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Research

Research Areas

Financial Accounting and Earnings Management

Financial reports provide transparency about a company’s economic situation and thus form an important basis for the decisions of various users of financial statements. At the same time, companies operate in an increasingly dynamic and complex economic environment, which is also changing the requirements for external financial reporting. The continuous development of accounting standards and the emergence of new sources of information therefore raise numerous research questions. Our research cluster focuses, among other things, on the consequences of regulatory changes, the discretion and decisions of companies in financial reporting, and the role and informational value of financial information.

Selected publications and projects:

• Kreß, A./Eierle, B./Hartlieb, S./Mazzi, F.: Hedge accounting and firms’ future investment spending, Finance Research Letters (2025), 72, 106477.
• Eierle, B./Hartlieb, S./Prinz, L.: Zur Praxis der Bilanzierung von Sicherungsbeziehungen nach der Einführung von IFRS 9, Die Wirtschaftsprüfung (WPg) (2021), 74(22), 1407–1414.
• Hartlieb, S.: Ergebniskosmetik und die Rolle der Abschlussprüferwahl – Eine empirische Untersuchung nicht kapitalmarktorientierter Unternehmen in Deutschland, Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung und Praxis (BFuP) (2020), 72(1), 3–19.
• Hartlieb, S./Eierle, B.: IFRS-Anwendung im Mittelstand – Status Quo und aktuelle Herausforderungen, PiR – Internationale Rechnungslegung (2020), 7, 248–252

Auditing and Corporate Governance

Auditing plays a central role in ensuring the reliability and credibility of corporate reporting. Reliable information is, in turn, essential for the functioning of capital markets, as investors, lenders, and other stakeholders depend on its quality and informational value. The role of auditing, and particularly its effectiveness, has been the subject of intensive debate for many years. Accounting scandals, the financial crisis, and changes in the regulatory environment have shaped both expectations of the external audit and public perceptions of its role. These developments give rise to a wide range of research questions that we address in our research. Our work focuses, among other things, on the determinants of audit scope and audit quality, as well as on the extent to which auditors take new and increasingly relevant corporate risks, such as climate-related risks, into account in their audits.

Selected publications and projects:

• Carey, P./Eierle, B./Hartlieb, S.: Audit Staff Satisfaction and Audit Quality: Evidence from the Private Client Market Segment, European Accounting Review (2025), 34(3), 1029–1056.
• Hartlieb, S./Eierle, B.: Do auditors respond to clients' climate change-related external risks? Evidence from audit fees, European Accounting Review (2024), 33(3), 1075–1103.
• Hartlieb, S.: Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die Abschlussprüfung – Literaturüberblick und deskriptive Evidenz, Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung und Praxis (BFuP) (2023), 75(4), 485–506.
• Hartlieb, S./Eierle, B.: Prüfung von Einzelabschlüssen nicht kapitalmarktorientierter Kapitalgesellschaften, Die Wirtschaftsprüfung (WPg) (2019), 72(12), 655–661.

Sustainability Reporting and Assurance

The growing importance of sustainability and the increasing regulation of sustainability reporting are creating new requirements for companies and their reporting. In addition to the disclosure of ESG information, its reliability and credibility are becoming increasingly important. Sustainability assurance can make an important contribution in this regard. Our research examines the design and effects of sustainability assurance. We focus, among other things, on the determinants and quality of sustainability assurance, the role of assurance providers, and the effects of regulatory changes on the scope, demand, and quality of sustainability assurance.

Selected publications and projects:

• Koll, E./Hartlieb, S.: Externe Prüfung der Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung – Eine vergleichende und kritische Analyse der CSRD-Umsetzungsentwürfe in Österreich und Deutschland, RWZ – Recht & Rechnungswesen (2025), 18(3), 95–102.
• Gröner, A./Eierle, B./Hartlieb, S./Mazzi, F.: Disentangling Spillover Effects of Joint Financial Statement Audit and Sustainability Assurance: Insights on Audit Efficiency, Working Paper.

Cost Management

Cost behavior is an important area of research in business and accounting. Contrary to the traditional assumption of a proportional relationship between costs and sales, research shows that costs often decrease less when sales decline than they increase when sales rise. This phenomenon, known as cost stickiness, raises questions about how companies actually manage their resources and costs. Our research examines the causes and determinants of cost behavior, with a particular focus on the role of managerial decision-making. Among other things, we investigate the extent to which economic expectations, personal interests, and corporate governance mechanisms influence cost decisions, and what consequences this has for companies and users of financial reporting.

Selected publications and projects:

• Dal Maso, L./Hartlieb, S./Longo, S./Mazzi, F.: Cost management in the era of natural disasters, Accounting and Business Research (2026), forthcoming.
• Hartlieb, S.: Consumer Sentiment, Managerial Expectations and Resource Adjustment Decisions, European Accounting Review (2023), 32(2), 481–511.
• Hartlieb, S./Loy, T.: The Impact of Cost Stickiness on Financial Reporting – Evidence from Income Smoothing, Accounting & Finance (2022), 62(3), 3913–3950.
• Hartlieb, S./Loy, T./Eierle, B.: Does community social capital affect asymmetric cost behaviour?, Management Accounting Research (2020), 46, 100640.

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