Fair Value Measurements Disclosure: Mandatory Adoption, Valuation and Disclosure Effects

The recent financial crisis caused fair value relevancy and appropriateness to be called to the forefront of academic research as the subject dominated the media headlines. To date, there is limited research available to adequately understand, interpret and evaluate the benefits and consequences of fair value valuation and related disclosures within a liquid market context. This three paper dissertation contributes to academic literature by providing some evidence of the effects of mandatory disclosure surrounding fair value in an illiquid or highly volatile market. The first paper examines the relationship between mandatory disclosure, implied cost of capital and financial reporting quality. The second paper investigates the effect of the disclosure on liquidity and firm value. Lastly, the third and final paper examines the manufacturing industry sector, an industry severely affected by the financial crisis as it relates to ASC 820-10 and financial reporting quality. Collectively the results indicate that the mandatory disclosure requirement did reduce information asymmetry and provided informational value, however not uniformly for all firms. Furthermore, certain industries experienced more benefit from the disclosure. The results of this study will benefit investors, regulators, auditors and creditors as this information contained in the disclosure can serve as a signal of financial prudence