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Over two-thirds of United States public companies now announce annual earnings prior to (versus with, or after) audit completion. We expect this practice has potential to increase pressure in auditor/client negotiations over post-announcement audit adjustments. In a controlled experiment with audit partners and senior managers, we find, in the presence of today’s typical level of audit committee engagement, auditors are significantly more likely to accept aggressive financial reporting when earnings have been released (versus drafted). Further, we test and find this effect is mitigated with strong audit committee effectiveness (i.e., including ideal, but achievable, characteristics typically currently lacking in today’s average committees). Our process-model tests find the joint effects are mediated by auditors’ directional goals such that in the absence of strong audit committees, released earnings increases auditors’ directional goals, leading to lower judgment quality. Our study provides evidence on the importance of investing in high-quality audit committees in promoting high-quality financial reporting.

This study investigates the effect of property taxes on real business decisions. Consistent with tax avoidance, we posit that personal property tax rates are associated with decreases (increases) in inventory prior to (following) assessment dates. We empirically test this prediction using both United States and Canadian monthly crude oil inventory data. We find that in locations where raw materials inventory is subject to taxation, total and refinery-level crude oil inventories are reduced prior to assessment dates and increased in the following period, when compared to locations with no (or lower) tax rates. The results provide empirical evidence that property taxes play a role in the operating decisions of firms. We also examine the pricing implications of these tax driven changes in crude oil inventory and find that the market seemingly adjusts crude oil prices around assessment dates demonstrating that the market acts as if it understands these changes in crude oil inventory are not simply due to supply/demand effects.