Maureen F. McNichols

Who is Maureen F. McNichols?

Maureen McNichols’ research examines financial reporting and its role in providing information to investors. Her recent work focuses on earnings quality, on earnings management and on securities analysts. The research on earnings quality examines the informativeness of earnings and its components under alternative accounting principles. The research on earnings management examines companies’ incentives and methods for managing earnings, detection of managed earnings and the consequences for investors. The research on analysts examines their incentives to report information truthfully, how investment banking influences analysts’ behavior, and the implications for investors.

Maureen McNichols is the Marriner S. Eccles Professor of Public and Private Management at the Graduate School of Business (GSB), Stanford University. Her leading research in two key areas—on earnings management and its implications for investors, and on analysts’ incentives, forecasts, and investment recommendations—has received considerable attention from academics, investors, and regulators in recent years. Her papers appear in the leading journals in accounting and finance and have garnered several Best Paper awards. She is an editor of Review of Accounting Studies, and has served on the editorial boards of Journal of Accounting Research and The Accounting Review.

Professor McNichols has offered courses in financial reporting in a number of Stanford’s programs, including the undergraduate program, the Stanford Law School, the Stanford MBA program, and the GSB’s PhD Program in accounting. Some of her recent electives include “Evaluating Financial Statement Information,” “Understanding Cheating,” “Securities Analysts’ Forecasts and Recommendations,” and “Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations.” In addition, she has taught in a number of programs for executives, including Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Executive. She is frequently asked to speak on a number of accounting-related topics to accounting faculty, doctoral students, lawyers, and directors of public companies.

Professor McNichols served as chair of the GSB’s accounting group from 1999-2002, as chair of the FAB Executive Committee (2007-2008), and a member of the Stanford University Faculty Senate (2004-2007), the Senate Committee on Committees (2005-2007), the Committee on Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid (2005-2007), the Stanford University Board of Trustees Finance Committee (2004-2008), and the Provost’s Budget Group (2006-2010). She was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and the London School of Business, and a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institute. From 2003-2006, she served as a director and member of the audit and compensation committees of Net IQ Corporation. McNichols received her BA and MA in accounting from the University of Illinois and her PhD in accounting from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is certified as a CPA by the state of Illinois, and is a member of the American Accounting Association.