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Investment, inflation, and the role of internal information systems as a transmission channel

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  • Binz, Oliver
  • Ferracuti, Elia
  • Joos, Peter

Abstract

We examine whether the quality of firms' internal information systems influences the relation between inflation shocks and corporate investment, as posited by imperfect information models. Inconsistent with RBC models’ prediction that nominal variables (e.g., inflation) do not affect real variables (e.g., corporate investment) but consistent with the presence of information frictions, we first document a positive relation between inflation shocks and firm-level investment. Next, we show that higher internal information system quality, measured through responses to the World Management Survey, mitigates the positive relation between inflation shocks and firm-level investment. This result suggests that internal information quality serves as a channel through which aggregate-level nominal variables affect firm-level real variables. We then document that firms with higher internal information system quality make relatively more efficient investment decisions following inflation shocks. Our inferences are robust to using the 8th EU Company Law Directive as a shock to internal information system quality and to several additional tests.

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  • Binz, Oliver & Ferracuti, Elia & Joos, Peter, 2023. "Investment, inflation, and the role of internal information systems as a transmission channel," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaecon:v:76:y:2023:i:2:s0165410123000563
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jacceco.2023.101632
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Accounting quality; Inflation; Internal information systems; Investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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