Abstract
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The controversy surrounding the accounting for goodwill focuses on two related issues: Should purchased goodwill be considered an asset of the acquiring firm? If so, is the systematic amortization of the capitalized amount appropriate?
This thesis provides evidence on sources and components of goodwill and allows evaluation of whether goodwill accounting practices reflect the economic substance of acquisitions. The analysis documents that premium goodwill (the component of goodwill associated with bid premia in acquisitions) comprises 86 percent of purchased goodwill. Further analysis identifies agency cost savings, differences in resource allocations, method of takeover, and the presence of rival bidders as significant components of premium goodwill. However, since the extent of benefits attributable to these components is not known, the longevity of the benefits are not clear.
These findings of variation in source and components of goodwill are inconsistent with the accounting treatment. For example, up to 75 percent of goodwill is amortized over the maximum allowable period of 40 years. This homogeneous treatment suggests that amortization periods are inconsistent with goodwill's heterogeneous components. Reductions in amortization periods, and lump sum write-offs of goodwill provide further evidence that accounting practices are inconsistent with the nature of goodwill.
The primary contribution of this thesis is that it provides evidence that the informativeness of reported goodwill accounting numbers, based on their association with market values, is conditional on both source of goodwill and amortization period. Thus, firms that identify components of goodwill and amortize them according to their economic substance report goodwill accounting numbers that better track market values. This result, based on a sample of 1,307 firms with data in 1986-1992, clarifies previous market valuation studies that find conflicting evidence on the usefulness of goodwill accounting.
These findings have policy implications since standard-setting bodies endorse shorter amortization periods than the 40 years currently allowed for U.S. firms. While the findings suggest that shorter amortization periods result in more informative goodwill accounting numbers, certain components of goodwill may be long-lived. Therefore, mandated uniform goodwill accounting practices may result in accounting reports that do not adequately reflect the heterogeneity of the components that comprise goodwill.