John Kepler

Research Statement

Professor Kepler’s research relates to documenting and understanding the interrelated nature that firms’ contracts—both explicit and implicit—play in driving firms' financial reporting and corporate governance practices.

Research Interests

• Financial Reporting
• Governance and Incentives
• Law and Economics

Teaching Statement

Professor Kepler teaches the first year MBA Managerial Accounting course (Strategic Performance Management). The objective of this course is to learn how performance management practices can be strategically applied across the various functions of a business organization to improve organizational performance.

Bio

John Kepler joined the Stanford Graduate School of Business as an Assistant Professor of Accounting in July 2019. He studies the interrelated nature that firms’ explicit and implicit contracts play in shaping firms’ financial reporting and corporate governance practices. His recent work has examined the role of executive bonus plans in facilitating cooperation among management team members. Other work examines how corporate insiders exploit their private information advantage about corporate audit findings for personal gain.

Professor Kepler received his PhD in Accounting from the the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Accounting and Finance from the Foster School of Business of the University of Washington. Prior to his studies at Wharton, he worked in Financial Planning and Analysis for Nordstrom in Seattle, Washington.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School (2014 — 2019)
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) University of Washington (2007 — 2011)
• Certificate University of Washington (2010 — 2011)

Awards and Honors

• Fletcher Jones Faculty Scholar for 2020–21

Publications

Journal Articles

• Audit Process, Private Information, and Insider Trading
  Salman Arif, John D. Kepler, Joseph Schroeder, Daniel Taylor Review of Accounting Studies (conditionally accepted) 2022
• Causality Redux: The Evolution of Empirical Methods in Accounting Research and the Growth of Quasi-Experiments
  Christopher Armstrong, John D. Kepler, Delphine Samuels, Daniel Taylor Journal of Accounting & Economics (conditionally accepted) 2022
• Cost Shielding in Executive Bonus Plans
  Matthew Bloomfield, Brandon Gipper, John D. Kepler, David Tsui Journal of Accounting and Economics November 2021 Vol. 72 Issue 2–3
• Undisclosed SEC Investigations
  Terrence Blackburne, John D. Kepler, Phillip Quinn, Daniel Taylor Management Science June 2021 Vol. 67 Issue 6
• Human Capital Disclosure: What Do Companies Say about Their “Most Important Asset”?
  Amit Batish, Andrew Gordon, John D. Kepler, David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan, Courtney Yu Stanford Closer Look Series May 5, 2021
• Private Communication Among Competitors and Public Disclosure
  John D. Kepler Journal of Accounting and Economics April 2021 Vol. 71 Issue 2–3
• Governance of Corporate Insider Equity Trades
  John D. Kepler, David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan, Daniel J. Taylor Stanford Closer Look Series January 2020
• Accounting Quality and the Transmission of Monetary Policy
  Christopher Armstrong, Stephen Glaeser, John D. Kepler Journal of Accounting and Economics August 24, 2019
• The Role of Executive Cash Bonuses in Providing Individual and Team Incentives
  Wayne Guay, John D. Kepler, David Tsui Journal of Financial Economics August 2019 Vol. 133 Issue 2 Pages 441-471
• Strategic Reactions in Corporate Tax Planning
  Christopher Armstrong, Stephen Glaeser, John D. Kepler Journal of Accounting and Economics March 9, 2019
• Theory, Research Design Assumptions, and Causal Inferences
  Christopher S. Armstrong, John D. Kepler Journal of Accounting and Economics November 2018 Vol. 66 Issue 2–3 Pages 366–373