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VITAE
Teaching
Research
University
of Arkansas
Walton
College of Business
Department of Accounting
U
of A Library
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My research program explores
corporate governance and financial reporting quality, with particular
emphasis on audit committees and the audit function. In order to understand
the importance of my research program it is valuable to consider the
following observation about the most influential corporate events since the
Securities Litigation Acts of 1933 and 1934.
“And, while
pundits have written much about the causes and consequences of infamous cases
such as Enron and WorldCom, one thing stands out. They all involved a
fundamental breakdown in what economists call agency, the persistent,
inherent problem all corporations face in aligning the interests of those who
manage the company (executives) with those who own the company
(shareholders).” CFO.COM
Audit committees, auditors, and
financial reporting decisions all play a role in reducing the degree of these
“agency” problems faced by modern companies and in increasing the
quality of financial information. Companies can increase the credibility of
their financial information by making choices on how to employ the internal
monitoring of an audit committee, the external validation of an auditor, or
provision of voluntary accounting disclosures. The better we understand these
choices, the better equipped we are to educate and aid future business
professionals. In the greater scheme of things, as these choices improve, so
does the efficient distribution of money in the global economy and, in turn,
the overall welfare of its citizens.
My research is published in
accounting journals including The
Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Auditing:
A Journal of Practice and Theory, among others. Professional venues
including the Wall Street Journal, Strategic Finance, and
MSN’s MoneyCentral.com have also highlighted my research projects.
Please see my VITAE
for specific examples of selected research streams and projects
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