Beyond Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The book compares the various internal control methods used in China and the USA, namely, operation and management-oriented versus financial reporting-oriented approaches. It also discusses the differences in corporate risk attitudes and behaviours under the two approaches. The author then proposes the hyper-correction hypothesis and the trimming hypothesis. Empirical findings regarding corporate cash policy, mergers and acquisitions, tax avoidance, and diversification strategy reveal that internal control in China does not result in undue risk aversion but instead manages enterprise risk within a reasonable capacity. These results support the trimming hypothesis and demonstrate that internal control is a useful risk management tool.
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