Supplier geographic proximity and corporate information disclosure violation," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).

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