Do Career Concerns Affect the Delay of Bad News Disclosure?

Posted: 14 Dec 2014 Last revised: 27 Jun 2017

See all articles by Stephen P. Baginski

Stephen P. Baginski

University of Georgia - J.M. Tull School of Accounting

John L. Campbell

University of Georgia - J.M. Tull School of Accounting

Lisa A. Hinson

University of Florida - Warrington College of Business Administration

David S. Koo

George Mason University

Date Written: June 26, 2017

Abstract

Theory argues that career concerns (i.e., concerns about the impact of current performance on contemporaneous and future compensation) encourage managers to withhold bad news disclosure. However, empirical evidence regarding the extent to which a manager’s career concerns are associated with a delay in bad news disclosure is limited. Across multiple proxies for career concerns, we find that the extent to which managers delay bad news is positively associated with their level of career concerns. Then, we hand-collect data on a compensation contract that firms use to reduce CEOs’ career concerns (i.e., ex-ante severance pay agreements). We find that if managers receive a sufficiently large payment in the event of dismissal, they no longer delay the disclosure of bad news. Overall, our findings support prior theoretical evidence that managers delay bad news disclosure due to career concerns and suggest a mechanism through which firms can mitigate the delay.

Suggested Citation

Baginski, Stephen P. and Campbell, John L. and Hinson, Lisa A. and Koo, David S., Do Career Concerns Affect the Delay of Bad News Disclosure? (June 26, 2017). The Accounting Review, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2537580 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2537580

Stephen P. Baginski

University of Georgia - J.M. Tull School of Accounting ( email )

Athens, GA 30602
United States

John L. Campbell

University of Georgia - J.M. Tull School of Accounting ( email )

Athens, GA 30602
United States
706.542.3595 (Phone)
706.542.3630 (Fax)

Lisa A. Hinson

University of Florida - Warrington College of Business Administration ( email )

Gainesville, FL 32611
United States

David S. Koo (Contact Author)

George Mason University ( email )

School of Business
Enterprise Hall 110
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States

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