This review lays out a research perspective on earnings quality. We provide an overview of alternative definitions and measures of earnings quality and a discussion of research design choices encountered in earnings quality research. Throughout, we focus on a capital markets setting, as opposed, for example, to a contracting or stewardship setting. Our reason for this choice stems from the view that the capital market uses of accounting information are fundamental, in the sense of providing a basis for other uses, such as stewardship. Because resource allocations are ex ante decisions while contracting/stewardship assessments are ex post evaluations of outcomes, evidence on whether, how and to what degree earnings quality influences capital market resource allocation decisions is fundamental to understanding why and how accounting matters to investors and others, including those charged with stewardship responsibilities. Demonstrating a link between earnings quality and, for example, the costs of equity and debt capital implies a basic economic role in capital allocation decisions for accounting information; this role has only recently been documented in the accounting literature. We focus on how the precision of financial information in capturing one or more underlying valuation-relevant constructs affects the assessment and use of that information by capital market participants. We emphasize that the choice of constructs to be measured is typically contextual. Our main focus is on the precision of earnings, which we view as a summary indicator of the overall quality of financial reporting. Our intent in discussing research that evaluates the capital market effects of earnings quality is both to stimulate further research in this area and to encourage research on related topics, including, for example, the role of earnings quality in contracting and stewardship.

Mention Enron or BCCI and a lack of financial regulation springs to mind. Consumer confidence is at a low ebb as consumers feel unprotected. This comparative survey of European and US consumer protection schemes offers detailed information on how much protection investors really have in these troubled times.

Empirical Capital Structure reviews the empirical capital structure literature from both the cross-sectional determinants of capital structure as well as time-series changes.

Research, Standard Setting, and Global Financial Reporting aids researchers in conducting research relevant to global financial reporting issues, particularly those of interest to financial reporting standard setters. Research, Standard Setting, and Global Financial Reporting describes the relation between research and standard-setting issues; explains how a variety of research designs can be used to address questions motivated by standard-setting issues, including valuation research and event studies; offers examples of research addressing a specific global standard-setting issue - use of fair value in measuring accounting amounts; offers further opportunities for future research on specific standard-setting topics by providing motivating questions relating to the major topics on the agendas of the FASB and IASB; explains how the IASB aims to achieve its mission of developing a single set of high quality accounting standards that are accepted worldwide; summarizes extant evidence on the relative quality of accounting amounts across global standard-setting regimes and whether global financial reporting is achievable or even desirable. Research, Standard Setting, and Global Financial Reporting examines opportunities for future research on issues related to globalization of financial reporting by identifying motivating questions that are potentially avenues for future research.

Accounting for Risk is about using accounting information to assess risk and the required return for bearing that risk. The focus is on investing in firms and the equity claims on firms: How much should an investor discount the price of a share in a firm for risk, and how can accounting information help to answer that question? That discount is variously called the required return, the expected return, or the cost of capital. The monograph links two strands of research - the first is accounting-based valuation research where value is assessed from expected cash flows, earnings, or residual earnings. The focus has been on forecasting those payoffs however forecasting payoffs is only one part of valuation. The other issue is how those expected payoffs should be discounted for risk. This monograph engages the question whether accounting information aid in the determination of risk and the discount rate? The second strand of research is asset pricing. While "asset pricing" might suggest this research is involved in determining prices, it is actually in pursuit of the required return to investing - the risk discount to price. Can accounting information about risk and return be utilized in building operational pricing models? Accounting for Risk also enhances financial statement analysis. While traditional financial statement analysis--ratio analysis--was conducted without much reference to finance theory, modern financial statement analysis derives from accounting-based valuation models that are based on the no-arbitrage theory on the pricing of expected dividends. That brings accounting and finance closer together. The key is an understanding of the accounting principles underlying the recognition and measurement in the financial statements. This requires an appreciation of how accounting handles risk, thereby generating accounting numbers that convey information about risk and expected return.

Kanodia presents a new approach to the study of accounting measurement that argues that how firms' economic transactions, earnings, and capital flows are measured and reported to the capital markets has substantial effects on the firms' real decisions and on the allocation of resources.