Internal and External Attributions by Managers in Earnings Conference Calls

<p>In this study, I examine whether managers make self-serving attributions by internally (externally) attributing favorable (unfavorable) performance or demonstrate leadership by accepting blame and deflecting praise when communicating with analysts and investors. After validating the attribution measure I use in this paper, I find that managers tend to attribute favorable performance to internal factors and unfavorable performance to external factors, consistent with self-serving attribution being the dominant force. I also find that investors react negatively to mangers' internal attributions. Further analysis reveals that more internal attributions are associated with lower earnings persistence.</p>

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Zhenhua

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Mayew, William
• Venkatachalam, Mohan

• Accounting

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6166

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dukespace.lib.duke.edu:10161/6166