An investigation of financial expertise improvement among CFOs hired following restatements

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine chief financial officer (CFO) qualification improvement associated with restatements and restatement characteristics (restatement materiality). The study is motivated by recent high-profile financial scandals and increasing instances of restatements which focus public attention on the role of CFOs in maintaining the integrity and quality of corporate financial reporting. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs data composed of 80 restating firms matched with 80 non-restating firms with hand-collected CFO turnover information in the periods of 2003-2010. The research questions are tested in the logistic regression models. Findings – The results provide some support that restating firms are more likely to hire new CFOs with greater accounting knowledge and overall CFO qualification (both accounting knowledge and CFO work experience) than non-restating firms. Furthermore, the authors also find that the number of restating years has a positive effect on CFO qualification improvement. Research limitations/implications – Although the authors fail to find strong evidence for the hypotheses (perhaps due to the small sample size) the authors provide the first evidence on the relation between CFO qualification improvement and restatement. Further research can examine the relation in the pre-SOX period, and investigate whether any of the firms experiencing CFO turnover have experienced any financial statement restatements in subsequent years. Originality/value – The results extend the understanding of companies’ strategies for regaining reporting credibility in the wake of restatements. Restatements of erroneous accounting numbers (primarily earnings) have led to significant losses for investors, contributed to a series of corporate governance reforms and legislative changes including SOX 2002, and prompted efforts to identify the remedies restating firms take to improve reporting quality and restore credibility.

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