The Effects of Accounting Conservatism on Financial Statements and Financial Statement Users: A Review of the Literature

45 Pages Posted: 22 Sep 2011 Last revised: 9 Sep 2014

See all articles by George W. Ruch

George W. Ruch

University of Denver - School of Accountancy

Gary K. Taylor

University of Alabama - Culverhouse College of Commerce & Business Administration

Date Written: May 1, 2014

Abstract

We review and analyze the accounting literature that examines the effects of accounting conservatism on financial statements and financial statement users. We begin by analyzing how conservatism affects the reported numbers on the financial statements. These studies primarily evaluate how conservatism affects earnings quality, including earnings persistence and the presence of earnings management. Next, we assess the effect of accounting conservatism on the users of the financial statements. We identify three primary users of the financial statements: (1) equity market users (2) debt market users and (3) corporate governance users. Within each of these categories we analyze the findings of prior research and explore unanswered research questions. By analyzing the effects of accounting conservatism from a diverse range of research topics, we inform the discussion on the costs and benefits of accounting conservatism.

Keywords: Accounting conservatism, financial reporting quality, earnings quality, market returns, contracting

Suggested Citation

Ruch, George W. and Taylor, Gary Kenneth, The Effects of Accounting Conservatism on Financial Statements and Financial Statement Users: A Review of the Literature (May 1, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1931732 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1931732

George W. Ruch

University of Denver - School of Accountancy ( email )

2101 South University
Boulevard, Suite 355
Denver, CO 80208-8921
United States

Gary Kenneth Taylor (Contact Author)

University of Alabama - Culverhouse College of Commerce & Business Administration ( email )

Box 870223
Dept. of Accounting
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0223
United States

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