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Is warren Buffett's commentary on accounting, governance, and investing practices reflected in the investment decisions and subsequent influence of Berkshire Hathaway?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bowen, RM; Rajgopal, S; Venkatachalam, M
Published in: Accounting Review
September 1, 2014

We examine (1) whether the accounting, governance, and investing practices of Berkshire Hathaway investees are consistent with Warren Buffett's public statements on what constitutes good accounting, governance, and investing practices and (2) whether these practices are associated with Berkshire's initial "selection" or Buffett's subsequent "influence." Compared to control firms, we find that Berkshire investees are highly likely to follow Buffett's investment philosophy, somewhat likely to follow his preferred accounting, disclosure, and compensation policies, but unlikely to follow the board-related governance practices that we can measure. Second, we find some evidence that the business practices of future Berkshire investees are more aligned with Buffett's beliefs in the pre-investment period compared to control firms. Third, we find relatively modest evidence that investees improve a few of their business practices subsequent to Berkshire's initial investment. However, and overall, Buffett does not appear to be especially influential in the subsequent accounting, governance, and investing decisions of Berkshire investees, likely because he has already taken into account the attributes he cares most about in the initial investment decision.

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Published In

Accounting Review

DOI

ISSN

0001-4826

Publication Date

September 1, 2014

Volume

89

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1609 / 1644

Related Subject Headings

  • Accounting
  • 3502 Banking, finance and investment
  • 3501 Accounting, auditing and accountability
  • 1501 Accounting, Auditing and Accountability
 

Citation

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Bowen, R. M., Rajgopal, S., & Venkatachalam, M. (2014). Is warren Buffett's commentary on accounting, governance, and investing practices reflected in the investment decisions and subsequent influence of Berkshire Hathaway? Accounting Review, 89(5), 1609–1644. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-50797
Bowen, R. M., S. Rajgopal, and M. Venkatachalam. “Is warren Buffett's commentary on accounting, governance, and investing practices reflected in the investment decisions and subsequent influence of Berkshire Hathaway?Accounting Review 89, no. 5 (September 1, 2014): 1609–44. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-50797.
Bowen, R. M., et al. “Is warren Buffett's commentary on accounting, governance, and investing practices reflected in the investment decisions and subsequent influence of Berkshire Hathaway?Accounting Review, vol. 89, no. 5, Sept. 2014, pp. 1609–44. Scopus, doi:10.2308/accr-50797.

Published In

Accounting Review

DOI

ISSN

0001-4826

Publication Date

September 1, 2014

Volume

89

Issue

5

Start / End Page

1609 / 1644

Related Subject Headings

  • Accounting
  • 3502 Banking, finance and investment
  • 3501 Accounting, auditing and accountability
  • 1501 Accounting, Auditing and Accountability