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S.P. Kothari. Papadakis, George, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. Sloan School of Management 2008-09-03T15:22:38Z 2008-09-03T15:22:38Z 2007 2007 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42336 233540392 Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-47). This paper examines the properties of accounting numbers using a real investment framework that predicts asymmetric timeliness of both investment and its outcomes (i.e. sales, earnings and operating cash flows) even in the absence of conservative accounting. In particular, I predict and find that firms are able to react more quickly to negative economic shocks (by cutting investment and employment) than to positive economic shocks (where there is a lag in implementing new investments or expanding employment). Next, I create the link between real investment and operating decisions and accounting by examining properties of sales and cash sales. I focus on analyzing sales and cash sales because real investment and operating activities are likely to have a great impact on the timeliness and time-series properties of these variables. I hypothesize that due to the slow investment adjustment to positive shocks, sales will exhibit a relatively stronger sensitivity to negative versus positive shocks. I also predict that sales will reflect a positive shock over time (positive autocorrelation) whereas a negative shock will be reflected in sales in a more immediate and permanent fashion. I find strong empirical support for both predictions. Cross-sectional tests lend further support to my hypothesis that real operating and investment activities play a crucial role in determining the observed properties of accounting numbers. by George Papadakis. Ph.D. 66 leaves eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 Sloan School of Management. Investment dynamics and the timeliness properties of accounting numbers Thesis application/pdf false Publication unknown unknown <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="c27a81ae-1be9-45b6-b0a1-a68c4f8c3bb6"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>eng</Language> <Title>Investment dynamics and the timeliness properties of accounting numbers</Title> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2007</PublicationDate> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Papadakis, George, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License> <Keyword>Sloan School of Management.</Keyword> <Abstract>This paper examines the properties of accounting numbers using a real investment framework that predicts asymmetric timeliness of both investment and its outcomes (i.e. sales, earnings and operating cash flows) even in the absence of conservative accounting. In particular, I predict and find that firms are able to react more quickly to negative economic shocks (by cutting investment and employment) than to positive economic shocks (where there is a lag in implementing new investments or expanding employment). Next, I create the link between real investment and operating decisions and accounting by examining properties of sales and cash sales. I focus on analyzing sales and cash sales because real investment and operating activities are likely to have a great impact on the timeliness and time-series properties of these variables. I hypothesize that due to the slow investment adjustment to positive shocks, sales will exhibit a relatively stronger sensitivity to negative versus positive shocks. I also predict that sales will reflect a positive shock over time (positive autocorrelation) whereas a negative shock will be reflected in sales in a more immediate and permanent fashion. I find strong empirical support for both predictions. Cross-sectional tests lend further support to my hypothesis that real operating and investment activities play a crucial role in determining the observed properties of accounting numbers.</Abstract> <Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right" > </Access> </Publication>