Discussion of Corporate Financial Reporting: A Methodological Review of Empirical Research: Comment

9 Pages Posted: 30 Sep 2003

See all articles by Michael C. Jensen

Michael C. Jensen

Harvard Business School; SSRN; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); Harvard University - Accounting & Control Unit

Abstract

It is important to avoid using 'perfection' as a criterion to judge scientific papers. Virtually all papers that make important contributions leave many questions unanswered and many even contain errors. It is also important to distinguish the criterion used to judge the scientific process as a whole from that used to judge individual papers. Complex phenomenon are mastered by the gradual development and linkage of models of sub-components of the system that of necessity are oversimplified and therefore only approximations to reality. Mathematics plays an important role in this process but much analysis and progress has to be accomplished in a new area before mathematics can be useful. Mathematics is not the same as 'rigor' and 'analysis' but it is often mistakenly identified as such. The tautologies or definitions chosen by scholars have important effects on the productivity of research efforts; yet these effects are generally unrecognized and unstudied. Indeed, in many quarters it is considered unscientific, or useless or even embarrassing to devote efforts to the consideration of tautologies.

Suggested Citation

Jensen, Michael C., Discussion of Corporate Financial Reporting: A Methodological Review of Empirical Research: Comment. Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 20, Supplement, 1982, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=428800 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.428800

Michael C. Jensen (Contact Author)

Harvard Business School ( email )

Soldiers Field
Negotiations, Organizations & Markets
Boston, MA 02163
United States

HOME PAGE: http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=ovr&facId=6484

SSRN ( email )

United States

HOME PAGE: http://ssrn.com/author=9

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Harvard University - Accounting & Control Unit ( email )

Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
977
Abstract Views
7,630
Rank
43,457
PlumX Metrics