R&D investments, capital expenditures, and earnings thresholds

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Canace, Thomas G.; Jackson, Scott B.; Ma, Tao
• 署名单位: Wake Forest University; University of South Carolina System; University of South Carolina Columbia; Texas Tech University System; Texas Tech University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTING STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1380-6653
• DOI: 10.1007/s11142-017-9428-9
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 265-295
• 关键词: real activities manipulation; economic consequences; ANALYSTS FORECASTS; VALUE-RELEVANCE; management; decisions; FIRMS; determinants; INFORMATION; expense

摘要

Prior studies find that firms cut research and development (R&D) expense in response to earnings considerations. We extend this stream of research by documenting that firms narrowly achieving an earnings threshold also report unusually high capital expenditures. In addition, these firms' total investments (R&D expense plus capital expenditures) do not vary in response to earnings thresholds, which suggests that, on average, reductions in R&D expense are offset by concurrent increases in capital expenditures. Lastly, our research design allows us to infer that the increased capital expenditures are largely R&D investments that are capitalized instead of non-R&D capital expenditures, suggesting that overall investments in R&D are relatively unchanged.