Peter J. DaDalt

Bio: Peter J. DaDalt is an academic researcher from Susquehanna University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Earnings management & Earnings. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 18 publications receiving 3036 citations. Previous affiliations of Peter J. DaDalt include J. Mack Robinson College of Business & Georgia State University.

Earnings Management and Corporate Governance: The Roles of the Board and the Audit Committee

Abstract: We examine the role of the board of directors, the audit committee, and the executive committee in preventing earnings management. Supporting an SEC Panel Report's conclusion that audit committee members need financial sophistication, we show that the composition of a board in general and of an audit committee more specifically, is related to the likelihood that a firm will engage in earnings management. Board and audit committee members with corporate or financial backgrounds are associated with firms that have smaller discretionary current accruals. Board and audit committee meeting frequency is also associated with reduced levels of discretionary current accruals. We conclude that board and audit committee activity and their members' financial sophistication may be important factors in constraining the propensity of managers to engage in earnings management.

Too Busy to Show Up? An Analysis of Directors' Absences

Abstract: This study contributes to the debate on the benefits and costs of multiple directorships by investigating the impact of multiple directorships on board meeting attendance. Individuals with multiple board seats (or "busy" directors) exhibit a higher tendency to be absent from board meetings. The results are robust even after controlling for firm-specific characteristics, board-of-directors structure and endogeneity. Furthermore, our results do not support the hypothesis that directors with higher ownership stakes are more motivated to attend board meetings. Monetary inducements such as board meeting fees and annual director retainers do not appear to enhance attendance. Finally, the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act appears to have a material impact on board attendance.

Does founding family control affect earnings management

Abstract: Because of concentrated ownership stakes, board composition and longer-investment horizons, founding-family controlled firms provide an interesting setting for examining issues relating to governance and control. Anderson and Reeb (2003a, b, 2004), find that the founding-family controlled structure results in superior stock market and accounting performance and lower cost of debt compared to their nonfamily controlled counterparts. We add to their findings by examining the relationships between founding family control and earnings management. The unique characteristics of family controlled firms could insulate these firms from pressures to manage earnings. Our results support this notion, and find that family firms are significantly less likely to manage earnings.

A Review of Archival Auditing Research

Abstract: We define higher audit quality as greater assurance of high financial reporting quality. Researchers use many proxies for audit quality, with little guidance on choosing among them. We provide a framework for systematically evaluating their unique strengths and weaknesses. Because it is inextricably intertwined with financial reporting quality, audit quality also depends on firms’ innate characteristics and financial reporting systems. Our review of the models commonly used to disentangle these constructs suggests the need for better conceptual guidance. Finally, we urge more research on the role of auditor and client competency in driving audit quality.

The Role of Boards of Directors in Corporate Governance: A Conceptual Framework and Survey

Abstract: This paper is a survey of the literature on boards of directors, with an emphasis on research done subsequent to the Benjamin E. Hermalin and Michael S. Weisbach (2003) survey. The two questions most asked about boards are what determines their makeup and what determines their actions? These questions are fundamentally intertwined, which complicates the study of boards because makeup and actions are jointly endogenous. A focus of this survey is how the literature, theoretical as well as empirical, deals—or on occasions fails to deal—with this complication. We suggest that many studies of boards can best be interpreted as joint statements about both the director-selection process and the effect of board composition on board actions and firm performance. ( JEL G34, L25)

The Bind that Ties: Socioemotional Wealth Preservation in Family Firms

Abstract: A growing body of research shows that family firms are different from other organizations in significant ways. In this paper we review this literature by examining how family firms differ from nonfamily firms along five broad categories of managerial decisions. These categories encompass a set of key organizational choices concerning management processes, firm strategies, corporate governance, stakeholder relations and business venturing. We argue that socioemotional wealth or affective endowment of family owners explain many of these choices. We also examine some contingency factors (namely family stage, firm size, firm hazard, and the presence of nonfamily shareholders) that moderate the influence of socioemotional wealth preservation as a point of reference when making managerial decisions in family firms. Lastly, we explore the firm performance consequences of family ownership.

Corporate Governance, Accounting Outcomes, and Organizational Performance

Abstract: The empirical research examining the association between typical measures of corporate governance and various accounting and economic outcomes has not produced a consistent set of results. We believe that these mixed results are partially attributable to the difficulty in generating reliable and valid measures for the complex construct that is termed corporate governance. Using a sample of 2,106 firms and 39 structural measures of corporate governance (e.g., board characteristics, stock ownership, institutional ownership, activist stock ownership, existence of debt-holders, mix of executive compensation, and anti-takeover variables), our exploratory principal component analysis suggests that there are 14 dimensions to corporate governance. We find that these indices have a mixed association with abnormal accruals, little relation to accounting restatements, but some ability to explain future operating performance and future excess stock returns.