Ashok Robin - Featured Faculty 2011
Ashok Robin
Saunders College of Business
Tailoring corporate information
ASHOK ROBIN HOLDS THE ROSETT CHAIR FOR RESEARCH AT THE SAUNDERS COLLEGE. HIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON THE PRODUCTION AND DISSEMINATION OF CORPORATE FINANCIAL INFORMATION. HE HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF “DE- MAND” IN TAILORING THIS INFORMATION BY EXAMINING SITUATIONS WHERE STAKEHOLDERS INCENTIVES CAN BE DELINEATED.
Dr. Ashok Robin is an active scholar with many publications in finance and accounting journals. He has worked collaboratively with a range of scholars both at RIT as well as at leading schools and has published in journals including the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Review of Accounting Studies, Financial Management, Journal of Financial Research and Corporate Governance.
Dr. Robin is known for his works in the area of earnings conservatism, the tendency of some firms to more promptly reveal losses than gains. One of his works on this topic, co-authored with colleagues at the University of Chicago and MIT, examines the role played by national laws and institutions in encouraging conservatism. This international study, finds that firms from common-law countries are more likely than firms from code-law countries to be conservative; this study has been cited in more than 1,000 academic papers. Other works in this area highlight the relative importance of “demand” from stakeholders versus regulatory mandates and the unique information needs of corporate creditors.
His current research continues on the theme of stakeholder demand for corporate information and examines issues such as whether family firms have incentives to reveal high quality financial information to external investors. Along with colleagues at RIT, he is currently working on topics related to the importance of auditors.
Dr. Robin also has a keen interest in writing for a more practitioner audience. He has engaged in projects with RIT faculty with considerable professional experience (people who have served as top corporate managers and directors). Some of these works have addressed issues concerning corporate mergers and acquisitions. Some of this work has been published as chapters in handbooks and as cases.
Dr. Robin is also interested in teaching and pedagogy. He has authored a text book in the area of international finance which has been published by McGraw Hill. He has also authored software that helps students and professionals with a slew of financial calculations such as loan payments.