The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures

51 Pages Posted: 26 Aug 2007

See all articles by Leslie Eldenburg

Leslie Eldenburg

University of Arizona

Ranjani Krishnan

Michigan State University - Department of Accounting & Information Systems

Abstract

This paper analyzes the association between ownership, top management incentives, and expenditures on accounting information. We argue that organizations with privately appointed boards of directors such as for-profit and non-governmental nonprofit organizations use incentive pay practices which encourage managers to use accounting information to improve performance. In contrast, government organizations are publicly governed and are constrained in their compensation practices because hospital CEOs are administrators of government provided services. However, these hospitals must prove their efficiency to continue to receive adequate budgetary funding. Therefore government hospitals are more likely to use accounting information to gain legitimacy with stakeholders and regulators. Accordingly, we predict a positive relationship between expenditures on accounting information and contracting intensity in privately governed organizations, whereas we expect no such association for publicly governed organizations. We analyze data from California hospitals to determine differences in these roles across ownership types. We find a positive association between contracting intensity and expenditures on accounting information in privately governed hospitals, but no relation in publicly governed hospitals. Finally, we find differences in the use of accounting information within the privately governed hospitals, based on ownership. While for-profit hospitals expend resources on accounting information that helps improve their revenue positions, nonprofit hospitals expend resources on accounting information that facilitates decision-making related to operating efficiency and cost containment.

Keywords: Governance, accounting information, ownership structure, hospitals

JEL Classification: I18, L31, L32, M40, M41, M46, M52

Suggested Citation

Eldenburg, Leslie G. and Krishnan, Ranjani, The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures. Contemporary Accounting Research, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1006110

Leslie G. Eldenburg (Contact Author)

University of Arizona ( email )

McClelland Hall Room 301H
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States
520-621-4585 (Phone)
520-621-3742 (Fax)

Ranjani Krishnan

Michigan State University - Department of Accounting & Information Systems ( email )

270 North Business Complex
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034
United States
517-353-4687 (Phone)
517-432-1101 (Fax)

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