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Textual analysis and international financial reporting: Large sample evidence

Mark Lang and Lorien Stice-Lawrence

Journal of Accounting and Economics, 2015, vol. 60, issue 2, 110-135

Abstract: We examine annual report text for over 15,000 non-US companies from 42 countries over the period 1998–2011, focusing on the length of disclosure, presence of boilerplate, comparability with US and non-US firms, and complexity. We find that textual attributes are predictably associated with regulation and incentives for more transparent disclosure and are correlated with economic outcomes such as liquidity, institutional ownership, and analyst following. Using mandatory IFRS adoption as an exogenous shock, annual report disclosure improved in the sense that quantity of disclosure increased, boilerplate was reduced, and comparability increased relative to both US and non-US firms. Firms with the greatest improvements in financial reporting experienced the greatest improvements in economic outcomes around IFRS adoption.

Keywords: International accounting; Textual analysis; Disclosure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 M40 M41 M48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (86)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jaecon:v:60:y:2015:i:2:p:110-135

DOI: 10.1016/j.jacceco.2015.09.002

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Journal of Accounting and Economics is currently edited by J. L. Zimmerman, S. P. Kothari, T. Z. Lys and R. L. Watts

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