Francesco Mazzi

Compliance with Goodwill Related Mandatory Disclosure Requirements and the Cost of Equity Capital

Theory suggests that increased levels of corporate disclosure lead to a decrease in cost of equity via the reduction of estimation risk. We examine compliance levels with International Financial Reporting Standard 3 Business Combinations and International Accounting Standard 36 Impairments of Assets mandated goodwill-related disclosure and their association with firms’ implied cost of equity capital (ICC). Using a sample of European firms for the period 2008–2011, we find a median compliance level of about 83% and significant differences in compliance levels across firms and time. Non-compliance relates mostly to proprietary information and information that reveals managers’ judgement and expectations. Overall, we find a statistically significant negative relationship between the ICC and compliance with mandated goodwill-related disclosure. Further, we split the sample between firms meeting (or not) market expectations about the recognition of a goodwill impairment loss in a given year to study whether variation in compliance levels mainly plays a confirmatory or a mediatory role. We find the latter: higher compliance levels matter only for the sub-sample of firms that do not meet market expectations regarding goodwill impairment. Finally, our results hold only in countries where enforcement is strong.

Insights on CFOs’ Perceptions about Impairment Testing Under IAS 36

Abstract We survey CFOs of Italian listed companies and examine their views on the complexities involved in implementing IAS 36 requirements and the perceived usefulness of national guidelines aiming at assisting preparers in this respect. We find that IAS 36 is perceived as an atypical standard among IFRS, it demands subjective interpretation, its requirements can be made adaptable to managerial needs and do not limit creative accounting. Further, respondents do not see a strong link between IAS 36 disclosure requirements and market variables, except for stock returns. Moreover, the impairment testing process became more difficult during the recent financial crisis and guidelines issued by the Italian authorities do not appear to assist in implementing the recoverable amount estimation process or compliance with mandatory disclosure. The respondents explicitly call for a revision in IAS 36 and/or issuance of separate guidance. These findings inter alia respond directly to the IASB’s current quest on financial statements preparers’ concerns about the application of the IAS 36 requirements.

The moderating role of stakeholder management and societal characteristics in the relationship between corporate environmental and financial performance

This study contributes to the debate about the moderating factors that affect the relationship between environmental and financial performance. Combining stakeholder theory, stakeholder salience, and legitimacy theory, and based on a large international sample, we demonstrate that stakeholder prioritization and engagement jointly positively moderate the relationship between environmental and financial performance. However, this moderating effect is only found when both formal and informal societal characteristics are strong and support the business environment surrounding the firm and its stakeholders. Contributions and implications for managers and regulators are discussed.

Informativa sul tasso di attualizzazione nella stima dell'avviamento secondo lo IAS36 : un confronto fra Italia e Paesi nordici

Il presente lavoro si focalizza sulla qualita dell’informativa obbligatoria sul tasso di attualizzazione nella stima a valore d’uso dell’avviamento. L’analisi compara un campione di societa italiane con uno del Nord Europa, al fine di verificare se la qualita informativa risulti migliore in paesi che pongono maggiore attenzione sul capitale immateriale. Inoltre, si e inteso verificare se l’informativa aumenti in presenza di svalutazione dell’avviamento, evento piu frequente nei periodi di crisi economica. I risultati ottenuti tramite la costruzione di un disclosure index e l’analisi di regressione supportano le ipotesi, mostrando che l’informativa aumenta se l’azienda appartiene ad un paese nordeuropeo; lo stesso effetto si ottiene in caso di rilevazione di impairment loss.