The End of Accounting and the Path Forward for Investors and Managers (eBook)

BARUCH LEV is the Philip Bardes Professor of Accounting and Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business. He has authored more than 100 research studies and five books, including Winning Investors Over. FENG GU is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Accounting and Law at the University at Buffalo. He has written numerous articles for top research journals.

Acknowledgments xi

The Book in a Nutshell xiii

Prologue xxv

Chapter 1 Corporate Reporting Then and Now: A Century of "Progress" 1

Chapter 2 And You Thought Earnings are the Bottom Line 15

Part One Matter of Fact 27

Chapter 3 The Widening Chasm between Financial Information and Stock Prices 29

Chapter 4 Worse Than at First Sight 41

Chapter 5 Investors' Fault or Accounting's? 50

Chapter 6 Finally, For the Still Unconvinced 61

Chapter 7 The Meaning of It All 67

Part Two Why is the Relevance Lost? 77

Chapter 8 The Rise of Intangibles and Fall of Accounting 81

Chapter 9 Accounting: Facts or Fiction? 94

Chapter 10 Sins of Omission and Commission 104

Part Three So, What's to Be Done? 113

Chapter 11 What Really Matters to Investors (and Managers) 119

Chapter 12 Strategic Resources & Consequences Report: Case No. I--Media and Entertainment 133

Chapter 13 Strategic Resources & Consequences Report: Case No. 2--Property and Casualty Insurance 146

Chapter 14 Strategic Resources & Consequences Report: Case No. 3--Pharmaceutics and Biotech 163

Chapter 15 Strategic Resources & Consequences Report: Case No. 4--Oil and Gas Companies 179

Part Four Practical Matters 197

Chapter 16 Implementation 199

Chapter 17 So, What to Do with Accounting? A Reform Agenda 213

Chapter 18 Investors' Operating Instructions 230

Epilogue: Advocacy Needed 241

Author Index 243

Subject Index 247

"..goes far beyond a mere provocation and could be considered one of the most effective reviews on the current status of accounting." (European Accounting Association, June 2017)

Praise for The End of Accounting and the Path Forward for Investors and Managers

"Utilizing and valuing intangible assets is essential for companies' investment and capital allocation decisions. This book proposes a thoughtful approach for managers and investors to appraise intangibles and thereby more accurately assess a company's value and performance. It's an important book for business leaders to read."
--Samuel J. Palmisano, Former Chairman, CEO, and President, IBM

"Reading this amazing book, I was reminded of Bill James' revolution in the analysis of baseball (Sabermetrics), celebrated in the book and movie Moneyball. Baruch Lev and Feng Gu argue for similar revolution in securities' analysis, where the financial stakes are orders-of-magnitude higher and the economic implications infinitely greater. The authors take us gently by the hand and escort us through every key aspect of their stunning case with a rare combination of clarity, humor, and scholarly authority--to be acted upon by investors and managers."
--Gene Epstein, Economics and Book Editor, Barron's

"The authors have identified an important area for investors--the accounting and reporting distortions of the actualities of businesses. They do an excellent job proposing ways to overcome these distortions. All investors should be cognizant of the issues presented in this book."
--Win Murray, Director of Research, Harris Associates L.P.

"This is one of those rare accounting and finance books that is both thought-provoking and visionary. The authors propose and demonstrate an exciting and highly practical new direction for corporate reporting and investment analysis, focusing on the value- creating resources of the enterprise. An essential reading for investors, accountants, and standard-setters."
--Allister Wilson, Global Audit Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

"A thought-provoking book on how to make accounting and financial reporting more relevant to investors, where intangible assets play a key role."
--Josef Lakonishok, CEO, LSV Asset Management