Ian D. Gow

This textbook provides the foundation for a course that takes PhD students in empirical accounting research from the very basics of statistics, data analysis, and causal inference up to the point at which they conduct their own research. Starting with foundations in statistics, econometrics, causal inference, and institutional knowledge of accounting and finance, the book moves on to an in-depth coverage of the core papers in capital market research. The latter half of the book examines contemporary approaches to research design and empirical analysis, including natural experiments, instrumental variables, fixed effects, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity design, propensity-score matching, and machine learning. Readers of the book will develop deep data analysis skills using modern tools. Extensive replication and simulation analysis is included throughout. Key Features:Extensive coverage of empirical accounting research over more than 50 years. Integrated coverage of statistics and econometrics, institutional knowledge, and research design. Numerous replications and a dozen simulation analyses to immerse readers in papers and empirical analysis. All tables and figures in the book can be reproduced by readers using included code. Easy-to-use templates facilitate hands-on exercises and introduce reproduceable research concepts. (Solutions available to instructors.)

"Messrs. Gow and Kells have made an invaluable contribution, writing in an amused tone that nevertheless acknowledges the firms' immense power and the seriousness of their neglect of traditional responsibilities. The Big Four will appeal to all those interested in the future of the profession--and of capitalism itself." --Jane Gleeson-White, Wall Street Journal With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian army and combined revenues of over $130 billion a year, the Big Four accounting firms--Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG--are a keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of cards may be about to fall. Stretching back to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home. All four firms have endured major calamities in recent decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches of independence. The firms have come so close to "extinction level events" that regulators have required them to prepare "living wills." And today, the Big Four face an uncertain future--thanks to their push into China, their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition, and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency. This account of the past, present, and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working or considering working in the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.

A fascinating and authoritative portrait of the 'Big 4' accounting firms: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG. Essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, or working in the industry, or contemplating joining or engaging a professional services firm. The history of the 'Big 4' firms is one of triumphs and disasters, of pioneers and scoundrels. Today, the firms have an uncertain future - thanks to their push into China; their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition; and the hazards of providing traditional tax and audit services in a new era of transparency.