Goodwill or “No-will”: Hubris in the tone at the top

Emmeli Runesson and Niuosha Samani

Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 2023, vol. 19, issue 1

Abstract: In this study, we examine the effect of hubris in the “tone at the top” on goodwill accounting, specifically the proportion of the purchase price allocated to goodwill following a business combination, and subsequent decisions to write down goodwill. Using a sample of CEO letters to shareholders from firms listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, we carry out textual analysis of CEO letters to identify hubristic language markers. Regression analyses show that hubristic tone is positively and significantly associated with the purchase price allocation to goodwill. Furthermore, we predict that hubristic managers are more likely to overestimate future cash inflows related to goodwill and are less likely to perceive the need for a potential write-down. Consistent with this prediction, we find that hubristic tone in the CEO letters is associated with less timely goodwill write-downs. This study contributes to the literature on goodwill accounting, the role of CEO attributes on corporate decision making, and to research on CEO-speak, by providing evidence that a hubristic tone at the top can explain strategic choices by management and accounting outcomes.

Keywords: Hubristic tone; Goodwill impairment; Purchase price allocation; CEO letter; Textual analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 M12 M14 M41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:19:y:2023:i:1:s1815566922000261

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcae.2022.100331

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Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics is currently edited by Agnes C.S. Cheng, P. Clarkson, F.A. Gul, Zoltan Matolcsy, Dan Simunic and Ben Srinidhi

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