Accounting Seminar (2019-16)

Topic: Managerial Career Concerns and Corporate Tax Avoidance: Evidence from the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine

Speaker: Weining Zhang, Associate Professor,Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business

Time: Wednesday, 18 Dec, 12:00-13:30

Location: Room K02, Guanghua Building 2

Abstract:

This study examines the causal effect of managers’ career concerns on tax avoidance using the staggered recognition by state courts of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine (IDD), a trade secret protection doctrine which places greater restrictions on managers from joining or forming a rival company. We argue that the IDD recognition increases the cost of job loss for managers whose current jobs are in jeopardy, thereby increasing their incentive to avoid taxes in order to favorably influence their current employer’s assessment of their ability. The IDD recognition also reduces outside opportunities for high ability managers, and thereby reduces their incentive to save taxes in order to favorably influence external employers’ assessment of their ability. Using a difference-in-differences design, we provide evidence consistent with these predictions. We further show these effects are stronger for CEOs in their early years of service when the market is more uncertain about their ability.

Introduction:

Dr. Zhang Weining is an Associate Professor of Accounting at CKGSB. He received his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2010. Before joining CKGSB in 2012, Dr. Zhang served as a faculty member at the Business School of National University of Singapore. His research interests include financial analyses, corporate disclosure, investor relationship management, corporate governance, internet platform business, and strategic financial management. He also works with Development Research Center of the State Council of China and Energy Fund of US on research projects.

Your participation is warmly welcomed!